Participants:
| Scene Title | Nugget, Nibblet, Nougat? Who cares? |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Chicago Air to the rescue of Nalani from backwoods Idaho while she's en route to Los Angeles for something. |
| Date | May 27, 2009 |
Nugget, Idaho - Airfield Diner.
Dust devils and tumbleweed. :whines:
When the poor Learjet 25 coughed and sputtered, the aircrew decided it best to land. Thats fine, not getting killed and everything but they decided to land /right there/ and the closest field was a tiny dirt strip. Now things were complicated, because no local airline would take Nalani anywhere and nobody but Chicago air would even entertain the idea of coming to get her. Not their fault, most companies dont have the proper aircraft to operate on a dirt strip. Chicago air, does.
Nugget Idaho, is a hole in the wall really. The airstrip operates a diner that is favorably described as dingy, and the help certainly isn't kind. There's just one gravel road, which is 20 miles to the next town and theres not even a cell signal out here. Thankfully, the wait for a connecting flight(provided by Chicago Air) was now only an hour or maybe less by now.
Nugget Idaho. Where Manolo is the immigrant worker from Mexico who help churn through the fields when the potatoes are getting harvested. Where Lagerfield is probably a type of drink? She could see why they had to land, but really. Here. Nalani's shoes had never touched gravel before and she was sitting in a booth, tremendously unhappy. Very unhappy. Chicago Air, if they managed to actually pull this off, would be the new contractor of all flight that the upper echelon of PAUSE would need. The last time she'd been in podunk nowhere, she's been a model fresh to the states, and her brother with her as they stopped off on the way to a shoot, to get a soda and use the rest room.
There was no Rami here. Just her, scowling at the menu and glaring.
Not since the death of a pilot and crew with a Piper Meridian, had any airline of any size attempted to land here. That is, until a Beech-18 shows up. Its brilliant aluminum skin was bare and virgin, the airplane wasnt done but its what they had on hand. The twin engined plane looked like it was fresh from the Bermuda triangle, and considering this example was made in 1944 you might just be right. The Beech-18 sweeps by low and fast once, before lowering its gear and coming in for a dusty landing. Flaps at full down, hovering around stall all the way down. Then its full brakes and idle, until the pilot manages to just barely land the Beech on the short strip.
There's a bit of taxing to be done, but by the time it swings up to the booth and the diner and the row of other aircraft "Chicago Air" in even more reflective patches can be seen down either side. The engines stop, and soon after Fedor bumps the door down with a dry cough. Peering at the Learjet curiously, before glancing around. wow, they landed that here.
No. please, dear god. They sent that. The menu is slapped shut, the thoughts of attempting to touch the apple pie disappeared as Nalani slaps down money on the table and makes for the door. Her high heels slap slap slap on the ground as she barrels for the door.
There's a touch of peering about, before oh hey there she comes!"Miss Hollingwood, I heard you needed a ride. I'm Petter Kobrin, Chicago Air's Chief pilot."He steps to one side, fully expecting her to pile inside without a word. "I'll gather your luggage and we can be out of here immediately."
"the sooner I am out of Nougat Idaho, the better, thank you very much" Beggars can't be choosers. Nalani checks the chief pilot out, then towards the plane. "Two bags, just inside the Diner. Where am I sitting?" It's not a lear, she's practical, at times, and understands that right now, she's not going to get luxury.
"Anywhere you want, you get the whole airplane."Fedor heads inside for the bags, and leaves Nalani to just step through the door. The airplane sat pretty close to the ground, which made entry far easier than those wobbly fold out stair cases. Inside, it was easily head and shoulders above any learjet. The carpet was soft and plush, the walls were trimmed in hand stitched leather. The were two normal seats here, which were built more like recliners than a airliner chair and of course one long couch big enough to stretch out completely on. There was a little fold out table, but the space for the chair that might normally rest there was clearly absent. Still, there was a flip down TV in the ceiling, and the windows were much larger than a lear. That said, Fedor gets the bags tucked in the aft cargo compartment and climbs aboard.
Outside, it's horrid, inside though… Nalani paused at the threshold of the plane, surprise on her face. Lets not judge a book by it's cover, flickers right through her mind as she maneuvers in. Eases down onto one of the recliners and unwraps a silk scarf from around her neck, looking around.
