by Doug Solter
“You two are bonkers. Totally flipping bonkers. I can’t fly a 380, for God’s sake.”
“Why not? It’s a plane, yes?” Miyuki said.
“You daft cow, this isn’t some small plane with an engine and four seats. The 380 has four giant jet engines. It’s a huge flying boat that needs at least two pilots to fly the bugger. I can’t do it all by myself.”
Nadia touched Olivia’s arm. “You have us. We’ll help you.”
“You’re a good pilot. You can land anything,” Miyuki said with this boundless optimism that made Olivia want to scream.
A good pilot? Olivia was used to flying alone. The pressure of doing everything correctly was easier to manage when it was just her and the airplane. That way she didn’t have to worry about killing innocent people if things went wrong. There was no way she could handle this.
“I can’t. I’ve never flown anything this big. I’ll kill everyone,” Olivia said.
“You should at least tell the crew you have experience,” Nadia said.
Her friend was right.
“I—I could help them with the radio calls. I’m sure they’ll find someone else with more flying experience. It’s a huge plane.”
“Of course they will,” Nadia said.
“What if they can’t?” Emma asked.
“Then we’re doomed,” Olivia said.
Inside the forward lounge, the Gems presented themselves to the senior flight attendant. The woman was surprised the girls already knew about the situation and begged them not to say anything to the other passengers. The senior flight attendant had Olivia sit down while the crew completed their discreet inquiry of the passengers. The question was phrased by the crew into a plea for someone to help the captain with the radio because the copilot felt ill.
Olivia prayed they would find someone else. She knew a 380 was far too big for her to handle.
Twenty minutes later the crew gathered in the lounge and closed the curtains from the cabin.
A steward began. “I found an aircraft mechanic that works out of JFK, but he doesn’t know how to fly. That’s all.”
The senior flight attendant frowned. “Anyone else?”
Everyone shook their heads.
The senior flight attendant crossed her arms and considered her options.
Olivia’s stomach burned as her nerves cut through her patience. “You can’t revive the pilots at all? Did you try smelling salts?”
“We did,” the senior attendant said. “Whatever drug they’re on, it’s knocked them out for good.”
“They were drugged?”
“Someone gave them coffee before we sealed up the cabin and pushed back from the gate. He wasn’t someone from our crew. Yet he wore an Air Global uniform.” The senior flight attendant walked closer to Olivia. “Do you have ATP flight experience?”
“Not right now,” Olivia answered. “I only hold a private license, yet I’m rated for multiengine aircraft.”
“How old are you?” a steward asked.
When adults asked a question like that, they were already judging you as a child. Olivia thought about lying, but didn’t. “Seventeen years old.”
All hope evaporated from the adults. Even they knew Olivia couldn’t do a task like this.
Nadia squeezed her friend’s hand. “I’ve seen this girl land a plane in a raging thunderstorm.” Nadia raised her chin. “I know she can do this.”
Olivia’s spirit lifted. It was a wonderful thing for Nadia to say. But they had almost died in that thunderstorm and Olivia knew it had been a mistake trying to land in a mess like that.
“She’ll have to do it or we’re all dead,” the steward said, losing his cool.
“Juan, I’ll tie you up in a seat right now if you can’t control yourself,” the senior attendant snapped. “We need to focus, people. We must keep the passengers calm so that means we need to be calm. If anyone asks, tell them we have someone assisting the pilot with the radio and we’ll be heading back to Paris. Loren and Samuel? I’ll need your help carrying the pilots to the crew bunk. We must keep them out of sight and comfortable. Is that understood?”
The crew broke up and left the lounge, keeping the curtains shut.
The senior attendant pivoted to Olivia. “What do you need from us? I can sit in the cockpit to assist you if that would be helpful.”
“No, thank you, I’ve got my copilots right here.” Olivia looked at the girls behind her. Nadia and Miyuki nodded.
Emma was distracted, her eyes dancing around the cabin, her arms held close to her body. She was barely holding it together. Olivia wrote her off as useless in the coming crisis.
