Chapter 27

That night as I was relaxing Tina called, and asked if I wanted to come on a flight she had the next day. I said I would love to, and I would be ready at the airport at 7:00 in the morning.

However, after she landed and got out to fuel the Piper, I was surprised to see she was in jeans and a flannel shirt. She saw me standing there in my white shirt, black slacks and pilot cap and started to laugh.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you this is not a passenger charter, George. We’re going to Wyoming for a supply run.” After the plane was fueled we went inside for a final weather check, pit stop, and for Tina to file the flight plans. Seems this was a supply run because one of the gold operations out there had a failure in their gold plant, and Tina was bringing them some replacement parts.

She let me take off, and the Super Cub was one of the planes I was familiar with. And once she told me the heading she said that this was the kind of things she often did. “I’m kind of a bush pilot half the time. Bringing food, fuel, or other supplies to hunting and mining camps all over the area. But on occasion also flying people in and out. This actually pays a lot of the bills, because our expenses are so low out here. Some days I might even hit four or five camps in a single day.”

I asked her how that worked, and she told me the amount the company was making for this one run. I actually whistled, over $2,000 just for one flight. Of course, we were also dangerously close to our weight limit, and there were few operations in the area that would do a run like this.

And as we got close Tina took the controls, and I could see why. The runway was not even that, just a flattened area on top of a mountain. And if she did not stop us in time, it was a long steep drop into the valley below. With what looked like a horse path going back and forth up the side of the mountain.

She made a long sweeping pass around what looked like a camp on the south side, then a second one close to the runway. I got a good look, it was just a large area of dirt with a windsock at the end. But after a final turn she started the approach as I saw a truck making its way up the winding path on the side of the hill.

That was a white knuckle landing if I had ever seen one. Tina did a great job of landing, but my mind was on the drop on the other side if something went wrong. And once down she turned the plane around and taxied to the other end of the runway.

I had just put down the tire blocks when the truck pulled up, and two guys climbed out of it. They shook our hands and thanked us for coming with the parts. And I helped as the cargo area was full of boxes, and quite heavy.

Thankfully taking off again was nowhere near as bad, as we were airborne long before we hit the end of the runway. And Tina looked at me like I was crazy on the flight back when I asked if she ever missed LA.

“Oh, hell no! George, out here I’m living my dream. I fly on average three to five times a week. Sometimes to Salt Lake, or Vegas and San Francisco if I want to see a big city. And if I want to just take a day or two by myself or with somebody else, I can take the Piper here and go just about anywhere I want. I live in a turn of the century ranch house, on a real cattle ranch. And I get to fly planes I had only dreamed of flying before. And there is no crime here, I don’t even lock up when I leave the ranch. How many pilots can say they walk out their front door, walk a few hundred yards, and can fly out of a hangar? The only part that sucks is if we had a large snow dump and Dave has not come out yet I need to spend a couple of hours plowing the runway before I can use it.”

Tina let me land when we got back to Soda Springs, and once we had everything shut down and the hangar closed we each got a sodas and she drove me back home. And I had to admit that she almost lived for flying. Me, I enjoyed it a lot but I could not imagine myself doing like she was. Living in the middle of nowhere with not much to do otherwise. And when she told me that the runway we landed on today was one of the better back country runways, I cringed. If that was a better one, I would hate to imagine what one of the bad ones were like.

The next week was rather boring. Grace was mostly at school or out with her boyfriend, and Tina was mostly doing local runs and did not have room for a passenger. I visited some friends, but finally I was looking online for how much a flight back to LA would be. That night I told my parents I was thinking of flying home the next week, and dad told me to hold on.

After dinner Pete, Mandy and the kids came on up, and after hugs the little ones ran to play a game on the TV as we sat upstairs and talked. And basically, I told them I was bored to death.

Mandy nodded, and said she was afraid of that. “This is a busy time for Tina, mostly doing the small bush runs. In fact, the one with you she was almost a hundred pounds over her weight limit. But I think I have an idea. The Bonanza is due for its annual certification. Now we usually have that done in Boise or Salt Lake, but how about we send George down and have it done in LA?”

Pete looked at his wife, and she simply smiled at him. He leaned back and rubbed his chin, and was lost in thought for a moment. “Well, I don’t know. That’s a long flight for him to go solo, Then there is getting it back up here. We will have to pay to keep it there until we can pick it back up again.”

