Hangar Tales Chapter Two

[muttly]

Hangar Tales

Chapter Two

"Alastairs Adventure"


What a short night. After watchin the Super Bowl and loosin forty bucks
cause the Rams came out flatter than a twenty year old tire I finally was in
the mood for a really rip roarin average everyday Monday. I figured,as I pulled
up to the hangar that it would(hopefully) be a half way decent Monday. I walked
the line checking to make sure that our birds all parked in a row had not had
late night visitors and seeing that they were all safe and sound headed for the
office.
As I finally got the door unlocked,I made a mental memo to myself to get
that locked fixed or changed,I noticed Snoop pullin up on the other side of the
field and figured that I would get a call razzin me about the game and pesterin
me about how much I lost. Sure enough,about 2 minutes went by,and I was startin
to think "maybe he's wrapped up in somethin and I might just be able to enjoy
my coffee in peace" when that train of thought was shattered by the incesent
ringin of the telephone. "Morinin" I said in my best before I've had my coffee
voice. "How 'bout those Patsy's" came back through the wires with a snicker.
"Yeah,yeah all right. you were right and yes I lost forty bucks on the game", I
told him without givin a hint I was smilin all the while.
"I told ya they were gonnna do it",he said with glee in his voice"I told
ya".
"Yeah,yeah wassup? "I asked. "Oh,I wanted to rib ya a little about the game
and see if ya had any free time for me to take you up for a ride?" I took a
look at my calendar to see what I had goin for the day and then realized that I
had two meetings in town today and lookin at the clock realized that I had
better get it in gear and get goin. "Thanks for the invite,but I gotta take a
rain check,got a couple of meetins in town this mornin and this afternoon
otherwise I'd take ya up on the offer",I told him"Hey...Alastair was sayin
somethin last week about goin up and flyin,why don't you give him a shout in
the tower when he gets in and see if he has the coverage to get away,you can
take him up for a spin".
"Your kiddin...Alastair wants to go up?" Snoop asked. "Yup...told me that
over the drink we had after you and I got back from our little hop in the
200,says he loves those old crates of yer's and wishes someday he could fly
one,why not give him his wish"I told him.
"Okay...I give him a jingle.....you gonna be back today or just gonna head
home after your day in town"? "Gonna probably head home...why"? "Just
askin...I thought if you were gonna head home after your trip into town I give
the Mrs a call and set up dinner for tonight and you and Deb could toddle over
for a bite and brew". I thought to myself for a minute and told him"Lem'me give
her a call a little later and I'll touch base with you a little after
lunch...okay"?
Sure...that'll work,talk to ya later then" . And he hung up.
About this time Jake finally showed up and stuck his head in the door and
said the same thing"How 'bout those Patsy's boss" he said with a chuckle. I
told him there was one word in that remark he might want to emphasis,BOSS. "Aw
com'mon"he said"how bad did ya loose"?
"About 40 bucks worth"I said"and I already got the ribbin from across the
field and the guys in the tower are havin a good laugh and besides,am I the
only one that went with the Rams"? "Looks like it",he said. Just my luck and
day I told myself,not only do I gotta go into town and put up with the
beauracracy,but,I am gonna get a whole years worth of ribbin in a week. Oh
well.
"Look Jake,I gotta head into town for a couple of meetins,Izzy is out at the
school finishin his commercial ticket today so he won't be in".
"Okay",what else he said. " Snoops gonna be flyin somethin today and he's
takin Alastair with him.......maybe. Also,when you roll out the 22 for engine
test make sure that you aim the prop wash anywhere but west,I don't want to get
back here and get greated by the wives who live in that direction who just
might have had their wash hangin out on the line and hear how you tested our 22
and found out how good it ran by blowin 3 acres of dirt all over their
laundry..okay"?

"Okay"he said. "Do we do a full power runup on the engines"? "I
wouldn't",I replied"I have some wonders on those new props so just take'm to
about 60% and hold them there for a bit,we're gonna hafta take it easy till we
see how they're gonna hold up".
"Your in charge till I get back",I told him"Tell Mav I said to take the
Phantom over to the range and wring it out since he took the Crusader last week
and the test sheets on the Crusader should be here today so if there are any
adjustments or possible problems,if the sheets get here today,roll it in and
check'em out".
"Right boss".
"And Jake"
"Yeah boss"?
"Try to have a good day while I'm gone", I said with a chuckle as I headed
out the door to face the beaurocrats in their paper pushin world.

