Spoils of Invasion

Michael G. Crawford

Chapter Two

"Honey, you're a natural!" her Uncle had said, his voice raised to be heard above the growl of the Beech Debonair, a 220 hp single engine, low wing private aircraft. Her Uncle had bought it last year as part of a five member flying club, each of them putting in the $50,000 to insure the aircraft was capable of full instrument flight and a climb to the highest airfields in the nation. Her Uncle wasn't a rich man, but Grandfather had left each of his sons some small amount of cash.

When Darla's Dad was killed in the Mediterranean when she was five, and her mother killed herself with the bottle two years later, her Uncle Francis and his wife Peggy had assumed her parentage. Uncle had then begun spending as much time with her as the Air Force would allow.

The day after the plane ownership was officially transferred to the "club", he had taken her for a ride in the noisy thing. Wearing ear plugs she was able to stand it but at first she had decided it was really a bore. Until he made her take the twin handles of the "stick". Suddenly she was in a different world. As he explained about the little airplane on the pretty little ball and bubble thing, calling it an "art-fartcey something or other", she soon grasped that if she watched the little ball carefully, she could keep the airplane flying pretty much as he wanted her too. Soon she found she could feel the airplane moving around in the air. It was like suddenly her fanny had become part of the airplane.

Within two months, he had bought a special setup that he could install in about 15 minutes, which allowed her to reach the rudder pedals, and he began teaching her about the little bubble in the funny glass tube.

Within six months, he told her she was a natural, as she banked endlessly in perfectly coordinated figure eights across the long desert roads. Having conquered all the funny games he had taught her, things like making the "stall" horn go off, and "recovering", or flying without looking outside the airplane...that had been easy, she already knew how to watch the little airplane, what were a few more instruments to her..., and finally the "power off" landings with the engine just put-putting away instead of roaring. It was all so easy for her. She too guessed she was a natural.

Then Uncle Francis took her to the Officer's Club, alone, for a very special dinner. He had dressed up in his very special black uniform, the one with all the little minature medals on his chest. When the officer guarding the door nearly shouted his name as they entered the long quiet room, "Colonel Francis Lake, and his niece Darla". He had introduced her to the very nice General, with the two shiny stars on each of his shoulders.

"I am so happy you could come to see us this evening, Darla. Your Uncle tells me you like to fly?"

"Yes...uhh...Sir, I'm a Natural!" she said proudly and the General smiled with that patient look all adults gave her when she was right.

"Yes Dear, that's what he tells me. Maybe you'd like to fly me someplace sometime, ehhh?" He smiled as he said it, and she knew that he was making fun of her, especially when he looked over to a young officer with a pair of silver bars stuck together like the capital letter "H".

"Well, as long as the weather is okay for VFR, I guess it would be okay, but Uncle says I can't fly when its too cloudy, I don't have an instrument rating yet. I think he's crazy. I can fly better than him without looking out the cockpit. I can...really!"

The General nodded, the smile not as forced as it had been before, and she knew that, as usual, she had surprised another adult with her knowlege and bravery.

"I just bet you can, child. I bet you can. I think I'll take you up on that. But you have to let me take you for a little flight first. How's that sound?"

"Do I get to ride in a jet? Huhh? Please? Pretty Please??"

They all laughed and the General turned away, but not before a grin appeared on his face. "You're making fun of me" she said, a pout beginning to form on her face. Her Uncle started to move closer, but the General said a little louder so everyone could hear,

"Oh no. No way. We're all happy to see that you like jets, Darla. Jets are very important to us in the Air Force. And yes, I am going to take you for a ride in a Jet. But it won't be an Air Force jet. The Air Force would skin me alive if they caught me giving you a ride in one of their jets. Do you know what a Lear is?"

"Is that the jet with the tiny little engines on the the back with the funny looking "T" tail?"

"That's the one. A couple of friends and I are renting one, and I have arranged for you, your Uncle, and I to go for a ride next week. How's that sound?"

Her eyes got so big, and she whispered very quiet so nobody would laugh again, "Rrrrrealllllyyyy?"

"You Bet!" said the General, and when she looked at her Uncle to see if it was really true, he was nodding his head with the biggest smile she'd ever seen.

Chapter Three
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Last Updated: November 8, 1996