Chapter 33

Steve

Perhaps things are getting back to normal, or for what may pass as normal lately, and that has been near chaos.

Everyone at the shop that had some activity to report visited with me, until Ruth looked in on me and said, "Its lunch time, and Sue has called to make sure you come home. DeDe said you are scheduled for a flying lesson this afternoon too. What's that about? I thought you could fly already."

"I can, Ruth, but I need to be checked out in the new aircraft, and I have to learn how to fly helicopters. I guess now is as good a time as any."

At home, I ate lunch with all four of my ladies. They all seemed in a good mood. Sue said she was excited because she was taking a helicopter lesson today at the same time I was. After a great lunch, we all went to the gym for an hour. Freshly showered, Sue and I headed out to the airpark together.

Today, Sue was going to be taught by Joy, and Tank was going to work with me. This was almost like when I first began learning to fly in the Cessna 150s. Everything was new to me, all the names of parts and functions. The only thing that was familiar was the foot pedals and the stick. The name of the stick is the 'cyclic' control. The pedals actually do sort of what rudder pedals do on fixed wing aircraft, but are called 'anti-torque' pedals. Then there was this thing called the 'collective.' Since we were in the little helicopter, the left-handed collective had a twist grip for power like my bike.

Tank took me through explanations of all the parts of a helicopter and how they worked. We sat in the cockpit to get the feel of the controls then he started the helicopter. Once started, he said through the headset's intercom, "We're going out in the field and practice lifting off and setting down. We'll also try to hover, as that is actually one of the more difficult things to do."

For over an hour, I gently lifted off the ground went up about twenty feet then slowly set the aircraft runners back on the ground. Hovering was a real challenge. You have to work the pedals and the cyclic constantly. I think the big problem was that there is a lag between when you tell a helicopter to do something and when it does it. To go from side to side the rotors actually have to tilt. That doesn't happen at once but a split second or so later. So you are constantly overcorrecting.

Tank did let me get up in the air about two hundred feet so we could go forward at about thirty knots, turn, and go back the way we came. He had marked a circle out in the field that he wanted me to try to land in. The circle sure seemed small while I was trying to get the helicopter in the middle of it. I was able to sit in the middle without touching the outer lines four times straight. When we went back to the hangar, Tank took over and landed on the tiny wheeled platform, amazing.

When Sue was done, she told me, "That was fun, but the darned helicopter wouldn't stay still and would keep moving more than I thought I was telling it. This is going to take some practice." I told her, "My first instructor said to hold the cyclic with just a couple of fingers, and stabilize your right hand — your "cyclic hand" — by resting it on your right thigh. Then just think about moving the cyclic, without actually trying to move it, and it pretty much goes the way you want without so much danger of overcontrolling."

We both made appointments for another two hours of instruction tomorrow and went home. There, we both made calls to make sure our businesses were running the way they should. Sue and I began discussing her plan to build her own material plant. She said, "The biggest thing is the weaving machines. They really require some space, plus trained people to run them. I have a list of people from where we are getting the machines. Hopefully, we'll be able to get the right people to move here who can train the others. I'd like to have the machines working twenty-four hours a day. We can make enough material for our product, plus make material for other manufacturers."

I asked, "Is your cash flow sufficient to handle a major expansion like that?"

"Henry says it is, even after Terrell gave me the estimates for what the building is going to cost. This is becoming a larger venture than I thought, but I'm determined to do it. We're wasting time waiting for material, plus we're paying a premium every time they change the specs. Now we won't have the extra cloth from buying and having the specs change. I think the manufacturers do that to us just so they can make more money. What they don't realize is that is how the industry has been run out of the country. The Chinese won't let you change your specs until the whole run is finished. Here, because we are a U.S. company, we are slaves of the Pentagon's whims."

"What other type of fabrics are you going to make?" I asked, "Just military products?"

Sue said, "The next fabric we're going to work on is the quality fabric we use for our basic blouse. It would be neat to be able to get our cost down even lower than what it is. I've made some good contacts with yarn and thread manufacturers and will be receiving samples soon. We'll work with whoever can supply the best product."

Debbie called to tell me that Wes was looking for me. He wanted to show me something.

I called Wes, who said, "I just heard you were out here taking flying lessons. I wish you had stopped in. I want to show you my progress, come out for a few minutes if you can."

