The Return of the Manhattan

by Lee Ecker

“That’s approved.”

  “Good, one more request, I’d like to check out Major Sparks also. He deserves it after all he did for us, and I’d like to use him for another little scheme we’ve got cooked up. I’ll tell you about that Wednesday evening.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “After our locals, we will fly the aircraft on to McDonnell Douglas.

  “Great, does that mean we’ll get it back soon? We haven’t cancelled any missions, but maintenance complains every day to the Wing Commander. We may lose a local or two this week.”

  “I suppose that’s up to McDonnell Douglas. We may be able to push them, but I’d guess it will take a couple of months. Maybe you can get the depot level maintenance done at the same time?”

  “Unfortunately, that aircraft just finished the cycle. We may have to delay putting the next aircraft in until we get this one back though.”

  “That’s probably a good idea anyway. It would make more sense to get it done the same time it’s modified. At least the rest of the airplanes won’t have to go through the certification process. Sir, I’d like to talk with you more, but it’ll have to wait. I’ve got to call the president.”

  The president was in his office with his chief of staff, Norm Dressler, when his intercom buzzed. He flipped the switch expecting Mary, his secretary, to be on the line, “Yes.”

  “Morning, Sir, Colonel Anderson checking in.”

  “Where the hell have you been?”

  “I think you hit the nail of the head, Sir. Are you alone?”

  “One moment.” He indicated the door, and Dressler left knowing his boss wanted privacy. “Okay, I’m alone.”

  “Good, Laura and I were killed on Friday afternoon, and you were killed later this week!”

  “That’s preposterous!”

  “Sir, I didn’t want to shock you, but it’s true. Fortunately for us, the Manhattan is back, and has already insured that it didn’t and won’t happen.”

  “But you said we were killed, not that I will be killed.”

  “That’s right. It actually happened. But history is only history until it’s changed, and we have another chance.”

  “That’s incredible! Tell me about it.”

  Brad went on to explain the entire story leaving nothing out, “One event followed the other like a chain reaction. After we were killed, you were on little side trip to Kansas City to attend our memorial service. We appreciate that by the way, but I’m glad it didn’t happen this time. On the way back to Washington, your aircraft lost all four engines. There was no way your pilot could land in Saint Louis when he started to lose the engines due to a violent thunderstorm over the airport, so he opted to land at Springfield, Illinois. I think Scott AFB must have been down with the storms also. Anyway, it was too far and when the 4th engine was lost, you crashed short of the runway. The cause of the accident was never discovered, except for some reason, all four engines failed one right after another. We are certain that it was sabotage and someone wants you dead. We have every reason to believe the main conspirators are General Mike Higgins, CIA chief Clifford Burns, and your vice president, James Little.”

  “That could be, and it agrees with the reports Arthur Olson gave me last week. Jim is a trifle incompetent, but I never really thought he would go that far. Maybe I should confront him, and have it out right now.”

  “That would only make them go farther underground, and you have no proof; instead we need to flush them out in the open. We are working on a couple of schemes that might work. In the meantime, be inconsistent, I mean never travel the same way twice. Set up transportation and don’t use it. Stay off Air Force One and your helicopter.”

  CHAPTER 38

  “How long is your father planning to stay? We haven’t even discussed a date!”

  “What’s the matter? You getting cold feet?” she chided but with a twinkle in her eye.

  “‘Fraid you can’t get out of it that easy. I’d knock you over the head and drag you off to my cave first. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from you, and don’t you forget it.”

  “Dad’s in no hurry to leave. He says it’s better to stay awhile longer than take another four years to get back to drag us out of hot water again. He thinks he has time travel wired. He is even thinking of giving the crew members a vacation; got any ideas along that line?”

  “Oh, there are lots of places that might fit the bill. You or I could shuttle them back and forth. For now, let’s go for a walk down to the maintenance hangars. I need to see how they are doing on the C9. Colonel Brandt wants that airplane back in service. We’d better deliver it before we take time out to get married.”

