On the Flight Line- Open For One Other Player

[CollegeGuy19]

On the Flight Line

**OOC**

This is my first attempt at a thread, so join in if you like. I'd especially like you to join in if you're one of those people who is fascinated with beautiful flying machines of all types.

**IC**

Rick Callahan

I stepped out of the old hangar and onto the cracked concrete of the old airports' flight line, squinting my eyes for a second before slipping on a pair of sunglasses. The California sunshine beat down on the asphalt of the landing strip, turning it to sticky tar and warming the sand of the surrounding desert until waves of shimmering heat appeared on the horizon. Not a cloud in the sky, ceiling and visibility unlimited...perfect day to strap on an airplane and move the sky around a little.

It's hot in the blue cotton flight suit I have on, but it seems like it would be an insult to the bird I'm about to fly to take off in khaki shorts and a t-shirt, the way I might if I was just taking a Cessna up for a checkride or charter flight. She's waiting there in the hangar of the old airport I bought with my part of the inheritance- my Eastern lady, an L-39 Albatros jet trainer, a barely subsonic two-seat silver bullet that I fly whenever I get the chance. Today's the first time in a while I've been able to take her up after being grounded for most of the previous month waiting for a compressor part, and I'm almost trembling with eagerness.

Just as I'm about to turn and head back into the hangar, I see a blue vintage convertible with the ragtop down pull up off the dirt road and onto the concrete of the flight line. The driver is a woman with long brown hair, looking around the place with a mix of surprise and annoyance. Looks like she's lost- although you'd have to be beyond lost and well into the category of aimless wandering to arrive here. I start walking towards the car- the Albatros is calling, but I should probably see what's going on here before I let myself take off.

***OOC***

- If someone would like to play the woman in the car, that would be great. Details of personal history, description, and how and why she ended up in the middle of the desert are up to you. If someone else would like to jump in with another character, feel free.

- The L-39 is a real aircraft, and the most common privately owned ex-military aircraft in the United States- there are about 140 of them flying around, mostly owned by private citizens who just want a little more speed in their lives. I'll post a picture if this thread gets any responses- it's a wonderful airplane.

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candice Beaumont

Candice Beaumont,
Freelance Photographer
Age 22
Height 5’5”
Weight 116 lb
Eyes Brown
Hair Brown

IC:
Candice Beaumont, slapped the wheel of her VW Bug and emitted a gasp of exasperation “GOD DAMMIT, what is it with these fucking Californian road signs.”

She rummaged about pulled the half drunk bottle of Pepsi from the shoulder bag, which lay untidily on the passenger seat, and unscrewed the cap. The brown liquid inside foamed urgently and the firmness of the bottle relaxed as the pressure released. She raised the bottle to her mouth and took a mouthful of the super sweet beverage. Her face creased with a grimace. If there was one thing she hated more than semi flat cola, it was warm, semi flat cola. Still the fluid served it purpose, momentarily, hopefully if she could find her bearings she would be able to hit the interstate.

Her trip up from Kansas had been if not long, eventful. The poor Bug that she was driving had first developed a carburettor problem, then a flat, then a blown oil gasket, she was convinced that someone or something was desperately trying to thwart her journey. Now here she was out in the middle of some miserable Californian wasteland down $1100 and lost, courtesy of the State of California transport department, whom she now considered to be arch nemesis number one.

It was a conspiracy, a fucking conspiracy and the government, the fucking low-life, side-winding, bastards were all in on it. She pictured some spotty faced, pen pushing college grad striking through a road sign requisition and smiling to himself as he instigated his plan to get her lost in this fucking dust hole.

She took another swig of the repugnant warm soda, replaced the cap and tossed the bottle nonchalantly onto the passenger seat. Pushing her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose, she gripped the wheel of her Bug, shifted the stick and released the clutch violently. The wheels span as the clutch engaged kicking up a plume of dust and grit behind her. The wheels screamed as the tires fought to gain adhesion on the dusty track and the Bug lurched forward causing her to skid slightly left then right as she gained control.

“Well this road has to lead some where”, she reasoned to herself, turning up the volume on her in-car blaupunkt cassette radio the lyrics to Chris Rea’s Road to Hell part II boomed from the speakers ..

….What comes down here,
You must learn this lesson fast and learn it well,
This ain't no upwardly mobile freeway
Oh no, this is the road
Said this is the road
This is the road to hell…

The song was no ironic consequence; she had been playing the same track endlessly for the past hour; singing along fervently with added venom in her voice and adding the necessary expletives in the appropriate place as her mood had built.

She continued to follow the make shift dust trail until finally, up ahead in the distance, she spotted the white tops of some barn or warehouse. The outline was somewhat hazy as it shimmered in the heat haze of the Californian Sun, but she wasn’t too concerned about that. To her the building represented civilization. She wasn’t sure how advanced that might be, after all building a barn in the middle of a desert struck her like a damned, no like a fucking damned, stupid idea.

Encouraged by the sight however, she pressed the gas pedal harder to the floor causing the Bug’s engine to rattle violently behind her, complaining at her request but reluctantly increasing speed.

Drawing nearer she could see the building more clearly. What she had thought to be a barn turned out to be a rundown hangar and a couple of offices.

“Funny” she thought to herself, "how much better things look from a distance." The sound of the car quietened as its wheels discovered the asphalt covering of one of the lateral runways. The reduction in the road noise was also a relief to Candice and she turned the cassette-radio’s volume down a notch.

