Chapter 71 - Downtime
Bill drove Ron back to Steve’s Office, then said goodbye. Ron looked like he was really going to miss the SEALS, but Bill was busy, so he shook Ron’s hand and helped him unload his gear. He kept the SEAL swim trunks, BDUs, and aqua shoes. If they still fit him by the time he entered the Air Force Academy, he might have a problem, but for now, he was proud to wear them. Steve was busy, but put down his paperwork to talk to his nephew.
“How was your visit with the SEALs Ron?”
“Great Steve, They taught me how to freefall, swim and Bear even took me scuba diving at a reef in the Keys, and I got some great pictures of reef fish. I got to go on an exercise, and they even let me shoot the Ma Deuce.”
“Wow, you had a busy couple of days. How did you like it?”
“Steve, I hate to admit it, but if you hadn’t greased the skids for me to go to the Air Force Academy, I might be tempted to go to Annapolis and try to become a SEAL.”
“They must have really impressed you.”
“Actually, Steve they treated me like a kid brother, instead of a circus sideshow.”
“I guess I have been trying to show you off, but you have to admit that if you hadn’t pulled off those shooting exhibitions you did, you wouldn’t have gotten to do half the stuff you did. After that shooting exhibition you put on the other day, every command on the base was trying their best to woo you into joining their command. If you were old enough, it wouldn’t have surprised me if a few of them might have tried to talk you into enlisting.”
Actually, I really hit it off with Bear, the SEAL diving instructor, he’s got a couple of sons he’s kind of disappointed in - they became “Shyster Lawyers” instead of SEALS. I guess he really wanted them to follow in his footsteps. He probably forgot that it takes a special kind of man to do what he does. Even as good as I am at 14, I’d have to work my butt off to have a chance to become a SEAL. I do know one thing, I’m going to keep skydiving and Scuba diving.”
“Ron, I’m very proud of you - you do know that, right? You’re very mature for your age, and your last comment proved that. You realize that even with your extraordinary God Given talents, you’d still have to work your butt of to become a SEAL. I’m really glad you decided to join the Air Force, but I’d be just as proud if you became a SEAL.”
“Steve, I’m pretty sure I want to be an Eagle Driver, and fly the F-15 Strike Eagle.”
“How come?”
“Well for one thing, you get to do everything. You can bomb targets, then still go air to air. All the Falcon Drivers get to do is flying around practicing, but the Eagle Drivers have seen action in every war we’ve been involved in. Besides, the Guy In Back gives you an extra set of eyes to spot trouble.”
“Seems like you’ve thought this out. We’ve got the rest of today and tomorrow, then the Doctor said your Dad will be OK to go home. He’ll be OK, it’s just this weather messed up his electrolyte balance. Finding that blockage now means if he takes care of himself, he’ll live a lot longer. So what do you want to do the rest of today?”
“Steve, I’m beat, I’d like to visit with my parents and Jim, then eat an early dinner. As far as tomorrow goes, I’m up for anything, but I can’t go airborne for 24 hours after diving according to Bear.”
“Ron, how come you call Chief Simmons Bear?”
“Because that’s what he told me to call him.”
“Ron, he must have really taken a liking to you, even I can’t call Chief Simmons Bear, because I’m not a SEAL.”
“Cool - guess I never thought about that.”
Steve got up, and picked up Ron’s duffle. He noticed a pair of orange shorts on top, loosened the top of the duffle, and spotted the SEAL logo. They were real SEAL gear, not the stuff you get in the gift shop. Someone at the SEAL command either really took a shine to Ron, or was trying very hard to win him over. Judging by what Ron said about Chief Simmons, he guessed it was a little of both. He pulled the drawstrings on the duffle before Ron caught him looking, and carried it out to the Hummer. They went over to VIP quarters to put his duffle up, then headed to the hospital. Steve decided he had time to visit his sister and brother-in-law, so he went in too. Ron led Steve into his dad’s room, and walked in on Anne giving Roy a very passionate kiss. Ron coughed quietly, and they disengaged. Roy held out his arms, so Ron walked over and gave his dad a big hug.
“How are you doing son? I hope this hadn’t cramped your style?”
Steve spoke up “Are you kidding? Ron spent the last 2 days with the SEALS having the time of his life - go ahead and tell your dad all about it while I talk to your mom.”
Ron filled his dad in while Steve talked to Anne.
“Sis, sorry about walking in on you two. How are things?”
“Roy’s a little grumpy, and doesn’t want to change his ways. I agree with him that he doesn’t need to become a vegetarian, but I am going to subtly alter his eating habits. It will be good for me too. How’s Ron doing really?”
“He had such a good time with the SEALS that if he weren’t going to the Air Force Academy, he told me he wanted to be a SEAL.”
“I think I’d rather have him in the Air Force where it’s safe.”
“Anne, he wants to be a fighter pilot. Now before you say anything, I had nothing to do with it, he decided on his own after flying in the F-15 Strike Eagle. He’s probably safer as a pilot than a SEAL. We lose a bunch each year in training accidents, and they have the second highest accident rate next to PJ’s.”
“Thanks a lot Steve - now I have to worry about losing my son.”
“Anne, you had better get over it quick, because your fears will hold Ron back from being the man he’s supposed to be. You and Roy did an excellent job raising him, and he’ll always be your son, but he’ll soon be a man, and will leave to seek his own way in the world. He’s already started the process while he was here, and by the time he’s old enough to enlist, he’ll be more than ready for the Academy, and life among fighting men. Ron and I were both fighting men, and Ron wants to be one too. In his own way Roy is a fighting man too, but his battles were against Nature. I could never do what he did for a whole year with as little gear as he had. Your average Air Force survival kit has more stuff than he did, plus we have years of training to fall back on. All Roy had was his hunting experience, and what he had read. I’ve always admired Roy.”
“Steve, Roy kind of reminds me of you and Ron, but in a different way. He’s got his soft side too. You’d never believe how he cried when Oliver died. Anyway, I want to hear what Ron was saying, Ok if we go back in - by the way, thanks for the pep talk, and you’re right.”
Anne gave her brother a big hug, and they went in.
“And the neatest part was when Bear took me diving on a coral reef - Dad you should have seen all the fish. I’ve got a couple of rolls of film to get developed, and then I can show you the pictures. Hi Mom, everything OK?”
“Just fine Ron, I was just catching up with my Brother - it might be a while before I see him again.”
Ron continued his story as his mom and Steve listened in. She realized Ron wasn’t a little kid anymore, but he wasn’t fully grown yet. They still had some work to do, and they still had a few things to teach him. Anne loved her son, but knew their time together was limited, and he soon would be on his own. She just hoped Roy would still be there. She fought back a tear looking at Ron and Roy together. She loved them both, but differently.
Roy was impressed, Ron had really grown up in the last couple of weeks. He could tell his son was having the time of his life. He was kind of envious, he had never got a chance to do half the stuff his son did this week. Now he was too old to do most of it. He realized that this was the “cycle of life”. He remembered how his father got older and eventually died when he was in his 20’s. Roy hoped he would live longer than that, but realized that his life was in God’s hands. Ron was becoming a man right before his eyes. He hoped he had done everything he could, and prayed that God would guide him for the rest of the time he had left with his son. He was so proud of Ron he was about to burst. Roy reached out and gave Ron a big hug.
“What’s that for Dad?”
“Just because I’m proud of you and I love you.”
“I love you too Dad.”
All too soon, visiting hours were over, so Steve took Ron and Anne out to dinner. Since Roy was out of the woods, Anne decided that she could live a little, and spend some time with her brother. Jim met them at the restaurant, and between bites, Ron filled him in on his adventures. Jim just shook his head in amazement. After dinner, Anne decided she wanted to be with Roy, so Steve drove her back to the hospital, and dropped Jim and Ron off at the VIP quarters on the way. When they had got out of the Hummer, Steve asked Ron if he wanted to do PT tomorrow with them. “0600 sharp, right Steve?”
“0600 Sharp, right here. See you tomorrow.” Jim and Ron walked up to their room. They talked for a while, then Ron went to bed, 0600 arrived early in the morning.
Steve dropped Anne off at the Hospital. Before she got out, she turned to Steve “Hey Bro, I forgot to tell you thanks for everything. We’ve really enjoyed ourselves, and if it weren’t for you, Roy’s fibrillation event might have been more serious. You realize you probably saved his life with the CPR?”
“Anne, you know CPR too, I just happened to be there. I’m really glad it wasn’t more serious than it was. I’m glad Roy’s OK. If I get a chance, I’d like to talk to the two of you alone before you go.”
Anne gave her brother a big hug and got out of the Hummer. Steve waited until she was inside the hospital, and drove back to his office to finish the paperwork.
The next morning, Ron and Steve led the group PT, then Ron ran upstairs for a quick shower and a change of clothes, then met Steve for Breakfast. “Ron, how would you like to do some more shooting today, just you and me - no more sideshows, OK?”
“Thanks Steve, I realized you were just showing me off, but I really resented it sometimes.”
“Sorry Ron, I overdid it a little. How about inviting Jim if he isn’t doing anything?”
Ron walked over to the house phone and called their room. Jim answered, and Ron asked him if he wanted to go shooting. Jim said he would be down in 15 minutes, he needed to get dressed.
15 minutes Jim walked in looking like he just got up. Steve asked him if everything was alright. “Everything’s OK Steve, just enjoying the downtime. In Alaska, I’m busier than a one armed paper hanger. I rarely get to sleep in any more, and TV is a major luxury. Let me get some coffee, OJ, and some toast, and I’ll be good to go.”
Jim returned with a little more than what he had planned. He said the food looked too good to pass up, so he grabbed a plate. Ron and Steve waited for Jim to finish up, then they walked out to the Hummer. Steve got on his cell phone, and called the Armory to get Ron’s weapon out, and have the range master set up the rifle range. When they got there, Jim asked if he could shoot an M -16. The armorer handed him a match AR-15 instead. Jim shrugged his shoulders, and carried it to the range. The range master had set up 4 shooting lanes. Ron wanted to shoot at 400 yards, which was far enough to be challenging, but close enough so he could relax and enjoy shooting. Jim started on the 100 yard line, and Steve on the 300-yard line. The Range master joined them on the 300 yard line. When everyone was set, Ron went prone, and as soon as the Range master gave him the OK to shoot, he started shooting at the 400 yard target. After 10 rounds, Steve looked up, and all 10 rounds were in the x-ring. Steve shook his head and concentrated on his own target. Later that afternoon, Steve had a surprise for him. The shooting instructors from the other commands wanted to make a presentation to Ron. They all showed up at the range right as Ron finished shooting his 10th perfect 10-shot string at 400 yards. Ron saw the instructor’s vehicles pulling up, and left his rifle with the action open to cool off, and stood up. Everyone else stopped firing, and stood up in curiosity. Steve was the only one who knew what was going on, and gathered the instructors in front of Ron.
