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  “Okay, but first there are two things we will need to do. The Bell’s range is about 375 nautical miles, so when you get there you will need fuel. The second is the matter of the flight plan. Here is what I suggest. File a flight plan for Charlie Brown Airport in Georgia. They have JP4 jet fuel there. From there, file a second flight plan that shows you stopping for fuel in Virginia at Richmond Hills Airport. It is a small private airport and they have JP4 fuel. Then, the plan will show you continuing onto my home in New Jersey. When you leave Charlie Brown Airport, go directly to your destination in Georgia. Call me when you arrive and I will calculate the elapsed time to Richmond Hills and call Charlie Brown to say we have arrived. Richmond Hills is very small and they do not check unless asked to. Have you got this entire scenario Colleen?”

  “Yes Sir.”

  “One more thing, I’ll alert Dulles Air Services that you are coming to take the plane today. I will have them make sure the tanks are topped off and everything checked out. There is a credit card in the visor for fuel. When do you want to leave?”

  “As soon as possible; we are at the airport right now. How about after lunch, say about 12:30PM?”

  “I’ll call right away and call you back. What is the number of your phone?”

  “202-555-8287”

  Chapter 28

  Colleen handed the phone to David saying, “It’s all arranged, Senator Land will call Dulles Air Services and have the plane readied for us so we can leave around 12:30. You will have to get me an address for the farm, not an RFD number but a real street address. If that is not possible, I will need two intersecting roads that are close by. I need it for the navigation system. We had better grab a quick lunch here.”

  “There is a fast food restaurant just down the hall and I’m dialing J P as we walk.”

  “J P, it’s me again. What is the street address at the farm?”

  “Do you need it for the navigation?”

  “Yes.”

  “The best I can do is Route 24 and Mountain View Road. That is only a block away. Do you think you can recognize it from the air if you were that close?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Thanks, J P.”

  They grabbed a quick lunch, got drinks to go and stepped onto the people mover heading toward the far end of the terminal where the private planes were.

  Senator Land had told her to ask for Ken Larson at the Dulles Air Services desk in Terminal P. Everything was set for their trip. She should file the flight plan with Ken.

  After meeting with the Air Services’ people and filing her flight plan they walked to the aircraft, unlocked the door, David stowed their bags and climbed in.

  David sat in the right seat as Colleen began her walk around the aircraft doing the preflight. He watched her as she went about looking, touching, opening hatches, peering in, checking oil and in general fiddling with things outside the cabin. Now she entered the cockpit and all David could do was watch as she began to prepare for takeoff, checking gauges, setting the altimeter, turning on the GPS navigation system, keying in data and doing a radio check with the tower.

  Colleen lifted a red switch guard and held the switch on momentarily. From deep inside the aircraft there began a low whine whose volume and pitch steadily increased. With it came the flipping of more switches, a slight smell of jet exhaust similar to a diesel bus, but different and a distinct steady vibration. Slowly at first, the rotor blades began to turn quietly, then with a more pronounced percussion as their speed steadily increased.

  “Dulles Tower, this is Jet Ranger two-niner-seven-Victor.”

  “Go ahead Jet Ranger.”

  “We are ready for takeoff.”

  “Roger that, proceed to pad three and hold.”

  “Roger, Dulles Tower.”

  Now the blades began to turn faster as Colleen moved the throttle forward. She moved the control yoke and David began to feel the aircraft move forward.

  “David, keep a sharp lookout for other planes nearby.”

  “Okay,” he replied, glad to have something to do.

  Colleen moved the helicopter to a large circle on the runway marked in the center with a number 3 and waited.

  “Dulles Tower, this is Jet Ranger two-niner-seven-Victor, we are holding for takeoff.”

  “Roger that Jet Ranger, you are cleared for takeoff. Proceed on a heading of one-eight-zero to an altitude of five hundred feet, then change to a heading of two-one-zero and proceed to an altitude of 1,600 feet.”

