San José Many A Day
The following morning, we were hard at work pulling out the pitch linkage and replacing a piece of corroded wire, when a 727 came screaming by. That's American flight seven from Houston," Manuel, our mechanic, said as the thrust reversers kicked in and drowned out all thought of conversation.
"It'd be carrying American newspapers," I said as soon as the aircraft slowed and the thrust reversers quieted.
"Si. Mucho dinero, señor."
About an hour later, Manuel said. "Need two new cotter pins. I get them and you be ready to go."
"We're going to run over to the terminal and pick up a newspaper."
"Okay. See you in ten minutos.
We wandered over and strolled through until we found the news stand. The Dallas Morning News was front and center. I took a glance at the headlines and was reminded of a witticism of my grandfather.
I begin the day reading the obits and if my name is not in it, I get up and make breakfast.
We weren't on the front page. That was the good news.
"No noose is good news," I said as Clarissa and I were hiking across the tarmac.
"What?"
"Never mind. I'll tell you when we're airborne."
"Ready, señor?" Manuel was just about to tighten the cowling, when we returned. It's A-okay. You won't have any more trouble with the prop pitch linkage. Check it out for yourself. Feel how secure those cotter pins are. Everything is ticketty boo."
"Gracias." I stuffed an American fifty in the top pocket of his coveralls. "I've paid your boss for fuel and the excellent ground service. Buy yourself a couple of beer," I said. "And forget we were ever here."
"Like the monkey. Hear no, see no, speak no ah ah."
"Evil," I said. "Malo."
"Si, No evil," Manuel said.
"Un million de gracias."
"De Nada."
Manuel wiped his hands on his coveralls and helped Clarissa up the half step to the top of the wing. He then came around to my side and I stuck my hand out the window. We bade each other a formal goodbye.
"Vaya con Dios, señor y señora."
"Buena suerte," I said all the while thinking that it was us who needed the luck.
He walked around the port wing tip giving the prop a wide berth and gave me the twirling sign. I had already primed number one. It fired in an instant. Number two fired on cue. He gave me the thumbs up. With a whine of hydraulics we made a tight turn and began to taxi. The last I saw of Manuel was his wave as he spoke on his cell phone.
In contrast to my landing of the previous evening, takeoff promised to be relatively uneventful, or so I thought. We were cleared behind a 727.
"99 Alpha. Go around the 727. You are cleared for takeoff."
"99 Alpha Bravo Rolling."
"He must have a mechanical," I said to Marissa.
As soon as we were airborne I got a glimpse of Manuel waving to us. I allowed the Aztec to wallow, waggling the wings gently. A police car with flashing lights had pulled up on the tarmac beside him. Manuel was giving the cop an expressive shrug as only a Latino can.
"99 Alpha Bravo, make a climbing right turn."
"99 Alpha Bravo."
I caught a glimpse of the 727 as it disappeared into cloud heading north.
"That is strange."
"He must have got it fixed in a hurry," Clarissa said.
Cumulus clouds, flat bottomed and still friendly, this early in the day, were popping with regularity in the morning heat. Immediately after making a sharply executed right turn thereby bypassing an impassive volcanic peak, Volcan Irazu most likely but I was too busy to check, I began to catch a free lift from each Cu as we headed east. In five minutes, we caught a peek-a-boo glimpse of the Caribbean Sea, a hazy wedge of blue directly ahead soon hidden as we entered cloud.
"99 Alpha Bravo, two three miles east, ten thousand. Request clearance flight level One Seven Zero."
"Roger, 99 Alpha Bravo. You are cleared to Flight Level 170. Advise One Five Thousand."
"That was almost too easy."
"What do you mean?"
"You often have to wait for clearance because of traffic but not here. I guess they don't have that much traffic."
"I'll take it if you'd like."
"Your airplane."
"99Alpha Bravo. This is Costa Rica Control. Do you copy?"
"Alpha Bravo Go ahead."
"Your mechanic tells us that he has forgotten to put in a cotter key. You'd better return and let him check it."
"Put him on."