The Delta Instructor started things off. “Ron Williams, we wanted to give you some things to remember your trip by. We also wanted to thank you, and recognize your shooting achievements. That said, Attention to Orders.”
Everyone in the group stood at attention including Ron. The Delta Instructor marched forward solemnly and pinned a marksmanship award on Ron’s chest. Ron couldn’t see it, but Steve was impressed. It was a Delta Sharpshooter medal. It was the top shooting qualification in Delta. Each command pinned an award next to that one, and the final award was delivered by the JSOC. Ron remembered the first time he had met General Shepard. This time he had a huge Pelican case with him. He set the Pelican case on the bench, and his aide handed him a plaque. The general presented the plaque to Ron, and he read it out loud.
“In recognition of Ron Williams shooting ability this date, specifically shooting a 2.092 inch group at 600 yards, the Special Operations Command, in conjunction with Barretts firearms and Swarvoski Optiks, hereby award this Barrett’s light 50 prototype and the Scope, along with 1000 rounds of 50 cal match ammo to Ron Williams.”
When the JSOC finished his presentation, every instructor was ready to burst out in applause, but stayed at strict attention until dismissed. Finally General Shepard shook Ron’s hand, and said “Well Done, Son.”
“Thank you Sir, does this mean this rifle is mine?”
“I know you’re not 18, but my JAG assures me that by the time he’s finished with the legal paperwork, it will all be legal. By the way, Barrett and Swarvoski placed a condition on giving you the gun. They want you to act as a consultant on future prototypes. They’d fly you at their expense to MacDill for you to T&E their new prototypes every couple of years, and write a report. They even agreed to pay you $10,000 per report plus expenses.”
“I don’t know what to say General, except Thank you very much, and please tell Barrett I’d be honored.”
“One other thing Ron, here’s a copy of the letter I sent your Senator, I’m requesting you be admitted to the Air Force Academy as soon as you are old enough.”
Ron smiled and thanked the General, then he was mobbed by the instructors, who were congratulating him, shaking his hand, and pounding him on the back. When everyone was through, Ron thanked the instructors, the General, and his uncle Steve for the great time he had. He said he looked forward to returning to MacDill upon graduation from the Air Force Academy, and he hoped to get assigned to a Strike Squadron as an F-15 Eagle pilot. The instructors were chorusing “Sierra Hotel” despite the presence of the General.
When everything broke up, Ron was eyeing the Barretts when he noticed something different from the last time he shot it. Someone had painted a single white feather on the stock. Ron was floored, since he knew Carlos Hathcock’s signature was a single white feather. Steve helped load the pelican case, and the case of 50 cal ammo in the Hummer, then congratulated Ron “Ron, as soon as you’re old enough, I can guarantee you’ll have an appointment to the Air Force Academy, General Shepard has about 10 times the pull I do, and every cadet he’s recommended for the Academy was accepted.”
“Thanks, Steve, I don’t know what to say, I’ve had enough adventures and experiences to last a lifetime in the last weeks. But my guess is it’s just starting.” Steve gave his nephew a big bear hug, and suggested they go and get cleaned up, go see his parents, then go eat dinner. They had an early flight tomorrow. A couple of hours later, a courier showed up looking for Steve. When Steve showed his ID, the courier left a package with him, addressed to Ron Williams. Ron opened it, and it was the title paperwork for the firearm, and a consultancy contract for Barrett Firearms, and a check for $10,000. Steve was confused until he read the part about Ron’s evaluation being included in the T&E report filed by the testing team, and the check was in payment for the report. Steve was floored. Barrett just gave Ron a rifle worth $10,000 easy, and a Swarvoski scope worth much more than that, and now Barrett gave him a check for $10,000.00 on top of it. Ron saw the check, and realized it would go a long ways to purchasing his own plane. Too bad he was too young to get his license. They put the paperwork back in the packet, and finished dinner. When Ron went to the VIP quarters, he was walking on air. When he told Jim the good news, he was blown away. Ron was wondering why Jim always looked tired, then he realized he was getting old. He was at least 5 years older than his dad. After talking a while, they went to bed.
Chapter 72- Homeward Bound
Ron got up early for 0600 PT, and was stunned when there were 3 times as many soldiers in front of the VIP quarters than yesterday. He recognized some of the instructors, but he didn’t recognize most of the soldiers. Steve greeted Ron, and told Ron to stand next to him for the entire PT; this was the Joint Command’s send-off for Ron. When Ron was next to him at parade rest with the rest of the Company, Steve took command of the Company. “Company, Jumping Jacks, on my count” and they began. When they finished the stationary part of the morning PT, Steve turned to Ron and asked him to lead the morning run. Ron said “With Pleasure Sir” and marched toward the head of the column. When he got to the front, he turned and yelled “Company, Quick March” and started marching toward the running area, when he reached the track, he sped up to a “Ranger Run” and held it for the requisite 5 miles. Steve was off to his right half a pace behind. Steve was positively beaming with pride. At the end of 5 miles, Ron called “Company Quick march” and as soon as they were marching, one of the Ranger instructors started a cadence, and soon the entire company was doing the familiar cadence. By the second refrain, Ron knew the cadence, and joined in with the rest of the company. He felt like he belonged, but not totally. He vowed he would come back to MacDill when he could be counted a full-fledged member of this company of warriors.
At VIP quarters, Ron called “Company Halt” and they came to a stop. From the back of the group came a yell, which was echoed by the entire company “Hooo-rah.” It was loud enough to rattle windows on the bottom floor of the VIP quarters. Steve walked over to Ron, gave him a big hug and said “See you later Nephew.” then turned to the company and said “Company Dismissed” but every one of the instructors present stopped by to shake Ron’s hand, and wish him luck. When they were finished, Steve told Ron he had 15 minutes to shower and get changed before breakfast, their flight was in an hour and a half. Ron hugged his uncle, waved to the instructors, and dashed up to the elevators since he was too tired to run up 5 flights of stairs. When he arrived on their floor, he took his passkey out of his BDU pocket and opened the door to his suite. Roy and Anne were in the main room getting organized and packed. Ron said that Steve was going to meet them downstairs in 15 minutes if they wanted breakfast before the flight. From Steve’s demeanor, Ron thought the food at the restaurant would be far better than that offered on the flight. Ron hurried into his room, got in the shower, then got dressed, and was back down in the lobby with several minutes to spare. The elevators opened, and Roy, Anne, and Jim stepped out to join them. They walked to the restaurant, and walked through the breakfast buffet line, and Anne watched Roy like a hawk to make sure he didn’t sneak any bacon. They sat down to a quick but boisterous breakfast, then they went back upstairs. When Ron opened the door, Lucky practically knocked him down in his eagerness to greet him.
“Sorry Lucky, I guess I kind of forgot about you.”
Ron played with his dog while the adults got everything organized. A bellman appeared with a luggage cart to take their luggage, and Steve met them at the door with his Hummer. Their gun cases had already been loaded out of the Armory while they finished packing, and Steve drove them to the VIP waiting area. When they got out and Steve was unloading the back, Roy commented about the extra Pelican case and a huge wooden ammo case.
“Dad, that’s the rifle they gave me. It’s a prototype Barrett’s Light 50 and a case of 50 BMG Match ammo.”
Roy didn’t know what to think, so didn’t say anything. All their bags were tagged and taken to the aircraft, which was in the final stages of pre-flight. By the time they were all in the VIP waiting area, they were told they could board the aircraft. They boarded the luxurious VC-120 and the air stairs folded up, and as soon as they were seated, the plane taxied and took off. Ron must have been jaded by the high-performance take-off of the F-15 Eagle, because he thought the take-off was pretty sedate. As soon as the seat belt signs were turned off, Ron made up for lost time with Lucky, who really appreciated the attention. The only time Ron stopped playing with Lucky was when the steward came back with the drink cart, and Ron got a soda. Later that afternoon, they were on final for Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, AK. 15 minutes later they were on the ground within walking distance of their DeHaviland Otter.
After doing a thorough walk around, Jim climbed into the pilot’s seat, Ron sat in the co-pilot’s seat even though the DeHaviland was a single-control aircraft, and Anne, Roy, and Lucky took up what space in the back was available after all their luggage was stored. Jim contacted the tower, and was instructed to wait 2 minutes, and then received permission to taxi to the active runway. The Tower Controller must have been new, because he gave Jim the totally unnecessary warning to beware of jet wash. Jim didn’t respond to the tower, and just let it slide. When he reached the correct runway, he called the tower and advised them that he was at the runway. The tower came back “cleared for immediate departure- buster, traffic pattern is very crowded. Stay below 500AGL until 5 miles away from runway, then slowly ascend to 2,000 feet.” Jim was firewalling the throttle as he acknowledged the call, and they rolled quickly down the runway. Since they had twice as much runway as he needed, Jim stayed in ground effect after he took off to gain speed and depart the busy airfield as fast as possible. Once he cleared the airfield’s fence line by 5 miles, he started a slow climb to 2,000 feet, and maintained that altitude until he contacted Allakaket. They needed to refuel in Allakaket to safely make it to Roy’s place and back. When they landed in Allakaket, everyone bailed out and stretched their legs, and Lucky took advantage of the numerous plants to relieve himself. When the plane was refueled and serviced, Jim did a walk around to verify everything was correct, with Ron walking with him. Finally Jim whistled and yelled “All Aboard”. They piled back on board, and Jim taxied and took off without incident. 2 hours later they were home again. When they had unloaded the plane, Jim told them he had to get back to Allakaket and get some sleep. He taxied out to the lake and took off.
