Nuclear War Club: Seven high school students are in detention when Nuclear War explodes.Game on, they are on their own.

by Triarii, Colt

  “Check this out!” Doron said excitedly. “It’s an aircraft inspection and repair station!”

  “Whatever.....” Zeke said, clearly nonplused.

  “These repairs make the plane like new for airworthiness,” said Doron.

  “I thought you said these DC-3 were WW2 old,” said Zeke. “Like black and white movies old.”

  “They are, but they are still in use because they were never really improved upon as a non-pressurized, primitive use, aircraft. They can land on rough airfields. The elevated engine mounts provide lots of ground clearance during landing on rough airfields. It’s like a jeep for airplanes. Rugged, simple, designed before electronics. Lousy gas mileage, but we have got all the gas we need!” Doron enthusiastically gushed. Zeke tried to look enthusiastic as he glanced at the old, dusty plane in the crumbling hangar. Ashley was not able to hide her concern.

  “Here are the log books. We hit the jackpot, two DC-3s,” Doron excitedly explained.

  “And it gets better.......this was an Airframe and Power plant mechanic station! And they had a C-47, a structurally reinforced, heavy duty, military version of the DC-3, Flight Instructor training manual and a WW2 film records onto a DVD “Troop Carrier Airplane-Cockpit Procedures-89th Troop Carrier Group Headquarters”!”

  David ran into the hangar, joining Doron, Zeke, and Ashley at the planes..

  “Excited?” Karen said to Doron.

  “We can fly home if these planes run,” David interjected, “and avoid firefights and ambushes!”

  “Anyone ever fly one?” asked Karen.

  “No,” David replied.

  “Have you ever flown any plane?”

  “Well, not actually. Lots of computer sim though. ”

  “David, my daring, courageous, husband, we have a plane no one has ever repaired or inspected , and pilots who have never flown any plane,” Karen said.

  “Well yes, but you make it sound so dangerous!” David laughed.

  “Three steps. First, you and Doron study the preflight checklist, particularly fuel inspection. Second, you study the flight operations book, memorize the landing and stall speeds. Third, no passengers-certainly not our Samuel- until you have survived ten takeoffs and landings,” Karen said.

  “How do you know this?” Doron asked. Maybe she had been a pilot, he never would have thought she was a sniper.

  “When we worked at the ranch in Montana the owner had a couple of Cessnas we used to look for cattle, and drop off hay to them in the snow. He always said if you knew the stall speed, and made sure you never dropped below that even if you had to point the nose to the ground, you could survive anything,” Karen said.

  114.

  David was so excited he had to force himself to stop for sleep and food. Prepping the DC-3 for flight, and learning the pilot procedures was intellectually addicting. He found the portable metal flight ramp and inspected every inch of both aircraft. The silver DC-3 had just passed its annual inspection and was full of fuel. He drained all the contaminants from the fuel after only two gallons.

  The next day Doron and David spent hours simulating take offs and the preflight without starting the engine. Two days later they graduated to landings and midflight engine shutdowns simulations.

  David stayed up every night watching the thirty four minute WW2 training film TF-1-33 “Troop Carrier Airplane-Cockpit Procedures”. He watched the DVD over and over in the cockpit, as he touched each instrument. Karen, Samuel and K-Bar started spending the night with him in the plane, sleeping in the cabin.

  Karen sat in the right copilot seat, and would stop the DVD and ask where an instrument was located. Samuel and K Bar lay on a sleeping bag near the cockpit. They slept in the DC3 every night with David.

  On the fourth night, when Karen was hooking up the DVD player, Samuel was sternly explaining flight procedures to K-Bar as he held his toy airplane:

  “Flaps down, and locked”

  “Check”

  “Pressure up, five hundred pounds!”

  David and Karen couldn’t stop laughing. Samuel had not only memorized parts of the soundtrack, he mimicked the voice inflection.

  _______

  “We have to simplify,” David said to Doron.

