Remember, Stay to the Right

     “Nice takeoff.” Steve observed.

     “Thanks for noticing. Just call it natural ability or maybe attribute it to the flight school I attended in the jungles of Vietnam,” John replied.

     At 1000 feet above the ground Steve directed a 90 degree turn to the north. Obediently, John steeped the plane gently to the right and flew toward the mountains. From that height they could appreciate the beautiful green countryside. South, they saw a sea of fog extending for miles. To the north, high clouds and clear skies below as the rain had yet to fall.          

     Ahead, mountains shrouded in a sheath of drizzle, vented steam as the rain cooled the warm ground.

     Below, the Baliem wound to the east and then south again as it carved its way through the valley. The river looked muddy in contrast with the lush greenery of the canopy above. Villages dotted the river every few miles, and larger cities such as Wamena had been claimed from the jungle.      

    The river was the life of the communities that thrived there, and the mighty Baliem offered food and water from its depths.

     The weather began to deteriorate as clouds lowered.      

     Realizing they might be headed for trouble, Steve recommended flying north on the other side of the valley.      

     Taking the controls, Steve brought them to mountaintop level. There, visibility was safe enough for low level flying through passages. Light tufts of fog wisped around the wings and left swirls in the plane’s wake.

     “Okay, I’ll demonstrate flying through these passages before these clouds get too low,” Steve yelled over the roaring engine. “Do you see the break in the mountains ahead? Fly to those, staying as far right as you can.”

     “I’m staying to the right, and I don’t mind telling you this is a little nerve racking.”

     “I’m with you, but this is the only way to some of the villages.” Steve knew John would have a hard time at first.      

     “Just remember to stay to the right. That way if you find you may have mistakenly flown the wrong passage, you will have ample room on the left side for maneuvering.”

     “Well, I can tell you that this barely leaves enough to turn. I’d hate to have to make a hasty U-turn or other emergency procedures,” said John.

     There was only a mile of flying space between mountain–plenty of room for turning a car around, but an airplane is another story. The perception of speed was great as they passed within twenty-five feet of the mountain to the right.      The trees and tree top houses were a blur along the mountain side.

     “About the U-turn you mentioned earlier,” Steve shouted. “About 18 years ago one of our own was flying a missionary family through a similar passage. They were headed south to do a revival near Agats. He was heading out of the Maoke Mountains, when he realized nothing looked familiar. He rationalized that he must have gone down the wrong valley.”

     “How come he didn’t climb out and get his bearings?” asked John.

     “Because of similar weather conditions. The pilot opted to continue the route. Visibility was horrible when suddenly a large object loomed before the plane. Instinctively, the pilot initiated a climbing turn hoping to fly back,” said Steve.

     “I guess since he was on one side of the valley, he made it okay,” John guessed.

Jeffrey W. Bennett, is the author of Commitment-A Novel and other non-fiction books, novels and periodicals.

Angle of Climb

“Let me help you. Who are we most likely not able to get along with? I mean, what kind of people really irk us?” asked Steve exercising his Masters Degree in Counseling.

“I don’t know. You mean attitudes or abrasive personalities?” John replied.

“Something like that,” said Steve. “What I am getting at is this. We sometimes dislike those who remind us of ourselves. You see, in our minds we recognize room in our spheres of influence for only one of us. So when a personality appears on someone else that is much like our own, or how we used to be, we don’t like it. We actually feel threatened.”

“Let me see if I can understand, Herr Freud. You are trying to tell me that because Jason and I are somewhat alike, we repel each other like water and oil,” said John.

“Precisely,” replied Steve in a horrible German accent.

Laughing, John felt better. He realized Steve had calmed him down without having to belittle Jason.

As John lifted the left aileron of the Cessna 182 a torrent of water greeted the back of his neck. Although a shock, he felt refreshed as the water ran down his spine and was absorbed into his shirt. He saw Steve hide an amused grin, then take a seat in the passenger side. John inspected the fuel reservoir for telltale signs of water and concluded his inspection before taking his place in the left side of the cockpit. He adjusted the instruments for the proper barometric pressure, horizontal level, and direction on the heading indicator before taxiing to the runway and setting the flaps to full.

“Tiom traffic, this is N7724V taking runway 10, departing to the South west,” John called to inform other pilots in the airspace. He looked 360 degrees, searching for traffic before applying full power. He waited to release the brakes until the RPM’s registered high on the tachometer. At the precise moment, he released the brakes and the powerful engine rolled the plane off the mark, and slowly accelerated toward the trees at the end of the runway. John lifted the nose until it was at the proper attitude to clear the jungle obstacle, and achieve the best angle of climb.

Jeffrey W. Bennett, is the author of Commitment-A Novel and other non-fiction books, novels and periodicals.

I Can't Get Him Off My Case; How Do You Handle It?

     Jason thought for a moment. “My better judgment says not to let you, but knowing your reputation, I can trust you not to get in over your head.”

     “You’re absolutely right. I’ll be in full control of the decisions, and if it’s too bad, I’ll return.” Steve was fully aware of Jason’s intentions.

     “I can vouch for his decision making,” John said. “But I have flown in worse than this. Besides, I thought the pilot made the final flying decision.”

     “Usually yes, but not on my watch,” said Jason.

     The quiet chatter common to crowded rooms suddenly hushed as the two men squared off.

     “I’m going to let you two go, but only for the experience. The rest of you, if you don’t have a real need to fly, consider postponing.”

     Steve and John left ahead of the others and John felt everyone’s eyes on him as they filed past. He didn’t doubt where their loyalties lay and he couldn’t blame them.

     Outside, the sun was a little higher but still shrouded by skirts of high level clouds. As the morning had started, the day continued with drizzle and patches of fog. The already jade foliage took on a luscious, green hue and the jungle steamed as a light mist engulfed it.

     John’s gait quickened and Steve strived hard to keep in step. John seemed oblivious to the sprinkle matting his hair and collecting on his bangs.

     “Slow down, I can’t keep up,” Steve called out.

     “You can’t keep up! I can’t believe the treatment we get around here. I haven’t seen so much baby-sitting since I was in the army.” John had to keep himself from shouting.

     “How do you do it? You two seem to get along just fine, you and I get along, I get along with the other guys, they get along with Jason, but I can’t seem to keep him off my case,” said John.

Jeffrey W. Bennett, is the author of Commitment-A Novel and other non-fiction books, novels and periodicals.