Jon
01-21-2004, 08:51
This WEEK - all in one
ARGUMENT I
YKM SEA C-182 (MAD)Cow Tests 89nm $5 $445 Very Strong 2
Up for the weekend in Washington visiting my folks, I decided to call Barney about available jobs. I figured I might as well make money off of my vacation time.
"Hi Barney."
"Who's this?"
"It's Jon."
"Jon?"
"You know? I fly for PGA."
"Oh, the new guy!"
"No, no. I used to fly with you guys. I am just back from a long break. Hey, I was wondering if you have any jobs available in the Washington area? I am up visiting my folks, and thought it'd be nice to make some extra spending money."
"Oh, right. Well, good timing. I just got a call from some farm up in Yakima, Washington. They need a pilot to fly some stuff to Seattle. It's a small delivery. It seems no other flight operation would handle their materials. I wonder what they've got."
"What kind of materials we talkin?"
"I think it's just cattle meat of sorts. Something about testing and such. They need results fast."
"Sounds fine to me."
As I taxiid the C-182 up to the Yakima parking spot, two well-dressed individuals stood waiting. They didn't look like farmers.
"Hi, you Jon? PGE?"
"Right."
"Glad you could make it. I'm Frank Storgisson from the Health Department, and this is my assistant Gregory."
"Nice to meet you. You have the package?"
"Of course. But, I need to caution you about a few things... You've gotta handle this cargo with care. It can't be shaken around. It needs to be placed right side up, and sealed at all times. So, don't place it in danger of exposure to air and such."
"Ah, right. Is the contents classified?"
"Well, kind of. Ever heard of mad cow disease?"
"Sure! It's that thing the British get, right?"
"Sure, sure."
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason. Just handle the cargo with care. Keep it safe. It's just some special cow meat."
"Right."
PIREP I
YKM SEA C-182 1.4 hours 89nm $5 $445
ARGUMENT II
Q86 SFO DHC-Beaver Reserved Passengers 59nm $10 $590 PPilot Weak 6!
After a short stay in Seattle to visit the folks, I came back to the Bay Area, somehow ending up at Darby's again. A fellow PGA pilot gave me a lift in his Mooney (he was heading to the Bay too). But, our flight was cut short when his engine started making weird noises. So, we landed off at a private airport/seaport operation about 25 miles north of Lake Berryessa. We parted ways, as I needed to get back to work ASAP. So, I managed to find a fellow pilot heading out to Berryessa, and for a small $30 sum, he gave me a lift. And back at Darby's I was! There was only one thing left to do: Fly. Naturally, I wasn't going to depart from the Seaport until I had customers. And I was going to wait however long it took for these customers to come along. As time would have it, a family of three needed a flight to the San Francisco area. They didn't tell me why they needed to get there (not like it was my business), but just that they really needed to get there!
As usual, I didn't really think ahead. It turns out I had no aircraft to fly out with. So, I took the company DHC-Beaver. It looked easy enough. Afterall, I had flown my grandfathers seaplane several times in the past, and who was going to question my credentials? No one it turns out.
The keys were at the shack, and ready for use. I unlocked the craft, welcomed my customers aboard and the rest is PIREP.
Did I mention the double charge? I figured if I was going to risk my life flying them in a plane I had no rating for, I might as well charge them extra. It seemed to work this time.
PIREP II
Q86 SFO DHC-Beaver 0.75minutes 59nm $10 $590
The flight was smooth as ever. I couldn't have asked for better weather. The family managed to keep a tight lid on it throughout the entire flight, except for a few questions from the husband. He looked at the flight panel and exclaimed, "Complicated to fly this thing, eh?" I responded, "Oh, it's sure a challenge. But, risk comes with the job." That was the extent of my passenger/pilot relationship.
At the flights end, they exited the plane and all was well. A happy ending, right? Not exactly. There was a message on my answering machine. The person forgot to leave their name (was it Darby?). Whoever it was, she was very enraged: "Jon? JON? ARE - YOU - THERE? I don't know if you're there, but my seaplane is missing and you were the last pilot out of here! Not to jump to conclusions, but I have a feeling you may have "borrowed" it! Maybe you know what happened to it? I sure as hell don't. Could you give me a call? GIVE ME A CALL!"
ARGUMENT III
SJC Q99 SAC C-172 Legal(?) Substances 125nm $5 $625 PPilot Very Strong 4
As I was aimlessly sitting around the main PGE Office, a phone call came in. On the other end was a deep, slightly raspy voice. His name was "Tyson."
"PGA, Jon here."
"Hey. Do you fly?"
"Uh, I fly."
"Cool. That's really cool. Well, I need you to fly some stuff from South County up north to the Sac area."
"I can do that. What's your name?"
"My name?"
"Right."
"Tyson."
