On the Fly
We were two hours out when I said, "I've been picking up a bit of chatter in my head set. Airliners are being diverted from Panama."
"What's happening?"
"One of their petty internal squabbles or our macho Marines in action, I don't know."
"What do we need to do?"
"The first thing we are going to do is land and cancel our flight plan. Then we're going to have a proper breakfast."
"We're almost to the tip of Baja. At least, I think we are."
"I make us about fifteen minutes west of San José del Cabo."
"I got it," she said running her finger down the chart.
"We'll refuel and I'll take my time coming up with an amended flight plan."
"Aztec 99 Alpha Bravo, San Jose, three zero miles west, ten thousand, request clearance."
"99 Alpha Descend to and maintain two thousand."
"Maintain two thousand, 99 Alpha."
The approach was uneventful. It was too early in the day for turbulence to be a problem. As we began our let down, there was little below us but jumbled rocks, dust stirred up by willie-willies and cactus, which steadily grew more detailed. We spotted a couple of dog legs of green and traps of blinding white sand. As we neared the east coast of the peninsula, white crescents dazzled.
"Stupendous beaches," Clarissa said.
I nodded. "Dangerous though. Sharks and undertow."
"I'll stick to the pool then."
"You wish."
"I do wish, Max."
I was too occupied to ask her to be more specific.
"San José, 99 Alpha, two thousand."
"99 Alpha, you are cleared number two. Do you have the Lear Jet in sight?"
"Affirmative."
"Bueno. Altimeter Two-eight decimal seven-seven. Winds calm. Runway zero eight. Affirm gear down and locked."
"28 decimal 77." Gear down and locked." I reset the altimeter.
"Harness tight." I said giving mine a pull.
Clarissa was tense. I was busy but I made time to reach over and give her a pat. As I checked her shoulder harness, I inadvertently touched her breast.
"Anytime, Max." She spoke so softly that I could have imagined it.
"Flaps three zero degrees. Airspeed eight five knots. Looking good. Looking good."
"Flaps three zero degrees. Airspeed eight five knots." Clarissa was beginning to get the hang of it. "Feeling good. Feeling good."
It was one of my better landings. I was right on top of my airplane the whole way through. My flare was just right. It was neither too early nor too vigorous. The main wheels touched at precisely the same moment. By the time that we had finished our landing roll, the Lear was on the ramp.
"Look at all those bizjets, would you?" Clarissa said.
"Home of the rich and famous."
"We're not rich and we certainly don't want to be famous."
"Flaps up," I said.
"Do you often talk to yourself?" she asked out of the blue.
"It's good practice to voice every step that you take. Besides, I hope you are gaining something from my chatter. It would take a load off of me, if you could function as my co-pilot, so pay attention."
It did sound like a lecture, didn't it? I remonstrated with myself. Clarissa would just have to get used to it. Frank had.
Mexican Customs officers were prompt and unbelievably courteous. Is nothing sacred, I thought. Where did the old Mexico go? Even flight dispatch went out of their way to be helpful. I plotted a course paralleling the west coast. Clarissa and I examined alternates and checked the weather all the way to Peru even though we weren't going that far. She was coming along fast.
"Wheels red. I'll drive for awhile if you like," she said as soon as the gear was up. She pulled her seat forward so that she could reach the rudder pedals.
"Hang on for a moment. I want to take you down the Sea of Cortes and give your eyes a treat."
We were cruising at five hundred feet, about a mile offshore, over sparkling blue water fringed by crescents of blinding white sand and spotted with shallow pools of turquoise where Blue whales played with their calves. I made a shallow right turn so that she would have a better view of the decadence below our starboard wing."
"That's Las Ventanas al Paraiso."
"A glimpse of paradise," she said.
"You've got that right."
"I'd love to spend a few days there. Look at that, will you. Three swimming pools and the crashing surf. That's awesome."
"Your little soldiers would be bored silly."
"They'd eat all those expensive shrubs and love every minute of it."
"They'd better save their appetites and we'd better get out of here before someone starts taking pot shots at us."
I pushed the throttles almost to the firewall and we began to climb. At one thousand, I turned towards land.
"Aren't you going the wrong way, Max?"
"You'll see."