  “Roger, Dulles Tower.”

  David was a little nervous as they were about to takeoff. The noise level suddenly increased with whining, thumping and vibrating. As they began to rise into the air, he felt his grip tighten noticeably on the arm of the seat.

  “David,” called Colleen, “Are you watching for other aircraft?”

  There was no answer.

  “David, did you hear me?”

  “Yes, yes, I’m watching.”

  They continued to climb as Colleen swung the aircraft around to the heading of one-eight-zero. Their altitude increased as they moved away from the airport. Thankful, they were not near any commercial jets taking off; David began to relax a bit.

  “Dulles Tower this is Jet Ranger two-niner-seven-victor, changing course to two-one-zero and proceeding to an altitude of 1,600 feet.”

  “Roger, Jet Ranger, at ten miles out, proceed to your cruising altitude and change course for your destination.”

  “Roger, Dulles Tower and thank you.”

  Colleen smiled at David, “We are on our way, keep looking for other aircraft.”

  “How does the navigation work? I mean, how will you know where to go?”

  “It’s a GPS system, very sophisticated. All I have to do is call up a map of Georgia, look on the map for airports and find Charlie Brown. I then put in a waypoint at the airport. Look at this screen, David. See how I can zoom in on the map of the eastern half of the United States? Once I have our whole trip area filling the screen I will put in more waypoints trying to do a straight line from Dulles to Charlie Brown. After that, I will move the cursor to our present location represented by that little black plane and click on it. Now I can zoom in to an altitude of five miles and watch our progress on the screen. I have it set so the map moves and the plane remains in the center of the screen. All I have to do is keep the plane on the line between waypoints, which, it turns out, is a course of two-twenty-five, or southwest. The distance for the trip is 240 nautical miles and we have a range of almost 350 nautical miles, which is a nice safety margin. From here, it will take us a little over two hours to reach Charlie Brown airport so you can relax, but keep a lookout for other planes, especially small ones, as they can come up very fast. You can also watch the radar screen, which is showing everything within a fifty-mile radius of our plane. Do you see that blip right in the corner? That is another aircraft, but he is going away from us.”

  David watched the radar screen and looked out the window for other aircraft. He also looked at the scenery below as patches of green farmland and rolling hills slowly gave way to more mountains as they crossed the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. They were at 3,500 feet in a pressurized cabin, above the highest of the peaks. Colleen informed David when they crossed into Georgia.

  “Charlie Brown Tower, this is Jet Ranger two-niner-seven-Victor, inbound from Dulles International. Request permission to land for fuel.”

  “Roger two-niner-seven-Victor. Proceed on a heading of one-eight-seven and change altitude to fifteen hundred feet. See y’all shortly.”

  “Roger, Charlie Brown Tower.”

  Ten minutes later the tower came back on the radio.

  “Jet Ranger two-niner-seven-Victor you are cleared to land. Use runway two seven and taxi to the large hanger on your left for fuel.”

  “Roger, Charlie B
rown Tower, will proceed.”

  They came in for a smooth landing and Colleen taxied right up to the gas pump.

  “That was pretty slick, Captain,” confirmed David.

  “Thank you, now do you believe I can fly this bird?”

  “Absolutely!”

  She proceeded to do a shutdown of the aircraft and check out several readings in the process. Once the rotors stopped, they got out to stretch their legs and walked into the office at the hanger. It was almost 3:30 PM.

  Colleen gave the attendant the Senator’s fuel credit card and asked if there was a snack bar or some place to get a drink and something to eat. He directed them to a nice restaurant in the front of the building done in an Art Deco airport motif.

  Colleen ordered soup and half a sandwich, while David had a burger and fries. They ate quickly, returned to the office and filled out the paperwork. They filed a flight plan to Richmond Hills Airport as a fuel stop on the way to New Jersey.

  Back in the aircraft, Colleen was changing the GPS Navigation system, resetting the altimeter and checking the mileage to their destination, which was ninety-four nautical miles.