Alastair had just checked into the tower and was gettin ready for the
normal Monday ruttie tooties and had just poured his coffee when the phone
wrang. "Tower",he said with that ever present upper crusted British accent.
"Alastair...this is Snoopy....you covered"?
Now Alastair has only been with us a little while so he's not quite up to
speed on the.....shall we say ..slang of the American English language and he
replied"What do you think,I'm sittin in a control tower with a roof on it,I
think that qualifies as covered don't you"?
"No..no.. what I meant was can you get away"?
"Ooohhhhhhhhhh...yeah I think so",replied Alastair.
"Whatta ya mean ya think so,can ya or can't ya"?
"Lem'me see if everybody is on deck...hang on will ya?" replied Alaststair

Snoop was mumblin to himself about somethin when he heard Alastair chime
up "Looks like everybody is here,yeah I can get away...wassup"?
"I'm takin the Stearman up and had asked Mutt if he wanted to go but,he
had some meetins in town and told me that you had mentioned to him you wanted
to go up so I'm askin ya if ya wanna go".
"Sure...I'll be right over" replied Alastair and hung up the phone and
proceeded to get all lined up to head for the wild blue.

Alastair left the tower and started to head over to The Old Hangar just
as a Douglas World Traveler was commin over the fence and he noticed a couple
of other old timers a little farther out on final. He always loved these old
planes,what with their cloth and wood and leather. To him puttin all of these
together and adding the smells of them and mixin it up with the smell of 120LL
and oil was the elixers of all elixers and he quickened his pace to the hangar.
As he rounded the corner the Stearman was sittin out on the ramp,all polished
up with the chrome propeller hub gleamin in the sunlight and the colors lookin
like they were lit up from the inside. Snoop was still inside so Alastair
just stood there takin it all in as the Traveler taxiied up and shut down.
Alastair noticed as the pilot climed out of the Traveler that he had on,in
Alastairs mind, the appropriate attire in the leather helmet and
goggles,leather coat and scarf and gloves along with the knee high leather
boots. The guy was dressed right out of the 20's and it fit the man an the
plane. "Hi...I'm Dennis",the man said " you must be Christopher".
"No sir...my name is Alastair,Chris is inside"replied Alastair
"Hello Dennis,glad to see you could make it "hollered Chris from the door of
the office.
"Glad to be here"replied Dennis"you gonna be able to get me fixed"?
"Sure are...no problem. I got everything to do the job right and the
hangar is ready"said Snoop" I promised Alastair here I would take him up for a
spin and that's where we were headed until I heard you sound off to the tower
that you were on final".
"I'm sorry,Alastair Monk,this is Dennis Simantius" We shook hands at the
introductions
"Well I wouldn't want to ruin your fun in the sun"replied Dennis with a big
grin
"You aren't said Snoop tossin a leather helmet and goggles to
Alastair,"make yourself at home till we get back. I talked to Mutt this mornin
and ribbed him good about the game,but,I didn't tell him you were headed this
way,but invited him and Deb over to dinner tonight.He said he'd call this
afternoon and let me know. I figure if he waffles a bit I'll tell'em then that
your here and he'll materialize at the door before I can hang up the phone"he
said with a laugh.
"Boy...you are a sly one aren't you. How bad did he loose?" asked Dennis
" He's into us in the tower for 40 bucks",Alastair sang out with laugh"and
there ain't no tellin who else he owes" he said laughin a little harder.
"He never half steps does he" said Dennis lookin at Chris
"Nope...and I hope he never does...it would'nt be the same around here if
he got into the habit of doin so",replied Chris
"You got that right"chimed in Alastair
"You guys go head on up and I'll see how much of a pain I can be to your
help Chris"said Dennis,"and its a pleasure to meet you Alastair,hope you enjoy
the ride".
"Same here,"replied Alastair"and not to worry,I have always wanted to fly
in one of these old crates".
Snoop and Alastair headed were headed for the Stearmen and Dennis and a
couple of ramp rats started to push the Traveler into the hangar for some minor
repairs.
"Jump in up front Alastair and get comfy"said Snoop,"we're gonna have a
blast today".
Alastair piled into the hole that contained one leather covered seat with
leather around the rim and a beautifully done wood panel with antique replica
gold tone gauges in it. The smells from the leather and the wood and oil and
gas was almost heady. He doned the leather helmet and got the headset plugged
in and the seat belts fastened and snugged tight all the while listening to
Snoop as he chatted with the guys in the tower and gettin clearance to start
and taxi.
Snoop got the big Pratt and Whitney radial started spinning and it coughed
to life and the noise it made was music to Alastairs ears.
The brakes were released and the old new biplane started to move forward
with the big tundra tires absorbing the bumbs in the ramp.
Alastair was shivering with excitement as they taxiied out across the field
headed towards the grass runway. He noticed the guys over at Phoenix towin a
monster of a plane out to the engine test pad and thought to himself"so this is
what its like as a pilot,to look out and see all this goin on around you and
know that in mere moments you are going to leave it all behind".
He took his eyes off the goins on on the field and started to familerize