Lucky stopped at every tree in the clearing, he had either to go real bad, or felt he needed to reestablish his territory. Roy and Anne were dog-tired by the time they carried everything into the cabin. They had a real problem trying to carry the wooden case full of 50 BMG ammo, but they got it inside and stored on the shelf. Roy was curious what kind of weapon would take ammo that heavy; the case weighed almost twice what the case of the .308 match ammo did. Ron set the pelican case containing the Barrett’s rifle on the table, and opened it for his dad to see for the first time. Roy’s eyes nearly bugged out when he got a good look at the rifle and the huge scope, then he noticed the single white feather painted on the side of the synthetic stock. Roy was familiar with the exploits of Carlos Hathcock, and the name the Vietnamese called him “White Feather”. When Ron showed him a BMG 50 Match round, he understood why the gun was so huge; the round was easily 2-3 times as big as the 308.
“Ron, how far did you say you were shooting this gun?”
“Dad, the farthest target at their range was at 1,000 yards; my best group was a 5-shot 9-inch group.”
Roy almost had another heart attack. He thought 300 yards was a long way, and that was using a scope. His son shot a sub-moa group at over 3 times that distance, and in front of an audience. Roy just shook his head, and marveled at his son. He wondered what he would be like at 18. They packed the gun back in its case, and stored it with the rest of their weapons. Anne decided to make Spaghetti-O’s for dinner, since it was quick, and fairly low fat. She got a fire going in the woodstove, and put a pan on to heat, then opened 3 cans. Ron was playing with Lucky while dinner was cooking, and Roy set the table. When Anne said dinner was ready, Ron fed Lucky then washed his hands. They all sat down at the table and Roy said grace. He had a lot to be thankful for, and finally said “Amen” before the food got too cold. After dinner, Roy and Anne read their Bibles and Ron played with Lucky some more - it seemed like Lucky was making up for lost time. Finally Ron tired Lucky out, and he went and laid down next to Ron’s bed. Ron picked up his Bible, and read a few chapters before telling his parents he was going to bed.
The next morning, Ron and Roy did their chores after breakfast. There was a lot to do, they needed to chop and haul wood. Ron was surprised that his Dad handed him the safety gear, then sat down on the porch to talk to him.
“Ron, your mother and I had a long talk last night. I know you’re only 14, but you are going to have to take over several things I used to do, since the docs say I can’t do them, at least for a while. You’re going to have a lot more responsibility than I did at your age, but we don’t have any alternative. If we want to live out here, wood needs to be cut, and we need to hunt. You could cut wood with an axe, but the chainsaw is faster, and not much more dangerous if you treat it with respect. You’ve been doing things for the last year that are way more dangerous than running a chainsaw, so we agreed it’s time you took over felling the trees we need for firewood. I’ll still supervise and assist where I can, but the bulk of the work is going to rest squarely on your shoulders. I know you’re up to it, question is, will you?”
“Dad, I don’t know what to say, I don’t want to seem like I’m usurping your position, but I can see the wisdom in letting me do the more physically strenuous stuff, at least for now. I’m going to need your help and advice. If it’s OK with you, I’ll gladly help wherever I can.”
Roy gave Ron a big hug “I knew I could count on you son, let me show you how to put on the safety gear.”
When they got the safety gear on, Ron picked up the chainsaw and carried it over to the gasoline and oil. Roy showed him how to check the oil level and fill the gasoline. He told Ron never to fill the gasoline when the engine was hot, it might catch fire. When the chainsaw was full, he carried it to the grove of trees Roy wanted to chop down, then they walked back and dragged the dollies over to the spot. Roy gave Ron a safety lecture about how to safely fell trees, and how to safely operate the chainsaw, then they cleared all the brush from around the trees. Looking up, Ron asked Roy which way he thought the tree would fall. Ron agreed with his dad, and planned the wedge and back cuts accordingly. After saying a brief prayer, Ron primed the carburetor and pulled the starter rope. On the 3rd pull, the engine caught and soon was idling steadily. Roy cleared back to a safe distance, and Ron lowered the face shield of his helmet, then picked up the chainsaw, and made the first wedge cut, pulled the blade out, and made the second cut, removing the wedge, then he released the chain brake and walked quickly around to the other side of the tree, and made the felling cut then stepped back quickly as the tree fell right where Roy said it would. He set the chainsaw down, and Roy walked over to Ron “Well done Son, now let’s get the branches off the trunk.” Roy talked Ron through the procedure, then stood back a safe distance as Ron de-limbed the tree.
When they finished de-limbing the tree, Roy helped Ron sort the branches into usable wood they’d come back later and cut up, and stuff they’d leave to decompose and renew the forest. Roy and Ron set the tree on the dollies, and Ron hauled it over to the sawhorses next to the cabin, then went back to the grove and did it all over again. When the day was finished, Ron had done 10 trees. Not a record, but pretty good for a 14-year old. Ron was exhausted when they were finished, and Roy helped him carry the gear back to the Cabin. Ron still had to carry the chainsaw, since it was too heavy for Roy to carry, but Roy did carry all the safety gear. When they got home, Anne had dinner ready, and asked them how things went. Roy felt like a proud papa, and told Anne that Ron had felled 10 trees, basically all by himself. Anne walked over to Ron and gave her son a big hug. “Son, I’, so proud of you, thanks for helping your father. They sat down to eat, and Roy noticed there was not much meat in his stew., and Ron seemed to get the lion’s share. Roy was glad that Anne was letting him eat red meat at all, but noticed she was loading him up with veggies. After he said grace, they ate quietly. Lucky ate his dog food, and then wanted to play, but Ron was too tired for any energetic play, and basically sat down on the bearskin rug and petted Lucky.
The next morning, they were surprised when they heard Jim’s plane coming in for a landing. Roy was surprised since Jim normally called first. Jim taxied out to their cabin and shut down. Roy noticed Jim was looking kind of grey, and decided not to say anything. Jim said he had come over for a visit, he had something to discuss with them. When he got inside, they all sat down at the table, and Jim dropped a bombshell.
“Roy, the other day after I dropped you off, I went to see the doctor in Allakaket, and he confirmed my suspicions, he said there was no way I could pass my medical exam to keep my Commercial ticket in 6 months. That leaves the town in a major bind, since I’m the only Bush Pilot in the area with a Commercial Ticket and the DeHaviland Otter that is big enough to carry a bunch of cargo. I need to ask you a big favor. Ron’s ready to get his Private Pilot’s license, and he would have one if he were 16. I’m pretty sure the FAA would grant an emergency waiver of the 16-yr old requirement for Commercial tickets under the circumstances. They’ll probably restrict his ticket for the first 90 days by requiring me to fly as his co-pilot, then I’m pretty sure the FAA will pull my Commercial ticket. Hopefully they’ll let me keep my Private and IP tickets. I talked to my friend who loaned me the Cessna, and he said he would be willing to make the loan permanent, since he won’t fly it anyway. I was planning on giving Ron the DeHaviland when he turned 16, and this just pushed my plans forward. Anyway, I need your permission for Ron to get his Commercial ticket, and we’ll need to build a hangar on your land to store the plane.”
Roy spoke first “Jim, this is kind of sudden - do you think we could talk about this first?”
“Roy, I’d love to, but the truth is Ron is going to have to start flying the DeHaviland as soon as possible, since he’ll have to fly by himself within 6 months. There is No Way the FAA will allow me to fly as the pilot after I have to take my medical exam. According to my doctor, my arteries are clogged badly enough that I could stroke out any time. If that happened while I’m flying a plane, I could kill someone besides me, and I can’t have that on my conscience.”
Anne spoke to Roy, she knew what Jim was saying better than anyone else. “Roy, until Jim gets his arteriosclerosis under control, he’s a walking time bomb. Even with meds, he could still stroke out if one of the blood vessels feeding his brain gets a clot in it. Even with the meds, it will be difficult for him to fly sometimes. This would definitely qualify as an emergency. I’m not too happy, but this is just like our conversation we had yesterday about the chain saw. It has to get done, and Ron’s the only one qualified to do it. There are more people than us relying on the bush planes, all the other homesteaders, plus the hunting lodges rely on bush planes to deliver passengers and freight, or the lodges would go out of business.”
“Anne, I hate it when you’re right. OK, Ron - looks like you’re getting your license ahead of schedule.”
“Dad, remember the $10 thousand dollars Barrett gave me - we could use that toward building a winterized hangar here next to the cabin. If I cleared out the trees around it, we could erect an insulated steel building that would be big enough to hold the plane easily. I’ve already got a guaranteed appointment to the Air Force Academy, and they pay all my expenses, so I don’t need to save money for that, besides, I’ll earn enough flying commercial to cover all my expenses, plus extra to build my savings. Grandpa Jim, I’ll do whatever I have to help out.”
Roy spoke up “Well looks like that’s settled. OK, Jim - I take it you’ll be living in Allakaket until further notice. Until we get the hangar built, can you still keep the DeHaviland in Allakaket, and Ron can fly the Cessna back and forth from here for now.”
“Roy that’s an excellent idea - the Cessna is much easier to land on your lake, and it would make a perfect commuter plane - which is why I wanted it after I gave the DeHaviland to Ron. That way building the hangar isn’t a massive emergency, and we can hire someone to help build it, since neither you nor I are in any shape to build it, and Ron can’t do it by himself. OK, I’ll have the Mayor and my doctor write a letter to the FAA, and see what they say, meanwhile, I’ll have Ron fly back with me in the DeHaviland and come back here with the Cessna - he’s more than ready to solo. You ok with this Ron?”
“Sure Gramps - I was wondering when you were going to let me solo.”
Anne and Roy gave Ron a hug, then Roy handed Ron his shoulder holster and fanny pack. “Ron promise me you’ll wear this from now on when you fly, just in case.”
“Sure Dad, I was planning on it anyway - I remember what happened to you, and I could get forced down by a mechanical problem as well. Good thing to plan ahead just in case. Ok Jim, ready to go.”