As she turned from the side road, as she regarded it, onto the wider carriageway of the main runway she was horrified to see the shape of a small jet aircraft apparently bearing down on her “Ohhhh SHIT!”, she exclaimed pulling the wheel of the Bug sharply and causing the car to swing around in a skid. The Bug stalled.

“Come On! Come On! you fucker!”, she complained at the car as its hot engine refused to turn over. “Damn it start why don’t cha!”, she glanced over her shoulder the jet seemed closer.

The starter on the Bug screamed and chattered as she turned the ignition, but still it defiantly refused to fire up. She open the door of the bug and made a rush to the side of the strip and looked over at the Jet, which was sat motionless about 50 yards away...

Candice inhaled deeply, then exclaimed “FUCK”

 

[CollegeGuy19]

Rick Callahan

Just as I walked around the edge of the L-39's nose, the car abruptly swerved off the road, throwing up a cloud of red-brown dust as it skidded, then stalled. The woman behind the wheel was bent over, almost hunched double as she frantically twisted at her key, trying to get her car to start again. She definately looked like the exciteable type- for that matter, she looked like she was already pretty excited. For the longest moment, though, I couldn't connect her frantic attempts to start the car with her increasingly panicked over-the-shoulder glances- not until she jumped out the car and ran to the edge of the flight line. When she almost doubled over, screaming "FUCK!" at what I could tell was the top of her lungs, I couldn't help but laugh a little. They told me these things look fast even standing still, but this was taking it a bit far.

I took off my helmet as I walked around the edge of the jet- no need to look any more like a wanna-be Top Gun pilot than I absolutely had to. My heels clicked on the concrete as I raised a hand, waving it lazily over my head.

"Hey there...you look lost."

I see her turn to face me, and I can't help but grin at the thought of what I must look like. All things considered, it's probably a good thing I didn't decide to put the L-39 patch with a giant red star onto this suit.

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candice Beaumont

Candice straightened herself, looking towards the small jet aircraft, which sat like a giant hornet on the black asphalt, it's nose bright red, tapering back to its beady eyed cockpit. Two air intakes that directed the air into the jets engine where mounted to either side of the cock tapered back gracefully to the single exhaust vent below its tail. As she regarded the aircraft she noticed a pair of legs, covered by light blue cotton slacks moving from the far side of the fuselage. The owner of the legs came into view as he rounded the nose of the plane and walked across the runway towards her.

Tossing back her head and looking at the man through her sunglasses she could see he was clothed in a single piece flight suit and had his helmet tugged neatly under one arm whilst he gestured with his other. She pouted, her eyebrows rising slightly, and she put her hands defiantly on her hips, regarding him carefully. As he drew nearer she could see that something had clearly amused him. Then realizing she was the object of his amusement narrowed her eyes behind the smoky glass eye protection.

”Ha fucking ha, I suppose you think that damned funny right!, I mean parking that thing there like that”, she retorted. The very fact that is was quite possibly the most natural place to find an aircraft not fully registering in her mind, besides she was still totally pissed at the Californian Highway authority for their lack of investment, not only in adequate road signs, but also road surfacing.

”Hey you look lost…, the man announced politely, his tone clearly one that indicated he would certainly be willing to assist her in her predicament. But poor Candice was in no mood for politeness; instead of hearing his overture of assistance, she heard the mocking laughter of victory, from one of the very conspirators who had brought her to this place.

”Lost, no I’m not lost”, she started, ”I just love driving out in these dusty fucking wildernesses. She looked at the plane again and back at the pilot, ”So what are you anyway, the area defence unit, No, no, don’t tell me. This is a secret airforce base right!; covering as a crop spraying outfit or something, I’ve seen this shit on the X-Files. No wonder there weren’t any signs. , Her sarcasm was slightly stinging, though her mood was lightening slightly, she was at least glad that the guy wasn’t, at least didn’t appear to be some redneck.

 

[CollegeGuy19]

Rick Callahan

Whoever this girl was, she certainly was a firecracker. Maybe I was being a little bit too hasty, since I should know better than anybody what driving over those roads can do to somebody's temper, but she definately had more than her fair share of attitude.

Not, a part of my mind reminded me, that that was necessarily a bad thing.

When her eyes met my face and narrowed, I tried to wipe the smirk off my face and probably only succeeded in looking guilty. She planted her hands on her hips and started off again.

"No, I'm not lost, I just love driving around on these fucking wilderness roads! What is this place, anyway, the area defense unit? No, don't tell me, this is a secret Air Force base covered as a crop spraying outfit, I seen this shit on the X-files!" For a moment, I was too bemused to reply, and the grin crept back across my features. Humor was probably not the best approach to this situation, but I just couldn't resist.

"Well, if I told you about it, it wouldn't be much of a secret, would it?" Pause. Yeah, I knew this would be a tough crowd. Before she had time to reply- or go off again- I bridged the remaining distance between us on the flight line, puffs of brownish dust coming off of my boots as I walked slowly towards her. "Actually, it's a privately owned airport, and that plane's parked there because it's mine. I'm Rick Callahan." I stuck my hand out towards her, forcing my smile down and meeting her eyes with mine. I could barely see the light brown of them through her sunglasses, but knew that she probably couldn't see through my heavy aviator frames.

**OOC**

I take it from your description you took a look at a picture of the Albatros? If not, I can find one.

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candaice Beaumont

OOC : I confess, I did go and look one up on the net cute looking plane

IC
The pilot continued his steady approach across the asphalt towards her, his boots clicking rhythmically as the heels contacted with the surface.