  “David, your friend’s farm is at an elevation of 2,150 feet, pretty high.”

  They went through the preflight check and were airborne a little past four in the afternoon. It would take about 45 minutes to reach the farm and then some time to make sure the landing area was okay before setting down. On the way, they enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the mountains and lakes of northern Georgia.

  At about five miles from their destination, Colleen suddenly made a sharp, almost violent left turn. Below them, moving at over 600 miles per hour and just above tree top level, were two F-15 Tomcats. As they streaked by, David let out a little yell and Colleen’s grip on the yoke tightened significantly. Both jets were almost gone before their sound caught up with the Jet Ranger.

  “That was a little too close for comfort,” cried Colleen as she turned back on course.

  “Wow, this happened to me once before when J P and I were in the boat last summer. We could actually see the pilot as he flew right up the center of Lake Burton. I forgot to tell you they sometimes practice here in the mountains.”

  “David, we are here and I think that’s your friend’s farm.”

  “Yes, yes, that’s it. Do you see that big lawn next to the house? Can you set it down there?”

  As they came closer to the ground, a terrified rabbit ran a zigzag pattern toward the barn. Colleen touched down about a hundred feet from the farmhouse, shut everything down and made an entry in the logbook.

  Chapter 29

  Lake Burton, GA, Brookstone Farm: Wednesday, June 20.

  Brookstone Farm was nestled among soft rolling hills painted with summer colors that spilled into fields of grass overlooking the lake. The sun glistened as canyons reached down to the water and cascaded into distant mountains, each one progressively lighter in color. Beyond the open field stood thick stands of hardwoods and pines shading the lawn’s fringe where a rock-lined stream meandered its way toward the lake.

  Colleen stepped from the Jet Ranger and began to scan the property. The air was distinctly less humid and had a fresh quality about it. Along side the Senator’s aircraft stood a white farmhouse. Behind the house was a red barn, the kind you would expect to find in a Norman Rockwell painting, complete with an old tractor by its side. Built in the late twenties, the house was a definitive example of southern farmhouse architecture complete with metal roof, wrap around porch and a central fireplace chimney through the middle of the roof. Her jaw slackened and a broad grin slowly formed across her face.

  “David, this place is absolutely beautiful. Look at these huge trees by the house, the barn and that sparkling lake down there with a boathouse. It is like we somehow stepped into another era.”

  “I know, it always has that kind of effect on people, seems like we are in the 40’s or something like that. Just wait until you see the inside.”

  Colleen stood on the porch while David reached over the door for the key. As he opened the door, the smell of fresh paint greeted them. They entered into an expansive living room with gleaming pumpkin pine floors and a central stone fireplace. On the right was a staircase leading to a balcony with several doors. Off to the left, the living room gracefully flowed into the kitchen and dining areas. Colleen noted the kitchen was very modern with all the latest appliances and granite counter tops. The cabinets were of knotty pine and blended nicely with the country kitchen look. She casually stood with her hand on the door of the refrigerator and, after hazarding a look inside, was somewhat disappointed by its emptiness.

  “Foraging for food?” questioned David.

  “Well, it’s after five and I was thinking we will need to eat sometime.”

  “There is probably not much food here but there are some restaurants relatively close by.”

  “David, okay, I suppose we will just take the chopper to the restaurant. We never thought about ground transportation. How far is it?”

  “About ten or twelve miles.”

  Colleen was opening the cabinets, looking in each one for something to eat. There were several cans of soup and one unopened box of cereal. David was laughing at her.

  “David, I don’t think it’s very funny. We cannot walk twelve miles to a restaurant and back. It will be dark by then and there are probably some rather vicious, wild animals,” feared Colleen.

  “There are bears and bobcats up here,” replied David with a snicker.

  “David, this is not funny; we are in trouble.”

