Nuclear War Club: Seven high school students are in detention when Nuclear War explodes.Game on, they are on their own. (39 page)

Doron signaled to Zeke, then pushed the door open with his boot, and jumped back behind the wall. Just beyond the first dark room, he could see gaping holes in the rear of the hangar. A cone of sunlight from the ceiling backlit the entire floor space. When he passed the first room, and opened the second door, wind blew through, creating a dust cloud. Mike and Ashley waved from outside the hangar, one on each side.

Two
DC3s were in the hangar! Doron recognized them from the
Jane’s World Aircraft
book he had found, the two, highly elevated engines and the tail cargo door were unmistakable. Doron signaled to Ashley and Zeke to secure the right side of the building, while he checked the two small
rooms on the left.

“Lighthouse, this is Six. We have a double jackpot. As soon as we secure the area I need to relieve you and get you in here,” Doron said on the head mike. David did not answer but just keyed the mike twice.

“
Certified FAA Airframe and Power Plant Certificate
,” proclaimed the license on the wall. Rows of black notebooks filled with carefully recorded repairs and copies of log book endorsements for inspections remained undisturbed in the recessed bookcase.

Doron found papers strewn all over the desk and floor near the scanner. He looked at the DC-3s and wrote down their tail numbers, then picked up all the papers over the floor. He saw a clipboard with precise writing for the tail number that matched the silver DC-3. David never dreamed they would get a flight ready DC-3, much less one that just passed its annual mechanical inspection.

Doron shoved all the papers into his backpack with the clipboard. “Clear, its Zeke,” Zeke shouted, before he approached the door.

“Check this out!” Doron said excitedly. “It’s an aircraft inspection and repair station!”

“Whatever.....” Zeke said, clearly nonplused.

“These repairs make the plane like new for airworthiness,” said Doron.

“I thought you said these DC-3 were WW2
old
,” said Zeke. “Like black and white movies old.”

“They are, but they are still in use because they were never really improved upon as a non-pressurized, primitive use, aircraft. They can land on rough airfields. The elevated engine mounts provide lots of ground clearance during landing on rough airfields. It’s like a jeep for airplanes. Rugged, simple, designed before electronics. Lousy gas mileage, but we have got all the gas we need!” Doron enthusiastically gushed. Zeke tried to look enthusiastic as he glanced at the old, dusty plane in the crumbling hangar. Ashley was not able to hide her
concern.

“Here are the log books. We hit the jackpot, two DC-3s,” Doron excitedly explained.

“And it gets better.......this was an Airframe and Power plant mechanic station! And they had a C-47, a structurally reinforced, heavy duty, military version of the DC-3, Flight Instructor training manual and a WW2 film records onto a DVD “
Troop Carrier Airplane-Cockpit Procedures-89
^th
Troop Carrier Group Headquarters
”!”

David ran into the hangar, joining Doron, Zeke, and Ashley at the planes..

“Excited?” Karen said to Doron.

“We can fly home if these planes run,” David interjected, “and avoid firefights and ambushes!”

“Anyone ever fly one?” asked Karen.

“No,” David replied.

“Have you ever flown
any
plane?”

“Well, not actually. Lots of computer sim though. ”

“David, my daring, courageous, husband, we have a plane no one has ever repaired or inspected , and pilots who have never flown any plane,” Karen said.

“Well yes, but you make it sound so dangerous!” David laughed.

“Three steps. First, you and Doron study the preflight checklist, particularly fuel inspection. Second, you study the flight operations book, memorize the landing and stall speeds. Third, no passengers-
certainly not our Samuel
- until you have survived ten takeoffs and landings,” Karen said.

“How do you know this?” Doron asked. Maybe she had been a pilot, he never would have thought she was a sniper.

“When we worked at the ranch in Montana the owner had a couple of Cessnas we used to look for cattle, and drop off hay to them in the snow. He always said if you knew the stall speed, and made sure you never dropped below that even if you had to point the nose to the ground, you could survive anything,” Karen said.

114.

David was so excited he had to force himself to stop for sleep and food. Prepping the DC-3 for flight, and learning the pilot procedures was intellectually addicting. He found the portable metal flight ramp and inspected every inch of both aircraft. The silver DC-3 had just passed its annual inspection and was full of fuel. He drained all the contaminants from the fuel after only two gallons.