  “Always business before pleasure. Why can’t I ever learn to stay out of someone’s life when they’re already married to their job?”

  “That’s a real problem, but as soon as we get the SMA rolling, I’m going to retire and watch our children grow.”

  “I’ll bet! It’ll take more than that to get you to retire.”

  “Right. However, I plan on enjoying every minute of my work right beside you every step of the way.”

  They didn’t take very many of those steps before they arrived in the maintenance area, and checked in with the supervisor. “How’s it going? Will you have it finished by Wednesday?”

  “Don’t you ever slow down? It could be ready, but my men don’t want it to end that soon. They enjoy being back on the job.”

  “Have I got a deal for you. How would you feel if we brought you a different bird to replace it?”

  “Well now, that’s a challenge I can hardly refuse. It’ll be ready by noon Wednesday if we have to work all night today and tomorrow.”

  “It looks like you’ve done another beautiful job. Well done—it does look a little strange though, with no engines visible.” Brad took a good long look around the airplane, trying to visualize an entire fleet.

  “Brad, I think I will stay down here a little longer, and get my hands dirty. I need to have hands-on experience before I start advising the aircraft designers how it should be done.” Laura really didn’t want to leave Brad by himself, but she knew she should.

  “Okay, I can see it all now. I’m going to marry someone who is already married to her job.”

  “Aw, get out of here before I have you thrown out.”

  Brad left, going back up to David’s office. “Come on in, Brad, let’s get together and discuss strategy.”

  “Okay. I just talked with the maintenance supervisor. I told him we would exchange aircraft, and he could modify another one. I’ve arranged to pick up a smaller jet which should be ideal for our travel plans. The Air Force wants their airplane back.”

  “No problem, our guys love to get their hands on antique aircraft. Somehow, I knew you would suggest that. We’ve decided to stay around a little while until we get this mess straightened out. It’ll give them something to do.”

  Laura decided it would be best for her to stay aboard the Manhattan and spend the time with her father while Brad went to Scott AFB. Brad was happy with that decision, knowing there could be another attempt to kill her and the security wouldn’t be as good at Scott as at Wright-Patterson. The security wasn’t bad at Scott, but the secret service personnel had been working with the security police at Wright-Patterson for over a month now and they worked well together. The maintenance supervisor was true to his word, and Brad was launched into the sky flying the C9 solo which wasn’t a lot different than when he flew local training missions with new pilots assigned to the squadron. He knew it wasn’t quite legal since the DC9 was certified for two pilots, but it really wasn’t certified anymore with the new engines installed. As long as the FAA didn’t give him any hassles, he would live with it.

  Brad met with Colonel Brandt, Lt. Colonel Jerry Winsome, and Major Robert Sparks shortly after his arrival. He gave each of them a training manual that La
ura had provided asking Jerry and Robert to look it over and be ready for their local in the morning. He emphasized the sections dealing with the new procedures and the cockpit displays. “Don’t worry about the rest of the systems. They will be transparent for the most part. The aircraft is easy to fly and will be a real joy for you.” The manual was detailed enough to be used by Jerry to prepare the necessary revisions to the Flight Manual for the C9, and prepare for the training of the remainder of the crews. He explained, “We don’t have the performance data, but conservatively, the old manual is valid. The new engines far surpass the old in every aspect of aircraft performance.”

  Brad discussed with Colonel Brandt the events of the past week, telling of the risks they would encounter until the conspiracy plotters were brought to justice.

  The next morning Brad spent the usual hour for the preflight briefing going over the systems that were different. He told them not to worry as it would be easier after seeing them in flight. He spoke, tongue in cheek, “Those CRTs aren’t really a necessary part of the engine modifications, but since we need a CRT for the engine instruments, then we better do the job right. Since the Air Force won’t have to spend as much money on fuel or engine maintenance, they can foot the bill for this part of the modification. We also upgraded the radar which will now be displayed on the moving map display rather than the old scope.”

