by Jim Dalton
The flight continued to go smoothly, and Heather enjoyed her new experience. Flying was not new to her, but she’d never before realized that so much went on at the head of the plane. The busy cockpit almost overstimulated her senses—there were so many instruments, knobs, and switches. It was hard for her to imagine how anyone could keep up with so much at one time.
The instrument panel exuded a warm, red glow, so nothing in the cockpit kept its real color—everything and everyone adopted a very seductive glow.
Lucas busily adjusted the radar to get a good feel for the line of thunderstorms ahead. They would either need to pick their way through them, or fly around them; that decision would in large part be determined by what he saw, he knew. Thunderstorms are very dynamic, and radar summaries obtained prior to departure don’t remain accurate for very long.
Though trying to focus on this single task, Lucas couldn’t help noticing Heather’s presence. She sure is warm, he thought to himself. Her right leg is all but rubbing my left arm. It’s like every hair on my arm has become a nerve linked directly to my dick. Even the hair on my arm is getting stiff. I don’t even know whether I’m brushing her leg, or just think I am. I would never admit this to Mike, but having her on board is sort of nice. It’s a lot nicer having her on board than some of the guys we fly.
I have to focus on the radar, but I can’t help but wonder if she is wearing panties. Get a grip! I’m paying way too much attention to the reflection of Heather and those beautiful, long, gorgeous legs that I’d love to explore. Bet I would find out about her panties then! Panties—what is happening to me? I’m obsessing! Radar, radar, radar.
The radar looked bright and full of color, lit up like a Christmas tree. Anyone with any experience seeing thunderstorm activity—even on TV—would characterize it as being ominous. Lucas decided that he had to give Heather an update.
He turned to look over his left shoulder so he could look Heather in the eyes. As they made eye contact, he saw a beautiful young girl with the face of an angel, her eyes dark and inviting. Shifting in his seat, he could see her more clearly—straddling the console with her miniskirt as high as could be. Conscious of how exposed she was, he had to be very careful not to break eye contact and explore her lovely, soft body, and especially the place where her legs came together.
“Heather,” Lucas said, “we have some weather we’re going have to go through, so it might get a little rough. I want you to pull your belt tight and hang on. We’re going to be busy, so we won’t be able to talk to you. Don’t worry; we do this stuff all the time.”
Having briefed Heather, Lucas swung back around and tightened his own belt. He then turned to Mike to share his thoughts about the approaching weather.
“Mike, we have about twenty-five more miles of good weather, with about fifty miles of thunderstorm activity we’ll have to pick our way through. Mike, did you hear me? Mike, goddamn it, are you sleeping? MIKE, wake your ass up! You’re supposed to be flying this plane!”
As Mike jerked his head up, he turned to Lucas and said, “Bullshit! The autopilot is flying it, and I might say it is doing a better job than you would.”
“Mike, we’ve been through this before. Were you drinking before we left?”
“None of your fucking business.”
“Bullshit! It is my business. It is going to take both of us to get through this weather, and we can’t do it if you’re drunk! Why do I put up with this shit night after fucking night? Heather, relax. Like the weather, we go through this shit all the time, too.”
“Lucas,” Mike snapped. “Shut the fuck up and tell me what you found on the radar.”
Though still pissed, Lucas knew that the miles were being eaten up quickly and this wasn’t the time to argue.
“The first thing I want to do is to get a release from Center so we can do our own thing. If it’s OK with you, why don’t I fly the plane and you fly the engines? Having studied the radar, I have a good feel for how we can get through this stuff.”
“Fine by me—let me know when you want it,” responded Mike.
Lucas began the process of getting a change in their flight plan: “Kansas City Center, this is Convair three-seven-one-three-papa.”
“One-three-papa, this is Kansas City Center. Go ahead.”
“Kansas City Center, one-three-papa would like to deviate from our flight plan as necessary, to pick our way through this line of thunderstorms.”
“One-three-papa, that’s approved. There are no other planes in the area. Just give us a call when you want to rejoin the airway, and if you would, give us an update on the weather when you have a chance.”
“Roger, one-three-papa.”
Lucas dropped both of his seat’s armrests. With both hands on the wheel and both arms resting on the armrests for stability, Lucas said, “OK, Mike; I have the plane.”
“The plane is yours, Lucas. I have the engines.”
By that time, they began to experience a light chop, signaling a pending change in weather. Having been through this many times before, Lucas and Mike knew what to expect.
“Mike, see this patch of light green?” Lucas pointed to the radar screen. “This is where I’m headed. After about five miles, I’m going to make a twenty-degree left turn to keep us out of the heavy stuff, and I think we will be able to shift back to the right after about twenty miles, but we’ll have to play that by ear.”
The plane began to pick up more turbulence, and light rain beaded on the windshield.
Heather became very much aware that Lucas and Mike had stopped arguing, and that they had both adopted a serious tone and a single focus. She also realized that her romantic mood and environment had suddenly changed to one of at least mild concern. Seeing lightning directly ahead and rain on the windshield was a new experience for her. The rain caused the cabin’s noise level to increase significantly. Heather tried to sort out what was happening, and to also compare each sound and sight with something more familiar.