"Well, if I told you about it, it wouldn't be much of a secret, would it?", he coolly replied to her previous sarcastic assault. Candice pursed her lips to reply but was cut off before she could respond by the fast talking airman "Actually, it's a privately owned airport, and that plane's parked there because it's mine.” , he said with a significant amount of pride in his voice. He introduced himself as Rick Callahan, extending his hand in a almost automatic gesture of friendship and greeting, his head dipped slightly as he spoke and Candice wasn’t sure whether it was a motion to avoid eye contact or whether he was casting a glance at her ample 38D chest which stretched the fabric of the white t’shirt she was wearing.

She looked down at his hand and then back at the face of Callahan, her eyes meeting their own reflection in the gold-mirrored surface of his flight glasses. She looked at his hand again and then relaxing slightly, took hold of it with her right-hand and clasped it very lightly before withdrawing it. She brought it to rest on her left upper arm as she folded them defensively, across her chest. ”He doesn’t seem unpleasant”,she thought to herself as she regarded his facial features. Though it was difficult to determine his full appearance since his glasses concealed his eyes quite effectively.

“Mr Callahan”, she repeated slowly. Her demeanour calming some what on having heard his explanation. “I see… I’m sorry... I must seem like an awfully rude person”, Candice continued, “but it’s these fu.. , she stopped herself from using her favourite expletive, ”these roads. They’re so poorly marked, and I reckon my suspension must be shot because my ass feels like it’s just ridden in a wild-west rodeo competition.”, she removed the sunglasses from her face and squinted as the bright Californian sunlight seared her unadjusted eyes. Blinking, she slowly relaxing her squint and smiled back at the man. ”My name’s Candice, Candice Beaumont, but most people just call me Candy “, she explained. ”So tell me Rick, you don’t mind if I call you Rick do you?, she corrected herself, attempting to atone for her earlier rudeness and abrupt manner, ”I don’t suppose you have a rest room and some cold sodas around here”, she paused and smiled, ”My mouth feels like a cat’s litter box”

 

[CollegeGuy19]

Re: Candaice Beaumont

She took my hand and shook it once, then crossed her arms across her chest. It didn't take a mind reader to tell that she was far from disarmed, but at least she wasn't trying to compete with the jet's engine for volume anymore.

Of course, the roads around here seemed to have that effect on people.

"Mr. Callahan, I'm sorry, I must seem like a rude person, but it's these fu- these roads. My suspension must be shot, because my ass feels like it was just in a wild-west rodeo competition." She pulled her sunglasses off- yep, nice light brown ones. Cute, probably edging toward beautiful if she wasn't covered with dust and soaked with sweat.

"My name's Candace, Candace Beaumont, but most people call me Candy. So tell me Rick, you don’t mind if I call you Rick do youI don’t suppose you have a rest room and some cold sodas around here? My mouth feels like a cat's litter box." And for the record, my mind recorded, that is one certifiably dangerous smile.

"Not at all, Candy. Looks like your engine's overheated for the moment, so you might as well come out of the sun. Restroom's over there"- I gestured in the direction of the three-room cabin that served as my living quarters- "and we do get water out here, so don't worry. I'll see if I can't scare up something to drink."

As she moved over towards the cabin, I walked back into the hangar and pulled a pair of cold Coke cans out of the refrigerator I kept running off of ground power. After a minute's thought, I decided to keep my helmet with me- cute girl or not, something in my mind just wouldn't give up on flying today.

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candice freshens up

Candice looked across at the small cabin that Rick had pointed out to her, then turned to face him. ”Oh Great”,, she chirped enthusiastically, the opportunity to freshen up and at least get some of California off her skin was something that she really did appreciate. She made her way across the runway pausing to retrieve her shoulder bag from the front of the exhausted VW Bug and then continuing to the Cabin. She paused on the step watching the figure of the pilot entering the aircraft hanger before pulling the screen door of the cabin towards her and the opening the cabin door and entering.

The sight that met her eyes wasn’t the one that she had expected. In contrast to the external appearance of the building with it’s white paint, chalky and blistered, dried out by the relentless heat of the sun; the interior was cool and remarkably tidy and pleasant. She had expected a public cabin, possibly a small breakfast bar or diner, instead she found herself standing in the lounge - kitchen of Rick Callahan’s personal sanctuary. The subtle sound of the large ceiling fan pulsed as it rotated, circulating the air effectively in the room. There were two doors off of the main room. One slightly a jar the other closed. She figured on the open door being the bathroom, since she had discovered from experience that people tended to close doors on the rooms that were private.

Her intuition was correct and she found her self-standing in a modest sized room. A hand basin was fixed to the back wall next to a matching toilet and there was a small wooden cabinet fixed to wall off to the side of it. Rick’s personal shaving implements were arranged orderly on the porcelain basin and clean towels hung from a wooden rail on the sidewall. What caught her attention more however was the large bath with fitted shower curtain and mixer faucet. ”Oh God now that would be good”, she thought to herself.

She looked about her debating on whether she should make use of the shower or just the basin. The shower won out, she examined the door of the bathroom, it didn’t have a bolt or latch. She pulled a slight face and “hmmmed” , to herself. Still, he had seemed quite pleasant/ Certainly he hadn't come on to her or tried any of the corny one line pickups she so often heard in bars.

“Oh what the hell”, she said to her self, closing the door and pulling the white t’shirt over her head. Her breasts bounced free, released from their captor and the cool air of the bathroom already felt pleasingly refreshing on her naked torso. She unfastened her jeans and pulled the zipper down, kicking her sneakers off and pulling then removing her jeans she stood in her black cotton tanga.