  They left the squadron building on schedule, checked the weather, filed their flight plan, and went to breakfast before going to the aircraft. At breakfast, Brad answered more questions his students had from reading the manuals, but most of the time while eating was spent rehashing the events of the last few weeks and the pilot’s reactions to the new engine modifications.

  Maintenance had gone over the aircraft with a fine tooth comb, changing tires, and servicing all the systems that were not new to them, and stood by as Brad and his crew accomplished their exterior preflight inspection. Jerry and Robert spent a few extra moments looking at the rear of the aircraft where they could find no visible signs of the engines. Brad pointed out the inlet and outlet ports for the compressors and left it at that. He couldn’t do much instruction on the exterior since there was quite a bit of noise on the flightline as other aircraft around them were preparing for departure.

  Brad would fly from the right seat which was normal while instructing and Jerry would have the honor of flying first. “Whenever you’re ready, Jerry, I’ll run the checklist.”

  “Starting engines check,” Jerry called.

  “Seat belt sign—on. Parking brake!”

  “Set.”

  “Anti-collision light—on. Pitot heat—Captain. Start switches!”

  Jerry looked confused, “What about the other checklist items?”

  “No longer necessary, just turn the engines on. He pointed to where the fuel control levers were normally located.

  Jerry turned the first lever on but looked bewildered. “Nothing happened!”

  “The engine is now in standby status, as soon as you push forward on the throttle, you will notice an immediate response.”

  He turned the other engine lever. “Okay, on, I guess,” as he responded to the checklist.

  “Engine instruments! The only indication you will get here for the engines themselves is the thrust indicators which should now indicate exactly zero instead of off-scale as they did earlier. The tachs should be at a hundred per cent continuous r.p.m. for the compressors and accessory section, and we need to check the voltage and frequency for the generators.”

  “Good, I didn’t even notice the thrust indicator’s movement—checked.”

  “Engine anti ice—off. This is really not engine anti-ice, it protects the compressor inlet. The engines are not exposed to the elements. Starting engines check complete.”

  “Before taxi check!”

  “External power!”

  “Removed.”

  “Cross tie check!”

  Jerry checked both generators and noted they worked exactly the same as before, “Checked.”

  “Air-conditioning supply switches-auto. Yaw damper-on. Hydraulic supply and pumps-on and checked. Seat belts and shoulder harnesses-fastened. Doors-closed. Lights-Out. Gear pins!”

  “Stowed.”

  “Before taxi check—completed.” Brad keyed the mike asking for taxi, and gave the thumbs up signal to the ground handler.

  “Taxi to runway three two, altimeter three zero one one,” was the immediate reply.

  “Roger, three zero one one.” Brad turned to Jerry, “Be careful now; nudge those throttles forward slowly and we’ll move easily. Just remember how light the aircraft is with no fuel on board.”

  He slowly moved the throttles forward until the aircraft began to move, and then brought them back to idle. The aircraft began to move, but slowed down coming to a stop. Jerry was bewildered more than ever. “If it’s so light, why does it stop when I bring it back to idle?”

  “The old engines produce considerable thrust at idle. These at idle mean just that; they are idle. So unless you are taxiing downhill or have a lot of momentum going, you will need to keep a tad of power applied to keep moving.”

  He applied more power and then backed off a little as the aircraft began a normal taxi, but without the whine of turbojet engines. As they approached the runway, the tower cleared them for takeoff with clearance to Maintain Runway Heading and climb to 3000 feet. Brad confirmed his clearance and spoke to Jerry, “Before-takeoff check complete, it’s your baby. Just move the throttles forward to the Take Off detent. Don’t worry about spooling the engines up, that is no longer a factor. I’ve set the detent for the power we want to use today. That is a variable you can set based on your weight and runway conditions. I set them today at 60 percent which will give you approximately the same power as you are used to, but remember with no fuel and very light engines, you are lighter than you have ever been. After you get familiar with the aircraft, we can use more power if you like. If you need more power, you can always override the detent and full power will be immediately available. You can use as much power as you want, but if you do, you would have to raise the nose to a very uncomfortable level immediately after airborne or you would exceed the gear and flap limits before you could raise them, and then you would have trouble leveling at 3,000 feet.”