Back out at the airpark, I went through the maintenance hangar, through the new helicopter charter office, and into Wes's hangar. There sat an unpainted biplane. It looked complete except for paint. A little ways away was a low slung air coupe. The gear seemed very short, but then the whole aircraft wasn't that big.

Wes was standing there with a huge grin on his face. His two men were with him and were equally as excited. Wes said, "The biplane is complete. We could fly it the way it is, but we'll take it apart, paint it, and put it back together. We have an exact list of all the parts, complete with videos of how each section is put together. We've done the same with the air coupe, but we may modify the model a few times before we're done."

I was looking over the biplane and stepped up into the cockpit. While sitting in it, I pushed the pedals and shifted the stick to see everything working the way it should be. Wes showed me how the flaps worked, and then he showed me where the ballistic recovery handle was. This would release a parachute that would, in theory, let the plane settle to the ground without injury to the pilot and/or passenger. Wes said, "The only thing to add would be if the owner wanted more avionics. This type of aircraft is more of a seat of your pants aircraft like the one you have now, but this one should be faster and stronger. There are a couple of EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System) flat panel devices that put all the flight and navigation instruments and commo control in one flat screen that look really slick and are actually cheaper and lighter weight than the old fashioned 'steam gauges' and radio heads."

I went over to the air coupe. The front cowl for engine access was open. Wes pointed out a couple of modifications he wanted to make and he also had a different manner in which he wanted to route his wiring harness. He showed me his control cable routing and how good the feel of the surface changes were. Sitting in the air coupe was different. Even though it was small, there seemed to be sufficient room in the cockpit for two fairly good sized men. Wes explained the aircraft could be equipped with either a stick or a yoke, depending on the builder's preference. This one had a yoke that felt very good and was very easy to manipulate.

Wes said, "I made a small scale model of this bird and took it over to Scientific Atlantic for some wind tunnel testing. It did very well and it should do well in full size as well. I'm going to lengthen the gear, as the way it is now it would be to easy to touch the tail to the runway when landing. Another foot higher should be fine. It won't create that much more drag, so we should be fine. Too bad we can't have retractable gear, or we could make this thing into a two hundred mile an hour fun bird."

"We can always play with one later as an experiment. Right now, we're trying to come up with an inexpensive aircraft for a group of people who want to fly." I looked up at Wes and asked, "So when will you have the air coupe ready for its first test flight?"

Wes waved at the bird and said, "I'll lengthen the gear and finish the mods I want, then we'll paint it up, and have the FAA inspect it as experimental being made for manufacture. I guess Jimmy gets to fly it first so we can see what else it needs. I'm concentrating only on what we want to include for our basic aircraft. Give me a week and we'll be ready to fly this. The biplane will be about a week also."

Pointing to the rear of the hangar, Wes said, "I had Jeff make another set of air coupe parts for a second aircraft, but it will be with more avionics. We should have all three ready for Sun and Fun out in Plant City. If we can get certification, you can begin taking orders. I'll need more people then, but we should be able to be building at least four aircraft at once."

"That's unbelievable, Wes. You've really done a job on this project. What else can I get to help you?"

Wes said, "Nothing, Steve, you've made my life really easy. The computer design system you gave me is perfect. Jeff says it's easy for him to be exact with the specs that come from the finished design. I use the designs in sections so the guys can see exactly what fits where and what tensions and torque to use. We're really producing quality, along with being innovative."

Wes was pushing the cockpit cover over the cockpit when he said, "This and the windscreen is Jeff's newest creation. He said the girl that is still in school, Gerry, worked with him to create a clear material that can be used as a windscreen and cover. She is using a product that is like Polaroid or Transition eyeglasses have to make the cover and windscreen darker in direct sun. This will keep the cockpit cooler, as well as aid the pilot. Jeff and his group are very innovative."

"Well, Wes, let me know if you need anything else. I'm really proud and happy with your progress. You're going to make another S&S group successful."

When I left Wes, I stopped by Jimmy's and asked, "Are you ready to be a test pilot?"

Jimmy smiled, "You bet. This will be the first brand new airplane I will test. I've tested some other experimentals that people have put together in their garages, but none that were newly designed and built like this one. I can't wait to fly that biplane. Wes put the larger engine in it so it should be really hot. Hopefully, the aircraft will be as strong as Wes and Jeff both say it will be so it can be used for aerobatics."

I asked, "Jimmy, how are you doing with the increased manpower and the additional aircraft, especially the helicopters."