Pulling the shower-curtain open she adjusted the head and then turned the faucets; the mixer seemed a little stiff and the water was cooler than she would have liked normally, but given the circumstances it seemed just about tolerable. She pulled her panties off and cast them over towards the pile of clothes, landing near the door, then stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain to. She gasped as she pushed her chest into the stream of tiny cool jets of water, her body reacting instantly to the chill, but it felt so good.

 

[CollegeGuy19]

Rick Callahan

I slung the soda cans into my helmet and walked back out into the sunshine, my eyes adjusting quickly through the black lenses of my shades. I stole a quick glance up at the sun- about two in the afternoon, so there were still five hours or more of light left today, with the shadows just beginning to stretch stubby fingers over the red-brown desert floor. Still no clouds on the horizon and still air, the kind that you can just glide right through without a buffet. Despite the guest I had waiting, I had to stop for a moment and tilt my head back, taking in the bright blue bowl of the sky. Damn, but the call was in my blood today...

I walked into the cabin and flipped my sunglasses off, plunking the helmet and its liquid cargo down on the low table. The sound of the shower reminded me that I hadn't cut in the hot water supply from the roof tank yet, but turning it on the middle of her shower would probably not be greatly appreciated. I lowered myself into a chair and cracked one of the Coke cans, sipping slowly. That fridge was a power hog, but it kept the liquid cold enough that the first sip felt like you were cutting your tongue. With a cold drink and a few minutes in hand, I could think.

Wonder what she's up to out here...looks like she's a photographer from all the stuff in the back of that car. Photographing what out here, though? All the interesting rock formations are further south, and there's not much else to see out here. Must have been really lost.

After a minute, I got up and headed into the bedroom, coming back with JNC-43, the jet navigation chart of the Western United States. Unfolding it on the table, I began to scan it, trying to figure out where she could have gotten lost from.

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candice

The cold water took some getting used to. “How can water be so cold when it’s so hot outside”, Candice wondered to herself. ”Oh but it’s so good” The water certainly did seem to be revitalizing her sun scorched skin, particularly her arms and face which had caught the sun quite significantly; one of the hazards of driving a convertible in middle of the day, in the middle of a desert. She dipped her head forward and started to soak her hair. She could see the fine trail of dark grit tracing its way from the tips of her toes to the drain, as the dust washed from her body.

She reached for the conveniently placed shower gel, and squeezed some it’s contents into her palm. Lathering it up in her hair, she finished washing it and then the rest of her body. Finally she rinsed the residue from her hair and turned the faucet, cutting the flow of water.

Quickly patting herself dry, she retrieved her underwear, and jeans, dressing quickly then retrieved a fresh baggy t’shirt from her travel bag, folding the discarded one and putting it back in it’s place. She lightly towel dried her hair and again rummaged through her bag to find her hair brush, brushing the knots swiftly from her freshly washed and still damp hair. She felt a whole lot better for that, and her black mood had completely dissipated.

She tended to the bath, washing it down to remove any remain traces of the grit washed from her body, and pulled the shower drapes to let them air dry, then picking up her sneakers and bag, opened the door and walked through to the lounge.

Rick was there and looked up as she entered, she smiled at him, ”That feel so much better, I hope you don’t mind, I used your shower”. She looked at the man who was pawing over a large flight navigational map of the western states. He handed her one of the cold cola cans, it’s surface moist from condensation. She held the can briefly against her neck, its coldness burning her neck, ”mmmmmmmmm”, she sighed then lowering the can pulled the tab, it clicked and the can hissed. She lifted the drink to her mouth and took a swallow of it’s contents, it’s coolness invigorated her throat as much as the shower had her body, “ahhhhhhhhhhhh, gosh that’s what I’ve been needin’”, she smiled at Rick and took another gulp of the dark soda.

”I’m so grateful for your hospitality, I feel so ashamed I guess I must have looked pretty darned foolish back there”, she looked over towards the window, where she could see her blue Beetle bug sitting out on the asphalt.
”Anyway’s what’s that you’re looking at, looks a bit like the western seaboard, that’s like a flight map or something right ?” She placed her sneakers and bag on the floor by the coffee table and peered at the map over his shoulder. ”So just whereabouts are we on here then ?”, she asked.

 

[CollegeGuy19]

Rick Callahan

I looked up at Candy as she took a pull of the cold soda.

"Well, I wouldn't say you looked completely foolish..." I let my voice trail off, then followed that up with a quick grin. "But I'm well aware of what that road can do to people. Besides, you look like you've already had your fair share of it today." She smiled and asked,

"So what's that you're looking at? Looks a bit like the western seaboard, it's a flight map, right? So just whereabouts are we then?"

I looked up at her, still smiling, but with a new amount of respect in my eyes. JNC charts tend to look like Pueblo sand paintings to the uninitiated- they have the terrain and city features that most maps do, but they also have flight-control zones, navigational beacons, and a bunch of other things that basically look like gibberish until you've gone through flight school. Considering that she'd probably never seen one before, figuring out what one was was batting above average.

"Yeah, this is the jet navigation chart for the Western United States...though truth be told, I was using it to try and figure out where you might have come from. We're here," my finger came down on an airport symbol labelled "High Ridge Airport" in the middle of a largely flat section of Southern California, a few hundred miles northeast of Los Angeles, "and there's nothing really worth photographing for a few hundred miles all around, which is what I figure you're up to since you have what looks like a few thousand bucks worth of cameras in your car." I looked up at her and turned the chart in her direction.

