If God Had Intended Man to Fly

"If God had intended man to fly, he would have given him wings" that thought navigated its way through Carl Carter's mind, lingered briefly in the excitement receptors, and moved swiftly on to plant itself in the fear region. There it remained, growing exponentially as the de Havilland Chipmunk bounced across the uneven grass runway, struggling to make the transition from unwieldy, land-trapped vehicle, to graceful flying machine. The rumble of tyres, mixing with the sound of rushing wind mingling with the roaring of the Gypsy Major engine created a cacophony of sound that abruptly stopped, replaced by the soft purring engine. The ripple of slipstream over the cockpit canopy, and the squeaks and groans of the 30-year old airframe as it stretched its aching torso after a night's sleep, and prepared itself for the day ahead. Carl also eased his tensed torso, straightened his back, wriggled his backside into a more comfortable position on the parachute pack he was sitting on, and cast his first tentative glance out of the clear plexi-glass canopy. The ground travelled away from them as the pilot eased the mass of aluminium, wood, canvas and dope into the wide blue yonder. The headphones crackled into life as he informed air traffic control that they were air-born and on their way Carl pulled his gaze away from the disappearing ground and started to study the six dials set into the black metal half moon shaped control panel. What were they meant to tell him? The night before he had spent an hour with the tall, spotty Flight Sergeant, preparing for his first ever flight. Turn and bank indicator. That dial with hands slowly rolling around the face, was something to do with height.

Only Humans Blush 2011

"What was that?" His whole body stiffened as an engine backfire crashed through the fuselage. The Chipmunk staggered as a swirl of black smoke. washed over the canopy and disappeared at 70 knots an hour, into clear air. Bang, bang, cough, splutter, stagger drop.The monoplane performed the opening moves in a ballet of death without hesitation or deviation, but repetition; it did have. Over the' next sixty seconds, it repeated its aerial dance in time with the percussion of a sick engine, and on each occasion Carl heard the pilot let out a very Anglo-Saxon expletive. The Bakelite headphones, clamped in sweaty position over each ear by a big U-shaped flat metal bar, crackled into life. 'Are you alright, cadet?" The pilot had at last acknowledged that he had a passenger. Carl opened his mouth; words formed in his mind and travelled to his voice box where they stalled in the larynx as a high-pitched squeak slipped effortlessly from his lips. The small handheld microphone collected the squeal and forwarded it at the speed of sound to the pilot in the front cockpit. "Good, nothing to worry about then. The engines a bit cold, that's all. A few more minutes and she'll be as right as rain." The Gypsy Major coughed and a double bang followed by a cessation of engine noise told the pilot who was boss. Carl peered forward, over the head of the pilot and out of the Perspex canopy, watching as the oversized eggbeater pulling the aircraft through the air slowly stopped scribing an arc in the sky. Carl watched the flying instructor's frantic efforts to restart the dead engine before the propeller stopped wind milling. Another cough of oil-laden sputum and the inert engine started a hesitant chug back to life. The pilot's shoulders relaxed as the propeller. taking on a new lease of life, started to drag the monoplane through the air. "Are you still with me cadet? The chirpy voice of the pilot punched through the " fear barrier Carl had erected around his brain. Sweaty hands fumbled for the small microphone and pushed it towards his lips. . .,

Only Humans Blush 2011

"Ye y e yes sir! What a bloody stupid question, where else would he be? Carl thought as he answered the inane question. "Good, but I think we should land at Manston. Wouldn't be good form to land on the beach at Margate and disturb the holidaym akers" Carl uselessly nodded , assent. . . "Are we far from the airfield, sir? Try as he may he was unable to squash the quaver in his voice, it ranged from baritone to falsetto in a split second. "Ten minutes to circuit, fifteen to wheels on the deck, providing there's nothing in circuit before us" The pilot's voice had regained its plumy authority and Cart felt more comfortable now that the joystick jockey appeared to be back in control The Chipmunk had gained altitude and was flying at three thousand feet . above the English Cannel when the engine stop working again. Carl was studying the millpond appearance of the sea as it lapped Margate beach when the Gypsy Major shivered an elongated shudder and spat a terminal cough. The sweat that had dried on the young cadet's brow suddenly re-hydrated with a fresh infusion of salt water pouring through the young man's pores. The nose of the Chipmunk dropped as the pilot, easing the control stick forward, fought to retain airspeed and not stall out of the sky. The headphones clicked into life. "Cadet, we may have a problem. Have you ever jumped from an aeroplane?" Surprisingly, Carl appeared calm as he responded to the pilot's question. "Hmm, ah, hmm. No." Mentally he added, "and I don't want to start now'. A kernel of useless information, dragged from the deep recesses of memory flashed across his mind. A free falling body will reach 125 miles per hour before colliding with terra firma. Given that scientific fact, how long would it lake for his young body to connect with solid ground.

Only Humans Blush 2011

"You received a briefing on what to do if you have to jump?" The pilot interrupted Carl's musings on death "Yes sir, I have to hold onto the D ring, or I will be on a charge if I lose it" 'We can overcome that small problem if you do lose it. What I'm going to do is open the canopy, turn her on her back; you slap the release buckle of the seat harness, and drop out, simple. The encouraging tone of the joystick jockey did nothing to calm Carl's nerves. "Do I count 1 0 ten before I pull the D ring, sir?" "Only if you want your parachute returned to the stores marked unused. As soon as you are free of the aircraft pull that bloody D ring all the way out. Oh and keep your legs together when you land." 'Should I take my earphones off before I jump?" "Only If you want to watch your body falling headless towards Margate beach. Take them off. I'm putting this machine on her back in 15seconds, get ready. When you see the ground, where the sky should be, hit the buckle and let go. Oh, good luck! See you on the ground" . Two leather gloved hands appeared grasping the metal handles on each side of the canopy: Pushing backwards, they eased the Perspex cupola back along the fuselage. The slipstream helped ease the heavy canopy past Carl's head, but surprisingly the expected increase in wind did not materialise. He removed the headphonesand placed them on the floor of the cockpit. The sun, streaming down onto the air cadet as he sat expectantly waiting for the pilot to flip the aeroplane onto her back, was warm and inviting. Carl felt his eyes slowly closing as sleep drifted across the horizon of his conscious mind. He jerked upright; he had to keep awake waiting for the Chipmunk to turn turtle. The sun was blinding as he forced his eyes open, the sounds of a Gypsy Major engine somewhere in the distance assailed his ears. Had the pilot managed to start the engine? He turned his head to look over the side of the fuselage, and buried his nose into soft green grass. 'Carl, it's your turn for the joy-ride, come-on let's get your chute on.' The tall spotty Flight Sergeant from the night before appeared standing over the

Only Humans Blush 2011

recumbent form of the young air cadet. Carl climbed slowly to his feel, the dream still alive in his sleep-sodden mind. He looked around him at his friends laying in various poses on the grass, waiting for their turn to fly over the Kent countryside.

Only Humans Blush 2011