When they got to the plane, Jim told Ron to get in the pilot’s seat - he wasn’t feeling too good. Ron walked around the plane, and checked everything out, and then opened the pilot’s door and got in. Jim handed him the ignition keys “She’s yours now - take good care of her.” Jim was starting to tear up, so he turned his head to look out the window. When he had wiped the tear away, he watched Ron do the preflight checks, then start the motor. Once the big radial was warmed up, Ron used the throttle and brakes to turn the plane around, and taxi toward the lake. Once he was waterborne, he increased his taxi speed as he taxied to the downwind end of the lake. Once he turned upwind, he set the flaps to 20%, and checked with Jim, making sure he was good to go. Jim gave him a thumbs up, and Ron shoved the throttle to full, and when he hit 80 knots, he gave the yoke a tug backward, and the lightly loaded plane practically leapt into the air. He maintained maximum climb rate until he cleared the far ridge, then cleaned up the flaps, and set the plane for a cruise climb to 2,000 feet, and turned for Allakaket. When he got close enough to see the lake, he radioed Allakaket, and received permission to land. He made a perfect landing on the lake, and taxied toward the runway and stopped by the pumps. They filled the tanks on the DeHaviland, then taxied toward Jim’s hangar, and put the plane in the hangar. Right next to the DeHaviland’s hangar was the Cessna floatplane. Ron shut down the engine, and went with Jim into town.
“Ron, you flew that absolutely perfectly - you’re ready to get your license. Let’s go over to the Mayor’s office and I need to send some paperwork to the FAA office in Anchorage.”
They drove over to the Mayor’s office to borrow his fax machine. Bill had his letter requesting the emergency waiver ready when they arrived, and Jim had a copy of his Doctor’s letter. He faxed the letters to the FAA office in Anchorage, then told Ron “Now we wait - hopefully they won’t take too long to make up their minds. I need to go lay down - these meds take a lot out of you.” Bill drove Jim to a house he had rented while he was in town the other day, and then drove Ron back to the airport to fly the Cessna home.
Bill shook Ron’s hand and told him “Ron, there are a lot of people counting on you, but I know you can handle it - I’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything from the FAA. If there are any emergencies, you’ll need to either fly the Cessna to the emergency if you can handle it in the Cessna, or come back here and pick up the DeHaviland. I wish I owned a DeHaviland - that is one sweet plane. I know you’re not licensed yet, but the FAA will make an exception for emergencies. See you later, and good luck.”
Ron did a very thorough walk-around then climbed into the pilot’s seat “Well here goes nothing” he thought “What a way to wind up soloing.” and he turned the key in the ignition. Once the motor was warmed up, he made sure the fuel tank read full and all the gauges were working, and turned to taxi to the lake. He tweaked the throttle to get the plane rolling, then taxied at just above idle to the lake. Once he was waterborne, he taxied faster to the downwind end of the lake while he set the plane up for take-off. When he reached the end of the lake, he called the tower and received permission to take off, and pushed the throttle to full. When he reached 60 knots, the plane wanted to fly, so he pulled back gently on the yoke, and he was airborne. He kept the plane at max climb until he cleared the opposite range, then climbed more sedately to 2,000 feet and turned for home. He paid careful attention to his compass, and checked his flight time. When he flew over the lake, he saw the wind was still blowing the same direction as he left, so he turned to land into the wind, and set the plane up for landing. As he reduced throttle, the plane slowly sank toward the lake, and as he cleared the ridge, he chopped the throttle to idle, and he floated right on in like a goose landing on a lake. He landed with barely a splash, and coasted to a stop with over 100 feet to spare. He taxied over to the edge of the lake nearest the cabin, and coasted until he felt the wheels make contact with the dirt and let the plane roll up until he was totally on dry land, then he slowly taxied next to the cabin. Roy and Anne were smiling and waving as he pulled up next to the cabin. He pushed the throttle all the way to cutoff, and switched the engine off, then climbed out. His Mom was the first to give him a big hug, then his Dad joined in the “group Hug”, finally they let him go, only for Lucky to try to flatten him. He didn’t succeed, but did manage to lick every square inch of Ron’s face. Finally, Ron got Lucky off him, and they went inside to eat dinner.
Chapter 73 - The new Bush Pilot
The next morning, Bill called Roy on the radio, and asked Ron to fly to Allakaket, The FAA had approved the emergency waiver, and wanted Ron in Anchorage today to take his Commercial Pilot’s test. Roy gave Ron the good news, and $100 in cash in case he wanted to buy anything in Anchorage while he was there. Ron went out and preflighted the Cessna, then started the motor and taxied to the lake. After he checked that everything was set for takeoff, he gunned the engine and was soon airborne. 1 hour later he was in Allakaket. He called ahead for clearance to land, and made a perfect landing. He taxied up next to Jim’s hangar and parked the Cessna. Jim was waiting for him in Bill’s office. Ron handed Bill the Barrett check for 10 thousand dollars and asked Bill to open an account for him. Bill thought it was irregular for a 14-year old to have a checking account, but figured after the last couple of days, he was going to have to alter his views of irregular. Bill deposited the check, opened an account for Ron, and gave him some counter checks and a checkbook. Bill explained that hardly anyone would take counter checks, so he would order a box of regular checks, and he would set up his account just like his parents, so Ron could call Bill with an order, and Bill would charge 10% over cost plus shipping - wait a minute Ron was the pilot now - guess he needed to modify that to a straight 10%, and he needed to set up an account for fuel in Ron’s name. With the paperwork done, Bill drove them out to the airport, and Ron did a walk around of the DeHaviland to make sure it was good to fly, then taxied out to the lake since they had already filled the tank when they landed yesterday.
When they reached the end of the lake, Ron called for permission to take-off, and when the tower gave him the clearance, he pushed the throttle to max, and they were flying. He maintained max climb until he cleared the ridge, then turned and headed for Anchorage as he climbed to 2,000 feet. When he was close enough to Anchorage, he called the FAA tower and asked for landing instructions. They told him to land at the municipal airport, and they would be met by a FAA vehicle that would escort them to the FAA office. Jim told Ron that a wheels landing was different than a float landing, and he needed to descend slower since the runway was less forgiving than water, and he needed to land flatter with not as much flair like a water landing. Jim held his hand up to demonstrate the angle of attack he needed for a successful wheels landing. Ron called “On Final” at 1 mile from the runway threshold, and reduced his speed and held a 20 degree angle of attack until just before touchdown, when he reduced it to 10 degrees. The wheels kissed the runway perfectly without any bounce, and Ron allowed the nose to drop gently and the nose wheel made contact with the runway. Since the runway was way too long, Jim told him not to use brakes until he had to, so he had a long rollout until he spotted the FAA truck ahead, and applied the brakes. He came to a complete stop 50 feet behind the truck, and when the truck lit its “follow me” lights and moved out, Ron added enough throttle to maintain a 50 foot following distance. They taxied for over a mile, then the truck stopped in front of the FAA office, and they were directed by ground crew to park the plane, and Ron pulled it in perfectly, then cut the throttle and shut off the plane. When the propeller came to a complete stop, they opened the cabin doors and walked into the FAA office.
Jim walked in ahead of Ron, and the guy behind the counter stood up and walked around the counter to shake his hand “Jim, how are you - I heard, what a way to end a 30-year flying career, this must be your protégée I’ve heard so much about.”
“Dan, I’d like you to meet my grandson, Ron Williams.”
“Grandson, I didn’t know you had any kids?”
“Ron Fellows kid sister is his mom. Anne said that since I was always “Uncle Jim” to her, she wanted me to be Ron’s surrogate grandfather.”
“Did you say Ron Fellows - you know he’s the spitting image of his namesake?”
“Yeah, I noticed, also Ron is a sharpshooter. We just came back from MacDill AFB visiting his Uncle Steve Fellows.”
“You mean Colonel Fellows?”
“Yeah, that one - anyway, Steve took Ron out to their range, and he shot a 4-inch group at 600 yards, then a 9-inch group at 1000 yards with their new Barretts prototype. The Delta instructors, I’m told have put his autographed target up in their club on base.”
“Ron, I was watching you come in - you were flying the plane?”
“Yes Sir.”
“That was a textbook landing if I ever saw one, and that also means you flew all the way here from Allakaket.”
“Dan, Ron’s been flying that little Cessna solo for the last day or so, ever since I found out I shouldn’t fly. He’s done at least a half-dozen waterborne takeoffs and landings, including several at HelpmeJack lake.”
“That little postage stamp - Wow. Tell you what, I was going to give you a check ride, but I can see that’s a waste of time. Here’s the Written exam, you have 1 hour, then if you pass it, and a physical, I’ll issue a Restricted Commercial license. The restriction is that for the next 90 days, you fly with Jim as your co-pilot whenever you fly passengers or freight, except in an emergency. Jim, after the 90 days, you’ll have to surrender your commercial ticket, but you can keep your Private License and your Instructor’s permit. You OK with that?”
“Sure, the whole reason for the emergency waiver of the age limit is I can’t fly anymore, at least with passengers.”
Ron sat down at a desk, and handed the test back 45 minutes later. Dan scored the test and shook his head. Ron had gotten a score of 99%, and he was pretty sure the one he missed was a miss-marked answer.
“Ron, you just missed a perfect score, and I’m pretty sure the one you missed was a miss-marked answer. OK, let’s go in the back and have the nurse do a quick flight physical, then I’ll issue your ticket.”
Ron went into the back room, where the nurse asked him to take off his shirt. She listened to his heart, checked his Blood Pressure and pulse. She had to check them twice, because both his BP and pulse were very low, but not dangerously so. She had him put his shirt back on, and read a wall chart. Not only did he read the 20/20 line perfectly, but the one below it as well. She shook her head, and signed off on his medical evaluation - must be nice to be a kid. When Dan saw his BP, pulse and vision scores, he said “Well that explains a few things. Jim - I think I figured something out. Ron’s BP and pulse rate were almost in the cadaver range, and his vision was better than 20/20. Didn’t you say that Ron Fellows had a super low BP and pulse rate?”
“Yeah Dan, it was scary - he could run 5 miles and his pulse would still be lower than my resting pulse, and now that you mention it, Ron was able to see stuff much farther than I could even when I was younger.”
“Well looks like his nephew inherited those traits as well. Anyway, here’s his Commercial Pilot’s License, with the 90-day restriction. I’ll mail a new unrestricted license in 90-days. Congratulations Ron.”
Dan shook Ron’s hand, then Jim’s , and they walked out of the office. Ron looked at his watch. They could go shopping, but then they’d have to stay overnight, and if he left right now, he could still make it home before dark. “Jim, what should we do - we don’t have enough time to shop in Anchorage and still make it home tonight, and if we leave right now, I can just make it home before dark.”