The girls made room as the two male stewards gently lifted the unconscious pilots off the floor of the cockpit. Olivia came in first and slipped into the pilot’s seat. Her eyes scanned the instruments and the controls. This was the nerve center of the aircraft. The joystick to her left controlled the lives of over five hundred people.
Olivia stopped herself. She couldn’t think like that. Just fly the flipping airplane, love.
Out the windshield, the crisp blue sky was rich with color, with a layer of cotton-candy clouds below them. A gorgeous day for flying.
The weather gave Olivia back some confidence as she slipped the captain’s seat belt straps snugly over her chest and settled in to her new environment. Olivia closed her eyes for a moment and settled her stomach. She opened them. “Right…flight level 320. Heading 314. We’re level. All four engines good. Plenty of fuel, I think. I see the autopilot is engaged. All right, then. Let’s do this flipping thing.”
Olivia twisted in her seat. “Nadia, you’re my copilot. You’ll do radio calls and help me with the instruments. Miyuki? Behind me there should be an operator’s handbook for the Airbus 380. It might be buried under there, but find it. I’ll need you to refer to the diagrams inside to help me find the cockpit switches and displays that I’ll need to land this bird. Emma, you’ll go through the landing checklist and call it out to me when the time comes.”
Emma swallowed. “Landing checklist? Where’s that?”
Olivia rifled through the side pocket next to her seat, found one, and gave it to Emma. Nadia climbed into the copilot’s seat and put on the seatbelt straps. She pulled back her hair and slipped on the headphones. Nadia activated the radio and called out exactly what Olivia told her to say to air traffic control.
The radio crackled back. “Roger, Global 614. We have an Air France 380 captain en route to assist you. Do nothing at this time. We have traffic above and below you clear. Please tell me the name of the pilot and what is her flight experience. Over?”
Nadia hesitated. “Do you want to give out your real name?”
Olivia watched the artificial horizon on the digital panel in front of her. “I can’t. Make up one for me.”
“Amelia,” Emma said.
Nadia shrugged and used the name in her call back to the ATC.
“Why Amelia?” Miyuki asked as she rummaged through all the flight books.
“Amelia Earhart,” Emma said. “That girl who flew around the world.”
“Oh thanks. That was the girl who died, wasn’t it?” Olivia knew the story well. In the 1930s Amelia Earhart flew around the world in a two-engine prop-job with only radio beacons and mathematics to navigate by. She was on the last leg of the round-the-world trip when her plane disappeared over the Pacific and was never heard from again. Olivia hoped they’d have better luck.
It took a while, but Miyuki found the Airbus 380’s operator’s handbook. It was thick. Miyuki opened it up and tried to find the section on cockpit controls. Meanwhile, the French Airbus captain came on the radio and wanted more details on “Amelia” and her flying experience before proceeding. Olivia answered his questions. The French pilot’s voice helped calm Olivia down even more.
“Compared to the previous aircraft you’ve flown, the 380 will respond slower to your inputs,” the French pilot said over the radio. “Remember to be gentle on the contr
ols. Take your time and be deliberate in each action. Remember to think in terms of where you want the plane to be. Stand by for a turn.”
Olivia gripped the joystick and concentrated.
“We’ll begin with a turn to the right. Your new heading will be 014. You will not need to use the flight controls for this. We’ll use the autopilot instead.” The French captain explained where the heading selector was on the auto pilot and Miyuki agreed as she checked it with the manual.
Olivia turned the selector knob to 014 and pressed the execute button. The plane made a gentle turn to the right, doing a complete 180 before stopping when it reached its new heading.
“Good. You’re on course back to the airport. Now we need the plane to descend.” The French captain then gave Olivia step-by-step instructions on how to tell the plane to descend. Soon the computer smoothly guided the large aircraft down to its new altitude. “The system in the 380 is very sophisticated. We’ll use the autopilot to make your approach to the glide slope. Once your plane makes contact with the ILS, the aircraft should guide itself to within fifty feet of the runway. Then you’ll land as you would in a normal aircraft.”