“Oh, that’s not a problem. We were already looking at getting that new WAAS navigation system put in, and nobody out here knows how to do those yet.” Thankfully mom asked what that was, as I barely had a clue. I had heard of it in school, but it was so new none of the instructors had used it yet.

“Oh, that’s something the FAA just signed off on last year, Dee. And Mandy’s right, we have been thinking about upgrading to that. Think of it as most of your instruments in a single display. Compass, pitch, yaw, artificial horizon, and GPS all in one. It gets data from both satellite as well as local ground stations and combined them with those on the plane into one display. The one we are looking at even includes local data so it is almost like flying a simulator. Awesome in the event of bad weather when you are on instruments only. Harve uses a similar system for the Air Guard, and suggested we start to include it in the fleet.”

Dad and mom both thought that sounded like a good upgrade to get, and Mandy nodded. “Oh, it’s already going in the Lockheed, but that will not be done until next year. This way we can also evaluate it ourselves, and maybe get a different unit for Harve to test in the Commander. And yet another for the 441. That will give us three different ones to evaluate before expanding them to any others in the fleet. Four when the Lockheed is done.”

That seemed to help make up Pete’s mind, and he nodded. “OK George, you can fly the Bonanza down. Park it at Van Nuys, I will call ahead and they will direct you where to park it when you arrive. Go straight there, and leave the keys at the terminal. It will probably be a week or more until we can arrange to have the work done, so you may be on standby. In case they need it taxied to one of the shops across the runway, or flown to another airport to have the work done. But I will tell you now, no stops on the way that are not needed. And no flights unless either Mandy or myself give you permission.”

Mandy nodded, then added “Or if Harve tells you to fly it. He is our number two, so if he tells you to say fly it to San Diego or Burbank, do it. He would not tell you to do that unless he had permission. But for anything else, ask us and not him. Because I can promise he will say to wait and then call us himself.”

I nodded, and thought a moment. “Let me ask this now then. I have had Kris and Crystal both ask for me to take them up. Can I have permission for that?”

They leaned together and talked quietly amongst themselves, and I saw my mom smile at me. Finally after several minutes they pulled back, and I saw Pete nod, then give his wife a small kiss. “OK George, you have permission. One flight each, no more than two hours. Local area only, out and back. Top it off when you arrive, and then top it again after the last flight. The fuel going there put on our card, but you have to pay for the fuel you use for those yourself.”

I said it was a deal, and gave them both a hug and thanked them. Pete asked me when I was going back to school full time, and I sighed. “Well, hopefully in the Fall. The schedules were not right for me in the summer, that’s why I’m taking it off. Plus your friend Pavel is talking about getting a plane.”

That brought him up short, and he looked at me. “Pavel Goldberg? Why would he want a plane?”

“Well, he said something about deliveries to and from Mexico. Normally he has things trucked, but sometimes issues in shipping have been a problem. Or he needs something rushed.” He asked what kind of plane he had, and all I could do was laugh.

“Honestly, I have no idea. He said he had friends who could get him one cheap, and he knew a guy that could get me certified in it. But he knows it has to be single engine, and I can only land on runways so no floats.”

Mandy perked her head up at that, and she asked Pete to talk to Pavel and see if he could get something for them. We all looked as Pete laughed, and nodded. “Oh, Mandy said we should look into getting an amphibian. You know, I never thought of using Pavel for that before, we have not had much luck in our regular contacts. Maybe I should give him a call.”

Mom asked her what that was exactly, and Mandy took over. “Oh, it’s an airplane that can land on water or a runway. I admit, as a kid I fell in love with ‘Cutter’s Goose’ in that TV show ‘Tales of the Gold Monkey’. In that, it was a Grumman Goose. Twin engine, and could land on the water like a float plane, or it could lower wheels and land on a runway. But there are only a handful in service anymore, and those that want to sell want a premium. We also looked into the Catalina, same problem. Those that are still airworthy are really expensive.”

And it seems, that this was both because of Mandy’s fascination with old aircraft as well as practical reasons. They were still short on cargo aircraft, and like the Lockheed that would be primarily for cargo. Plus with all the lakes and rivers, Tina could use it for larger cargo runs where there were no airports. It could land on a lake or large river, and then simply taxi to shore to load or unload. And being amphibious, it could still and on regular runways unlike a float plane.

“In fact, that is something Tina has been asking for. A lot of jobs we have had to turn down because we have no float planes. Tina has ski certification and we do have skis for the Piper. And in that, I do agree with Mandy. An amphibian would be smarter than a float plane, as it is not restricted to water only use. And we are already getting charters for the DC-3 for movies and TV shows. And at least two when the Lockheed is finished. So something like a Goose or Catalina would be a good match. We can use it for cargo runs, and if somebody wants an authentic craft for a project, we can rent it for that also.”