Jim looked at his watch, then told Ron, “We better stay in Anchorage overnight, it’s cutting it a little too close for safety. What if you run into a headwind, you could be landing in pitch dark. Not a good way to start your first day as a commercial pilot.”
They walked back into the FAA office, and Dan said they could use his phone, and he was about to head home anyway, so he could give them a lift into town if they wanted to spend the night. Jim thanked Dan, and called Bill in Allakaket and asked him to relay a message. As soon as they hung up, Bill called Roy to tell him Ron got his license, and they would be staying in Anchorage overnight, and flying back first thing tomorrow.
Dan locked up the office, and drove them into town. Jim had Dan drop them off in front of a certain store, and had Ron wait outside. When he came out, Jim handed Ron a gift box, and told him to open it. Inside was a sunglass case, and a pair of original Ray Ban Aviator’s sunglasses. Ron tried them on, and they fit perfectly. Ron gave Jim a hug and thanked him. Jim told Ron he was hungry and they needed to find a hotel to check into then go get dinner. Ron was strolling around town fully armed, but no one commented, since people routinely went armed in Alaska. When they checked into the hotel, Jim suggested he put the guns in the hotel safe, since he was under age. Ron agreed, and the clerk took the shoulder holster and put it in the hotel safe, and gave Ron a claim check for it with the serial numbers of the guns on it. She recommended a good restaurant right down the street, so they went to eat dinner. After dinner, they went right to bed, since Jim wanted to head back at first light.
Then next morning, they got up, checked out, and were told they had coffee and donuts right around the corner that were free for all guests. Jim found a bran muffin he could safely eat, and Ron ate a huge cinnamon roll and they had some orange juice there as well. Jim asked the desk clerk to call them a cab, and 5 minutes later, a cab pulled up, and took them to the airport, and dropped them off in front of the FAA office. Dan met them before they left, and told Jim he checked the weather, and it was clear all the way to Canada, so they should have good flying weather. When Dan left to go in the office, Ron put on his shoulder holster and fanny pack, then put on his Ray Bans. They both did the walk around, and everything was perfect. Jim suggested they taxi over to the fuel depot and fill up the tanks just to be safe. They got aboard and Ron taxied over to the fuel pumps, and filled both tanks, then paid the attendant. Jim was wondering where he got the money, but didn’t say anything. They taxied clear of the pumps, and Ron re-checked everything, then called the tower and asked for take-off clearance. Since it was still early, they were given immediate clearance, so he advanced the throttles and taxied the short distance to the active runway, then called “Rolling” and pulled the throttle to full. At 80 knots, the plane was flying, so Ron pulled back gently on the yoke, and climbed high enough to avoid the fence and surrounding obstacles. He called when he was clear of the airport, and the controller said he was clear to ascend to 2,000 feet, so he put the plane into a cruise climb, and was soon at 2,000 feet. He double checked his compass, and made a small correction so he was flying direct path to Allakaket.
2 hours later, he called Allakaket control, and received landing clearance. He made a perfect landing, and taxied to the runway, and then pulled the DeHaviland up to the pumps, filled the tanks, then taxied to the hangar. Jim gave Ron a big hug when he got out, and said “You done good Ron.” Bill met them to give Jim a ride home, and Ron walked over to the Cessna, and preflighted it, then taxied to the fuel pumps and filled it up, then taxied to the lake. When he got to the downwind end of the lake, he set the plane up for takeoff and called the tower for permission. When they said OK, he advanced the throttle to full, and soon he was flying. As soon as he cleared the far ridge, he turned for home, and climbed to 2,000 feet. 2 hours later, he spotted their lake, and turned to land. As he cleared the ridge, he chopped the throttle, and floated right down to the lake, and landed without a splash. When he taxied up to the cabin, his Mom and Dad were waiting for him, as well as Lucky. It was hard to tell who was more eager to greet him, but Lucky won the “Let’s knock him over with our greeting” contest paws down. After getting his face washed, he got Lucky off him. Anne had a surprise for him, and a celebration of sorts. She had baked a cake, and they presented Ron with her brother Ron’s Pilot Chronograph. It was an Original Tag Heuer Specialist Pilot Chronograph that Anne had kept since Roy gave it to her. She sent it to the jeweler, and except for some minor cleaning, it was as good as new. She had it inscribed, and delivered when Ron had decided to study for his pilot’s license. She told him to turn it over and read the back of the watch. It said “Fly Straight, Fly High and Fly Long. Love, Mom & Dad” Ron asked them where they got it, and Anne explained that it used to be her Brother Ron’s and Roy had brought it to her when he first arrived in Allakaket after spending the winter in the cabin. Ron gave them both a big hug, then turned to cry.
Chapter 74 - New Kid in Town
The next day, Anne surprised Ron with a big huge stack of books. “Mom, what’s this?”
“Ron, now you’ll be flying others around, you are responsible for them. I know you know basic first aid, but I want you to get some advanced knowledge. Your father had to go through all this when I was pregnant with you, since we decided to have you at home, and I was the only one with first aid knowledge. By the time you’re finished, you’ll have knowledge equivalent to an EMT. It might come in handy some day - like what if neither Steve nor I were there the day Roy collapsed, and the nearest help was over an hour away. That is what you might face someday - not necessarily your dad, but what if a hunter had a heart attack while you were flying, what would you do? Just something to think about. In what’s left of your spare time, I expect you to be studying these medical books. I’ve put them in order, and left Roy’s notes for you to work from so you can study faster.”
“Gee Thanks Mom.”
“OK, Ron - back to work - Roy said you needed to finish cutting that wood today - so get busy.”
“Oh Boy, you mean I don’t have to study?”
“Later, Ron - later.”
Ron and Roy took the gear out to the wood pile, and filled the chainsaw, then he put on his safety gear, and they lifted a log into the sawhorse, and Ron fired up the chainsaw and started cutting logs to fireplace length. Once he had them all to length, he spent the rest of the day splitting and stacking the wood. After dinner, his Mom told him to get studying the medical books. Roy got a good laugh, remembering what fun he had doing just that almost 15 years ago. Ron started with the Merck Manual and started learning medical terminology. Since he was much younger, and a better student, he covered more material per night than his Dad did. 2 nights later, he was ready to take his first quiz. Anne gave him a verbal exam, and Ron almost got a perfect score. Just like his Dad, he got Q.I.D and qd mixed up
“Like Father, Like Son” Anne chortled.
Later that afternoon, Ron heard Bill’s voice over the radio. “Ron this is Bill - you read me?”
“Go ahead Bill, read you 5x5.”
“Got your first flying assignment tomorrow, Meet Jim in Allakaket at 0800 tomorrow, and you’ll fly to Anchorage, load up with supplies, and fly 3 deliveries then RTB. I’ve already set up your fuel account, what Jim and I worked out is I bill the delivery fee to the Homesteaders, and deduct your fuel costs, and you get the difference added to your account - will that be OK by you?”
“Sure, it saves me having to write you checks, and then you writing me one. I’d appreciate a monthly statement on a spreadsheet if you wouldn’t mind.”
“No problem, I have to generate one anyway for my books, I’ll just print you a copy. If you fly hunters to lodges, you bill either the lodge or the hunters, and pay for your own fuel. When you fill up in Allakaket, I can charge your account, but you need to set up an account in Anchorage to pay for your fuel there.”
“Ok Bill, tell Jim I’ll be there at 0800 tomorrow.”
“Mom & Dad, guess what, I got my first paying job, Jim and I are delivering supplies tomorrow from Anchorage to some homesteaders out here.”
Roy said “Wow, that’s great son, I hope you have fun.”
Ron spent the rest of the evening studying, and was awake the next morning at first light. Anne made breakfast as soon as Ron was dressed, then they sat down to eat breakfast together as a family. Roy prayed with Ron and asked God’s protection and blessing over his Son, then gave him a big hug and told him to have fun. Ron kissed Anne on the cheek, and was out the door like a shot. He did a quick walk around of the Cessna, then jumped in the pilot’s seat, did a quick preflight check, then started the engine. Once the engine had warmed up, Ron taxied to the lake, and then turned downwind. When he reached the end of the lake, he set the flaps and rudder to their takeoff positions, and gunned the throttle. When he reached 65 knots, he pulled back on the yoke, and he was airborne. After he cleared the far ridge, he set the plane for a cruise climb to 2,000 feet and turned toward Allakaket. He landed at the lake at 0759, and was taxiing up right at 0800. Jim was ready to go, and as soon as they preflighted the DeHaviland, Ron taxied to the lake and got ready to take off. When he got to the end of the lake, he turned into the wind, set the flaps at 20 % and added some right rudder to compensate for the torque of the engine, then called the tower for permission to take off. The tower cleared him for take off, and he gunned the throttle, and was soon airborne. When he cleared the ridge, he turned for Anchorage, and started a cruise climb to 2,000 feet. When he got close enough to Anchorage, he called the tower for landing clearance. They told him to come on in, the traffic pattern was clear. Remembering what Jim told him the other day, Ron set up for a wheels landing, and did another textbook wheels landing. Jim told him where to taxi to, and was met by a huge panel truck full of stuff. The driver and loader loaded the plane, and Jim checked the inventory sheet against what they were loading, then signed for the shipment. Ron watched and learned.
When they were finished loading, Ron taxied over to the fuel pumps and they both went inside. The owners of the fuel company called Bill in Allakaket to verify that Ron did indeed have $10,000 in the bank, and that his credit was good. When everything was approved, they gave Ron a plastic card with a magnetic strip to use the pumps 24/7. They told him he needed to code the card with a PIN, and told him how to do it. He swiped the card through the reader, and entered his PIN. They told him to do it again, and he got a green light telling him the PIN was accepted. Ron put the card in its sleeve in his wallet, right behind his Commercial Pilot’s license. They walked out to the pumps, and Ron stuck his card in, and entered his PIN, then started filling the tanks on the DeHaviland. He was amazed at how much avgas the DeHaviland held - this could get expensive. He capped and locked the filler necks to the tanks, then got back aboard. As he taxied to the runway, he did his preflight checklist. When he got to the end of the runway, Jim reminded him that he was about 500 pounds heavy, so the plane would need more runway to take off. Knowing he had 3 times the runway he needed, Ron called the tower and got permission to takeoff, and fly straight to Allakaket, if he stayed at or below 2,000 feet. He double-checked everything was set, then turned to Jim, who gave him a thumbs up, and called “Rolling” over the radio, then advanced the throttle to max. It took a while to get up to speed, but soon he was at 85 knots, and the plane wanted to fly, so he pulled back on the yoke, and the plane was airborne. He made a slight turn for Allakaket, and then set the plane for a cruise climb.