Olivia relaxed. Fifty feet from the runway? Easy landing. It would be just like landing a Cessna. She could do this. Why was she getting herself so worked up?
“Yet remember, Amelia, the 380 is a much larger aircraft. Once you’ve touched down, the aircraft will use a large amount of runway. But that’s all right. Paris has some of the longest runways built for the 380. Still, you will need to use maximum reverse thrust and brakes when you touch down.”
The captain made more adjustments to their heading, altitude, and speed. So far the plane’s computer was handling it well.
“Ten miles out,” the French captain said over the radio. “Your aircraft should be picking up the ILS now.” He then went on to explain how to check that in the cockpit.
Thanks to Miyuki, Olivia knew which screen to check. But an ominous message glowed in red…
AUTOLAND FAULT
MODE N/A
Olivia’s stomach dropped. She knew her job was about to get much harder. She activated her radio. “The aircraft is giving me a warning message.” Olivia repeated the warning to the pilot on the ground.
There was silence for a couple of minutes.
Olivia shot Nadia a worried look.
“Global 614 to Paris ATC. Did you copy our last transmission?” Nadia asked.
The radio crackled. “We downloaded your aircraft’s maintenance log…apparently the auto-landing feature does not work.”
“Oh, that’s brilliant,” Olivia said. “Flipping brilliant.”
“You must use the visual approach slope indicator to make your approach. Prepare to take control of the aircraft.”
Using her shorts, Olivia rubbed off the sweat from her left hand before grabbing the joystick. She placed her right hand on the four throttle levers. Her feet on the rudder pedals. Her heart pounded like a jackhammer. She now gave herself a fifty-fifty chance of dying.
Olivia swallowed and breathed through her nose, trying to calm herself. She switched off the autopilot and the plane released control to her hand. Olivia carefully nudged the stick right and left, keeping the wings level. She nudged the stick forward to keep the aircraft descending. But she watched her pitch angle to keep the massive plane from stalling. If she stalled the plane, they would most certainly die.
Olivia reduced the throttles and the aircraft slowed.
“You’re doing great,” Miyuki said.
“We’ll make it,” Nadia said with confidence.
Sweat trickled down Olivia’s neck. She didn’t dare take her hands off the controls to wipe it off.
The captain came back on the radio. “Seven miles from touchdown. 1900 feet. Speed 230 knots. Your approach is a bit high.”
Olivia nudged the joystick forward, bringing the nose down a little.
“Well done. Six miles from touchdown.”
“We need to go through the checklist for landing,” Olivia said. “Emma? You ready?”
“I guess. What do I do exactly?” Emma asked, her voice cracking.
“It’s easy,” Olivia said. “Start from the top and call out each item, loud. When I say check, push the tab on the list to the right and that marks it as completed. When we get to the end, tell me, okay?”
“Okay, let me know when you’re ready.”
“Go ahead.”
“De-icing system?”
“Check.”
“Um…speed brake?”
“Wait…ah…where is that?”
“Second lever from your right,” Miyuki said, her nose buried in the 380 manual.
“Thanks.” Olivia pulled it. “Got it…I mean check.”
“Spoilers?”
“Where are those bloody…ah. There. Spoilers are armed.”
“Flaps?”
“Flaps…not sure. Let’s put them down to twenty.” She moved the flap lever down. “I’ll ask the captain about that one. Check.”
“What the hell’s that sound?” Emma shrieked.
“It’s the flaps coming down, love. Don’t panic. That’s a good sound. What’s next?”
Emma didn’t answer.
“C’mon, Emma. Focus.”
“Sorry.” Emma flipped the tab over for the flaps, marking it complete. “Um…landing gear?”
Olivia leaned over and pulled down the gear level. Another heavy rumbling sound.
“Please tell me that’s the landing gear,” Emma said.