himself with the panel and the gauges and where they were when he came across
the engine plaque.
It said the engine was rebuilt at ....gulp... Phoenix Flight Services. He
keyed the intercome and said"Hey Chris......this thing isn't powered by one of
Mutts motors like this plaque up here says it is ...is it"?
"Sure is"came the reply in the headset. The excitement that was there was
now slowly being replaced by terror and fear. Everybody for counties around
knew how well and powerful Mutt's guys built motors and how well they ran. And
everybody knew what those motors could make a plane do also......even Alastair
and his guys in the tower knew all to well the powers of those motors. More
than once they had seen what looked like a sure crash be saved by the engine
literally pullin the plane skyward by brute horsepower and saving the pilot,or
to have to remind a pilot to slow down as he was under 10,000ft and still
cruisin at 300+knts.
"AAaaaahhhhhh.....hhhhow built is the motor?"Alastair stammered into the
mic
"Not to hot",came the reply"but hot enough to have a little fun with",said
Chris with a chuckle.
Alastair reached up and sinched his belts up a little tighter and took what
he was thinkin a last look around as they taxiied to the end of the grass
strip.
Snoop pinged the tower for take off clearance and was told to hold as a
Tri-Pacer was on final. Alastair thought to himself"nows my change to get out
and head for the tower" as he watched the Tri-Pacer settle onto the runway.
A moment later the tower came across the air"Stearmen 497 you are cleared for
take off,pattern is left to right nearest traffic is 197 at 19 miles, winds are
045 at 3. Enjoy the ride Alastair".You could here the chuckling in the
background as the information was given.
"Hang on Alastair,here we go" Snoop shouted into the mic
He had set the park brake after he had centered on the runway and leaving the
brakes set proceeded to run the engine up to full power. Alastairs eyes filled
the goggles as the plane shook with the power of the engine up front and his
hands gripped ever tighter the leather around the edge of the cockpit as the
tail leaped off the ground....and they hadn't moved an inch yet.
Snoop released the brakes and to Alastairs surprise the tail didn't drop an
inch and they shot off down the runway gaining speed at a rate that Alastair
was have trouble comprehending.
They went roaring past the 500ft marker when the nose shot skyward and the
plane started an aileron roll...headed almost straight up.
"YEEEEHHHHAAAAAA" came the shout over the headset as Snoop was havin the
time of his life in the back seat. "How ya doin up there Alastair?" shouted
Snoop.
Alastair had thought all along that this ride was gonna be like the old
barnstormer type country cruise,low and very slow with all the time in the
world to look around. That train of thought was shot square in the ass when he
saw the plaque on the dash and now after.... take off ,it was totally gone.
"Just peachy"he replied...tryin to get his bearings.
"Ol Mutt said he built me a motor and boy did he,"chortled Chris rollin the
plane to the right and the left.
They climbed what seemed like a little and Alastair looked down at the
speedo to see that they were definately clippin right along and Chris had
finally leveled off and things had smoothed out. Alastair couldn't believe
it,they were at 4500ft and it was mere seconds that it took for them to reach
it as now his ass and stomach were attesting to.
"What the hell did Mutt do to the motor",asked Alastair
"He went all the way through it and set it up for air racing pretty much, as
I had told him that it lacked some umph and there might come a time that I
would need it and that a little more scoot would be nice".
" I sure as hell would hate to see his version of a lotta power"Alastair
replied,knowing all to well the meaning of that remark.
"You and me both....he knows how to build'em and how to fly'em and sometimes
I have to admit gets a little carried away with the power bit".
"True...true...but ya gotta give'em credit...he can build one hellava mean
engine if he has to".
They were headed south by southwest and enjoyin the view and the wind in
their faces,"this is what real flyin is all about"Alastair thought to himself.
The symphony of the wind going over his head and the roar of that big motor was
music and it had a beat all its own.
"You wanna take the controls?",came the question in the headset.
"I thought you'd never ask"replied Alastair,knowing well how fond of his old
crates Snoop was.
He grabbed a fistfull of joy stick and placed his feet on the pedals,keepin
her level and feelin the vibration of the engine coursing through her like a
heartbeat that shook his hands and feet,waiting for orders from him where to go
and how fast to get there.
He started to get the feel of the Stearman by gently rockin her back and
forth,first with the stick and then with the pedals. "You got enough control
and power to get her to do the watosi if ya wanna",Snoop sang out with a
chuckle enjoyin the ride and the view.
Alastair took a second and re-checked his seatbelts to make sure they were
as tight as he could stand them and thought to himself"no guts,no glory"and
promptly did a right aileron roll that was so quick it even startled Snoop,who
was braced for just about anything.
"You been practicin when nobodies lookin Alastair"?
"You could kinda say that Snoop....been workin on my private ticket quietly
over a the school and practicin aerobatics on the simulator" ,replied Alastair.