"Great so far. We're keeping up with the prep on the helicopters and have been logging a lot of hours on them. Listen," we both heard the heavy thump, thump, thump, thump, of a big helicopter. Jimmy added, "Here comes the Sikorsky after a hard day's work moving buoys. The Coast Guard has us tied up for this week and next. We also have a couple of machinery lifts to make downtown, and one in Lakeland. Your salesmen are out beating the bushes for us."

"When you see Phil, you congratulate him. He'll be happy to hear you're happy."

"Hell, Steve, I'm not the one to be kept happy, it's you. Let me get the Sikorsky in and do the nightly maintenance on it. That thing is so big it takes two men a couple of hours to do it right."

Jimmy looked at me with a serious expression and said, "Betty and I were talking about a few FAA things that we're not in compliance on. As far as maintenance, I'm factory certified for Beechcraft, Bombardier, and all of the Cessna Citations. One of the other mechanics and one of the new guys is certified for Bombardier, the Eclipse and the Embraer. We're probably in good shape as far as keeping the aircraft in compliance but we will need to be sending guys to schools."

He took a deep breath and had trouble looking me in the eye and said, "You fly all of the G5's with two pilots but you don't use a right seat in the Lear all the time. That's going to get us in trouble. I saw that DeDe knows the rules and is even listing a second in the logbook. If she gets caught, we'll lose our certification to fly passengers."

"Steve, I know you play by the rules and usually always do the right thing so you have to start using a second person in the Lears. You only have to have a single pilot in the Citation, the Eclipse, and the Embraer but you are supposed to have someone with at least a commercial license in the right seat of the Lear."

"Lisa and Chuck are both good pilots and very capable of flying that aircraft by themselves but unless you can get some kind of special authorizations from the FAA for single pilot operation, you're going to have to have that second pilot. Hell, put on a bunch of newbie just reached commercial pilots that need the hours. They can learn and fly right seat. Get them Lear training when the school comes around again. Bombardier is using us as a tech training center so we're in good shape with them to keep using our field for training."

I said, "I know you're right Jimmy, I'll talk to Chuck. He's the one that is always on the go and if anyone is breaking the rules it's him. Lisa would just as soon have a right seat all the time when she has passengers except up in the Citation. We really can't take a chance on losing our certification."

Jimmy said, "Good deal Steve. I knew if I talked to you about it, you would know what was right and would take care of it. This place is too cool to screw up."

I did go back into the helicopter office and visit with Betty for a few minutes. She was happy to see me and showed me her week's charters. She said that she had begun scheduling lessons as well. She assured me that Sue, Chuck, and I were being given preferential treatment as to lesson time. She did say we might need at least one additional instructor pilot for both charters and lessons. I told her to call the federal employment office and talk to Frieda, Chuck's friend. She handles military personnel who are leaving the service.

I said to Betty, "I talked to Jimmy about us not always using that second person in the Lears. I'll get it taken care of and make sure we are in compliance. Thanks for getting with Jimmy and DeDe about that. Your observance and suggestion is a help to the company. Again Betty, thank you."

Betty blushed and said, "I didn't want to come off sounding like a know it all or want to be a shit disturber. I just wanted DeDe to know that if the FAA gets down on you, you don't keep your certificate. That was happening over in Orlando. But those guys didn't abide by anyone's rules."

Back home, I sat on the patio with a beer and some chips, pondering how well everything was going. Somehow, I felt that I was missing something. There was an opportunity out there that was waving at me, but I wasn't seeing it. I was still thinking about what it could be when Mercy came and said, "Have you heard whether the Magellan is ready to be sold yet?"

"Nothing yet, Mercy. I'll call tomorrow to check, but I was assured we would be called as soon as it was ready."

"I want to go see it, Steve," Mercy said. "I want to see a hundred and seventy-five footer that is as nice as our Magellan. That has to be an amazing boat. Can you fly us down there to look at it? Do you think they would let you look at it?"

"I don't know, Mercy. I'll try to call Chuck at work to see. I think he's out flying today though. He's using that new Embraer Phenom he bought. According to Jimmy, that thing is fast and nice to fly. We'll see how efficient and economical it is."

Mercy was thinking hard and looked at me with a smile, "Chuck says what he's doing is none of my business. I suppose I have to honor that. He does have things to do that are none of my business."

"Good girl, Mercy. Don't piss him off. The man has a lot of things working right now. With everyone pushing him about this house Terrell is starting, I'm sure he feels a little stressed. He does do a good job standing up to the pressure though."

