Silent Journey by Carl Watson

Author:Carl Watson [Watson, Carl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Chair Press
Published: 2020-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

A New Experience

In the SUV, Scott and Runt sat in the back and Jo-Go and his uncle were up front. The two men started a conversation, and Scott became dizzy trying to understand what they were saying. Finally, he gave up and just enjoyed the countryside.

The California scenery looked nothing like Kansas or Texas. Heavy traffic jammed the freeways and distant mountains marred the horizon. He had never seen a real palm tree before and everything appeared green and colorful.

Soon, they left the freeway and Scott saw a sign identifying a small, dirt road as the entrance to Goen’s Glider Academy. The road took them alongside a narrow airstrip. Near the far end of the airstrip, a small airplane sat in front of a hangar.

Scott leaned forward and asked, “You fly?”

“Yeah!” Jo-Go answered enthusiastically.

“You work on the plane a lot?”

“Yeah.” Jo-Go glanced at him in the review mirror. “How did you know?”

Scott blushed, not wanting to tell him that he smelled like a mechanic, and just muttered, “A guess.”

“It’s called a Piper Cub,” explained Jo-Go. “It gets the gliders off the ground. Near it is the Buggy.”

“A buggy?” Scott raised an eyebrow, wondering if he understood it correctly. He watched the mirror intently for Jo-Go’s lips.

Todd turned around, so Scott could see him. “That’s the trailer, Scott. It’s how we get a glider back to the hangar if it lands somewhere other than here.”

Scott caught the words “trailer” and “hangar.” Both were nestled at the west end of the airstrip near a ranch house.

Jo-Go pointed at the house. “My place,” he explained. “You’re welcome any time.”

Looking back at the hangar, he could see three gliders inside.

The SUV stopped at a white, frame building. It had a weathered sign over a doorway with the word, OFFICE, printed on it. In front was a small parking lot containing a few cars.

A battered, mobile home rested behind the office building. Through an office window, a long, electric cord extended into it.

While Scott and his uncle carried the baggage into the mobile home, Jo-Go went into one of the training rooms in the office building to take over the ground school instructions.

After dropping his stuff on a spare bed, Scott tugged at his uncle’s sleeve and began pointing at the hangar.

“Hey, hold on!” exclaimed Todd. “I’m new at this stuff.”

Again, Scott pointed to the hangar outside. “I want to look at the gliders.”

“Go for it. I’m going into the office. I’ll join you later.”

Scott signed ‘okay’ and headed out the door with Runt close behind.

It was apparent that at one time the hangar had been a barn since it had double sliding doors for the entrance, which were wide open. Scott was absolutely fascinated with the planes.

All three of the gliders were different. The first glider looked tubby. It was a two-seat trainer with wing struts and an extended wing above the pilot’s head. The second one was a long, sleek two-seater. The third glider was a one-seater and the most interesting. Its trim fuselage was bright red with a wingspan about twenty times as long as it was wide.

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