"I hope the accommodations are acceptable, we don't have many birds we can land on such short strips."Well they did, but they were all furnished with bare steel inside. Fed slips past with a smile, popping open the door to the cockpit. "We had to leave before everything was finished, nothing important but we don't have the PA, paint or the last seat fitted just yet." That said, he figures its likely better to leave the door open for now. Easing into the seat, and hurriedly tightening his harness up. "We're looking at about a one hour ride to Boise, and we have a Bombardier waiting all fueled up and ready for you there. If things go smoothly, we're going to try and get you there only an hour late."Despite the four hours of hell in Nugget Idaho, which is a pretty awesome run right?
"Impressive Mr. Kobrin. They are more than acceptable. I may have to ask that I buy it off you so that I can have it for my own. Make it the latest fashion. She doesn't look at all how one would imagine on the inside as opposed to the outside"
"No need for that Miss Hollingwood, we have a whole fleet of them coming online based out of New York."He slips on his headset, pops open the side window and peers around. Calling out "Clear prop!" before hitting the button. Each radial engine starting slow and rough before quickly falling into a regular hum. When he pulls that side window closed, its also far quieter than the Lear. The cabin lights come on, and the A/C begins pumping soon after. "Just ask for a Beech eighteen. We have some Antonovs coming online too, big old biplanes."
"A slong as it's comfortable to my standards" But there's an engine turning on and Nalani opts to keep her sunglasses on, down on her nose and look out the window. Good byyyyyyyye podunk Nibblet Idaho.
The Beech eases slowly down to one end of the runway, turns and then stops. The engines throttle up against the brakes, lifting the rear just a touch to lighten the tailwheel's spring. Then the brakes drop, and in oh five hundred feet it slips from the deck. "The Antonovs are similar, the same coach builders built the interiors for them and the beeches. They arent very fast though, more for executive getaways into the woods and such."The Beech, doesn't really climb much. Maybe two or three hundred feet at the most as it hurtles in a lazy turn to one right. The rides smoother, at least -feels- faster and at least it doesnt look like every other corporate jet. "If You'd like, I could arange a flight free of charge aboard one of the Antonovs. If you prefer the Beech still, I'll see if I cant get one reserved for your use."
"Whatever will be easier" Semantics. Fedor is talking and Nalani is just catching the odd word. She just wants to be down in Boise and back into the city. Dinner with her brother was already canceled. "Which ever is more appropriate to the image that Pause needs to portray. Whichever is also more economically and environmentally sound"
Environmentally sound, what the hell does that have to do with executive aircraft. "Yes Ma'am."He just responds, slowly rolling the Beech to the left and to the right as he keeps the throttles nailed. By this point, a conventional jet would just begin to throttle up, and they're already hauling ass. Four or five early, boise's regional airport pops into view.
Has everything to do with image. Image is everything. Boise is coming into view and there's a thankful murmur under her breath. "Thank you for the flight, I'll be sending someone around to converse with your employers. I'm tired of the bloody inconstant service with.. " Whoever else she was riding on.
"Glad to hear your pleased, weather is clear we may get you into LAX sooner than we expected."There's some murmuring with the control tower shortly afterward, before Fedor lines up the Beech, drops the gear and flaps and quickly makes touchdown. That's nicer than a Lear too, because at least this time there's no clear indication the airplane has even touched down, until he begins to slow down. Coasting around the taxi-way before coming to a smooth stop alongside the brilliant red and white of a bombardier challenger."And here we are, thank you for flying Chicago airlines."
A baggage handler pops the aft door on the beech open, moves the bags and rushes back to open the door onto the tarmac. "Just this way Miss Hollingwood, the jet is ready to take off as soon as your aboard."
Professionals. Thank the bloody lord for small favors. "Excellent. You made better time than predicted" Which pleases her. Pleased Nalani means a non-snapping Nalani as she descends from the plane. heading towards the Bombardier. "thank the pilot for me" She directs some person who's helping her. "He was exceptional" Likely Stephanie would be sending something in thanks later for him and for CA.
The Bombardier isn't quite as coach built inside, but its quite nice as well. Just as promised, not a minute after Nalani is aboard it begins to roll forward. Words are exchanged between the handler and Fedor, getting him fueled back up, buttoned up. A minute or so after the Bombardier takes off, Fedor gets the Beech into the air and heads back for New York.