The next day Doron and David spent hours simulating take offs and the preflight without starting the engine. Two days later they graduated to landings and midflight engine shutdowns simulations.

David stayed up every night watching the thirty four minute WW2 training film TF-1-33 “
Troop Carrier Airplane-Cockpit Procedures
”. He watched the DVD over and over in the cockpit, as he touched each instrument. Karen, Samuel and K-Bar started spending the night with him in the plane, sleeping in the cabin.

Karen sat in the right copilot seat, and would stop the DVD and ask where an instrument was located. Samuel and K Bar lay on a sleeping bag near the cockpit. They slept in the DC3 every night with David.

On the fourth night, when Karen was hooking up the DVD player, Samuel was sternly explaining flight procedures to K-Bar as he held his toy airplane:

“Flaps down, and locked”

“Check”

“Pressure up, five hundred pounds!”

David and Karen couldn’t stop laughing. Samuel had not only memorized parts of the soundtrack, he mimicked the voice inflection.

_______

“We have to simplify,” David said to Doron.

“We will have to ignore most of the gauges and focus on airspeed, flaps, fuel status, and landing gear” David said.

“Why?” asked Doron.

“It’s just too much, its information overload, without more experience. If we have rpm and keep the airspeed above stalling, we will do ok. If we do not have rpms and airspeed, we are road kill,” David explained. “We will never need the autopilot, for example. But Doron, you can learn what everything else is and does,” said David.

“What about navigation?” Doron asked.

“Forget it, we have no GPS or even old radio beacons like the book uses. It will be all IFR, I Follow the Road. We will just follow the Interstate,” David said. “We have got to simplify this.”

“Plus if the engine dies, we have a runway in sight,” David added.

115.

“David , have you noticed Ashley and Doron?” Karen asked in the DC-3. If she wanted to see David, that’s where she had to go.

“What do you mean?” asked David, distractedly.

“Ashley has fallen for Doron and I think he reciprocates.”

“Reciprocates?”

“Reciprocates, that is Doron returns Ashley’s feelings,” Karen said.

“Who would have thought, after Doron deserted Ashley?” David wondered.

“Actually, it makes sense,” Karen said, staring at the cockpit gauges.

“How?” asked David.

“Both Ashley and Doron are madly in love with themselves,” Karen explained.

“There are physical, financial, and practical benefits to marriage even if you only love yourself,” Karen continued. “Doron is a genius, and will be a great provider, Ashley is attractive, supportive, and intelligent.”

“But without a spiritual component between the man and woman, it may be only marriage until you can upgrade to someone better,” Karen said.

“But, there is not a lot of people for either one to choose from, so that could help keep them together,” she added.

“So you are against them getting married at their age?” David asked.

“Oh, no,” said Karen. “You can be 17 and self-centered or 40 and self-centered. They will probably grow to love each other,” said Karen.

116.

Zeke connected the pole to the front of the DC-3 and began pulling the truck forward, slowly, at a crawl pace.

“Check the tires and brakes while Zeke is moving the DC-3,” Doron shouted. David and Doron looked on either side of the tires, which rolled easily. Doron had marked where he wanted Zeke to pull the plane, facing south on runway eighteen.

The wind moved the ailerons slightly, and Doron wished he had blocked them. He had warned Zeke that if the plane took an up gust while towing, to jump off the truck.

Doron marveled at the DC-3. It literally took his breath away. In the hangar, it was just a museum piece Outside, the plane seemed alive and vibrant.

“It’s just a machine, Doron,” he said to himself. But it was not just a machine. This was a flying vessel, airworthy. Something about being on the tarmac brought it to life. It was like a thoroughbred ready to run. Doron locked the ailerons, then climbed back down and chocked the wheels. Everyone had gathered around the door at the rear of the plane.

Doron waved everyone onboard, except Zeke, who was on guard duty. They were rarely all in the same place at the same time. Liu, Mike, Chloe, Brad, Cheryl, Samuel, Ashley, Karen and K-Bar. David waited by the door while everyone filed in, then entered and walked to the cockpit. Doron waved for David to sit in the left seat, the Pilot in Command seat.

