A Wake of Vultures

by Patrick Kansoer

  “Speaking of toys,” said Ted walking up to them with a large black Pelican case on wheels tracking behind him, “I’m here with the hardware.”

  Ted opened the case and displayed the contents. There were three Heckler & Koch MP7 machine pistols and nine loaded forty round magazines nestled into the custom interior. Keren’s education on the H&K’s began.

  Petris began in his professor-like lecturing mode; “Keren, the HK firm of Germany had long held a lead in the submachine gun market, their HK MP5 submachine gun was chambered in 9mm becoming its ubiquitous product line. the HK MP7 followed the tried and proven measures that made the MP5 such a successful weapon including use of heavy duty composites and attention to design.

  However, the MP7 A1 would be different from the preceding MP5 design for it should function as a machine pistol, submachine gun and "personal defense weapon" (PDW) all in one.

  Therefore, it was issued to special forces operatives, paratroopers (airborne soldiers), security personnel, police units and second-line/logistical troops without loss of firepower.

  The HK MP7 A1 is compact and is held in a traditional three-point hold two-handed and up against the shoulder,” as Petris said this he demonstrated. “Or as a standard two-hand hold as with a pistol. The weapon is light-weight at 2.6lbs unloaded and maintains a running length of 25 inches. Using the collapsing stock, it can bring the weapon down to a more manageable 16 inch length when space is a luxury. The barrel itself measures in at 7 inches while the receiver, at its thickest, is just 2 inches wide.

  The key design element of the HK MP7 is the proprietary HK 4.6x30mm cartridge.” Petris then fished one out of the Velcro closure pocket of his shooting vest to show her.

  “The cartridge was first introduced in 1999 and began widespread use in 2001 is of a rimless bottleneck design. Its design is such that the cartridge offers little recoil yet can still penetrate armored subjects at range - the smaller diameter being the driving quality here. Since its inception, the cartridge had evolved into a family of solutions including the basic penetrator, a hollow point offering, and a full metal jacket design. The HP MP7 A1 is the only weapon that makes use of the HK 4.6x30mm cartridge.

  It gives the MP7 A1 a rate-of-fire of 950 rounds per minute with a 2,400 feet per second muzzle velocity. Effective range is 200 meters.

  It can feed the weapon from a 20-, 30- or 40-round detachable box magazine, this being inserted in an UZI-style magazine well that makes up the pistol grip handle. Firing controls (selector, safety) are all ambidextrous to accommodate left- and right-handed users. Sighting is through a front and rear folding/adjustable iron sight installation and a Tritium-illuminated flip-up type night sight.”

  Instructing Keren to don her eye and hearing protection and he and Ted did the same, Petris removed one of the forty round magazines from the case and showed Keren how to insert it into the magazine well of the weapon. After familiarizing her with the controls and had her move the selector switch to semi-auto he instructed her to take aim on the target that Ted sent downrange to the 7 yard mark. She brought the stock to her shoulder, set her stance and regulated her breathing while squeezing the trigger until the H&K discharged sending the slug downrange. Looking at the overhead screen, they could see that her shot centered but low.

  “I expected recoil that didn’t happen and so I shot low.”

  “Not surprising,” Petris replied. “Try again but don’t anticipate the shot. Just let it happen.”

  Once again, Keren went through her pre-fire routine and squeezed the trigger once more. This time the result on the video screen showed that the round had hit in the nine ring high and left. It was a good shot and she continued for ten more shots. The result was a shot pattern a dime coin could cover.

  “Good shooting Keren. I guess we could adjust the sights to compensate for the slight upward and left drift, but based on what I see here you are very accurate with the H&K. Ted, change out the target for Keren.”

  While Ted changed out the target Petris had her switch the firing control lever to ‘full-auto’ and when the new target was in place he said; “Now try it on full-auto Keren. The technique is different. Get your sight picture and squeeze and hold the trigger back. Try to only get three rounds off before releasing the pressure. It’s almost like ‘point and shoot’ rather than aiming for each shot. Since there is little recoil the sight picture shouldn’t change too much. Try it. You should have twenty-eight rounds left in the magazine which would allow you to get seven bursts of three before you’re empty. Try it and see how you do.”