  “Well, if you do not want to walk we could take the Jeep, it’s in the barn.”

  “The Jeep,” she pounded on his chest, “oh you, why did you let me go on like that when all along you knew there was a Jeep in the barn. I don’t suppose you have the keys to it, do you?” She gave him a hug.

  “Well, you were so cute,” kissing her, “looking in all those cabinets for food; it was like you were on a mission and yes; you will find the keys for the Jeep under the floor mat. Now come, let me show you the rest of the house.”

  Behind the kitchen was a bath and across from it a bedroom. “J P mostly uses this room when he stays here; the upstairs is reserved for guests.”

  Upstairs was a large bedroom with a king size bed. Most likely, this was the master bedroom, thought Colleen. Two large dormer type windows overlooked the lawn as it made its way down to the lake. Through a door on the left was a large bath complete with a Jacuzzi tub.

  “Now this is country living at its finest,” proclaimed Colleen.

  “Yes, J P has done quite a job on this place. He and I worked on it for several summers when we were at Tech. It is only recently that he finished it. Let’s get our things, then we can see about the Jeep and some dinner.”

  Colleen retrieved their bags from the helicopter while David went to the barn to see about the Jeep. It was a bright yellow 1989 Wrangler with extra large tires and a lift kit. David found the keys, pulled out the manual choke and started it. After closing the barn door, he pulled up to the front of the house and parked. Colleen had spread some of her clothes out on the bed and was trying to decide what to wear when David came into the bedroom.

  “David, what kind of restaurant is this? I mean what do I wear?”

  “It’s all casual up here.”

  She took out a pair of tan Capri pants and a matching blouse and held them up in front of her.

  “Those will do just fine. I’m just going to wear my jeans and a tee shirt.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Well, I thought, if we hurry we can just make the 7:00 seating at La Belles restaurant on Lake Burton. It’s family style with big long tables, all you can eat southern cooking and a great view of the lake.”

  “Umm, sounds delicious.”


  They dressed, climbed into the Jeep and roared off. David drove quickly while Colleen held onto the roll bar. The road twisted and turned and sometimes, the road dropped off sharply on the lakeside. Colleen surmised they were following the edge of the lake as it wound its way through the mountains. Sometimes, the road would switch back almost a hundred and eighty degrees then come around again. The foliage was magnificent and occasionally they were afforded glimpses of houses and the lake below as they worked their way along. Soon the terrain began to flatten with open fields off to the right. David slowed as they neared a marina on the left and turned right up a steep drive to the restaurant parking lot.

  Originally built to feed the work crews that constructed Lake Burton and its dam between 1917 and 1919, La Belles has remained a favorite place to eat in the mountains for over ninety years. David explained that you could also go by boat and dock in the marina. On the porch, a half dozen people were waiting, some in rocking chairs and others just milling around or talking in groups. There was a window, somewhat like a movie theater ticket office, where you paid for the meal and received your entrance ticket. The cost was $9.00 per person, cash only and no credit cards.

  They found two empty rocking chairs on the porch and looked out over the lake.

  “I feel like we are ‘Ma and Pa Kettle’ up here sitting on the porch, looking out at the lake,” commented Colleen.

  “Yeah, it has a down home feel to it I suppose. Now I have to warn you; this is southern style cooking and you might find the beans and vegetables are a little more cooked than you are used to.”

  The 6:00 PM sitting was leaving and soon Colleen and David were lined up and walking into the restaurant. They found a seat midway down a long table in the center of the room. On their right was a family of four with two children around nine and eleven and on the left was an older couple in their early sixties.

  Servers brought heaping plates of southern fried chicken, ham, green beans, black-eyed peas, corn, cornbread, rolls and pitchers of tea. Already on the table were plates, silverware, napkins, glasses and tubs of butter. People began digging in and passing plates. Conversation started up as they filled their plates. Tea was poured, one pitcher was sweet tea the other was unsweet. The older couple looked to see which type Colleen took.