"So just what were you trying to get a shot of today, anyway? If you're looking for any desert terrain shots or anything like that, I'm afraid you're sorta off course." I looked up at her, waiting for her reply. And I hope this girl wasn't hoping to take any breathtaking mesa pictures, or she might be getting upset again,, I thought.

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candice

Candice peered at the curious map, its red and green navigational lines marked with course headings which radiated from various points and crossed here and there. Several prominent places were marked but it certainly lacked the detail of a road map. Rick’s finger pointed out the location of the airfield,

“We’re here”, he said indicating a remote point on the map. He went on to express his surprise at how she came to be so far out of the way and that he had noticed the photography equipment in the back of the VW and added "So just what were you trying to get a shot of today, anyway? If you're looking for any desert terrain shots or anything like that, I'm afraid you're sorta off course."

As he mentioned her equipment she looked up suddenly, ”Oh shit!, she looked at him agitated, then rushed to the door, pulling it open quickly rushed out leaving a speechless Rick sitting and watching. Dashing across the hot asphalt, the rough surface biting and burning into the soles of her shoeless feet as she ran. She reached the Bug and bending over the side, she pulled a medium sized aluminium case from the rear seat and a padded camera bag that sat near it, returning to the cabin briskly. She stood in the doorway, brushing her sore feet and laughing.

”Sorry about that, I totally forgot, my films”, she patted the aluminium case,”It’s not so bad when you’re driving, the air keeps these things pretty cool, but they bake in the sun. I hope the films are ok”.

She sat herself down next to Rick on the couch and picked up the cola once more taking a drink, then lifting the case and resting it on her knees she clipped the catches and opened it. He use her hand to feel the tops of the canisters neatly arranged in small circular cut-outs in the dense foam inset. A look of relief crossed her face,

”I think they are ok, it’s a good thing these cases are styrene lined, that gives pretty good insulation”

She closed the case and refastened the catches placing it on the floor next to her.

I’ve spent the last 3 weeks driving down through Utah to visit some of the ancient Anasazi burial grounds in southern Nevada and New Mexico and I was making my way back up through California to Sacramento to do some work with the Mojave tribes for my anthropological portfolio. I guess I’m just a little bit of course here.”, she smiled at him once again.

”So just how far is it to the highway, it looks pretty remote out here, you live here alone?, what do you do?” Her questions rolled out in a stream.

 

[CollegeGuy19]

I looked up from the chart as Candy walked back into the cabin, slightly bemused at her mad rush. As she talked about her film and checked the insulation, I listened with half of my mind, tracing lines on the map with my finger and running a couple quick time/distance equations through my head. After a couple minutes, I realized that the room was silent, which meant she'd probably asked a question. Mentally rerunning the tape of our conversation, I answered,

"Well, the main highway's about forty minutes back up that dirt road, and from there you can probably get onto the Mojave lands in another three or four hours of driving." I thought for a moment, then decided to make the offer.

"Of course, if you don't need things that are too close up or you have a good telephoto, I could have you there in about half an hour." I grinned again at her slightly quizzical look and raised the flight helmet from where it was weighing down one corner of the chart. "That's an L-39 Albatros out there, all fuelled up and ready to go- I was about to take off when you got here. It seats two and can get most of the way to Mach one. If you want, I can run you down there to get some aerial shots and back well before sundown." My finger traced out the route on the chart, and I laughed to myself as it circled a particular terrain feature on the way to the Mojave lands. Some of the mesas around there made for fun flying, and I hadn't been around there for a while.

"There are mounting brackets in the rear cockpit that should still be good, so you should have a reasonably stable platform for the shots. Think you could use them?" I smiled up at her, mentally writing the flight plan already.

 

[CollegeGuy19]

**OOC**

For the benefit of any loyal/semiloyal readers who haven't seen it yet, here's a picture of an L-39.

Photo courtesy of L39.com

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candice

"Well, the main highway's about forty minutes back up that dirt road, and from there you can probably get onto the Mojave lands in another three or four hours of driving.", Rick started, after a moments pause, he seemed engrossed in his chart as he traced various flight lines with his fingers. "Of course, if you don't need things that are too close up or you have a good telephoto, I could have you there in about half an hour." He indicated that the plane was ready to go and that there where some brackets which she could possibly make use of to mount the camera.

She paused and looked at him as she contemplated his offer. Aerial photography was something she had never done before although she had read many articles about it. The opportunity presented was too good to miss and she looked over at Rick, ”Seriously?, wow that would be fantastic, I mean I don’t want to put to any trouble you must have more important things to do than fly strange women out over the Mojave, I’ll have to get a couple off lens from my car, I do have a good telephoto, but I would also like to take some wide angle shots too”

She pondered over the fact he hadn’t answered her other questions, Perhaps he just hadn’t heard her, then again, perhaps there was another reason. The fact that this airfield was so remote didn’t lend itself to any commercial purposes. Then it stuck her. ”Maybe he was a courier for some dodgy flight shipments, perhaps a drugs runner or even something worse”, she thought to herself. Candice decided that pursuing that line of investigation might be best left alone. ”I’ll just go and get the things I need, and I’ll see if I can’t get my bug of your runway”, she smiled

 

[CollegeGuy19]

Rick Callahan

"I'll just go get the things I need, and see if I can't get my Bug off your runway."

"No problem. Let's get going."

Banal, but I barely heard that sentence- I was already moving, tossing my empty soda can into a bin and scooping up my helmet and JNC chart as I ran quickly out the door. I slowed after a few seconds, realizing how ridiculous I must look, but kept walking at a brisk pace as I crossed back over the desert and towards the hangar.

