CloudDancer
Registered User
L. Ronstadt - J. Ingram Duet
Chapter One - Is that One Stuffs....or Two??
I’m pretty sure it was late spring, maybe around the third week of May or even the end of the month. The sun was staying up pretty late but there were still snow patches scattered around town and the surrounding countryside.
The tinny jangling ring of the old 1950's over-sized black phone had jolted me from a pleasant afternoon daydream. Grabbing for the receiver occurred simultaneously with my black leather dingo boots falling off the edge of my boss’s desk and “klunking” to the dirty brown and broken linoleum tile floor.
The woman on the phone from Kivalina was asking for a price to move herself, husband and two small kids and another lady over to Noatak.
As usual I quoted 1.6 hours of flying time. (A Kivalina round trip always being quoted at 1.3 hours with an extra 3/10's thrown in for a stop at Noatak). But the big question is always “How much STUFFS you guys got”.
Now....if you are unfamiliar with village travel, the word “STUFFS” is a general word that covers everything from the dark green Hefty Plastic bags (generally used in the Lower 48 for lawn clippings and stuffing with dead leaves in early November) which are known throughout Alaska as “village Samsonite”, to anything up to and including steamer trunks and whatever may fall in between.
Ergo....the amount quoted (this varies from “no stuffs” through “a FEW stuffs but not TOO many” right on up to “Lotta’ stuffs too!”) along with the conviction in the tone of the prospective passenger conveying the information....along with any personal experience with the passenger(s) if you already know them pretty good; is then quickly analyzed by the pilot to determine whether taking the “big plane” (the 207) or whether you can get away with taking the 185 which is twenty dollars per hour cheaper for the customer (not to mention WAY more fun for YOURS TRULY!!)
The answer comes back in a fairly NON-committed sounding “A FEW stuffs.....”. :-? And, knowing that if I can get THEM to commit....then they can’t get mad at me later if I SEE all their STUFFS and say “NO. Now you KNOW that is too MUCH!”
So I . “So....maybe I should bring the BIG plane if you’re not too sure about your stuff.” To which she responds “How much MORE it will be”. And upon hearing the new higher price she is now much firmer in her conviction that all their stuffs SHOULD fit, especially since the two kids are SMALL she adds hopefully.
Upon her assurance that they are waiting with cash (and STUFFS) in hand, I tell them I’ll be there in an hour or less and drop the receiver back into the phone cradle with a resounding “THUD!”
Jumping up I grab my neon orange nylon windbreaker with the company’s name and the picture of a Cessna 207 embroidered across the back pulling it on as I skip down the wooden stairs and trot across the gravel lot to where the 185 sits.
In five minutes the preflight is done. I grab the left windshield post and the top of the pilot’s chair and, folding myself in half slide quickly into the left seat. As my right hand reaches down for the seat latching bar under the center of the seat my left reaches for the black tubular V-brace above the glareshild and in a matter of moments, a few fluid and flowing movements have locked the seat full forward, clipped the golden-brown soft cloth combination seat-belt/shoulder harness into place and closed the left door while at the same time both popping the plexiglass window open and locking the door from inside.
Mixture, prop, throttle BOOST -throttle out and rotate the key to the right......
GGGGRRRRRR.......GGGRRRR......GGGGRRRR......DAMN!
more to come tonight. Just wanted to put something up for you good folks to your curiosity a little...
CloudDancer
I’m pretty sure it was late spring, maybe around the third week of May or even the end of the month. The sun was staying up pretty late but there were still snow patches scattered around town and the surrounding countryside.
The tinny jangling ring of the old 1950's over-sized black phone had jolted me from a pleasant afternoon daydream. Grabbing for the receiver occurred simultaneously with my black leather dingo boots falling off the edge of my boss’s desk and “klunking” to the dirty brown and broken linoleum tile floor.
The woman on the phone from Kivalina was asking for a price to move herself, husband and two small kids and another lady over to Noatak.
As usual I quoted 1.6 hours of flying time. (A Kivalina round trip always being quoted at 1.3 hours with an extra 3/10's thrown in for a stop at Noatak). But the big question is always “How much STUFFS you guys got”.
Now....if you are unfamiliar with village travel, the word “STUFFS” is a general word that covers everything from the dark green Hefty Plastic bags (generally used in the Lower 48 for lawn clippings and stuffing with dead leaves in early November) which are known throughout Alaska as “village Samsonite”, to anything up to and including steamer trunks and whatever may fall in between.
Ergo....the amount quoted (this varies from “no stuffs” through “a FEW stuffs but not TOO many” right on up to “Lotta’ stuffs too!”) along with the conviction in the tone of the prospective passenger conveying the information....along with any personal experience with the passenger(s) if you already know them pretty good; is then quickly analyzed by the pilot to determine whether taking the “big plane” (the 207) or whether you can get away with taking the 185 which is twenty dollars per hour cheaper for the customer (not to mention WAY more fun for YOURS TRULY!!)
The answer comes back in a fairly NON-committed sounding “A FEW stuffs.....”. :-? And, knowing that if I can get THEM to commit....then they can’t get mad at me later if I SEE all their STUFFS and say “NO. Now you KNOW that is too MUCH!”
So I . “So....maybe I should bring the BIG plane if you’re not too sure about your stuff.” To which she responds “How much MORE it will be”. And upon hearing the new higher price she is now much firmer in her conviction that all their stuffs SHOULD fit, especially since the two kids are SMALL she adds hopefully.
Upon her assurance that they are waiting with cash (and STUFFS) in hand, I tell them I’ll be there in an hour or less and drop the receiver back into the phone cradle with a resounding “THUD!”
Jumping up I grab my neon orange nylon windbreaker with the company’s name and the picture of a Cessna 207 embroidered across the back pulling it on as I skip down the wooden stairs and trot across the gravel lot to where the 185 sits.
In five minutes the preflight is done. I grab the left windshield post and the top of the pilot’s chair and, folding myself in half slide quickly into the left seat. As my right hand reaches down for the seat latching bar under the center of the seat my left reaches for the black tubular V-brace above the glareshild and in a matter of moments, a few fluid and flowing movements have locked the seat full forward, clipped the golden-brown soft cloth combination seat-belt/shoulder harness into place and closed the left door while at the same time both popping the plexiglass window open and locking the door from inside.
Mixture, prop, throttle BOOST -throttle out and rotate the key to the right......
GGGGRRRRRR.......GGGRRRR......GGGGRRRR......DAMN!
more to come tonight. Just wanted to put something up for you good folks to your curiosity a little...
CloudDancer