Alastair pulled the stick all the way back and jammed the throttle all the
way to the firewall and sent the Stearman into a huge 9600ft hammerhead that he
turned into a flat spin on the way down and pulled out at 2300 or so feet going
into a quick and tight snap roll to the right.
"I am impressed"said Snoop as Alastair took the liberty to put the hot
Stearman through its paces.
"I always wanted to fly a truely aerobatic plane that was forgiving",said
Alastair,"the only problem is that most of the great ones are not to
forgiving,this ol girl is a treat with the best of both worlds" he sang into
the headset as he whipped into a lamchavok and laughin all the way.
"You ever get tired of landin us lem'me know and I'll put ya on the
payroll", said Snoop
"Your kiddin......right",replied Alastair
"Not for a minute" said Snoop,"you get your private ticket and if you are
tired of keepin track of us you let me know and we'll put ya on the payroll".
Alastair sent the Stearman into a slow left aileron roll never loosing an
inch of altitude and took a couple of seconds to think about it before shouting
into the mic"I'm tired of trackin'em"
"You got a job flyin'em as soon as you got your p-ticket".
Alastair thought for moment and told Snoop"I only got a couple of hours
left,think you can put up with me on the ground that long"?
He looked over his shoulder to see Snoop with a quizical look on his face
and heard him say "Sure,couple hours ain't nothin,we'll get ya some more time
in this bird here and you can solo in her,how's that".
Alastair thought he was gonna explode with excitement,man,outta the tower and
into the sky...in a forgiving hotrod no less,what else could he ask
for......maybe a paycheck...important,but,minor.....at least at this point.

They were all over the sky and all around the county for what seemed like
days to Alastair when he heard Snoop in the headset "Take a look at the fuel
gauge".
He looked down and noticed that they had about a quarter of a tank
left..."Time to head home...uh?" Alastair said.
"Yup,these old crates aren't like Mutts hotrods,they don't do inflight
re-fueling....which is a good thing cause my morining pot of coffee has finally
made its journey through me and is all but beggin to be let out".
Alastair let out a laugh and turned the Stearman for the field.
"You wanna land her?" Snoop asked
"You wanna let me?" asked Alastair
"Think you can do it without bouncin her to hard or to many times?" replied
Snoop
"I can give it one hellava good try"replied Alastair
"Well then do it man.....and hurry it up before the dam breaks and we hafta
learn how to fly and tread water at the same time".
Alastair contacted the tower...to their amazement...and request landing
clearance and lined her up with the runway....the concrete runway as per Snoops
request...to save on the bounces.
Alastair was in his own world as he guided the Stearman over the fence and
right onto the numbers doing a ballerina type landing,first the left wheel and
balance then slowly settle the right one onto the pavement still goin straight
and keepin the tail feathers off the ground for as long as possible until
settling them onto the ground as light as...well a feather.
Snoop was definately impress even though right now he was more concerned with
getting back to the hangar and the mens room as quickly as possible,and was out
of the Stearman just as the stopped in front of the hangar and took off on a
sprint for the can,goin past Dennis like a track star yellin"get out of the
way...commin through" all the way across the ramp.
Alastair shut down the Stearman and was climbin out as Dennis walked up and
said"Well,how'd you like it"?
"It couldn't have been any better",replied Alastair who proceeded to tell
Dennis about the offer and what was up.
"So your gonna join us flyboys hey?" said Dennis
"I'd be stupid not to,"replied Alastair
"Well,let's go celebrate with a drink and see if Snoop made it to the can or
not",said Dennis with a laugh,and they turned and headed for the hanger office.

They spotted Snoop as they came through the door commin out of the mens room
with that super "oh I feel so much better look"as he headed over to his desk to
check messages.
"So your bringin him aboard hey Snoop?",asked Dennis.
"You betcha Dennis,he's been sand baggin us around here. He took the Stearman
and put her....and me though our paces".
"Hey.....I got a message here from Mutt that dinner's a go,You wanna come
over too Alastair?"asked Snoop,"you can call the Mrs. from here and tell her
that she doesn't have to cook tonight".
"Sure why not"replied Alastair as he reached for the phone.
As he was callin Dennis and Chris were talkin about the Travler and the
repairs and all as his wife picked the phone up and he asked her and she asked
what was gonna be served.
"Hey Chris.......what's the menu?"asked Alastair
"Well.......Porter House and ale",replied Snoop"or in her case Porter house
and red wine".
She heard and said fine and would be ready when he got there.
"You gonna tell her tonight?" asked Snoop
"I think so,it will brighten her day a bit,"replied Alastair.
"Not if she knew the shenanigans that go on here and on the other side of the
field",chimed Dennis with a cat that ate the canary grin.
"So who says she has to know"said Alastair"and who's gonna tell her"?
"Whoa,I ain't sayin nada for the simple fact that not only would it rain on
your parade,I would get splattered too",laughed Dennis.
"Well....now that we have it settled that none of the women will find out
about our hijinx here at the field why don't we head out for a steak and
brew",said Chris"after I tell the guys to make sure that they lock and check
everything".
Alastair and Dennis looked at each other and said "sounds like a good idea
to me",in unison
as they turned and headed out to the parkin lot.
Alastair thought to himself how good a day it had been as they were headed
to the parkin lot and as Maverick came screamin by on a low pass over the field
in a black F-4 Phantom with the burners stoked to the max.
He thought to himself"I am now in the air and flyin instead of on the
air,wait'll she hears this",its been one hellava day....and by his standards
the night was gonna be even better.