“Are those the little wheels on the bottom of the plane?” Miyuki asked.
“Little wheels are down with four green lights,” Olivia said.
Emma flipped over the last tab. “That’s it. Checklist is done.”
“Okay. Landing checklist completed.” Olivia watched her airspeed. They were going much slower now.
Nadia keyed the radio. “Global 614 to Paris ATC. Landing checklist completed. Flaps set to twenty. Is that okay?”
“Thanks for reminding me about the flaps, love.”
“Twenty should be fine. Do you see the visual approach slope indicator?”
Olivia could see a series of ultrabright lights just to the left of the large runway ahead of them. She now felt more confident as she keyed her headset. “I see them.” Olivia adjusted her height and pulled back on the throttles.
“Three miles to touchdown. You’re too slow. Apply more power. We don’t want to stall the aircraft.”
“What happens if we do that?” Emma asked.
“At this altitude? Basically, we’re dead.” Olivia nudged the joystick forward and increased the thrust levers.
“Two miles. Speed good. Altitude good. Your heading is—”
Silence.
“My heading is what? Where the hell did he go?” Olivia yelled.
Emma noticed the large 380 operator’s manual sitting on the lower console. She pulled it off.
“Monkey balls! I bumped the radio.” Miyuki grabbed the book from Emma and raced through it to find the radio section.
“You must have changed the frequency,” Nadia said.
“What was the old frequency?” Olivia yelled.
Nadia balked. “I don’t know. It was already set when I sat down.” She looked around the cockpit. “Is there a chart I can look for?”
“There must be one,” Emma said.
“It’s too flipping late,” Olivia grumbled. “I’m one mile from the runway. Just have to go in.” Olivia blinked and leaned forward. With new determination she hurtled the large aircraft toward the crest of the runway. “Better strap yourselves in, girls. Nadia? Get on the intercom and tell the cabin to prepare for landing.”
Emma pulled the seat belt tight across her waist. Miyuki did the same in the jump seat behind the captain. She took Emma’s hand and squeezed. Emma placed her other hand on Nadia’s shoulder. The girl tried to smile and placed her hand on top of Emma’s.
One hundred…a computer voice called out
inside the cockpit.
Olivia knew she was one hundred feet above the runway. The aircraft drifted to the right. Olivia cursed and gave the aircraft more left rudder. The aircraft centered up. The threshold of the runway filled the windshield.
“You’re straight. Looking good,” Nadia said.
Fifty…
Forty…
Thirty…
Twenty…
Ten…
The aircraft then floated a bit above the runway.
“Get down there, you beast.” Olivia pushed the joystick forward.
The aircraft dropped to the runway hard. The nose gear rumbled against the ground. The aircraft shook. Olivia pulled the reverse thrusters to full, and the engines whined. She punched the brakes. “Nadia! Can you help with the brakes? The pedals on the top rudders, press them both.”
With Nadia’s help the jet shuttered as the engines and brakes struggled to bring the large plane under control.
The ground passed under them fast. Much faster than it seemed from the air.
Orange lights glared ominously across the end of the runway. The plane still rushed towards them.
“Olivia?” Emma asked, scared out of her mind.
“I’ve got the flipping brakes and the reverser going full. C’mon, stop, you stupid plane.”
The orange approach lights grew in size.
They weren’t going to make it.
“Hang on!” Olivia stepped on the left rudder and the large aircraft veered hard to the left as it entered a taxiway adjacent to the runway.
Finally, the 380 slowed to a crawl. Olivia put the thrusters back to idle and the engines went down to a slight purr.
The aircraft stopped.
Olivia’s head collapsed against the headrest, her curly hair drenched with sweat. The tension released from her body.
“You did it!” Miyuki launched herself over the pilot’s seat for a hug. Nadia reached in too. Emma came in from the opposite side.
The group hug felt good to Olivia. She needed it. “I was so flipping scared. Oh my God.”
“You were brilliant,” Nadia said.
“Thank you!” Emma said.