  “We will have to ignore most of the gauges and focus on airspeed, flaps, fuel status, and landing gear” David said.

  “Why?” asked Doron.

  “It’s just too much, its information overload, without more experience. If we have rpm and keep the airspeed above stalling, we will do ok. If we do not have rpms and airspeed, we are road kill,” David explained. “We will never need the autopilot, for example. But Doron, you can learn what everything else is and does,” said David.

  “What about navigation?” Doron asked.

  “Forget it, we have no GPS or even old radio beacons like the book uses. It will be all IFR, I Follow the Road. We will just follow the Interstate,” David said. “We have got to simplify this.”

  “Plus if the engine dies, we have a runway in sight,” David added.

  115.

  “David , have you noticed Ashley and Doron?” Karen asked in the DC-3. If she wanted to see David, that’s where she had to go.

  “What do you mean?” asked David, distractedly.

  “Ashley has fallen for Doron and I think he reciprocates.”

  “Reciprocates?”

  “Reciprocates, that is Doron returns Ashley’s feelings,” Karen said.

  “Who would have thought, after Doron deserted Ashley?” David wondered.

  “Actually, it makes sense,” Karen said, staring at the cockpit gauges.

  “How?” asked David.

  “Both Ashley and Doron are madly in love with themselves,” Karen explained.

  “There are physical, financial, and practical benefits to marriage even if you only love yourself,” Karen continued. “Doron is a genius, and will be a great provider, Ashley is attractive, supportive, and intelligent.”

  “But without a spiritual component between the man and woman, it may be only marriage until you can upgrade to someone better,” Karen said.

  “But, there is not a lot of people for either one to choose from, so that could help keep them together,” she added.

  “So you are against them getting married at their age?” David asked.

  “Oh, no,” said Karen. “You can be 17 and self-centered or 40 and self-centered. They will probably grow to love each other,” said Karen.

  116.

  Zeke connected the pole to the front of the DC-3 and began pulling the truck forward, slowly, at a crawl pace.

  “Check the tires and brakes while Zeke is moving the DC-3,” Doron shouted. David and Doron looked on either side of the tires, which rolled easily. Doron had marked where he wanted Zeke to pull the plane, facing south on runway eighteen.

  The wind moved the ailerons slightly, and Doron wished he had blocked them. He had warned Zeke that if the plane took an up gust while towing, to jump off the truck.

  Doron marveled at the DC-3. It literally took his breath away. In the hangar, it was just a museum piece Outside, the plane seemed alive and vibrant.

  “It’s just a machine, Doron,” he said to himself. But it was not just a machine. This was a flying vessel, airworthy. Something about being on the tarmac brought it to life. It was like a thoroughbred ready to run. Doron locked the ailerons, then climbed back down and chocked the wheels. Everyone had gathered around the door at the rear of the plane.

  Doron waved everyone onboard, except Zeke, who was on guard duty. They were rarely all in the same place at the same time. Liu, Mike, Chloe, Brad, Cheryl, Samuel, Ashley, Karen and K-Bar. David waited by the door while everyone filed in, then entered and walked to the cockpit. Doron waved for David to sit in the left seat, the Pilot in Command seat.

  The aircraft was set up for cargo and parachute drops, stripped bare to the floor. Karen sat against the fuselage, and Samuel crawled into her lap. Mike and Chloe sat across from her, by Brad and Ch
eryl. K-Bar curled on the floor next to Samuel. Ashley leaned against the bulkhead as Zeke opened and shut the rear entrance door. They sat there for a long time.

  These were good people, Doron thought, as he looked around. Beaten down, battered, weary, but survivors. He choked back tears, as he realized they may actually make it to Alabama. He noticed Chloe’s eyes misted also.

  Doron had never realized the daily, subconscious burden that every day death was imminent, even probable. Get in enough firefights and death was not merely likely, it was inevitable. He watched Karen hug Samuel and K-Bar, wiping off her face.

  “So, what do you think?” David asked. He seemed surprised they were still just sitting there.