It was now a little after five and the patio was beginning to fill up. By six, the place was packed including all of Chuck's family, here sans Chuck. They said he had called and was due in any second.

Henry talked to me about the projections he had come up with for Sue. He said, "I've overestimated on everything so we won't be caught short of cash. I've tried to factor in every adverse contingency there could be, to make sure we could do this without making the rest of the company suffer. It looks good, Steve, at the absolute worst, we will make a profit within two years. At best, we should have a first year profit in fabric manufacturing and the sewing plants should realize about a twelve percent increase in profits."

"Wow, Henry, that's sizeable. I didn't think making our own fabric would make that much difference."

Henry said, "You wouldn't think so but after putting all the numbers together, that's what it looks like. It's going to take six to nine months to build the plant even with everyone working on it. Sue's made a deal for some equipment that is fairly new and is hiring the manufacturer to relocate it when the building is ready. She's saving better than fifty percent on the equipment. Nancy is going to be going up to Atlanta to try to find the people who used to work for that company. If we can, we want to bring down a core of experienced people for both operating and maintaining the equipment."

"That's the way to do it. Find people who know what they're doing and learn from them. Look at what Jeff has done. He's begun fiberglass shops here, St. Louis, Canada, Ireland, and now, Italy. He's become knowledgeable in making various other products and composites that will have an effect on all of the rest of the company. We just have to keep our minds open to new opportunities and take advantage of them."

Abe came in and poured a beer. Alice was already sitting in a glider, with Glenda sitting in the one next to her. The ladies were having a conversation as their men gathered with the other men. Abe said, "Let me get Alice a beer, then you and I need to talk."

Abe came back and said, "I think Jeff has come up with the perfect body composite for military vehicles. It's a hell of a lot lighter than steel and appears to be almost as strong. The good thing is it doesn't bend when explosives hit it but it does have recoil that can be dangerous. The real neat thing that Jeff and Gerry have come up with is the clear composite that tints in the sun. The composite probably borders on the strength of Lexan. So far the only round that penetrates the glass is a fifty caliber and it only wedges itself into the sheet. We tried from fifty, one hundred, two hundred and five hundred yards. All the same, only a couple of rounds stuck in the sheets. I think it's time to go after the military market. If we don't get manufacturers to let us make their bodies, we should make our own. We'll come up with our own vehicles and engines that will work and present them. I'll bet if we don't sell them to our own military, we'll be able to sell them to the Israelis or one of the other NATO nations."

I said, "That's an idea I didn't think of, Abe. If we can't sell it here, we can sell it somewhere else. You already have a gas engine, do you have a diesel engine too? How about one of the diesels from one of your compressors or generators?"

Abe replied, "Those aren't designed for the rigors of a vehicle. I do have an engine I've worked on for a while that should work. This has been an experimental diesel engine for about three years. It's very efficient, but isn't as powerful as a tank engine. Since our vehicle will be so much lighter, it would work in that for us. Let me put one together to work in our homemade Humvee. We should probably come up with our own vehicle design and possibly some form of a tracked vehicle, such as an APC. We can get armament from that gun manufacturer that's down between Waters and Benjamin right here in Tampa. He's got an exclusive with the feds, but we should be able to at least get copies to use. If we show him our vehicle, he'll get excited that he'll have another way to sell his product."

"What do we need to get this going, Abe?"

"Nothing really, there's enough space in the big building to put a couple of vehicles together. I'll get to work designing them and get some help from a couple of ex-army armor types we have in the company. We should be able to come up with something."

I suggested, "You know if you were to make a tank, or something like a tank, you could build a steel frame to hold the gun and use our composite instead of sheet steel. You'll have to test it to see how it handles being hit by rockets. If you can do that, we would have a winner."

"I'll get right on it, Steve. This could become a major manufacturing arm of the company and keep us rolling through a deep recession."

"That's the way to think, Abe. Keep everyone working. We're doing really well at it so far."

Abe went to sit with Alice, Glenda, and Martin on the gliders. Watching the four of them was a pleasure, as they enjoyed each other and the gentle action of the gliders.

Chuck came in with a smile on his face. I asked, "What are you so happy about?"

"I was able to do everything I set out to do today," Chuck said. "It's not everyday that I get to do that. I think I deserve a beer for that too."

Chuck asked everyone that was around the bar, "Where is the nearest library around here? I need to do some research." Kevin knew where one was and gave Chuck directions. We all settled down for a quiet beer before the call to supper came.