Upon reaching 2,000 feet, he relaxed a little and looked around. The terrain he was flying over was beautiful, and sooner than he expected, he realized he was over Allakaket. He called the tower for permission to land, and they said that everything was clear, come on in. Ron turned to come in on final, and noticed the plane sinking faster as he chopped the throttle, so he pushed it back up a bit. As he cleared the ridge, he remembered the faster sink rate, and didn’t chop the throttle all the way to idle. He ballooned down perfectly, and touched down on the lake with just a small splash. He taxied right over to the pumps to top off his tanks, then turned around to taxi and take off again. When he got to the end of the lake, Jim reminded him he was a little heavy, and to leave the throttle at max until he cleared the far ridge, and not to turn until he was at least 500 feet AGL. Ron shoved the throttle to max, and watched the airspeed indicator like a hawk. As soon as the airspeed indicator said 85 knots, he pulled back on the yoke, and cleared the trees by 100 feet. He held that climb until he was 500 AGL, then did a very gentle turn toward the North, where his first customer was. Since he had never been there before, Jim acted as Navigator, and pointed out landmarks Ron could use as a double-check if he were flying alone. Jim told him the names of all the local mountains as he flew past them.
When they got close to the lake, Jim was describing the approach as somewhat between Allakaket and HelpmeJack Lake. He needed a fairly fast sink rate to get down in time, but not like landing the DeHaviland at his lake. He said there was sometimes a cross-wind, so be prepared to turn slightly into the wind to keep from getting blown off course. They flew over the lake, and Jim said “Good news, the wind is dead on,. No cross breeze. Ron set up for landing, extended the flaps, and retarded the throttle to just above idle. He had some throttle left to play with, and he was making a nice conservative approach when Jim said, “Might give it a little throttle, you’re heavy”. Ron added a few hundred RPM, and Jim seemed happier with the sink rate. The ridge line surrounding this lake was much lower than the ones at HelpmeJack Lake and Allakaket, and as soon as he cleared it, he pushed the throttle in a little to increase his sink rate. He touched down with 50 feet to spare, and slid to a stop with several hundred feet to spare.
“Not bad, Ron. Now you know how much room you have to spare, you can stay on the conservative approach, and not need to dive for the deck.”
“Sorry Gramps - I guess I overestimated the difficulty of the approach.”
“That’s OK. That’s why the FAA wanted me to fly co-pilot for 90 days, so you could make little mistakes, and not crash the plane.”
“Thanks Gramps, I’ll do better next time.”
“I’m sure you will. Now this homestead is off to your right, and the approach is really soft, so take it easy - just coast up until you have to use the throttle, then just barely, and use the yoke to hold the nose up as much as possible.”
Ron did a normal taxi until he got within 50 feet of the shore, then chopped the throttle to idle, and coasted to the shore. When he felt the wheels take over, he just barely tapped the throttle, and held the nose up with the yoke back in his lap. Finally they were on solid ground, and Jim said it was OK to let the nose down now. Ron relaxed his grip on the yoke, and let the nose settle. Jim gave him directions to taxi right up to the cabin, which was a lot smaller than the one Ron lived in. When the plane stopped, and Ron got out, they were met by an old trapper and his dog. Jim walked around the plane to greet him, and introduce Ron.
“Slim, this is my grandson, Ron Williams. He’s going to be the new delivery pilot.”
“Jim - why aren’t you doing it anymore?”
“I can’t pass my FAA physical anymore, so they waived the age limit for a commercial license for Ron, and I’ll be flying with him the next 90 days, then I’ve got to hang up my wings, and go back to being a private pilot.”
“Well Jim, it won’t be the same without you - who could I share my whiskey with - Ron’s too young.”
“Just because I’m not flying deliveries doesn’t mean I’m grounded, just can’t fly commercial anymore. I’ll have the little Cessna Amphibian to fly around with and visit. I intend to get in some fishing while I’m retired. And I know some beautiful little lakes this old bird could never fit in, but the Cessna could do it easy.”
Jim checked the list, and Ron helped him unload about 1/3 of the aircraft. Ron shook Slim’s hand, and told him if he needed anything, just call, and gave him their frequency. Then he thought about it, and said “Sorry Slim, I meant you should still call Bill for food and stuff, but if you have an emergency, or need a lift, call me direct on the radio.”
“Don’t worry there Young Feller, I stuck my foot in my mouth so much when I was a kid, I think I had Athlete’s Tongue.” They all got a good laugh, and Jim got back aboard, and Ron joined him.
“Ron, Slim’s a real character, he’s been living out there trapping since the early 1900’s. No one knows how old he is, but I’ll wager he’s one of the oldest living Alaskans around.” Ron turned the plane around and taxied back to the lake. Jim said “Ron, you’ve got plenty of room here, so don’t rush it - just like before, when the Airspeed indicator hits 85 knots, not before, or you’ll stall.”
Ron turned into the wind, set the plane up for takeoff, then looked at Jim, who gave him a thumbs up. Ron pushed the throttle to full, and as soon as the airspeed indicator read 85 knots, he pulled back sharply on the yoke, and they were flying. Ron waited until they were 500 AGL before he changed anything. Jim gave Ron the new heading, and Ron turned the plane. He asked Jim how far it was to the next stop, and Ron said “You might as well stay at 500 feet, because it’s only a couple of miles on the other side of that ridge. Oh, and one other thing, when we start unloading, this next stop is a homesteading family just like yours, and he has a 16-year old daughter that is a total babe - watch out though, her Daddy’s real protective of her.”
“Don’t worry Gramps, I’ll be a total gentleman.”
“Ok, Ron, but when you get a look at her, you might have a hard time keeping your mind on flying.”
They saw the lake as soon as they cleared the ridge. The lake was twice the size of the HelpmeJack Lake, but smaller than Allakaket. Since there were no steep ridges around, Ron made a more conservative approach, and made a perfect landing. Jim said “Well done Ron, I hope you weren’t showing off.”
“Gramps, you know me better than that - besides, I’ve never met her before, so what’s her name anyway?”
“Her name’s Samantha, but she goes by Sam. Her Dad’s name is Steve, and her mother’s name is Mary. Ok, the house is on the left. It’s got a nice firm beach, so don’t worry about the approach. Just ease it right up like you do at home, and you’re fine.”
As they taxied up to the house, Ron could see the whole family was on the porch. Jim was right, Samantha was a total Babe. Ron tried to concentrate on what he was doing, and managed to stop the plane without hitting anything. As soon as the propeller stopped, Ron and Jim hopped out, and Jim made introductions. “Steve, Mary, Sam, this is my grandson Ron Williams. He lives with his mom and dad at HelpmeJack Lake. He’s taking over for me, since the FAA will pull my Commercial ticket in 90 days, when his Commercial ticket restriction clears.”
Steve walked up to Jim. “That’s too bad Jim, but I’m glad that your Grandson is able to take over. Let’s get unloaded, then I know Mary has some lemonade for both of you.”
Samantha cornered Ron “You flew that big monster plane? Wow.”
“Hi Sam, I’m Ron Williams. I did fly Jim’s DeHaviland, but really it’s much easier to fly than the Cessna 185 Amphibian I learned on.”
“Cool, maybe you can teach me to fly one of these days?”
“Sure Samantha, but The FAA won’t let me be an Instructor Pilot until I’m at least 18, and by then I’ll be in the Air Force Academy.”
“Why on earth would you want to go there?”
“Well, the education is free, and I want to fly the F-15 Strike Eagle. Besides, my Uncle is a Colonel in the Air Force assigned to MacDill AFB in Florida.”
“In other words, you’re going to be out of here in a couple of years, and I might never see you again after that.”
“Not exactly Sam, I’m not even 15 yet, and the minimum age I can enter the Academy is when I’m 17 and a half, that’s almost 3 years from now, and I’ll be flying your deliveries from now on; so I’ll see you then.”
“You’re only 14. I thought you were at least 17. Bummer.”
“Sam, I’d rather be friends anyway, even if you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve met.”
“Flatterer - so how many girls have you met?”
“Not counting my mom, just you.”
Sam thought Ron was teasing, then realized he was serious. Man, talk about a Kid.
Just as things were about to get interesting Mary showed up on the porch with a pitcher of lemonade. “I’ve got some ice cold lemonade in the kitchen, come and get it.”
Ron thought “Saved by the Bell.” and went inside, followed by Samantha who was checking out the back view of Ron. She thought that he was definitely a hunk. They all were seated at the kitchen table. Samantha made sure she sat next to Ron, who did his best not to notice she was coming on to him. When they had drunk their lemonade, Jim said they needed to get another delivery done, and thanks for the lemonade. Samantha tried to corner Ron and give him a kiss, but he was having none of it. She thought he was playing hard to get, and tried harder. Mary caught her daughter moving in on Ron out of the corner of her eye and coughed. Ron slipped out of her clutches and got aboard the plane where it was safe. Jim climbed aboard, grinning like the Cheshire cat, he’d seen it all, and admired Ron’s moves - he managed to avoid her clutches until next time. Little did Ron know that in a few years, he wouldn’t try to avoid her clutches anymore, he would enjoy them. Ron broke all speed records preflighting the plane, and turned it to taxi back to the lake. When he was safely back on the water, Jim decided to give him a hard time. “You’ve got pretty good moves for a rookie - I saw her try to get you in a clinch. You know the next time you’re here, she’ll try harder, because she thinks you’re playing hard to get. All I can say is don’t take advantage of the situation, or you’ll break her heart when you leave to go to the Air Force.”
“Gramps, the farthest I’ll let it go is if she kisses me - I’m not encouraging it. I meant what I told her, I’d rather be friends.”
“Ron, if she has her way, it will be more like kissing cousins.”
They taxied to the downwind end of the lake, and Ron tried to concentrate on flying. The only way he was successful was to recite the 23rd Psalm to clear his mind of Samantha. He turned upwind, and set the plane up for takeoff. He looked at Jim, who gave him a thumbs up. When they were airborne, Jim told him to turn south, they were going to fly about 50 miles to their next stop.
