I'm Staying Here!

“What do you mean they had to land?” Jason asked.

“It was raining! They had no choice!” Rachel shouted nervously.

Jason immediately regretted his outburst. This was no time to question her husband’s abilities. “I didn’t mean that to sound like it did. I’m sorry.”

“I understand. You can’t blame yourself for whatever decision had to be made. So go easy.”

“Look, why don’t you go take a break. I’ll handle things from here,” Jason offered.

“I am staying here until my husband gets back. I don’t know what we can do for him now, but if it’s going to be a long wait, I’ll get refreshments and coffee going while we try to figure out a plan,” Rachel said.

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

Not a Good Track Record

“Was that the same woman whose husband was killed?” John asked over the pounding rain.

“One and the same, a very brave and dependable woman.”

“Well, let’s hope God answers her prayers.” John rolled his eyes in defeat while considering Marta’s track record.

Eventually, John spotted the field from the passenger side window. They would have to set up the landing with Steve viewing the field from his side window. The rain was pounding the windshield too strongly, and seeing anything through it was about as effective as looking through frosted glass.

Steve performed a shallow left-hand traffic pattern as he slowly descended and flew the length of the strip. Seeing no obstacles, he circled and approached from the same direction.

Steve bled off speed, let out ten degrees of flaps, and turned left before letting out another ten degrees. He forced the nose over to keep up the present air speed and observed the field. Pulling the throttle back, he dumped full flaps just before flaring out. The RPMs were low enough to prevent anyone from hearing the engine. An eerie whistle of air rushing past the wings accompanied them through the remainder of the flight.

“Okay, you’ve got it, steady...” John encouraged while wiping off condensation from the window.



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