  The first burst was four rounds before Keren could release but after that there were five clean three round bursts with a final burst of two rounds before the magazine was empty. The three shot patterns were still tight, but the groups were more spread out over the target.

  “Not bad for your first time Keren. Now, if you want to watch Ted and I take our practice and then we’ll get ready to leave after we clean up the brass and oil the weapons.”

  For another half hour Keren watched the men as they practiced. Each set up targets at all five shooting positions. Distance of twenty-five yards and fired three round bursts changing targets in a random pattern. They were much more familiar with the H&K’s and their practice was more point and shoot.

  It was much like watching a well-rehearsed dance routine and when the cordite had cleared from Petris’ shooting at the end all of the targets showed that in a real fire-fight the result would neutralize the adversary.

  When the practice was over Keren picked up the spent brass and put it in the receptacles at the sides of the range for that purpose while Ted and Petris disassembled the H&K’s and cleaned and oil them. They wiped the used magazines down with gun oil and reloaded and they returned all of the equipment to its designated places in the Pelican case.

  “Let’s return to the house, clean up to get the lead off our hands and grab a quick sandwich before we take off. Are you packed and ready to go Keren?”

  “I packed and was ready to go before I came down to breakfast this morning. All I need to do is grab my overnighter and I’m ready to roll.”

  After each one washed up in the powder room just off the kitchen they had a sandwich and some salad for lunch, grabbed their luggage and the Pelican case and headed out to the garage where Petris kept his Lincoln Navigator parked. Ted stowed the luggage in the back and they all climbed into the vehicle for the ride to the airport was about a fifteen minute drive from Petris’ place just off US 65.

  On the short drive there Petris filled Keren in on the background on Branson Airport.

  “Keren, Branson Airport is now the country’s first privately developed and only privately owned commercial airport.

  Glenn Patch, a publisher of Computer Shopper and other magazines, bought 7,000 acres south of Branson in 1990. The property used to be a ranch belonging to country music legend Tennessee Ernie Ford.

  The construction company flattened several Ozark Mountains. They claimed it was the largest earthmoving project in Missouri history; 11 million cubic yards of earth was moved.

  But the airport isn’t the only development in that area. They located the airport in the Branson Creek Development. Patch also had planned to build an 8,000 seat amphitheater for large events like tractor pulls and horse shows.

  Aside from Frontier Airlines and a charter service called Via Air, Branson airport is also a general aviation facility where, among others, my friend houses the Learjet we will be using. There should be a parking space outside the hangar where Paul keeps the Lear Ted, just pull in there and we will load the gear while you go over to flight operations and file your flight plan and get the latest weather update. I’ll put the plane out on the apron, we’ll load the gear and wait for you to return.”

  Ted parked the Lincoln next the side of the hanger and headed for the operations office while Petris entered the hangar through the man door after asking Keren to wait in the car until he had taxied the plane out onto the apron in
front.

  He left the Lincoln running so she would have the benefit of the air conditioning, but even with the windows closed and the fans blowing she could hear the big overhead door open and the jet engines start.

  In two minutes she heard the engine noise stop and Petris appeared around the corner of the hangar to help carry and load their gear. She grabbed her overnighter and Ted’s bag as Petris grabbed his case and offloaded the Pelican onto its wheels. After securing the Lincoln they headed toward the front of the hangar and as Keren came around the front corner she almost walked into Petris’ back as she caught sight of the Learjet for the first time.

  “My starts and garters! That is quite the machine for a private plane.”

  “Yes, she’s quite a beauty isn’t she? Let’s get the gear stowed in the aft belly hold and I’ll give you the fifty cent tour before Ted gets back.”