Allright, so maybe it was more than a brisk pace.

I'd filed a flight plan with regional air control a few days before, but it contained enough leeway to let me over towards the Mojave lands without getting into any trouble. As Candy managed to restart her car and drive it off the runway, I did a quick walkaround of the plane to make sure that nothing had sprung loose or otherwise gone wrong since the more detailed inspection I had done that morning. I pulled the heavy wood blocks from the landing gear, and walked into the hangar, stowing them and retrieving the backup helmet I kept in there for the occasional passengers I took up the jet. Through all of this, as Candy moved her car and came back with a load of cameras and lenses, I was moving at the same almost frantic pace, my heart racing at the prospect of getting airborne again.

At least, that's what I thought it was.

When Candy made her way back from the car, I helped her make the step up into the L-39's rear cockpit, making sure she was settled and helping her strap herself into the seat. Leaning over and flipping a couple switches, I spoke quickly, having to force myself to slow down in my excitement.

"I've set up the intercom switches so that you can talk by pressing that key." My finger rested on one of the switches on the radio panel. "All of these other controls back here are live, so it's probably not a good idea to touch them unless I tell you to take the plane." I reached down and scooped up the helmet from the ground, only to find that long hair and a flight helmet weren't exactly made to match. I laughed as we both tried and failed to get it on over her long, flowing brown hair, hanging precariously off the side of the jet.

"Well, this is a perdicament...don't suppose you have a rubber band?"

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candice

Candace grabbed a couple of rolls of fresh film from the case and stuffed them into the outer pockets of her camera bag; slinging it over her shoulder and heading out to the stranded Beetle. She reached the vehicle once again and turned the starter. To her amazement the old VW fired up and she pulled the door to and drove it over to the cabin, parking it on the small driveway. She killed the engine and then rummaged through her equipment bag on the back seat, pulling out two lenses in their protective vaux-leather lens bags. She looked over towards the small jet, which now was the only vehicle to occupy the asphalt runway. She could see Rick, skipping briskly around the aircraft, curiously excited in someway or about something.

She gathered up the things she needed she ambled over to meet him, stuffing her car keys into her jeans pocket as she walked. ”I’ve got everything I need, I think.”, she announced, eyeing him carefully.

“Here let me give you a hand up”, he said as he helped lift Candice into the cockpit.

”Ooooo, there isn’t much space is there?”, she looked into the small compartment noticing the dials and second stick .

"I've set up the intercom switches so that you can talk by pressing that key. All of these other controls back here are live, so it's probably not a good idea to touch them unless I tell you to take the plane.", he explained, indicating the intercom switch on the panel

”errr take the plane?,”, she queried instantly concerned, “Joke right?, this thing is safe, and insured”, the insurance remark she noted to herself was a bit lame since she doubted if there was a serious problem their would be anyone around to make a claim, but the tone of her voice sought reassurance that he was indeed capable of flying this thing.

The helmet did pose a problem, well more correctly, her hair,. since it wouldn’t fit inside the helmet. Not having a rubber band or hair tie she suggested that perhaps she could just tug it inside the back of her t’shirt.

Rick didn’t look convinced by this suggestion, but it seemed the better of two options. She looked at the complicated harness and settled into the seat. It wasn’t that uncomfortable actually, more comfortable than she had expected and although the cockpit was small it wasn’t cramped. Rick helped her strap in and handed her the camera bags.

She smiled back at him, ”Thanks” it occurred to her that perhaps she should have at least tried to use the John before climbing into the plane, but judging by Rick’s current fervent activity she gauged that to make such a suggestion at this time would not prove to be the most tactful request . She started to load the camera with film as Rick made his final inspections and then he climbed into the forward compartment of the jet.

 

[CollegeGuy19]

Showtime!

I knew, intellectually, that it was a bad idea to be twitchy-excited when I was about to go flying. I knew, and I didn't care. I'd been grounded off the L-39 for a month now, and the prospect of not only taking up this beautiful Eastern Lady and wringing her out but of sharing it with somebody else was like having new life flow into me. I settled myself into the forward seat and pulled the canopy down, hearing it latch with a click. I forced excitement out of my mind for the preflight checklist, making myself go over everything twice as I started up the electrical and hydraulic systems, the low whine of the jet's generator beginning to fill the cockpit. When I closed my finger on the starter button, the rising roar of the single jet engine seemed like an appropriate counterpoint. I'd almost forgotten how loud that was- it was a small engine compared to a jetliner's, but it was also only a few feet behind your head.

I reached over and extended the flaps, moving the stick and rudder through their paces as I checked over my shoulder to make sure the control surfaces were moving. Probably paranoia, but up at eleven thousand feet was a lousy place to find out you had a sticky rudder. When I was sure that they were all moving, I cupped the helmet's oxygen mask to my face, keying the radio.

"Los Angeles regional ATC, this is Czech Jet November seven four one zero Zulu, departing High Ridge as per filed flight plan." The acknowledgement came back from the controllers, and I released brakes, abruptly shoving the throttle forward to its stop. Already positioned at the end of the runway, the Albatros bolted forward, and I grunted as the sudden acceleration slammed me back against the padded seat. The ground began to rush by outside the canopy as the plane bolted down the runway, until a few hundred feet short of the end I lifted the stick smoothly back and felt the tell-tale little lurch that meant we were airborne again. I couldn't resist a quick "Yeeeeeeee-ha!" as I flipped the gear into the up position and put the jet into what seemed like a more or less gentle climb. I keyed the intercom.