The rain grew heavier and louder.
The sound of the rain was very much like a million BBs striking the windshield at one time. Seeing lightning from a pilot’s view is another foreign sight hard to describe but it looked to Heather that the whole sky was lighting up.
Shortly after a bright flash, Lucas turned to Heather and shouted above the noise of the rain, “That’s the stuff we need to avoid! It’s about ten miles ahead of us.” To Mike, he announced, “I’m going to make that right turn now.”
The plane shook violently, gaining and losing hundreds of feet in altitude every few seconds.
“Mike, watch those engines!” Lucas yelled above the noise of rain beating against the windshield. “I’m going to try to keep the wings level. I can’t even keep a steady heading. Mike, why don’t you pull the power back? See if slowing down will help.”
“Good idea—don’t want the manifold pressure to jump up on us, and a little less airspeed may give our passenger a better ride,” Mike said, turning to smile at Heather.
Heather felt her anxiety worsening. When she’d asked Mike if she could go along on their trip, a near-death experience hadn’t been what she’d had in mind. Being in the middle of a thunderstorm wasn’t anything like being at home snuggled up on the couch with a special guy, listening to the rain and thunder. This is the roughest ride I have experienced anywhere, she thought to herself. I can’t even think of anything to compare it to. I can’t see the lightning; instead, the whole outside world simply lights up. I don’t hear the thunder and have no idea how close the lightning is. And Lucas said they do this all the time. I think I’d find a new job.
“Mike, see the light green on the radar?” Lucas tried pointing to the radar screen, but quickly returned both hands to the control wheel.
Heather wondered whether Lucas held onto the wheel to keep his body from bouncing around, or whether it was instead necessary to fly the plane.
“I think we can squeeze through that opening. What do you think, Mike?”
Heather had forgotten the warm feelings in her stomach caused by Lucas’s arm brushing up against her leg. That romantic encounter had been replaced with uncertainty and a little fear. For the last twenty minutes, her leg had been slapping against Lucas’s elbow and there hadn’t been anything romantic or seductive about it. Perched on the jump seat, there wasn’t anything of substance for her to hold onto. She thought to herself, If it weren’t for this seat belt, I would’ve been making love to the center console long ago. Her posture, legs spread apart to straddle the console, had seemed so seductive when the flight got underway, but had since become uncomfortable, to say the least.
The Convair reached the other side of the front, and the turbulence disappeared as quickly as it had started.
Lucas turned to look partly over his shoulder and said, “You can relax now, Heather.” He lifted the armrests that he had been using to stabilize his arms.
Beyond the windshield, they could see stars in the sky and lights on the ground. The noise had disappeared, as had the turbulence.
“Mike, you want the plane back?” asked Lucas.
“No, just keep it—I’m going to give Center an update on the weather.”
Mike called Oklahoma Center and said, “Oak Center, this is Convair thirty-seven-thirteen-papa.”
“Go ahead, thirty-seven-thirteen-papa.”
“One-three-papa has cleared the weather and would advise other planes in the area that we encountered moderate turbulence and heavy rain as we picked our way through the front just north of Springfield. We’re going to proceed direct to Dallas at eight thousand.”
“Got it, one-three-papa—appreciate the update. Are you making a return trip tonight?”
“Sure are,” responds Mike.
“Your trip home should be uneventful—looks like that system you just came through is falling apart.”
“Thanks; wasn’t looking forward to doing it again—couldn’t sleep!”
“OK,” the controller said, laughing.
The cockpit got very quiet, with everyone engrossed in their own thoughts, appreciating a tranquil flight once again. The remainder of the trip was uneventful, including the turnaround in Dallas.
On the way back to St. Louis, everyone remained silent. It was late, and there wasn’t anything taking place to encourage discussion. Mike flew the plane while Lucas focused on first-officer duties. Heather napped most of the way home. She leaned far to the right in order to use the bulkhead as a headrest. It wasn’t particularly comfortable, but the hum of the engines was soothing.
CHAPTER FOUR
Reliving the Present
Despite sleeping most of the way back to St. Louis, Heather occasionally woke to thoughts of Lucas, causing her to reflect on what it took just to be in the jump seat of that plane, occupying a small piece of his world.
Heather had been fascinated by Lucas from the day she began working for Gold Coast Aviation as a customer service rep; as she saw it, her job title was nothing more than a fancy phrase for “receptionist.”
Like most pilots, Lucas only came around shortly before a flight, so Heather never really had an opportunity to meet him. She wondered how a person she didn’t even know could capture her attention so fully. What did he have that made her become so self-conscious when he was around? It couldn’t merely be his uniform, because many others wore uniforms. She decided that it must be a simple physical attraction, but felt confident there was more to be discovered.
Heather’s work area wasn’t fancy or inviting for customers. The lobby area had a high ceiling with long fluorescent lights. The lights weren’t even recessed, but instead hung directly from the ceiling. The floor was a gray tile beginning to show wear. There were several chairs and a couch around the outside wall, but they, too, showed wear. They were really only there for transient pilots, so management didn’t find it necessary to spend money on quality materials. The walls had a few photographs of airplanes, but all of them were old and in need of dusting.