  Once the baggage was stowed and the rear hatch secured they moved to the port side of the plane where Petris released the front hatch boarding stairs. As he lowered the stairs into position he turned to Keren and did his best slickey used car salesman impression;

  “Madam, behold the Learjet 60, a mid-size cabin, medium-range business jet aircraft manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace in Wichita, Kansas.

  The aircraft carries a crew of 2 and has a maximum capacity of eight passengers.

  It is fifty eight feet eight inches long; has a wingspan of forty-three feet nine inches and stands fourteen feet eight inches from the bottom of its landing gear to the top of its rear stabilizer.

  The jet, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305A turbofan engines, which will produce a maximum speed of five hundred twenty-two miles per hour and an average cruising speed of four hundred eighty-four miles per hour.

  The airplane has a range of two thousand seven hundred and seventy-three miles with reserve fuel to go an additional one hundred miles in an emergency.

  The aircraft has a rate of climb of four thousand five hundred feet per minute which is the fastest for business jets in this class and a maximum ceiling of fifty-one thousand feet which allows you to fly above most weather.”

  “Very impressive sir, please tell me more.”; Keren said, falling into the game Petris was playing.

  “ If you will please mount the boarding stairs and once inside the cabin turn to your right I will explain the furnishings and conveniences that await you in this modern day flying carpet.”

  Keren mounted the stairs turned to her right and Petris was right behind her.

  “Please turn around and look into the cockpit of the aircraft. This Learjet features new cockpit avionics built around the Rockwell Collins Pro Line.

  It has a 21 four-screen glass panel system, which provides pilots with better situational awareness, integrated weather radar and warning systems for ground proximity and wind shear.

  These are important features to be sure, but the cabin is where this airplane shines.

  This cabin measures 5.7 ft high, 5.9 ft wide and 17.7 ft long and is configured with four-seat club and two additional, forward-facing seats.

  It includes more luxurious cabinetry, single-seat structure and upholstery, a leather look headliner with recessed air gaspers, LED lighting, illuminated window surrounds and for this size aircraft, a spacious aft lavatory with a seat belted commode and a large vanity cabinet. The lavatory has an extra window and the new window surrounds allow a significant amount of additional natural light inside.

  The galley is located to the left side of the cabin next to the passenger door. This conveys a more spacious atmosphere and stresses the cabin lines, creating a lengthier appearance. It also provides a noise buffer between the passengers and the cabin door, which has an improved seal. The unconventional galley tower houses hot-liquid containers and glassware and provides six and one half additional inches of workspace with natural lighting.

  The cabin features inputs for cell phone chargers and other equipment, such as laptops and DVD players. It can transmit content from these devices throughout the cabin via headphone jacks and displays.

  High-speed Internet is available and this aircraft includes Iridium satellite phones, the Airshow 410 or 4000 moving map and flight information/entertainment system with network package and a 15.1-inch forward monitor.

  Such improvements give the Learjet cabin much of the look, feel and function of a super-midsize business jet-for $6 million to $7 million less. Can I write up your order madam?”

  “Oh yes I’ll take two, one in pink and one in blue. Do you take Master Card or Discover?” Keren teased him back.

  “Were that it was that simple my dear.”; Petris responded. “ Well make yourself comfortable. I had ground service supply the galley with coffee and cold drinks and an assortment of snacks so help yourself while I go into the cockpit and begin the preflight checklist to expedite our departure.”

  “Are you going to fly us today Petris?” Keren seem apprehensive.

  “I have my license and certification for this craft Keren but Ted has more hours and more experience in her than I do. Ted will be our pilot and I’ll be in the right seat. ‘just in case’. Although with the advanced avionics on this airplane it pretty much can take off, fly and land without too much human interference. I’ll be up front so just make yourself at home.”

  Petris turned and entered the cockpit, slid into the right seat and followed the laminated pre-flight checklist he retrieved from the document pocket.

  Speaking under his breath as he read in bullet points and flipped switches and read gauges he checked off the items on the list as he went through it. As he was just finishing up Ted boarded the aircraft and closed and secured the passenger door.