[muttly]

Hangar Tales

Chapter Two

"Alastairs Adventure"


What a short night. After watchin the Super Bowl and loosin forty bucks
cause the Rams came out flatter than a twenty year old tire I finally was in
the mood for a really rip roarin average everyday Monday. I figured,as I pulled

up to the hangar that it would(hopefully) be a half way decent Monday. I walked

the line checking to make sure that our birds all parked in a row had not had
late night visitors and seeing that they were all safe and sound headed for the

office.
As I finally got the door unlocked,I made a mental memo to myself to get
that locked fixed or changed,I noticed Snoop pullin up on the other side of the

field and figured that I would get a call razzin me about the game and pesterin

me about how much I lost. Sure enough,about 2 minutes went by,and I was startin

to think "maybe he's wrapped up in somethin and I might just be able to enjoy
my coffee in peace" when that train of thought was shattered by the incesent
ringin of the telephone. "Morinin" I said in my best before I've had my coffee
voice. "How 'bout those Patsy's" came back through the wires with a snicker.
"Yeah,yeah all right. you were right and yes I lost forty bucks on the game", I

told him without givin a hint I was smilin all the while.
"I told ya they were gonnna do it",he said with glee in his voice"I told
ya".
"Yeah,yeah wassup? "I asked. "Oh,I wanted to rib ya a little about the game

and see if ya had any free time for me to take you up for a ride?" I took a
look at my calendar to see what I had goin for the day and then realized that I

had two meetings in town today and lookin at the clock realized that I had
better get it in gear and get goin. "Thanks for the invite,but I gotta take a
rain check,got a couple of meetins in town this mornin and this afternoon
otherwise I'd take ya up on the offer",I told him"Hey...Alastair was sayin
somethin last week about goin up and flyin,why don't you give him a shout in
the tower when he gets in and see if he has the coverage to get away,you can
take him up for a spin".
"Your kiddin...Alastair wants to go up?" Snoop asked. "Yup...told me that
over the drink we had after you and I got back from our little hop in the
200,says he loves those old crates of yer's and wishes someday he could fly
one,why not give him his wish"I told him.
"Okay...I give him a jingle.....you gonna be back today or just gonna head
home after your day in town"? "Gonna probably head home...why"? "Just
askin...I thought if you were gonna head home after your trip into town I give
the Mrs a call and set up dinner for tonight and you and Deb could toddle over
for a bite and brew". I thought to myself for a minute and told him"Lem'me give

her a call a little later and I'll touch base with you a little after
lunch...okay"?
Sure...that'll work,talk to ya later then" . And he hung up.
About this time Jake finally showed up and stuck his head in the door and
said the same thing"How 'bout those Patsy's boss" he said with a chuckle. I
told him there was one word in that remark he might want to emphasis,BOSS. "Aw
com'mon"he said"how bad did ya loose"?
"About 40 bucks worth"I said"and I already got the ribbin from across the
field and the guys in the tower are havin a good laugh and besides,am I the
only one that went with the Rams"? "Looks like it",he said. Just my luck and
day I told myself,not only do I gotta go into town and put up with the
beauracracy,but,I am gonna get a whole years worth of ribbin in a week. Oh
well.
"Look Jake,I gotta head into town for a couple of meetins,Izzy is out at the

school finishin his commercial ticket today so he won't be in".
"Okay",what else he said. " Snoops gonna be flyin somethin today and he's
takin Alastair with him.......maybe. Also,when you roll out the 22 for engine
test make sure that you aim the prop wash anywhere but west,I don't want to get

back here and get greated by the wives who live in that direction who just
might have had their wash hangin out on the line and hear how you tested our 22

and found out how good it ran by blowin 3 acres of dirt all over their
laundry..okay"?

"Okay"he said. "Do we do a full power runup on the engines"? "I
wouldn't",I replied"I have some wonders on those new props so just take'm to
about 60% and hold them there for a bit,we're gonna hafta take it easy till we
see how they're gonna hold up".
"Your in charge till I get back",I told him"Tell Mav I said to take the
Phantom over to the range and wring it out since he took the Crusader last week

and the test sheets on the Crusader should be here today so if there are any
adjustments or possible problems,if the sheets get here today,roll it in and
check'em out".
"Right boss".
"And Jake"
"Yeah boss"?
"Try to have a good day while I'm gone", I said with a chuckle as I headed
out the door to face the beaurocrats in their paper pushin world.