  “We are doing our passenger simulations,” Chloe said, smiling.

  117.

  “Tomorrow we will do engine warm ups, so everyone has to stay away from plane. We can’t see under the engines from the cockpit, and the propellers will kill you,” Doron explained at dinner. “The propeller blades move so fast you can’t see them.”

  “I will keep the kids in the hangar,” said Chloe. “They can watch from the windows.”

  “We will blow the whistle twice each time before we start the engine,” Doron continued, “and we will yell the word ‘Clear!’”

  Chloe had made spaghetti, the top favorite, and everyone ate in silence. The excitement was contagious. It’s like they were going on a sea voyage, Doron thought. After dinner, Karen started reading Swiss Family Robinson to the kids around the campfire at the edge of the open hangar. Doron motioned to David to step outside.

  “I have asked Ashley to marry me. She said yes, and we want you to do the ceremony,” Doron explained as they scanned the perimeter.

  “Why me?” asked David.

  “Granted, you are not much, but you are the closest thing we have to a ship captain,” Doron explained.

  “Why not wait until we get to Alabama?” David asked.

  “We may not make it to Alabama. This DC-3 with brand new self-taught pilots is the worst possible solution, except for every other solution,” he said. It was quiet for a few moments, as they scanned to horizon unconsciously looking for movement.

  “Doron, marriage is a big step,” David said.

  “It’s serious,” David continued. “It’s putting her first.”

  David paused, but Doron didn’t seem to react.

  “Bottom line-are you willing to die for her?” David pressed.

  David paused, this was not a rhetorical question. But Doron didn’t say anything.

  “If yes, get married,” David paused.

  “If not, don’t. It’s that simple,” David said, looking Doron in the eye.

  Doron felt an uncontrollable anger surge through him at the question.

  “Who does David think he is?” Doron thought.

  Wait, Doron thought. It is a fair question.

  And David wasn’t just talking, he had been willing to die for Karen, he had seen it.

  “Yes, I am willing to die for Ashley,” Doron said.

  “You weren’t before,” David stabbed.

  Sadly, that was also a fair question. An obnoxious, hateful, question, but fair, Doron thought.

  “What has changed?” David asked.

  “I have grown, changed. I really love her, David. At first I thought she was just a cheerleader, but she is actually very smart, clever, a great companion. She is just interested in different things. She makes me feel loved and respected. We are both very different people than just a few months ago at school. She has forgiven me, and we are ready to get married,” Doron said.

  “You know you can’t get married just because you are sorry for what you have done before?” David said.

  David waited, it was not like Doron to listen without responding.

  “You aren’t doing that are you Doron?” David asked, coaxing a response.

  Doron paused, he had never really thought of it that way.

  “No, I want to get married to Ashley,” Doron finally said..

  “OK, what do you two want in the ceremony?” David asked.

  118.

  The days slipped into another week as Doron and David methodically studied the Flight Instructor Manual. Now they could instantly recite the training film checklist, and reach each flight control instrument blindfolded, by touch. The preflight checklist and engine warm ups were now routine. Doron methodically checked the engines after each test start, and had figured out how to charge the batteries using the truck alternator.

  “Today’s the day,” said Doron. “Clear sky, slight wind.”

  “The Wright Brothers flipped a coin for the first flight,” said David, flipping the coin.

  “Heads or tails?”

  “Tails,” said Doron.

  It was tails, so David headed to the right seat.

  “No, I won. That means you are the pilot in command,” said Doron. David had a palpable, physical hunger to be the command pilot in the left seat. He grabbed it quickly without even a pretense of hesitation.

  “But why?” asked David.

  “You have superior reflexes and motor skills. Your Dad was a pilot and probably you learned things about flying you don’t even remember learning around the table at home,” Doron said.

  “But most importantly, the Captain has to go down with the ship, while I can bail,” smiled Doron.

  David also knew Doron was a speed reader and if they got into trouble he could scan the Flight Manual while David flew, but not vice versa.

