On the Fly
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I cat-napped for about ten minutes but then I began to feel restless and bored. I cranked the seat back to the vertical and began to tell Clarissa jokes. Time was beginning to drag.
Setting my alarm, I read for half an hour while keeping half an eye on the panel. I went over the old report, trying to figure out what exactly the FBI knew."
"One hour and a bit to go and we will be touching down in San José."
Clarissa stretched and said. "Captain's airplane."
"Why don't you curl up in the back seat, wrap yourself in a blanket, put the seat belt over the top of it and go to sleep."
"Wake me when you see something interesting."
About fifteen minutes later, I adjusted the pitch. Clarissa was wide-awake in a second.
"What's up?"
"Eleven o'clock," I said.
"Awesome. Is that part of the sea?"
"It was once. Come up here and I'll tell you all about it."
"I got it. That's Lake Nicaragua. I noticed it on the chart when you were doing your flight plan. It's huge," she said clambering into the right seat.
"I think it's about a hundred and fifty miles long and fifty wide. It was part of the sea once you know."
"I didn't know that."
"Yep, several million years ago, an earthquake raised that whole section. That's why Lake Nicaragua is home to fresh water sharks."
"Interesting."
"Put a present day Pacific shark in that water and it would perish."
"As the lake gradually became less and less salty, succeeding generations adjusted," Clarissa said.
"Take it for a few minutes, I want to review the approach to San José."
I memorized and visualized it. It must have taken me about twenty minutes. Even though San Jose airport is situated in a broad valley, I had to be sure.
"Aztec 99 Alpha Bravo, San José Area Control Over."
"99 Alpha. Go ahead."
"99 Alpha, five zero miles northwest, ten thousand, clearance over.
"Steer 177 degrees. Maintain ten thousand. Altimeter Two niner zero niner."
"177 degrees, ten thousand, Two niner Decimal Zero Niner."
"Twenty minutes to touch down, Clarissa."
"Lovely scenery. So green."
"You steer. I want to orient myself with the chart. This mountainous terrain can be treacherous although the central valley looks benign."
"Aztec 99 Alpha Bravo. Begin your descent. Acknowledge two thousand."
"99 Alpha Bravo."
"Change to 123.7."
"99 Alpha on 123.7"
"Read you five by five."
I eased the throttles, pushed the pitch levers forward and waited for the excess airspeed to bleed off. I selected 20 degrees of flap and held the aircraft steady while the flaps took their sweet time whining down.
"Keep an eye open, Clarissa. I'm going to be busy. I need you to act as lookout."
"San Jose tower, 99 Alpha Bravo two thousand. Gear down and locked."
"Turn ten degrees port. You are cleared number two."
"99 Alpha Bravo."
"Flaps thirty degrees. Gear down and locked."
I noticed Clarissa checking the flap selector and hunting for the instrument. I put my finger on the panel.
"We are going to come in a bit hot," I said. "There are often sudden down drafts and wind shear in the mountains. Both are potential killers."
I began to whistle. I often did that when the going was getting a little hairy. I needn't have worried. I was over the threshold with plenty of airspeed to spare before I eased the throttles off. We floated. I kept my patience as the excess airspeed bled off. I eased the controls back a touch. I didn't lose it until we were about a foot off the deck. A sudden cross wind almost upset the apple cart. Ground effect cushioned us as bumped down about ten feet off the centre line and I tried to hold the aircraft steady with left rudder and right aileron.
"99 Alpha, Welcome to San José."
"Gracias."