It Has to be Fate Pt. 04

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Mica relayed all the things he had learned to Melissa, Dawn, and Bill on the way to the boat. The owner wanted a fast sale, he was a PanAm pilot who could no longer pass his Flight Physical Exams. He was being retired and could no longer afford the house as a second home. There was a boat included if wanted. It was a three bedroom 3 ½ bath house and a garage with a guest cottage above it all on two and a half acres of island, it had city water and sewage, and a boat. The asking price for a quick deal was $85,000 with the boat.

Melissa looked at Mica, "Wow! That sounds wonderful. What did you tell the realtor?"

"I told him to get independent appraisals on everything , property, and boat. If he could get it done by then and if everything checked out I would make an offer this afternoon.

"Wow, you are in a hurry aren't you?"

"Yeah, he has an offer already but it is only for $55,000. The owner has until tomorrow to make up his mind, I am going to offer $65,000 if everything checks out."

Bill said, "Mica that place looked like a dream house, really nice landscaping and everything." Dawn agreed.

They pulled into the marina and parked near the boat belonging to the club. Allison walked over to meet them. Mica greeted her and told her that Melissa and he were not going because they were going to make an offer on a private island and they needed to check some things out.

Allison laughed, "There is only one place I know of that fits your description. That is Larry Bagley's place. He is desperate to sell quickly. I know Larry and Janette, his wife, very well, they are dear friends of mine. I know what he needs to get out of the place. He stole it when he bought it and hasn't put a lot more into it. The boat is first class, but he bought it right too. Farrell Downs offered him $55,000 for it and that is a decent offer. Larry hates Farrell and would jump on a close offer."

"We haven't even looked at the place yet, what do you think of it?"

"You both will love it, I do not think there will ever be a better private island available for any price. They do not exist. If you are really interested I think I can close the deal for you and save him the real estate commission. Would you like for me to call him. We can all run over there in my boat and you can see the place."

Dawn said, "Let's go, it sounds too good to be true." Everyone agreed it was worth looking at the island. The crew knew the place and had been there before. As the cruised along on the way, Allison said, "Did you say you are a pilot Mica?"

Mica grinned, "Actually, I am a pilot, Melissa and Billy are pilots too. Why do you ask?"

"I asked Because Larry has a wonderful airplane for sale too! I think he called it a Cessna 195. He says it is as well equipped with instruments and equipment as an airliner. Tony and I went with them to Miami and back one day. It was a lovely trip, very smooth and comfortable. If you are interested ask him about it."

It was about fifteen minutes later when the boat eased along side the dock in front of the large home surrounded by crystal-clear waters you could see every detail on the bottom. They were greeted by Larry, the owner, an older man. Larry explained his predicament and showed them the house and grounds. Melissa was very excited by the place. Dawn and Melissa whispered together constantly as they were shown around. The boat was a 32-foot Prowler, twin diesel sports fisherman, in excellent condition.

Larry took Mica and Melissa aside and told them that he thought that they were just who he was looking for, a young couple who would love and appreciate the house and boat he loved so much. Melissa asked about the plane, he was surprised to discover that they were both Marine officers and that Melissa was a private pilot. She wanted to know all about the plane.

Larry said it was a wonderful plane, he said that he found that four hour legs worked out fine for him. That took you 550 nautical miles with a nice reserve and was about as long as the average bladder lasted anyway. He said it had a fresh top overhaul on the engine and new radios, including one of the new Omni-range navigation receivers with glide slope indicator. It even had an auto-pilot.

Melissa was more excited about the plane than she was about anything else. She led Mica off by themselves and said, "Oh Honey, can we afford all of this? Everything is perfect. The 195 has always been one of my dream planes. It is only a few years old and he is almost giving it away." She searched his eyes, "Can we do it?"

"What do you want? All of it?"

"Yes, it will be perfect for us, lots of room, beautiful, quiet, private, and secure. With the plane it is only eight hours from home. I think it will become 'home' very quickly. I know you love everything too. Can we do it?"

"Sure, we can do it if we want it. Let's go talk with Larry."