The aircraft was set up for cargo and parachute drops, stripped bare to the floor. Karen sat against the fuselage, and Samuel crawled into her lap. Mike and Chloe sat across from her, by Brad and Cheryl. K-Bar curled on the floor next to Samuel. Ashley leaned against the bulkhead as Zeke opened and shut the rear entrance door. They sat there for a long time.

These were good people, Doron thought, as he looked around. Beaten down, battered, weary, but survivors. He
choked back tears, as he realized they may actually make it to Alabama. He noticed Chloe’s eyes misted also.

Doron had never realized the daily, subconscious burden that every day death was imminent, even probable. Get in enough firefights and death was not merely likely, it was inevitable. He watched Karen hug Samuel and K-Bar, wiping off her face.

“So, what do you think?” David asked. He seemed surprised they were still just sitting there.

“We are doing our passenger simulations,” Chloe said, smiling.

117.

“Tomorrow we will do engine warm ups, so everyone has to stay away from plane. We can’t see under the engines from the cockpit, and the propellers will kill you,” Doron explained at dinner. “The propeller blades move so fast you can’t see them.”

“I will keep the kids in the hangar,” said Chloe. “They can watch from the windows.”

“We will blow the whistle twice each time before we start the engine,” Doron continued, “and we will yell the word ‘Clear!’”

Chloe had made spaghetti, the top favorite, and everyone ate in silence. The excitement was contagious. It’s like they were going on a sea voyage, Doron thought. After dinner, Karen started reading
Swiss Family Robinson
to the kids around the campfire at the edge of the open hangar. Doron motioned to David to step outside.

“I have asked Ashley to marry me. She said yes, and we want you to do the ceremony,” Doron explained as they scanned the perimeter.

“Why me?” asked David.

“Granted, you are not much, but you are the closest thing we have to a ship captain,” Doron explained.

“Why not wait until we get to Alabama?” David asked.

“We may not make it to Alabama. This DC-3 with brand new self-taught pilots is the worst possible solution, except for every other solution,” he said. It was quiet for a few moments, as they scanned to horizon unconsciously looking for movement.

“Doron, marriage is a big step,” David said.

“It’s serious,” David continued. “It’s putting her first.”

David paused, but Doron didn’t seem to react.

“Bottom line-are you willing to die for her?” David pressed.

David paused, this was not a rhetorical question. But Doron didn’t say anything.

“If yes, get married,” David paused.

“If not, don’t. It’s that simple,” David said, looking Doron in the eye.

Doron felt an uncontrollable anger surge through him at the question.

“Who does David think he is?” Doron thought.

Wait, Doron thought. It
is
a fair question.

And David wasn’t just talking, he had been willing to die for Karen, he had seen it.

“Yes, I am willing to die for Ashley,” Doron said.

“You weren’t before,” David stabbed.

Sadly, that was also a fair question. An obnoxious, hateful, question, but fair, Doron thought.

“What has changed?” David asked.

“I have grown, changed. I really love her, David. At first I thought she was just a cheerleader, but she is actually very smart, clever, a great companion. She is just interested in different things. She makes me feel loved and respected. We are both very different people than just a few months ago at school. She has forgiven me, and we are ready to get married,” Doron said.

“You know you can’t get married just because you are sorry for what you have done before?” David said.

David waited, it was not like Doron to listen without responding.

“You aren’t doing that are you Doron?” David asked, coaxing a response.

Doron paused, he had never really thought of it that way.

“No, I want to get married to Ashley,” Doron finally said..

“OK, what do you two want in the ceremony?” David asked.

118.

The days slipped into another week as Doron and David methodically studied the Flight Instructor Manual. Now they could instantly recite the training film checklist, and reach each flight control instrument blindfolded, by touch. The preflight checklist and engine warm ups were now routine. Doron methodically checked the engines after each test start, and had figured out how to charge the batteries using the truck alternator.

“Today’s the day,” said Doron. “Clear sky, slight wind.”

“The Wright Brothers flipped a coin for the first flight,” said David, flipping the coin.