Talk turned to other things, and at around 10:00 after hugs they walked on home and we all turned in for the night.

The next day I called everybody and told them I would be back on Monday. I promised both Kris and Crystal rides that weekend, and Pavel said he wanted me to come see him on Tuesday. On Sunday night we had a big dinner with everybody at the Big House, but Grace barely talked to me and took off as soon as dinner was done.

Monday morning I went ahead and got into what I thought of as my “Flying Suit”, and after hugging mom grabbed by duffel and walked down the hill. Mandy laughed when she saw me and gave me a hug, and asked what was up with that.

“Well, when I fly for you guys with Harve or Tina, this is how I dress. I figure I should do the same thing, since this is in a way a job for Gem Charter.”

Mandy laughed, and I followed her into the house. We sat at the table where she opened up the log books and ran me through them. Of course I had flown the Bonanza before, but this was a side of her I rarely saw. Most times she almost seemed “flighty”, but in this she was completely professional. Running me though all of the modifications the aircraft had, and making sure I knew the limits. Then grabbing a cup of coffee she drove me to the airport.

Thankfully it was already fueled, so after filing my paperwork and checking the weather she drove me out onto the runway. Where she watched carefully as I did the preflight inspection, then prepared to start it up. But first she gave me a hug, and said to be careful.

“I had to do some fast talking, your brother was not sure about this. So don’t let me down, George. Just as you promised, no detours unless needed. Have a safe flight.” She then gave me another hug as I climbed in, and after the engines were warmed up I gave her a signal and she removed the chocks. And after a final wave I got permission from the tower to taxi and wait, and soon I was in the air.

And I had to admit, if I was flying a long distance this was the plane to do it in. At around 200 miles per hour, it was almost like a sports car. Plus it had leather seats, a radio built in, and a lot of other features for comfort. Some guys when they hit middle age bought a small sports car, Pete had a plane for that. And just a few hours later I was touching down in Van Nuys.

After fueling it up I had it parked, and after turning in the paperwork and keys I was driving home. I decided to just eat in, so heated up some burritos and relaxed watching TV before going to bed.

The next morning I went ahead and drove over to Pavel’s office. He had given me directions, and it was in Canoga Park. It was an office in a strip mall, and an older lady showed me to his office. We shook hands, and he grinned at me.

“OK, plane is here, being inspected as we speak. Next Monday, unless I say otherwise you go to Camarillo, near Oxnard. Plane is there, and you meet Ivan. He once Major in Red Air Force. He tell me he knows this plane, and is good plane.”

I asked what kind it was, and he just shrugged. “No idea, is plane and has wings and engine. He know how to fly it, and teach you to fly it. Once done, we talk.”

We talked for a bit longer, and he actually smiled and thanked me for mentioning the plane to Pete. “He now have me trying to find him plane also. So I pass on to Ivan, he how I get this plane. He still has contacts in Ukraine, and he thinks he know plane they might want. This good, as for change I make money off of him instead of your brother make money off of me.” But he laughed, so obviously as Linda had said he thought highly of my brother.

And the next week I drove to Camarillo. I met Ivan in an office inside of a warehouse, and he was quite different than Pavel. His accent was even thicker, and his face looked like it never learned how to smile.

After shaking my hand he simply said “Logbook”. I opened my flight case and handed it over to him, and he sat at a desk and started to look through it. And I noticed there were only two chairs in the office, the other one behind him in a corner. So I stood a bit uncomfortably as he spent a half hour going through it. He asked me several questions about the aircraft I had flown, and my number of hours.

Finally he finished and closed it, and asked if I had any questions. I admitted I had no idea what airplane they had, as Pavel had not told me. He gave a chuckle, and I noticed he still did not smile. “Oh, Pavel see planes as taxi or truck. He only care it take him place he want to go, not what it is. But this, you fly with no problem. You see, this Antonov An-2, in US it called ‘Colt’. It simple to fly, I can teach baby to fly it. It not fast, only two hundred fifty kilometers in hour. But it have good cargo for single engine, carry five ton of cargo. Come, we go there now.”

We walked outside, and I was a bit surprised when he had us get into a golf cart and we headed to the airport which was only a few blocks away. We drove past some hangars, and I was actually shocked when we pulled in front of a large gray airplane.