"Bit more exciting than an airliner takeoff, isn't it?"

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candice feels ill

Candice watched as Rick settled into the seat in front of her and pulled the glass canopy of the cockpit down. She had never considered herself a claustrophobic, until now. ”Keep calm,”she told herself, ”Everything will be just fine”. Her thoughts did little to ease her anxiety as the sound of the jet started to wind itself up, the high pitched whine of the starter motor as it turned the turbines. Soon the rotor would be up to threshold velocity and ignition would occur taking the turbine up to higher speeds as it drew air in through the side vents, compressing it as it passed over decreasing small set of blades on the rotor axis thus compressing the air as it entered the combustion zone.

She watched Rick shift this way and that as he peered over his shoulder. Her eyes followed his gaze and she watched the ailerons rise and fall as he obviously manipulated the controls. She listened as he commenced his flight plan, registering his intended take off with the traffic controllers and waited for his flight clearance.

Behind her Candice could hear the sound of the turbine increase in pitch and the cockpit started to vibrate slightly as the power increased. The engine fought against the brakes, which held the jet motionless on the runway. The acknowledgement crackled over the radio clearing the small training craft for take off. Candice’s head threw back as the brakes released, the jet rushing forward and accelerated up the strip. Sure she had flown in jet liners before, always anticipating the rush of the take off, but that was nothing compared to this. For one, she was much lower to the ground and the small size of the plane exaggerated the speed at which it was travelling. She could feel every little undulation in the runway as the vibrations travelled up the undercarriage and through her seat, and the roar of the jet directly behind her was almost deafening. She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, letting out a little shriek of fear. Her hands clenched the sided of her legs and her whole body seemed to be pressing deeper into the padded seat in which she was strapped. She felt the plane start to lift and then shoot forward as the resistance of the runway was suddenly released.

”Yeeeeeeeeee haw”, Rick emitted as the craft began to rise more rapidly into the blue Californian sky ”A bit more exciting than an airliner takeoff, isn’t it?, his voice crackled over the intercom.

Candice said nothing, her knuckles white as she clung to her seat and kept her eyes tightly closed. At least the roar of the jet had subsided a little and the vibrations had gone. She felt her stomach shift slightly as her inner ear tried to make sense of her orientation, her brain deprived of any visual reference and the feeling of motion sickness started to sweep over her.

”I, I, think I am going to throw-up”, she managed, the effort wasted as she had forgotten that she needed to press the intercom switch. She swallowed deeply, the action causing her ears to pop as she equalized the pressure of her ear with that of the cockpit. That eased the feeling a little but increased the sound of the engine behind her.

Cautiously she opened one eye, squinting at the deep azure of the sky, dusted lightly with a few wisp clouds. She looked down and saw the ground rushing away from her, her bug looked little more than a toy as it stood next to the dollhouse sized cabin. ”Oh shit, what have I let myself in for”, she asked herself.

 

[CollegeGuy19]

Flying, by God!

I felt the power of the jet pushing the two of us skyward as I put the L-39 into a steep climb. I could see Candy looking backward over her shoulder, and wondered for a brief moment what she thought of this. Was she frightened, exhilerated, or some combination of the two? Suddenly, it seemed important to me that I know what she thought of this, although I couldn't seem to understand why.

As we crossed 10,000 feet and levelled off, I put us into a gentle banking turn, coming on course towards the Mojave burial sites. In constrast to the wild zoom climb I had indulged myself in just after takeoff, this was more peaceful- the sound of the jet seemed muted, and the ground seemed to crawl past below us rather than racing. I gently levelled the wings, sparing a glance down- very little cloud cover, and most of that above us, so that you could still see the desert, red and brown soil with occasional outcroppings of rock and spots of dark green vegetation. There was a line of dark green where plants had sprung up along a river, a line of life in the middle of the desert's harshness. Seen from above- and, I admitted to myself, from an air-conditioned cockpit- it had a beauty that I could never bring myself to fully appreciate when I was grounded. Holding the plane steady, I keyed the intercom.

"We're levelled off now, should take about half an hour to get out to where we're going. It looks pretty spectacular down there if you want to take a look."

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candice

She cast a glance back over her shoulder and watched the land shrinking away as the jet continued to climb skyward. They passed through some very thin clouds, the white wispy vapour spreading out below and then Rick began to level the plane, it banked slightly and the bright sun momentarily blinded her as it shot across the top of the cockpit..

We're levelled off now, should take about half an hour to get out to where we're going. It looks pretty spectacular down there if you want to take a look.". Rick’s voice crackled over the intercom.

”Ok…., cool, Candice replied, remembering now the intercom button. She was feeling much more relaxed, although a little sweaty. She put that down to the exhilaration of the experience she had just encountered.

She fiddled about with her camera bag, pulling out one of the film canisters and loading the contents into her SLR. She fumbled with the black plastic film pot and it fell to the floor. ”Ooopsie, butterfingers “, she giggled to herself and continued to set up her camera.

Her breathing rate had increased but she was unaware of it, she felt great, looking out into the great expanse of blue and down at the ground, she was really enjoying this, all her anxiety had vanished. She suddenly had a tingly feeling rush down her arms to her fingertips and she shivered, it felt like warm prickly sensations and she blinked her eyes as she momentarily lost focus of her camera. She just managed to catch it before it slipped from her legs.

”Whoa…. , she exclaimed to herself, suddenly she felt like she had just downed a half bottle of tequila.