  Jerry gradually pushed the throttles forward toward the Take Off detent which pushed him back in the seat, and accelerated the aircraft to liftoff speed at about the same time he reached the Take Off detent. His experience showed as Brad called, GO, V2 and rotate speeds. When airborne, Jerry called for gear and flaps on schedule before he pulled the power back gradually settling down at approximately 250 knots indicated, as they leveled at 3,000 feet.

  They came back to the landing pattern and each pilot made several approaches and landings in all configurations. Jerry and Robert were thoroughly impressed and couldn’t keep from bubbling over with excitement and were reluctant to quit flying for the day.

  After landing, Brad called Robert aside, and he began his pitch, “Bob, I know I told you earlier that I couldn’t talk about what happened with the missing aircraft. Well, I need to tell you a little, but the information I am giving you is classified. I’m not going to tell you everything, but I need your help to carry off a scam to trick the perpetrators of a conspiracy to take over the government. Are you interested?”

  “You know I am!”

  “Good, I know you were checked out in the Lear 35; Colonel Brandt will schedule a couple rides to get you current again. I need you to act like a civilian charter pilot who will do anything for a buck. You will be contracted to transport those conspirators I told you about from Washington National Airport to a UFO that will beam you aboard a short distance from Washington.”

  “Wow, sounds exciting. What kind of UFO are we talking about?”

  “Something beyond your wildest dreams. I’ll show yo
u a little more when you come aboard. And yes, that’s where the new technology came from.”

  The next day’s flying was much the same, except Brad allowed Jerry and Robert to take control and manage the aircraft throughout most of the flight. He emphasized again the primary difference in flying with the new engines. “The key is power management without the aid of sound effects. Obviously, more power is available than necessary, but that should come in handy in high temperature / high altitude situations, or for short runways, both for takeoff and landing. You should put some restrictions on the crews in the form of optimum power settings for normal takeoffs. In training, it might be to your advantage to go to a runway where max performance takeoffs and climbs can be demonstrated which we will do today.”

  He requested and received clearance to Whiteman AFB, Missouri where they again made several takeoffs and landings. He simulated engine failures, and allowed each to make single engine landings which were what he emphasized, non-events. “You don’t have any adverse yaw, so the use of full rudder until you can trim out the yaw is not necessary. You don’t have any fuel crossfeed issues and the generators are not affected since they are not connected to the engines.” When they were ready to return to Scott, he requested a max performance climb to 37,000 feet. Brad wanted to show off and took control of the aircraft. When on the runway, he smartly pushed the throttles full forward, lifting off in less than 500 feet and as soon as airborne, simultaneously raised the nose to 45 degrees and raised the landing gear and flaps. He didn’t do anything more until they reached 30,000 feet and he gradually brought the throttles back and lowered the nose leveling smoothly at 37,000 feet.

  He made his obligatory comment of caution. “Just remember, your liftoff attitude. If you raise that nose rapidly before airborne, you will strike the tail on the runway. Otherwise the performance is like a fighter.” He turned the aircraft back to Jerry, “Now, take us back to Scott.”

  Brad and Laura launched into the clear blue sky shortly after noon on Monday while over the middle of the Mojave Desert. They would have a few minutes to fly under visual flight rules the short distance to the mountains before crossing over into the Los Angeles Basin, and being picked up on radar. Brad wanted an instrument clearance prior to entering the Basin because of the high density of air traffic. He dialed a Los Angeles Center frequency and checked in, “Los Angeles Center, Solar one one.”