Alastair had just checked into the tower and was gettin ready for the
normal Monday ruttie tooties and had just poured his coffee when the phone
wrang. "Tower",he said with that ever present upper crusted British accent.
"Alastair...this is Snoopy....you covered"?
Now Alastair has only been with us a little while so he's not quite up to
speed on the.....shall we say ..slang of the American English language and he
replied"What do you think,I'm sittin in a control tower with a roof on it,I
think that qualifies as covered don't you"?
"No..no.. what I meant was can you get away"?
"Ooohhhhhhhhhh...yeah I think so",replied Alastair.
"Whatta ya mean ya think so,can ya or can't ya"?
"Lem'me see if everybody is on deck...hang on will ya?" replied Alaststair


Snoop was mumblin to himself about somethin when he heard Alastair chime

up "Looks like everybody is here,yeah I can get away...wassup"?
"I'm takin the Stearman up and had asked Mutt if he wanted to go but,he
had some meetins in town and told me that you had mentioned to him you wanted
to go up so I'm askin ya if ya wanna go".
"Sure...I'll be right over" replied Alastair and hung up the phone and
proceeded to get all lined up to head for the wild blue.

Alastair left the tower and started to head over to The Old Hangar just
as a Douglas World Traveler was commin over the fence and he noticed a couple
of other old timers a little farther out on final. He always loved these old
planes,what with their cloth and wood and leather. To him puttin all of these
together and adding the smells of them and mixin it up with the smell of 120LL
and oil was the elixers of all elixers and he quickened his pace to the hangar.

As he rounded the corner the Stearman was sittin out on the ramp,all polished
up with the chrome propeller hub gleamin in the sunlight and the colors lookin
like they were lit up from the inside. Snoop was still inside so Alastair

just stood there takin it all in as the Traveler taxiied up and shut down.
Alastair noticed as the pilot climed out of the Traveler that he had on,in
Alastairs mind, the appropriate attire in the leather helmet and
goggles,leather coat and scarf and gloves along with the knee high leather
boots. The guy was dressed right out of the 20's and it fit the man an the
plane. "Hi...I'm Dennis",the man said " you must be Christopher".
"No sir...my name is Alastair,Chris is inside"replied Alastair
"Hello Dennis,glad to see you could make it "hollered Chris from the door of

the office.
"Glad to be here"replied Dennis"you gonna be able to get me fixed"?
"Sure are...no problem. I got everything to do the job right and the
hangar is ready"said Snoop" I promised Alastair here I would take him up for a
spin and that's where we were headed until I heard you sound off to the tower
that you were on final".
"I'm sorry,Alastair Monk,this is Dennis Simanaitis" We shook hands at the

introductions
"Well I wouldn't want to ruin your fun in the sun"replied Dennis with a big

grin
"You aren't said Snoop tossin a leather helmet and goggles to
Alastair,"make yourself at home till we get back. I talked to Mutt this mornin
and ribbed him good about the game,but,I didn't tell him you were headed this
way,but invited him and Deb over to dinner tonight.He said he'd call this
afternoon and let me know. I figure if he waffles a bit I'll tell'em then that
your here and he'll materialize at the door before I can hang up the phone"he
said with a laugh.
"Boy...you are a sly one aren't you. How bad did he loose?" asked Dennis
" He's into us in the tower for 40 bucks",Alastair sang out with laugh"and
there ain't no tellin who else he owes" he said laughin a little harder.
"He never half steps does he" said Dennis lookin at Chris
"Nope...and I hope he never does...it would'nt be the same around here if
he got into the habit of doin so",replied Chris
"You got that right"chimed in Alastair
"You guys go head on up and I'll see how much of a pain I can be to your
help Chris"said Dennis,"and its a pleasure to meet you Alastair,hope you enjoy
the ride".
"Same here,"replied Alastair"and not to worry,I have always wanted to fly

in one of these old crates".
Snoop and Alastair headed were headed for the Stearmen and Dennis and a
couple of ramp rats started to push the Traveler into the hangar for some minor

repairs.
"Jump in up front Alastair and get comfy"said Snoop,"we're gonna have a
blast today".
Alastair piled into the hole that contained one leather covered seat with
leather around the rim and a beautifully done wood panel with antique replica
gold tone gauges in it. The smells from the leather and the wood and oil and
gas was almost heady. He doned the leather helmet and got the headset plugged
in and the seat belts fastened and snugged tight all the while listening to
Snoop as he chatted with the guys in the tower and gettin clearance to start
and taxi.
Snoop got the big Pratt and Whitney radial started spinning and it coughed

to life and the noise it made was music to Alastairs ears.
The brakes were released and the old new biplane started to move forward
with the big tundra tires absorbing the bumbs in the ramp.
Alastair was shivering with excitement as they taxiied out across the field

headed towards the grass runway. He noticed the guys over at Phoenix towin a
monster of a plane out to the engine test pad and thought to himself"so this is