The lobby doors opened on the airport side of the building—the ramp, and in the back of the lobby a door opened into the hangar. A third door opened to the parking lot, and was referred to as the front, or “main,” door. When any two doors were opened at the same time, the lobby became like a wind tunnel, very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. The receptionist’s desk was located behind a modest counter, and only displayed a few necessary pilot supplies. It also came with a small space heater and a fan, tools to deal with the extreme temperature fluctuations. In the summer, reps usually only wore enough to keep them modest. Such an arrangement became popular with the pilots, possibly ensuring that the situation would never be remedied.
Heather could clearly remember the first time she’d ever seen Lucas. He’d passed through the lobby, obviously on a mission. He stared directly ahead, looking so serious. He didn’t even notice Heather, and yet it seemed to her that she wasn’t seeing the real Lucas. She had no specific reason to think that; it was just a hunch. Later she found out that he’d had equipment problems that day—problems that needed immediate attention in order to deliver his cargo on time.
As Heather continued to reflect on the night that Lucas came into her life, she couldn’t help but wonder what life would have been like had she finished college. Working the second shift at a fixed-base operation wasn’t exactly what she thought life would be like at twenty-one. The working conditions weren’t very good and neither was the pay, although it did pay enough for her to afford a one-bedroom furnished apartment just six miles from the airport.
Many pilots passed through the lobby every night, and each added a little spice to what would otherwise be a humdrum job. Hardly a night passed without some hotshot pilot putting the make on her. Although not a particularly outgoing person, Heather didn’t mind the attention and realized that most of the flirting was nothing more than a guy’s attempt to relive his youth or pass the time while his plane was being serviced.
Evenings usually passed quickly, in part because of the traffic. There would generally be fifteen to twenty freighters passing through the operation a night, either taking a load somewhere or bringing one to St. Louis. With fifteen to twenty planes would come between thirty and forty pilots, each of whom often needed as much attention as his plane.
When asked, Heather described herself as an average gal who could be found in any mall on a Saturday night. She was also willing to admit that she probably received more compliments than the average person. She had even been encouraged to run for Miss Missouri by her friends, but decided she didn’t want the attention. Besides, most contestants were tall with long legs; she wasn’t convinced that a five-foot-six, 115-pound brunette would have a chance of winning.
She found her way into the jump seat on a bumpy trip to Dallas because of Lucas. She wished that he would spend more time in the lobby. If he did, she knew that she might be able to strike up a conversation and find out a little more about her mystery heartthrob. Since that was unlikely, she felt compelled to figure out another way to spend more time in his presence.
She’d pondered this question for a long time, and her creativity and persistence eventually led to success. She knew that State Side pilots often took passengers for the fun of it, or helped pilots get home after their flights. Lucas’s flights usually departed shortly after Heather’s shift was up, so she knew she had a workable plan. Since she knew that Mike and Lucas always flew together, she decided to ask Mike for a ride. That’s all she needed—one flight. She hoped it would lead to another as she tried to find a way into Lucas’s life.
“Heather, make sure your belt is tight; we’ll be landing shortly,” announced Lucas.
Only semiconscious, Heather heard Lucas’s voice and jerked back to reality.
“I got it, thanks,” she said. “Jeez, I must have slept most of the way home. Did I miss anything?”
“Not a thing.�
�
CHAPTER FIVE
Dreams Come True
A few days later, and still determined to spend more time with Lucas, Heather stopped Mike on his way through the lobby. “OK if I go with you guys again tonight?” she asked.
“Once wasn’t enough for ya, huh?”
“It was fun! Besides, I have this thing for Lucas and he doesn’t even know I exist. I hoped that after the last trip, he might ask me out.”
“Sure. No one else is going tonight. It will be a quickie, though. We’re just going to Omaha tonight.”
“That’s OK. I just want Lucas to know who I am.”
“Well, little lady, a cockpit isn’t the place to get to know someone. Our cockpit is our office—our workplace.”
“I know, and I won’t bother either of you—I was OK last time, wasn’t I?”
“Sure you were. I’m just saying that it’ll be difficult for Lucas to get to know you on these trips.”
“I know, but I don’t know of any other way to be close to him or spend time with him.”
“Not a problem. We should be departing around ten thirty. Oh, and when you see Lucas, will you mention that I’m looking for him?”
“Sure will, and thanks.”
Mike walked off, proud of his little scheme to have Heather deliver a message for him. He’d be the first to admit that he wasn’t a matchmaker, but Heather was a cute girl, and if he could help move romance in her direction—well, why not?
Shortly after Mike walked away, Lucas came strolling through the lobby, en route to the office. As he walked past the counter, Heather sprung to her feet with the enthusiasm of a lottery winner, shouting, “Lucas, Lucas, just a second!”
Hearing urgency in Heather’s voice, Lucas nearly stopped dead in his tracks.
“Mike wanted me to be sure to mention that he was looking for you,” said Heather. “I think he’s in the office.”