They found Larry and discussed everything with him. They reached an agreement very quickly and both parties were happy with the agreement. The whole deal was contingent upon everything passing a certified survey as to condition. Larry said they could take possession as soon as the money changed hands. Mica said he would write him a check as soon as an agreement could be drawn up by an attorney.

They shook hands and Larry grinned and said that all he was taking was his personal possessions and his toothbrush. Then he sobered, "I am very happy about this, I hate leaving here but I can't travel much longer, I have only a few more months left to live, I need to get my wife settled in our home in Miami. She stayed here most of the time. I have a caretaker and his wife who has been living in the apartment above the garage, they are jewels, he maintains everything for me and she keeps house for Janette, my wife and I for a minimal cost. You might want to keep them on at least for a while until you get used to things."

"Tell them nothing will change for now if they will agree to stay on, OK. I have to be back in North Carolina Monday Morning and I may be a while before I get back."

The older man grinned, "If the bank can wire your bank this afternoon and get a wire clearing your funds you could fly the Cessna back to North Carolina in about eight hours with a stop in Jacksonville for fuel. Leave your car here until you get back."

Melissa screamed, "YES! Oh! Yes! How far are we from the Marathon Airport?"

"Right at twenty miles. I have thought about putting amphibious floats on her. They would slow her down about 7 knots I think and cut way back on the useful load. The ramp here has handled Repubic Seabee amphibs before.

"I never thought the losses In speed and load outweighed the gain in thirty minutes on this end." He looked at both of them, "Do either of you have time in radial engines or tail draggers?"

Melissa giggled. "Mica has a few thousand hours in SNJs, DC3s, SNBs and the Douglas Skyraiders, all with radial engines. I Have no radial engine experience at all but I have flown taildraggers. Mica has explained very clearly to me how radial engines start."

Larry smiled a little, "I do not believe I have heard that, how does it work?

"Well, you hit the starter and count six prop blades go by, then turn the mags to BATT. Then the engine cylinders spit and belch smoke or fire and are really voting on whether to run or not. If enough cylinders vote to run it starts, if not it quits. Then you start over until it gets enough votes to run."

Larry laughed, "Honey, your man has the secret about radials, one thing though, if the cylinders vote to run, they are likely to keep running, until YOU tell them to stop."

Micas smiled, "Yeah we had a radio controlled drone target F6F Hellcat get out of control and head off on it's own. We tried to shoot it down but it wouldn't co-operate. I flew up along side of it and it had been hit badly in the engine. The cowling around the engine was full of holes, some quite large. Gobs of flame and smoke pumped out of the holes but it kept on going. Finally after we made six more firing passes at it, the engine fell off the fuselage. I believe the engine was still running when it hit the water."

"Young man, that is exactly what I mean. The only weak spot with the radial engine is over cooling during a low power rapid descent from altitude. You just plan to descend further out carrying some power and the problem is gone. If you are both free in the morning I can give you a checkout in the morning. I have the handbook and the logs here and you can take them with you to study tonight."

"We may stop and look at her this afternoon, if it is alright, is she hangared?"

"No, I gave up my hangar space last month, she is tied down at the FBO, Marathon Aviation." As they were leaving the old man pulled Melissa aside, "Mrs. McDermott, may I see your ring, it has fascinated me all morning." Melissa held out her hand and he looked closely at the ring. "He said, "That is the most gorgeous Sapphire I have ever seen. It has to be bigger than any I have ever heard of. I have been an amateur gemologist for many years. You could buy a hundred places like this for what that is worth. You know that don't you." Mica had drifted back and silently listened.

Melissa smiled, "Yes, Sir, we are aware of the value of the ring, I get very uncomfortable when it is off of my finger and if someone else puts it on it burns them."

"OH My God, a real cursed Royal ring! I have heard of them before. The ring has accepted you as Royalty. I believe it will protect you from harm Your Highness. May God Bless You, Madam. You have made me very happy by letting me touch it."

Mica asked, "Larry, we have a place in North Carolina that has a 3300 foot long, straight, fairly level road. With the proper permits we should be able to operate from there can't we?"

"Sure, you can land and take off in half of that if you are less than a couple of thousand feet above sea level."

Mica thought out loud, "If we can get a permit we can keep the plane in our yard, build a hangar for it. Shouldn't be a problem. We could be in Lynchburg in an hour and a quarter. I don't know if there is an airport closer to Clifton Forge."