  “Flight plan is filed and I have the latest weather between here and Las Vegas Executive. Should be clear sailing with no heavy weather between here and there. Pre-flight done?”

  “Just finished it Ted. She should be ready to roll anytime the tower gives us clearance to go.”

  “Well boss, we’re the only craft looking to leave right now so as soon as we roll out to the departure apron and I get the go ahead from the tower, we’ll be on our way.” Looking back over his right shoulder through the open cockpit door he shouted to Keren; “All belted in Keren? We’ll be taking off soon.”

  “Buckling up now Captain.” Keren shouted back.

  Five minutes later they had taxied out to the runway, the two engines roared to full power as the Learjet began its climb over the Ozarks an headed almost due west chasing the sun on their three hour plus flight to Las Vegas.

  The flight was, mostly uneventful. Keren compared it to riding in a well-appointed motorhome. All of the appointments an amenities were,, first class.

  Her only minor gripe was that she felt cramped folding her five foot eleven frame into the small lavatory, it pressed her knees against the bulkhead which made “doing her business” a challenge. Other than that the three hour twelve minute flight, most of which was at 39,00 feet, went by and comfortably.

  Ted keyed the public address microphone that connected into the cabin; “We’re about to start our approach into North Las Vegas Executive Keren. Please make sure that all loose items like plates or pop cans are properly stowed and fasten your seatbelt please.”

  Keren was quick to comply and for the first time in a while looked out the window. This was her first trip into Las Vegas.

  It surprised her that the sun had gotten so low in the western sky and the carnival scene of neon lighting from the strip lit up the desert for such a distance. It looked like something out of a computer game.

  She felt the airplane do a right bank in preparation to the final approach to runway seven and felt Ted apply the flaps to slow to landing speed. Keren was an experienced flier but landings always made her nervous. Then she remembered that a pilot friend had told her that a good landing was one you could walk away from. Ted was an excellent pilot though and she wasn’t sure that the landing gear had touched the runway until she felt the brakes and t
he reversal of the engine thrust.

  Three quarters of the way down runway seven the taxiway leading to the tiedown area came up on the right and Ted made eye contact with the ground crew member in the tug who led him past their assigned space. The tug turned around and attached the tow bar to the nose wheel and backed the Learjet into position. As she deplaned, Keren noticed a large black Cadillac Escalade parked at the port side of the airplane.

  “Keren, could you please give me a hand getting the gear into the back of our ride while Ted arranges to have the bird cleaned and fueled for our return trip home? I hope we can get our business done in a matter of two hours and be back on our way home before midnight.”

  As they loaded the luggage and the Pelican case into the back hatch of the Escalade, she noticed that there was something strange about the look of the car. The sheet metal seemed thick and the tinted window glass of the rear hatch looked like it would be more at home above the counter of an old fashioned currency exchange.

  As Petris closed the hatch and they walked to the right side of the vehicle Ted had finished with his conversation with the ground crew.

  “Do you want to ride shotgun or back seat Keren?; Petris asked. “Back seat will be fine with me Petris.”

  “Petris, there’s something strange about this car. The glass is too thick and the whole body seems, well, heavy, for lack of a better description. What’s going on here?”

  “Very perceptive of you my dear. This is a protection vehicle specifically built to shield politicians and other VIP’s from attack. It has bullet-resistant glass, armor shielding and run-flat tires. It feels heavy because it is heavy, It’s a passenger version of an armored car. Is everything in order with the servicing of the plane Ted?

  Will they have her ready to go before midnight tonight? I don’t want to spend any more time away from ‘Totentanz’ than I have to.”

  “All set boss. Now, how do we get to where we’re going?”

  “When you pull out of the airport area here make a left on to Business 95 and follow that down toward Vegas proper. When you get to the entrance of US 95, follow it to the junction of the Las Vegas freeway headed south toward the strip. Stay on the freeway until you get to the Spring Mountain road exit and take a left. When we get that far I’ll give you some specific instructions to get us to our meeting place.”