We got out and he looked at me. “There, this plane. Think you fly it?”

I stared at it a moment, then started to walk around it. “Excuse me, but this thing is ancient! Does he really want me to fly a derelict from the First World War?” And I was serious, this was a fucking biplane! It was huge, almost between the DC-3 and the Bonanza in size, but single engine. With a standard three wheel fixed landing system, and two wings.

He chuckled again, and shook his head. “No, this not that old. Believe it or not, this built in 1985. They design after Great War, they say for spraying crops. They make over twenty thousand of them, many for use in farming. But also for cargo and passengers. And as all owned by state, we use them in Army. Drop paratroopers with them like Spetsnaz, they like your Green Berets. This good for flying under RADAR, drop off and nobody knows they are there. No, this not much older than you are, is good plane.”

He then gave me a tour of the outside, and now that I looked it was obvious this was a fairly new plane. In fact, it was newer than any that Pete flew as far as I knew. It simply looked old, having two wings. And for the next several hours he instructed me on the controls, preflight inspections, and general flight characteristics of the plane. And when it was time for lunch, he simply drove me back to the warehouse and told me to be back in an hour.

I got a burger and was soon back, where we returned to the plane. And I was shocked when he told me we had to turn the prop ten revolutions by hand. I thought he was crazy, but indeed that was exactly what we did. “This big engine, need to do this each time if not flown in a day to get oil to top pistons. If sit for more than day, always turn props before starting. Very important you do this, or might break engine.”

And I had to admit, once we had finished the preflight and he started it up, it was loud. Louder than any single engine airplane I had been in before. And even more so inside, so it was a good thing that the headset cut most of that noise out.

I followed him through taking off, as he told me it was different than anything else I had flown before. And he was right, this was like the DC-3 with the single wheel in the rear and not the front. And he nodded when I said I had to take off and land differently, front wheels first to land, and to let the tail come off the ground before taking off. “Good, you know procedure. I already tell tower we need to make landings, so they ready. I land, then you follow as I take off again. Then once at altitude you take over. After I land again we refuel and go home. Tomorrow, you take off and land.”

And I had to admit, it was rather easy to fly. It was slow, but the two wings also allowed it to take to the air very quickly. I had my log book out as he was talking as it had conversion charts in it, and the flight characteristics staggered me. Indeed, it was slow, but the stall speed was an amazing 30 miles per hour! It could literally in a strong wind hover almost like a helicopter! It could not fly very fast, or very high with a ceiling of around 15,000 feet. But it did have a range of over 500 miles, so I could make a trip to and from Mexico easily without refueling.

As Ivan landed, I even appreciated that he or somebody else had thankfully put labels in English on all of the controls and instruments. I flew it for several hours, and some of the features amazed me. Like automatic flaps, that would extend by themselves if the aircraft approached stall speed.

And on the second day, after taking off and landing six times, I began to see why Ivan seemed to love this plane. And on the third day, after suggesting Fox Field we headed north to the Mojave Desert. I did several takeoffs and landings there, and when it was time for lunch I remembered what Harve had said and we flew to Mojave. And after adding fuel I paid for a taxi and we went into town for lunch.

I asked him about his background, and he finally opened up a bit. He had been in the Soviet Air Force, and flew the MiG-31 fighter. He was a flight instructor when the Soviet Union collapsed, and decided to return home to Ukraine. He stayed there long enough to retire and get his pension, then emigrated to the US. He did not actually work for Pavel, but they knew each other growing up and reconnected after meeting again as part of the local Russian-Ukrainian expat community.

Come Friday after lunch he said I was “capable”, and signed off on my log book and all the paperwork certifying me in flying the aircraft. Then when we got back to the warehouse, I saw in his office the chair was now across from his desk. And with the first grin I had ever seen him give, he pulled out a bottle of vodka and poured us each a drink.

“George, you are a good student and pilot. For so few hours you do well, impressed I am. I am not so sour as seem, that is what you call mask. I am instructor, you student. No place for favorite or nice when life of you and others important. If you have question, call me. Or stop by, we have drink together.”

We talked as we had a few drinks, and I asked him how he had gotten the airplane. And at that, he laughed. “Oh, lot of these in Ukraine. You see, factory that make them there, they sit on runways all over country. I just call friend, he tell me of one that is not used. He talk to others, some money change hands, and sell to Pavel. Put on boat, ship here. There is also six engines and spare parts in warehouse here, in case it breaks or to sell to others. But Soviets, they make so many airplanes that they are everywhere.”