Melissa said, "Come on Honey, they are calling us. So long Larry, we will see you soon."

Back aboard, they asked Ashley to take them back to the dock because they had work to do. They went directly to the Barnett Bank in Marathon. They talked to a Vice President and explained their problem. He grinned at Melissa, "I saw you at Duck Key Club last night your Highness. We will open an account for you here. Can you give me the name of your bank in Havelock, North Carolina, please." Mica pulled out his billfold and provided a card from the bank president with the required information. The banker asked them to excuse him. He went into the bank president's office. Five minutes later he was back. He smiled, Mr. McDermott, how much to you want to transfer to your new account?"

Mica smiled back, "$250,000.00 ought to be ample for now, if you please."

"Yes Sir Mr. McDermott, I'll be right back." Five minutes later he was back.

"Sir, the transfer is being confirmed by bank wire, it will only take a few moments. You can call and I will talk to Larry Bagley for you, assuring him there is ample money in your local account for your transaction with him."

An hour later they met Larry at the Marathon Air service office and walked out to the airplane. It was a beautiful white with light blue trim. The paint was flawless, everything seemed to be in super good condition. The interior was roomy with two seats in front and a wide bench seat for three in back. There was a spacious baggage compartment bearing a placard stating that a maximum of 220 pounds of baggage was permitted.

Mica, Melissa and Larry did a walk around and Larry showed them what to look for and how things should and should not look. Mica did another walk around and only missed one item. Melissa did one and didn't make a mistake.

They climbed aboard. Larry put Mica in the left seat and took the right seat himself. Larry grinned, "Mica, see if your theory on starting radial engines works." Mica located the proper levers, switches, and controls. He turned on the fuel, primed the engine and then hit the starter button. He counted six blades of the prop and switched the magnetos to the BATT position. The engine coughed a couple of times and a puff of smoke or two came from the exhaust. Then it caught and after a moment of roughness it smoothed out and idled nicely when he reduced the throttle to the idle position. Larry helped Mica get the radios set up and Mica called for clearance to taxi for a Visual Flight Rules take off. He was advised that they were taking off to the east as he taxied to the west. The tail wheel lock was left unlocked because the visibility was similar to that in the AD5s he flew in Asia. A lot of S-turns were required to see where you were going. Larry had a big smile on his face, he winked at Melissa and gave her a thumbs up signal.

When they reached the end of the runway Mica parked and went through the takeoff check list. When it was complete, Larry talked Mica through the full power engine run-up. Mica looked back at Melissa. She nodded, he keyed the mike, "Marathon Tower, Cessna 3131 Charlie ready for takeoff."

The tower cleared them for take off and Mica taxied on to the runway and pushed the throttle all the way forward. The tail came up quickly and the directional control was good. At about sixty knots he released the forward pressure on the control wheel and the nose rose as they lifted off the runway. Mica trimmed the elevators with the lovely varnished wooden trim wheel. He adjusted for a 110 knot cruise/climb. He was impressed with the stability and quietness of the plane. It did not feel like a light plane. It felt solid and responded nicely to control inputs. He leveled at 2500 feet and throttled back to 2000 rpms on the tachometer. The air speed indicator said they were cruising at 164 knots. Larry checked Mica out on the autopilot and the radios. Mica started a gentle turn back to the west. He called the tower and told them he was ten miles east of the field for landing. There was no other traffic so he shot four touch and go landings and then a full stop. He taxied back to the parking area. Larry helped him find the right spot. They made arrangements for the plane to be refueled.

Back at the villa they met Billy and Dawn. Melissa told Dawn and Billy about the plane ride and asked them to go up with them later that afternoon. Larry had recommended he use the insurance company he used, it turned out to be the same one Mica, and Melissa used, United Services Automobile Association. USAA was a member owned association of active duty and ex military officers. They also insured homes, boats, and planes for members. It was easy to transfer the house, boat and plane policies to Mica's account.

Billy used the phone when Mica was through. He called and got permission from the Air Base Commander to land a Civilian Aircraft at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station and tie it down for several days until the Marine owner found accommodations for the plane.