“Gramps, please tell me there aren’t any love-starved teenage daughters at the next house.
Jim had to laugh, “Nope, you got lucky - she’s the only love-starved teenager on the route.”
“Thank God. I don’t think I could handle another one like her.”
“OK, Ron, there’s almost always a cross-wind at the next stop, make sure you turn the nose into the wind.”
“OK, Gramps - let me know when we get close.”
“It’s just on the other side of this ridge, go ahead and drop down to 500 feet, and slow down.”
Ron eased back on the throttle, and cranked out the flaps. Once the flaps were set, he slowed down even more, and spotted the lake, and saw the wind was blowing from left to right, so he kicked in some left rudder, and the nose came into the wind. Jim was pleased that Ron had properly compensated for the cross-wind. As he approached the lake, Ron chopped the throttle to idle, and the plane floated down to the lake. Ron landed smooth as glass, and taxied to the end of the lake.
“Ron, the cabin is on the left, and the bottom is pretty soft, so take it slow.”
Ron coasted to the water’s edge, and when he made the transition, he eased the throttle open a little, then taxied to the cabin. They were met by a nice older couple. Ron helped Jim unload the plane, then they taxied back to the water and took off. Jim gave Ron the heading to Allakaket, and they were there less than an hour later. Ron taxied up to the pumps, and was amazed that it only used half a tank - evidently the DeHaviland was pretty good on fuel. When he finished, they taxied to the hangar, and Bill was waiting. When they got out, Bill walked over to Ron and told him that he had gotten 3 terrific reports, and they all thought he would work out great. Bill told Ron that even with the fill-up in Anchorage, Ron cleared $100 this trip. He usually made between $100 and $500 per trip, depending on how much weight he was carrying. Ron thought, “Not bad for 6 hours of flying.” and thanked Bill. He climbed into his Cessna, and topped off the tank before he took off. 2 hours later he was back at home. 15 minutes later, Anne had his nose in a Medical book.
Chapter 75 - The Hunters
Right before he went to bed, Bill was calling on the radio.
“Ron, this is Bill, you still up?”
“What’s up Bill?”
“I need you to fly 3 hunters to their lodge tomorrow, then other pilot’s plane is down for repairs. I need you to meet Bill at 0700 tomorrow and fly to Anchorage to pick them up at 9:00 at the General Aviation Terminal. I’ve already charged their lodge $1,000 for the round trip. After fuel and expenses, you’ll clear over $500 for this trip.”
“Bill $500 is a lot of money for 6 hours worth of work.”
“I know Ron, but that’s the going rate for Bush pilots, you should have seen what the other guy was charging them.”
“OK, Bill, I’ll be there at 0700 tomorrow.”
“Mom, Dad, Bill needs me to fly some hunters to their lodge tomorrow. It’s unscheduled since the guy who was going to fly them had to take his plane down for repairs. Bill’s paying me over $500 plus expenses for the round trip.”
Roy spoke up “Ron that’s a lot of money for 1 round trip. Actually, it’s not so bad, I remember how much Ron wanted to fly and guide, it was over $2,000 for a 3-day trip. OK, you need to go to bed right now, since Bill said you need to be there at 0700. Mom will make sure you’re up at 0430 so you can be there by 0700. I’ll ask mom to pack you some food, since you’re skipping breakfast.”
“Thanks Dad, goodnight.”
Anne knocked on Ron’s door at 0430. “Ron you up?”
“Mom, I’m up and dressed already, go ahead and open the door. I figured out how to set my watch alarm.” Ron walked out fully dressed, and Anne handed him a thermos and a paper sack with a couple of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Ron kissed Anne on the cheek, “Bye mom, see you later this afternoon.” Roy gave Ron a big hug, and prayed over him a minute, then Ron had to go. It was just barely light enough to see, so he took his time pre-flighting the Cessna, he didn’t want to miss anything. Finally at 0450, he started the motor and taxied to the lake. While he was taxiing, the engine finished warming up. He turned into the wind when he reached the downwind end of the lake. He double-checked that the plane was set up to take off, and revved the motor. When the airspeed indicator reached 65 knots, Ron pulled the yoke back into his lap, and the plane took off. He held the climb until he had cleared the ridge, then turned for Allakaket, and cruised up to 2,000 feet. After 2 hours, he called the Allakaket tower, and they gave him clearance to land. He made a textbook water landing, and taxied right to the ramp, and increased throttle to climb the ramp. Since they were in a hurry, he taxied up next to Jim’s hangar and shut down. He jumped out, and Jim told him he had already filled the tanks and preflighted the DeHaviland, and they were good to go. Ron jumped into the pilot seat, stowed the thermos and sack lunch, then did a quick pre-flight check, started the motor, and let it warm up for a minute, then turned to taxi out to the lake. He called the tower for clearance to take off and fly to Anchorage. The tower gave him clearance, and asked him to call Anchorage when he was 2 hours out from Allakaket. Ron acknowledged, and quickly set the plane up to take off, then turned upwind when he reached the downwind leg of the lake. He turned to Jim, who gave him a thumbs up, and pushed the throttle to max. The lightly loaded plane lifted off with tons of room to spare, and as soon as he was 500 feet AGL, he turned toward Anchorage and cruise climbed to 2,000 feet.
2 hours later, he called Anchorage Control, who gave him a direct path to the commercial airport, with instructions to stay below 1,000AGL, since the Military base was conducting flight ops. Ron decided to lose the altitude quickly, and put the plane into a diving bank. Jim just looked at him and ruefully shook his head. After all, he was following the tower’s instructions. When he was at 1,000 feet, Jim told Ron never to do that with passengers aboard unless it was an absolute emergency. Ron said “I know, straight and level with passengers, but I didn’t think you counted as a passenger.”
Jim had to agree with Ron’s logic. Ron called “Runway in sight” a minute later, then “On Final”. The tower acknowledged both calls with a “Roger”. Ron made a fast textbook landing, since they were in a hurry. At the end of the runway, Ron directed him the proper gate. The 3 hunters were waiting with their gear when Ron taxied up to them. When he got out, their chins hit their chests - “What’s a Kid doing Flying?” Ron stayed aboard for a second since Jim had briefed him about what to do. Jim walked around and introduced himself. One of the Hunters said “There’s No way I’m flying with a kid at the controls.”
Jim said “First of all, that Kid is my grandson, and he’s the best damn bush pilot in the area. Second of all, the FAA gave him his commercial ticket since I can’t fly anymore. Thirdly, your fees to the lodge are non-refundable, and you’ve already been billed for the entire trip, so if you refuse to fly, you forfeit all your money you have paid, and I’m guessing you’d each be out over $5,000 dollars.”
That brought the hunters to a full stop. They weren’t a bunch of rich doctors, this was their “Hunt of a lifetime” and they could barely afford it. Jim said “Trust me, Ron knows what he’s doing.” Jim gave Ron a hand sign, so he got out of the plane, walked over and shook each hunter’s hand. They were impressed by his maturity, and combined with the fact that they’d each be out over $5K each if they didn’t fly, they decided to get aboard. Between Jim and Ron, they got their gear loaded quickly, and the hunters sat in the back seats.
When everything was in place, Ron turned in his seat and said “Welcome to Allakaket Airlines, I’m Ron your pilot, and I’d like to welcome you to the flight. We’ll be flying at 2,000 feet, and will be arriving in your lodge in a little over and hour and a half. Please make sure your seats are in the upright and locked position. Pilot to copilot, prepare for takeoff.”
The 3 hunters laughed, Ron had done that speech just like the pilot for Alaska Airlines. It broke their nervousness, just as Ron had hoped. He keyed his mike, and received permission to take off. The tower assigned him the #2 position, and told him which runway to use. Jim pointed with his hand, so the passengers couldn’t see, but Ron could which way he had to go. When he got to the runway, Ron called again, and he was #1 to take off, and was asked to stay below 1,000 feet AGL until he was 20 miles out, the Military was still conducting flight ops. Ron acknowledged, set the plane up for take-off, and pushed the throttle to the max. It took a while to accelerate, but soon he was at 85 knots airspeed, and he eased back on the yoke, and the plane was airborne. He gradually climbed to 1,000 feet, then turned toward the lodge. Jim had written the bearing and distance on Ron’s kneepad that he used for all critical flight information. Once clear of the ATC area, he called the tower, advised them he was 20 miles out, and they authorized a flight level of 2,000 feet. He slowly climbed to 2,000 feet, and an hour later, he spotted the lake the lodge was on. He saw which way the wind was blowing, and turned to land into the wind since there were no clearance issues with this landing. He gradually reduced speed, and fed in more flaps until he was slowly descending to the lake. He cleared the shore by over 100 feet, and floated down to a very soft landing, then taxied over to the lodge’s dock. Someone at the dock caught the pontoon, and fastened a rope to the front cleat, then the back one as the plane coasted to a stop. Ron was on the water side, so he stayed put while Jim opened his door and helped them out. The last hunter out turned to shake Ron’s hand and said that was the smoothest flight and best landing he had ever seen. Ron thanked him and told him he’d be back to fly them back to Anchorage later.
The hunter got out of the plane, and the guy on the dock unloaded their gear from the plane, and slipped Ron a $50 that he said was from the hunters. Ron managed a “thank you” before he choked up. Jim closed and locked the back cabin door, and climbed in the front. The dockworker released the cleats, and pushed them away with a logging pole. When they were 6 feet away from the dock, Ron started the motor and taxied the plane to the downwind end of the lake. He had already set the plane up to take off, and when he turned into the wind, set the throttle to max, and was flying with half the lake left, He did a max performance climb-out just like Jim had briefed him. It wasn’t necessary for flight safety, but impressed the heck out of the hunters to hear the radial motor of the DeHaviland roaring at full throttle and charging into the air. It gave them a sense of confidence that would be invaluable for the return flight, since they would be looking forward to the flight now. When they landed at Allakaket, Bill was there to greet the plane with a huge grin on his face. “Ron you did it, the Hunters were still talking about your skill and professionalism. The lodge has agreed to sign a contract to fly their hunters to and from their lodge, and to fly any remote hunters to their camps. You land a couple more contracts like this, and you could easily make $50K per year.” Ron was stunned, he didn’t know what to say. He remembered the $50.00 tip and showed Bill. “You keep that - you earned it. I only take 10% off the top for Lodge business as your booking agent. You keep all tips, and everything over and above my fees, and your expenses. All your maintenance and inspections are at cost, and we give you a very preferential rate for labor, since if the DeHaviland goes down for unscheduled maintenance or repairs, I’ll lose a ton of money since I’m part owner of the lodge. We’ll keep it maintained, and you have priority over all other customers for our aircraft mechanic.”