what its like as a pilot,to look out and see all this goin on around you and
know that in mere moments you are going to leave it all behind".
He took his eyes off the goins on on the field and started to familerize
himself with the panel and the gauges and where they were when he came across
the engine plaque.
It said the engine was rebuilt at ....gulp... Phoenix Flight Services. He
keyed the intercome and said"Hey Chris......this thing isn't powered by one of
Mutts motors like this plaque up here says it is ...is it"?
"Sure is"came the reply in the headset. The excitement that was there was
now slowly being replaced by terror and fear. Everybody for counties around
knew how well and powerful Mutt's guys built motors and how well they ran. And
everybody knew what those motors could make a plane do also......even Alastair
and his guys in the tower knew all to well the powers of those motors. More
than once they had seen what looked like a sure crash be saved by the engine
literally pullin the plane skyward by brute horsepower and saving the pilot,or
to have to remind a pilot to slow down as he was under 10,000ft and still
cruisin at 300+knts.
"AAaaaahhhhhh.....hhhhow built is the motor?"Alastair stammered into the
mic
"Not to hot",came the reply"but hot enough to have a little fun with",said
Chris with a chuckle.
Alastair reached up and sinched his belts up a little tighter and took what

he was thinkin a last look around as they taxiied to the end of the grass
strip.
Snoop pinged the tower for take off clearance and was told to hold as a
Tri-Pacer was on final. Alastair thought to himself"nows my change to get out
and head for the tower" as he watched the Tri-Pacer settle onto the runway.
A moment later the tower came across the air"Stearmen 497 you are cleared for

take off,pattern is left to right nearest traffic is 197 at 19 miles, winds are

045 at 3. Enjoy the ride Alastair".You could here the chuckling in the
background as the information was given.
"Hang on Alastair,here we go" Snoop shouted into the mic
He had set the park brake after he had centered on the runway and leaving the

brakes set proceeded to run the engine up to full power. Alastairs eyes filled

the goggles as the plane shook with the power of the engine up front and his
hands gripped ever tighter the leather around the edge of the cockpit as the
tail leaped off the ground....and they hadn't moved an inch yet.
Snoop released the brakes and to Alastairs surprise the tail didn't drop an
inch and they shot off down the runway gaining speed at a rate that Alastair
was have trouble comprehending.
They went roaring past the 500ft marker when the nose shot skyward and the
plane started an aileron roll...headed almost straight up.
"YEEEEHHHHAAAAAA" came the shout over the headset as Snoop was havin the
time of his life in the back seat. "How ya doin up there Alastair?" shouted
Snoop.
Alastair had thought all along that this ride was gonna be like the old
barnstormer type country cruise,low and very slow with all the time in the
world to look around. That train of thought was shot square in the ass when he
saw the plaque on the dash and now after.... take off ,it was totally gone.
"Just peachy"he replied...tryin to get his bearings.
"Ol Mutt said he built me a motor and boy did he,"chortled Chris rollin the
plane to the right and the left.
They climbed what seemed like a little and Alastair looked down at the
speedo to see that they were definately clippin right along and Chris had
finally leveled off and things had smoothed out. Alastair couldn't believe
it,they were at 4500ft and it was mere seconds that it took for them to reach
it as now his ass and stomach were attesting to.
"What the hell did Mutt do to the motor",asked Alastair
"He went all the way through it and set it up for air racing pretty much, as
I had told him that it lacked some umph and there might come a time that I
would need it and that a little more scoot would be nice".
" I sure as hell would hate to see his version of a lotta power"Alastair
replied,knowing all to well the meaning of that remark.
"You and me both....he knows how to build'em and how to fly'em and sometimes
I have to admit gets a little carried away with the power bit".
"True...true...but ya gotta give'em credit...he can build one hellava mean
engine if he has to".
They were headed south by southwest and enjoyin the view and the wind in
their faces,"this is what real flyin is all about"Alastair thought to himself.
The symphony of the wind going over his head and the roar of that big motor was

music and it had a beat all its own.
"You wanna take the controls?",came the question in the headset.
"I thought you'd never ask"replied Alastair,knowing well how fond of his old
crates Snoop was.
He grabbed a fistfull of joy stick and placed his feet on the pedals,keepin
her level and feelin the vibration of the engine coursing through her like a
heartbeat that shook his hands and feet,waiting for orders from him where to go

and how fast to get there.
He started to get the feel of the Stearman by gently rockin her back and
forth,first with the stick and then with the pedals. "You got enough control
and power to get her to do the watosi if ya wanna",Snoop sang out with a
chuckle enjoyin the ride and the view.
Alastair took a second and re-checked his seatbelts to make sure they were

as tight as he could stand them and thought to himself"no guts,no glory"and
promptly did a right aileron roll that was so quick it even startled Snoop,who
was braced for just about anything.
"You been practicin when nobodies lookin Alastair"?
"You could kinda say that Snoop....been workin on my private ticket quietly

over a the school and practicin aerobatics on the simulator" ,replied Alastair.