Dave and Betsy stopped by and said they had had a wonderful time fishing. They were going to leave together for North Carolina in the morning in Dave's car and make a leisurely trip of it.

When they left Mica smiled at Melissa, "I think Dave is hooked on that little girl. He held her hand like he was afraid she would get away."

"I noticed she never once looked anywhere but at him." Melissa laughed.

Dawn giggled, "Wow! Boy, he is a REAL hunk of man."

Billy said, "Humph! What are Mica and I, chopped meat?"

Dawn laughed, "No, not exactly, but you guys are not in his class."

Mica was expressionless, "True, but did you check out Betsy's figure, beautifully shaped large boobs, slim waist and trim hips, with long well shaped legs, some kinda nice? Right Billy?"

"You can say that again Mica! Really choice stuff!"

Melissa looked at Mica, "Let's go flying again if the two of you can stop drooling over that girl." The four friends drove to the airport and stopped at the Pilot's Shop where Mica bought all the supplies he thought he might need for the trip including an E6B calculator, charts and Jeppesen approach plates for the east coast. He got temporary tie down anchors and a few other items. Melissa and Dawn looked through the lady pilot's wear section and each bought a jump suit to fly in.

They inspected the plane again and Mica untied it and removed the wheel chocks. He unlocked the cabin and climbed in, he made his way forward and slipped into the right hand seat. He beckoned Melissa to the left, or command pilot's seat. Tears ran from her eyes as she sat down and buckled in. She looked at Mica, she mouthed, 'I love you.' Then she began checking switches. Mica picked up the prestart check list and read the items off for her. When the list was complete she started the engine without a problem. Mica grinned at her. She called the tower and taxied out.

They did the checks and Melissa had them in the air in no time. She was in complete control of the plane and she was very pleased with the way it flew. She stayed in the traffic pattern and shot four touch and go landings. Her first two were a litte rough. She had a problem with directional control transitioning to the tail wheel on the runway attitude. Mica grinned at her and leaned over and locked the tail wheel for her. The next two landings were perfect. Her last landing was full stop and they taxied back to the parking area.

When she climbed out of the plane Mica pulled Melissa into his arms and kissed her. She was tight and stiff. Dawn and Billy watched them.

Mica didn't let her go. He softly said. "So Miss Melissa, how long has it been since you made a landing in a tail dragger?"

She thought a minute, "About three years."

"Do you think there is a chance you might be a tiny bit rusty?"

She looked into his eyes, "Mica, I love you more and more each day. You always know how to calm me down and make me feel better."

"I just know you did better than you had any right to expect after that long, you were never dangerous at all, in fact you were damned near perfect. This plane handles so nicely in the air you forget that, like all beautiful girls, there are times they need a strong hand to keep them on the straight and narrow."

She looked up at him, "How long has it been since you flew a tail dragger?"

"Dear girl, I am a professional pilot, I do it for a living, you are an amateur, a very skilful one, but none the less, an amateur. You have three hundred hours in the air and I have ten times that much."

Billy added, "Young lady, you are as good as many pros, both of you are naturals, but he has a vast edge in experience over you. He doesn't want to compete with you anyway. What do you want him to do, crash to make you feel better?"

"Hell no! Billy. I like it like it is, he is one of the best, I love to learn from him, I never expect to be better at it than he is, I just don't want him to be ashamed of me."

"That will never happen, Sweetie, You are way too good for that, unless you are talking about your cooking."

Her head whipped around, "WHAT?"

Mica was grinning at her, "Gotcha!"

They went back out to the Island and talked with Larry. His wife, Janette, took Melissa and Dawn off for a more detailed tour of the house. Larry told Mica that the funds for the sale were now in his account and that everything now belonged to them. He said he would appreciate it if Mica would give him several days to vacate the premises. Mica said he could have until the following Friday. Larry was very pleased. They went looking for the ladies and found them in the kitchen talking to an older man and woman. They were introduced to Mica as Tom Collins, the caretaker, and his wife Mary. Mica saw that Melissa was already comfortable with them and he assured them that they would need them to stay and help them. He told them that they had a home in North Carolina too, and that it might be several years before they moved down full time but that they would be spending a lot of time there.