Her actions became slower more deliberate as she pushed her concentration into preparing the film. Fixing the f8 500mm telephoto to the body of her camera , she lifted it up and pointed the lens towards the ground. For some reason she started to giggle to herself, her sweats still hadn’t abated, neither had the pins and needles that were now spreading up from her ankles. Her breathing rate had continued to increase, but Candice was oblivious to all this finding the tingling more a distraction than irritation.

She giggled again “wooooo”, she exclaimed as the jet changed course slightly and then levelled.

 

[CollegeGuy19]

Rick

I frowned slightly as Candace acknowledged my intercom transmission. She'd sounded just a little too euphoric back there, so either she was just as entranced by the experience of all of this as I was or her brain wasn't getting enough oxygen. As much as I would have liked the former, experience had taught me that the latter was unfortunately more likely. My concern deepened as I saw her fumble with her camera. Hypoxia shouldn't be a concern at ten thousand feet in a pressurized jet, but you never knew how some people would react. I keyed the intercom, putting the plane into a shallow dive.

"If you're feeling light-headed, try the oxygen mask on the front of your helmet. Just reach it across your face and clip it onto the side." I pushed the stick forward, taking her down to five thousand and making a mental note to double-check the cabin pressure systems once we got back on the ground. Just to be sure of things, I put on my own oxygen mask and took a deep breath of the pure gas. Levelling the plane out, I took a quick look over my shoulder to see how Candace was doing.

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candy

Candace reached for the oxygen mask and pulled it up to her face, taking a couple of deep breaths as instructed, her mind-fog cleared almost instantly and she looked about her, a little disorientated but non the worse for wear. Clipping the mask to the side of the helmet as instructed she hit the intercom switch once again. “Hey Rick, thanks, I think I’m ok now, I guess flying on an empty stomach doesn’t help.”. The truth of the matter was that she actually felt a little gassy from the soda she’d been drinking and only just managed to suppress an unladylike belch as another bubble of carbon dioxide wound it’s way up her oesophagus and popped in her throat.

She caught Rick glancing over his shoulder briefly as she set about finishing her task with the camera and smiled. “The scenery is awesome from up here!”, she exclaimed looking down once more at the reddish brown desert. Oh looky there!! That must be the frickin’ highway, she exclaimed as a the long straight strip of road came into view, the sun glinting occasionally off the windshields of the light but steady stream of vehicles. The plane continued to descend gently and Candace watched the gossamer like wispy clouds drift of up over the cock pit.

“How much further do you think it is to the Mojave Rick?”, she asked casually as she clipped the bayonet fitting of the powerful telephoto onto the body of her Pentax SLR.

 

[CollegeGuy19]

Rick Callahan

As I eased the jet back up towards ten thousand, I was mentally cursing myself out with every name I could think of. I'd gotten excited, probably forgotten to check one cabin fitting, and as a result I'd almost had my passenger pass out from hypoxia. For all that, I knew I'd been lucky- if she'd had any kind of medical condition, or if I'd been the one to be affected first, we would have been in real trouble. With an effort, I managed to keep my anger out of my voice as I keyed the intercom.

"You should be able to see the plains around the burial sites at about two o'clock now. We'll be over them in about another ten minutes, then I'll start circling and see if I can't slow this baby down while you take your shots. Then I'll clean her up, and we can head right back." With , I added mentally, maybe some interesting detours along the way. Wonder if this girl likes roller coasters.

As we began to fly over the Mojave sites, I dipped the stick and took us down to just over a thousand feet, barely within FAA regulations. I reached down and pushed out the flaps, chopping back the throttle and feeling the L-39 slow in midair. I held her at about 110 knots of airspeed- stall speed was 90 with flaps down, and I didn't want to push that too closely considering my track record for today. I swept the plane into a gentle circling turn, keeping the Mojave sites fixed in the right side of Candace's canopy.

"Let me know when you have enough photos, and we can head on back." I kept the jet in the uniform bank, carefully watching the airspeed.

 

[Snork Maiden]

Candy

OOC: Sorry I haven't posted for a week, it's been pretty topsy turvey here in RL but settling down again.

Candice levelled the camera, peering through the viewfinder. The light construction and short length of the telephoto made it easier to handle in the confines of the small cockpit. Through the tiny window of her camera she saw the plains coming into range; picking out the best features which would give scale and depth to the images she adjusted her focus and started to snap pictures.

Rick took the plane lower, and the small light jet aircraft slowed considerably, the noise of the jet abating slightly as he cut back on the throttle. Candice replaced the telephoto with her standard 50mm 1.2f lens and screwed a a lightly blue tinted polarizing filter onto the front of it. The camera continued to click and whirr as the shutter captured the scenes framed in her viewfinder. The motor automatically advancing and rearming the shutter with each button press.

They circled for about ten minutes and Candice began to feel a lot more relaxed, infact she had become almost accustomed to the experience her mind occupied by the pictures she was taking. Finally she looked up and pressed the intercom. "Ok Rick, I think I got all I need, at least from up here, thanks.

She released the button and carefully screwed the lens cap back onto the the front of her camera. She regarded the back of Rick helmet. He sure seemed to be quite a nice guy, "Pity I didn't meet you earlier", she mused. She always seemed to met the good guys when she didn't have time to hang around. Her mind drifted abck to the present and reality.

It was late afternoon, her Bug was waiting back at the airstrip. Rick had already indicated it was going to be a 40 minute cross country run to the highway and then she had to get to a town to find somewhere to stop over night she grimaced slightly at the prospect as she tucked the camera into the equipment bag and clipped the nylon buckles shut.