Alastair pulled the stick all the way back and jammed the throttle all the
way to the firewall and sent the Stearman into a huge 9600ft hammerhead that he

turned into a flat spin on the way down and pulled out at 2300 or so feet going

into a quick and tight snap roll to the right.
"I am impressed"said Snoop as Alastair took the liberty to put the hot
Stearman through its paces.
"I always wanted to fly a truely aerobatic plane that was forgiving",said
Alastair,"the only problem is that most of the great ones are not to
forgiving,this ol girl is a treat with the best of both worlds" he sang into
the headset as he whipped into a lamchavok and laughin all the way.
"You ever get tired of landin us lem'me know and I'll put ya on the
payroll", said Snoop
"Your kiddin......right",replied Alastair
"Not for a minute" said Snoop,"you get your private ticket and if you are
tired of keepin track of us you let me know and we'll put ya on the payroll".
Alastair sent the Stearman into a slow left aileron roll never loosing an
inch of altitude and took a couple of seconds to think about it before shouting

into the mic"I'm tired of trackin'em"
"You got a job flyin'em as soon as you got your p-ticket".
Alastair thought for moment and told Snoop"I only got a couple of hours
left,think you can put up with me on the ground that long"?
He looked over his shoulder to see Snoop with a quizical look on his face
and heard him say "Sure,couple hours ain't nothin,we'll get ya some more time
in this bird here and you can solo in her,how's that".
Alastair thought he was gonna explode with excitement,man,outta the tower and
into the sky...in a forgiving hotrod no less,what else could he ask
for......maybe a paycheck...important,but,minor.....at least at this point.

They were all over the sky and all around the county for what seemed like
days to Alastair when he heard Snoop in the headset "Take a look at the fuel
gauge".
He looked down and noticed that they had about a quarter of a tank
left..."Time to head home...uh?" Alastair said.
"Yup,these old crates aren't like Mutts hotrods,they don't do inflight
re-fueling....which is a good thing cause my morining pot of coffee has finally

made its journey through me and is all but beggin to be let out".
Alastair let out a laugh and turned the Stearman for the field.
"You wanna land her?" Snoop asked
"You wanna let me?" asked Alastair
"Think you can do it without bouncin her to hard or to many times?" replied
Snoop
"I can give it one hellava good try"replied Alastair
"Well then do it man.....and hurry it up before the dam breaks and we hafta
learn how to fly and tread water at the same time".
Alastair contacted the tower...to their amazement...and request landing
clearance and lined her up with the runway....the concrete runway as per Snoops

request...to save on the bounces.
Alastair was in his own world as he guided the Stearman over the fence and
right onto the numbers doing a ballerina type landing,first the left wheel and
balance then slowly settle the right one onto the pavement still goin straight
and keepin the tail feathers off the ground for as long as possible until
settling them onto the ground as light as...well a feather.
Snoop was definately impress even though right now he was more concerned with

getting back to the hangar and the mens room as quickly as possible,and was out

of the Stearman just as the stopped in front of the hangar and took off on a
sprint for the can,goin past Dennis like a track star yellin"get out of the
way...commin through" all the way across the ramp.
Alastair shut down the Stearman and was climbin out as Dennis walked up and
said"Well,how'd you like it"?
"It couldn't have been any better",replied Alastair who proceeded to tell
Dennis about the offer and what was up.
"So your gonna join us flyboys hey?" said Dennis
"I'd be stupid not to,"replied Alastair
"Well,let's go celebrate with a drink and see if Snoop made it to the can or
not",said Dennis with a laugh,and they turned and headed for the hanger office.


They spotted Snoop as they came through the door commin out of the mens room
with that super "oh I feel so much better look"as he headed over to his desk to

check messages.
"So your bringin him aboard hey Snoop?",asked Dennis.
"You betcha Dennis,he's been sand baggin us around here. He took the Stearman

and put her....and me though our paces".
"Hey.....I got a message here from Mutt that dinner's a go,You wanna come
over too Alastair?"asked Snoop,"you can call the Mrs. from here and tell her
that she doesn't have to cook tonight".
"Sure why not"replied Alastair as he reached for the phone.
As he was callin Dennis and Chris were talkin about the Travler and the
repairs and all as his wife picked the phone up and he asked her and she asked

what was gonna be served.
"Hey Chris.......what's the menu?"asked Alastair
"Well.......Porter House and ale",replied Snoop"or in her case Porter house
and red wine".
She heard and said fine and would be ready when he got there.
"You gonna tell her tonight?" asked Snoop
"I think so,it will brighten her day a bit,"replied Alastair.
"Not if she knew the shenanigans that go on here and on the other side of the

field",chimed Dennis with a cat that ate the canary grin.
"So who says she has to know"said Alastair"and who's gonna tell her"?
"Whoa,I ain't sayin nada for the simple fact that not only would it rain on
your parade,I would get splattered too",laughed Dennis.
"Well....now that we have it settled that none of the women will find out
about our hijinx here at the field why don't we head out for a steak and
brew",said Chris"after I tell the guys to make sure that they lock and check
everything".
Alastair and Dennis looked at each other and said "sounds like a good idea
to me",in unison
as they turned and headed out to the parkin lot.
Alastair thought to himself how good a day it had been as they were headed
to the parkin lot and as Maverick came screamin by on a low pass over the field

in a black F-4 Phantom with the burners stoked to the max.
He thought to himself"I am now in the air and flyin instead of on the
air,wait'll she hears this",its been one hellava day....and by his standards
the night was gonna be even better.