  David started the engines and started the preflight run up, using the checklist. He set the altimeter at the ground level indicated on the map. When the run up was completed, he released the left brake as the plane rotated right. When the plane was aligned on runway eighteen, he scanned the skies for other planes like the book said. He smiled at the irony, what were the odds ? He moved both throttles forward and released the brakes.

  The DC-3 lumbered down the runway, slowly gaining momentum. David carefully watched the airspeed indicator, then gently pulled back on the yoke, and eased the nose level. They were about midfield. David felt the wheels clear the runway. Doron immediately began the wheel retraction, following the procedure in the training film.

  He eased back on the yoke, carefully watching the airspeed. The plane quickly gained altitude. He flew straight and climbed to 9,000 feet until they crossed the I-25 and I-70 intersection. This DC-3 was a powerful, well balanced, stable aircraft. He banked left and tried to maintain the same altitude during the turn, but gained altitude, overcompensated and then lost altitude.

  “Watch the level gauge and tell me if I am maintaining altitude during the turn,” David said. He practiced making S turns across I-70 as the book required, then reduced power and dropped to 7,000 feet indicated while trying to keep airspeed constant.

  “Your turn,” David said. “Climb to 9,000 indicated.” Doron increased power but pulled the yoke too quickly and airspeed dropped.

  “Point the nose down a little,” David said. Doron practiced turns across I-70, then said “Your plane, let’s see if you can land.”

  David spotted the field and tried to enter the pattern on the downwind leg, while adjusting his altitude. He practiced patterns around the airfield. They were wobbly, and sloppy, but he had the altitude right. He then turned left on the base leg and Doron began lowering the landing gear.

  As David turned onto final approach he lowered the flaps and checked his airspeed. He wanted to be fifty feet over the numbers at the end of the runway, but he was high, probably one hundred feet. A landing is a stall on the runway, his Dad had said. He cut the power, and nosed the front down. Carefully keeping the airspeed above the stall line on the airspeed indicator, he reduced the power as the DC-3 sank. Before he expected, the tires hit, they bounced, and he killed the power. He had not compensated for the upward angle of the DC-3 when landing.

  It was not pretty, but plane and crew were unharmed. And they had at least another fifty feet of runway le
ft when they stopped.

  At dinner, Samuel was playing with his toy airplane, and when he landed, he bounced the plane. Doron thought it was hilarious.

  “It was a nice hop. It’s called the kangaroo landing maneuver,” Doron dead panned.

  “Actually Samuel, the plane is not supposed to bounce. That’s something I will get better at. The plane should land like this,” David said, demonstrating.

  Doron and David had taught themselves to fly a DC-3, and had taken off and landed. The Nuclear War Club was proud. He didn’t show it, but David was even more impressed, bounce and all.

  119.

  Karen had demanded ten take off and landings before David and Doron could fly with passengers. Today they would finish the last three. She was beginning to think David and Doron could do this.

  Both David and Doron could take off and land from both seats. The landings were smoother, and slower, as they became proficient in using flaps. More importantly, they both began to have a feel for any unusual flight conditions. David told her they knew what the plane was supposed to feel like.

  Doron had rigged up a manual pump, and fuel filter using white sheets. They filled empty five gallon containers with fuel and topped off the tanks.

  “Tomorrow we will fly south on I-25 until we get to New Mexico, then turn left, which is East, on I-40,” Doron explained at dinner, using his Rand McNally Road Atlas.

  “If the weather gets bad we will land on the interstate or preferably a secondary road or airport,” Doron continued.

  “How much can we each carry?” Karen asked.

  “No more than one hundred pounds per person per adult, fifty pounds per child. Zeke has set up the scales here.”

  “Remember we have to carry our guns, ammunition, tents, backpacks, and one motorcycle. I need everyone to bring their binoculars and look out the windows as we fly. And we can get more supplies if needed when we arrive,” Doron said.

  Chloe and Karen cooked all the food as tomorrow most of it would be left behind.