They filled up the tanks, then taxied the plane into the hangar. Ron remembered he hadn’t eaten anything, and was suddenly hungry, so he ate both P&J sandwiches, and washed them down with the hot coffee Anne had packed in the thermos. He climbed into the Cessna, and taxied over to the pumps and filled the tank with Avgas. He was amazed that it had only used $10 worth of gas. He guessed that the Cessna didn’t use as much fuel per mile as the DeHaviland. When he was finished, he gave his “gramps” a big hug, and said he would see him later. He climbed into the cockpit, and did a quick preflight check, then started the motor. He taxied to the end of the lake, called the tower and received permission to take-off. He quickly set the Cessna up to take-off, and was airborne minutes later. 2 hours later, he arrived at his home lake, and touched down perfectly, then taxied to his front door. When he shut down, Roy, Anne and Lucky were waiting to greet him. He was ready for Lucky this time, and kept from getting knocked over. When he got inside, he told his Mom and Dad all about it. Roy was amazed when Ron related how much Ron could make per year just flying hunters. Doing some quick math in his head, Roy realized Bill was about right.
It looked like Ron wouldn’t need that trust fund he had established for him, then he remembered they needed to build a hangar for the DeHaviland in the next 90 days. He decided to tell Ron about the $50K he had saved for Ron in a trust fund, and that he wanted to use the money to build a year-round hangar for the DeHaviland next to the cabin. Ron gave his Dad a big hug, then they called Bill. He said he had already located a perfect steel building that was almost twice as big as they needed. It was a good used building that was being dismantled anyway since the owner of the land needed the space. Bill told Ron how big of a space they would need to clear to hold it. Roy decided that their next logging site would have to be where they were going to erect the new hangar. It was heavily insulated and winterized, and had enough room to not only park the plane, but store the pontoons and skis, since during the winter, it was ski-borne instead of pontoon- borne. It even had a chain hoist to pick up the plane and switch the pontoons and skis each season. Roy realized they would need a snow-blower or something to clear a path from the house to the hangar. Bill said he also located a smaller building they could attach to the house that would hold a huge snow blower and enough fuel for the winter. It too was heavily insulated to keep the gasoline from gelling in the winter. Roy was afraid to ask how much it all was going to cost. Bill said including everything including the snow-blower he could get it installed for under $40K. Roy told Bill to make it happen, and to take the money out of Ron’s trust account, and transfer any remaining balance into Ron’s checking account. Bill said that if Ron flew the supply flights and flew the installer crew in and out, he’d save another $10K, and Bill would cover the fuel costs. Roy said “You’ve got a deal. We need this finished in the next 90 days so Ron can hangar the DeHaviland here before Jim loses his Commercial Ticket.”
“Not a problem Roy. Hurry up and get the trees cleared out of the way, and they can start as soon as you have the trees down. Don’t worry about the stumps, they’ll remove them.”
“OK, Bill, talk to you later.”
“Ron, we need to get those trees on the other side of the house felled and out of the way ASAP. I just bought a hangar for your plane, and they can install it in the next 90 days, but we need the trees out of the way first.”
Ron gave his dad another big hug. “Thanks Dad, I’ll get right on it.”
Ron suited up, grabbed the chainsaw, and walked over to the fuel and oil, then carried the chainsaw over to the far treeline. Roy heard the roar of the chainsaw, and later that afternoon, all 20 trees were down. Ron took the next couple of days to haul them over to the sawhorse, cut them to length, and split them to useable sizes. When he wasn’t cutting, chopping or stacking wood, Anne had Ron nose-deep in the medical books.
Bill called Ron and said that they were ready to fly the building materials to their cabin. First he needed to pick up the crew and their gear. They would live in a tent outside their cabin while they assembled the building. He told Ron to pick them up in Allakaket at 0800 tomorrow.
The next morning, Ron arrived at Allakaket at 0800 on the dot, and they already had the DeHaviland loaded, fueled, and ready to go. Jim was standing there with the 3 men who would install the building. Ron looked confused, then remembered the FAA restrictions on his ticket, and realized Jim had to come with him, even if it meant they couldn’t load as much gear or supplies. They all boarded, and Ron ran through the checklist as the engine warmed up. Jim reminded Ron that he was taking off at max take-off weight, so he needed to take it easy when he lifted off, or the pontoons might separate, since some of the stuff was lashed to the pontoons to make room inside. Ron nodded and continued to set the plane up for take-off. Jim suggested going to 30% flaps instead of 20% to give them extra lift. Ron nodded and set the flaps at 30%, then turned into the wind when he had gone as far downwind as he dared. When he turned upwind, he looked at Jim, who gave him a thumbs up, and Ron pushed the throttle to full, and held on for dear life. The plane slowly accelerated, and he thought it would never get to 85 knots indicated. As soon as it reached 85 knots, Ron pulled back gently on the yoke, and cleared the trees on the ridge by a bare 50 feet. Jim turned grinned, and gave Ron a thumbs up. Ron didn’t climb any higher than he had to, and set out for home. Jim reminded him he was real heavy, and would have a huge sink rate, so go easy on slowing down. When he was lined up to land, Ron slowly reduced throttle until he had established the sink rate he wanted. As he cleared the ridge, he just tapped the throttle in some more, and was sinking quickly to the lake. Ron realized he was sinking too fast, and added throttle, but just what he had taken out. It wasn’t the prettiest landing he had ever made, but they were down in one piece, and he didn’t hurt the plane. After they had unloaded the plane, Ron took a look at the huge pile of stuff. He knew the exact max takeoff weight of the DeHaviland Otter, and they were easily 10-20% over max listed take off weight. Ron pointed this out to Jim, and he admitted the max takeoff weight was a very conservative number, and it could safely be exceeded by 30%.
“You just had to be aware of the overload situation, and fly accordingly, like be more conservative in your throttle settings on landing, since the extra weight makes you sink like a rock.” Then he said, “By the way, good recovery, adding throttle was exactly the correct thing to do. Next time you’re overloaded like that, keep some energy in reserve. You can always lose airspeed faster than you can gain it.”
Ron and Jim flew back and forth from Allakaket to their cabin and made 4 trips fully loaded. By the end of the day, they were both tired, but all the supplies were at Ron’s house, and the builders had started clearing the stumps and leveling the spot. When they were finished, they set up concrete forms and unrolled the reinforcing wire grid for the concrete floor, then positioned and tied the anchor bolts into the wire for the steel building. The next day, they would pour the concrete floor, and asked Roy if he had any hot water. Roy told them he had running hot and cold water, and asked them how much they would need. He said they needed to pour a 6 inch slab for a 50x20 foot building or about 19 cubic yards of concrete, and they wanted 60-80 degree water. Roy said “No problem, I can get you boiling running water, and you can combine that with the 40 degree water coming out of the tap. The guy whipped out his calculator, and figured how much 220 degree water he’d need to add to 40 degree water to get 80 degree water. When he told Roy, he replied “I guess we should keep the stove fired up most of the morning, good thing Ron chopped all that extra wood.” They had a 5-gallon bucket to haul water, and it barely fit in their sink. Anne asked if they would like a home-cooked meal, and the foreman said they would kill for one, so Anne invited them inside for dinner. It was crowded, but they all fit. Roy said grace, and they all ate dinner. They went back outside to their tent and campfire, and Ron went back to his studies.
The next morning after Breakfast, Ron volunteered to help, and they put him to work hauling water with the wheeled cart. After about 20 trips he was tired, but they needed more water, so he kept hauling water until they were finished pouring concrete. They spent the rest of the day compacting and floating the concrete, making sure the floor was sloped correctly for drainage. Ron took the rest of the day off, and went back to his studies.
The next morning, the concrete was set enough to start assembling the building. Since all the parts were marked, it went up fairly fast, and the frame was in place the first day, and the skin was ready to go on. They had Ron run to Allakaket for some more supplies and he came back with Jim and a load of insulation. Since insulation was light, they packed the plane as tight as they could, and put a sheet of plywood behind their seats so they could stack the rolls of insulation to the ceiling and into every nook and cranny of available space. They did such a good job of packing that they got the entire load in one trip, and were able to carry more supplies on the pontoons as well.
The next day, they bolted the skin onto the frame, and sprayed it with a waterproofing coating to make it 100 % waterproof. The coating had pigment added, so they didn’t need to paint it. The hangar was slate grey, and would stay relatively warm during the winter, without being beastly hot in the summer. Once they had the coating on the outside, they covered the inside with Visqueen, then started laying the insulation over the visqueen and between the frames, and installing visqueen over the insulation. They didn’t need or want wallboard on the curved walls, so the visqueen served to hold the insulation in, and acted as a vapor barrier on both sides of the insulation, making it much more efficient. Then they installed a small Franklin stove in the building for heat in case they needed to work inside the building during the winter, and installed the vent pipe. The final things they did were to install the chain hoist, and hang the door. They used a huge roll-up commercial door, since a tilt-up would be impossible to use in the Alaskan winter.
The next day they packed their stuff back into the plane, and Ron flew them to Allakaket. He had to get Jim and the plane first, so he made deliveries on his way out to help pay for the fuel. While he was delivering stuff, he picked up the shed to hold the snow blower then added 4 5-gallon cans of Avgas. The mechanic in Allakaket had re-tuned the motor to run on Avgas, since they didn’t deliver regular gas anymore since the PBY had crashed years ago. All they got was Avgas, Diesel and Kerosene. Jim called his buddy in the FAA, told him that Ron was ready to fly by himself, and the hangar was done at their house. Dan gave Ron verbal permission to fly Solo, but to be careful, since his unrestricted Commercial had to wait the full 90 days, since he couldn’t change things in the FAA computer without calling attention to himself. He said that if Jim was available, and he had the space, to keep flying with Jim, but he didn’t have to. Since the Cessna was already at Allakaket, Ron flew the DeHaviland home and put it in his hangar at home.
Fleataxi