"Okay... Tyson. Howabout I meet you in an hour at the South County PGA aircraft lot. Sound good?"
"Sure dude, but how much is it gonna cost me?"
"I dunno. You said Sac? Well, from South County, I can't fly a direct line. There are mountains, so I am going to need to fly off course a bit. Probably around 400."
"Sweet. Yeah, an hour?"
"Right."
On arrival to the PGA park spot, a short, thin man wearing baggy pants, a lose brand name shirt and a hat to match stood impatiently with a large box on a dolly. Next to all of this was his car: A bright red Jetta. He was definitely nervous, and in a rush.
"Sup."
"Hi there... Tyson. Is that the cargo?" I looked at the box on the dolly.
"Sure is. Hurry up and load it on dude. Seriously."
"And who will be receiving it?"
"Oh, you'll see him. He wears a gold necklace and he'll be hangin' around... look, let's load it up."
I reluctantly asked about the cargo. I like to know what kind of cargo boards the company plane.
"So, what category of stuff am I shipping?"
"Category?"
"Yeah. Shoes? Books? Perhaps clothing?"
"Shoes. Definitely shoes." He nodded assuringly.
"Right. Load it up."
One thing was for sure: These weren't shoes. At first, I thought drugs. Then, I thought porn. Then drugs.
PIREP III
SJC Q99 SAC C-172 1.15 hours 125nm $5 $625
The flight was beautiful. I enjoyed the mountain range on my right, while dead heading the entire distance. Weather was great and the flight held no event.
Upon arrival to the parking spot at Sacramento, a grungy teenager stood waiting. He ran up to my aircraft with a red dolly (like the one his friend had). Without even a greeting, he asked me to unload the cargo onto the dolly. He payed, and strolled off with the cargo, through the walk way and to his car. All went well, and quick. No questions asked. Well, a few I suppose.
ARGUMENT I
YKM SEA C-182 (MAD)Cow Tests 89nm $5 $445 Very Strong 2
Up for the weekend in Washington visiting my folks, I decided to call Barney about available jobs. I figured I might as well make money off of my vacation time.
"Hi Barney."
"Who's this?"
"It's Jon."
"Jon?"
"You know? I fly for PGA."
"Oh, the new guy!"
"No, no. I used to fly with you guys. I am just back from a long break. Hey, I was wondering if you have any jobs available in the Washington area? I am up visiting my folks, and thought it'd be nice to make some extra spending money."
"Oh, right. Well, good timing. I just got a call from some farm up in Yakima, Washington. They need a pilot to fly some stuff to Seattle. It's a small delivery. It seems no other flight operation would handle their materials. I wonder what they've got."
"What kind of materials we talkin?"
"I think it's just cattle meat of sorts. Something about testing and such. They need results fast."
"Sounds fine to me."
As I taxiid the C-182 up to the Yakima parking spot, two well-dressed individuals stood waiting. They didn't look like farmers.
"Hi, you Jon? PGE?"
"Right."
"Glad you could make it. I'm Frank Storgisson from the Health Department, and this is my assistant Gregory."
"Nice to meet you. You have the package?"
"Of course. But, I need to caution you about a few things... You've gotta handle this cargo with care. It can't be shaken around. It needs to be placed right side up, and sealed at all times. So, don't place it in danger of exposure to air and such."
"Ah, right. Is the contents classified?"
"Well, kind of. Ever heard of mad cow disease?"
"Sure! It's that thing the British get, right?"
"Sure, sure."
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason. Just handle the cargo with care. Keep it safe. It's just some special cow meat."
"Right."
PIREP I
YKM SEA C-182 1.4 hours 89nm $5 $445
ARGUMENT II
Q86 SFO DHC-Beaver Reserved Passengers 59nm $10 $590 PPilot Weak 6!
After a short stay in Seattle to visit the folks, I came back to the Bay Area, somehow ending up at Darby's again. A fellow PGA pilot gave me a lift in his Mooney (he was heading to the Bay too). But, our flight was cut short when his engine started making weird noises. So, we landed off at a private airport/seaport operation about 25 miles north of Lake Berryessa. We parted ways, as I needed to get back to work ASAP. So, I managed to find a fellow pilot heading out to Berryessa, and for a small $30 sum, he gave me a lift. And back at Darby's I was! There was only one thing left to do: Fly. Naturally, I wasn't going to depart from the Seaport until I had customers. And I was going to wait however long it took for these customers to come along. As time would have it, a family of three needed a flight to the San Francisco area. They didn't tell me why they needed to get there (not like it was my business), but just that they really needed to get there!
As usual, I didn't really think ahead. It turns out I had no aircraft to fly out with. So, I took the company DHC-Beaver. It looked easy enough. Afterall, I had flown my grandfathers seaplane several times in the past, and who was going to question my credentials? No one it turns out.
The keys were at the shack, and ready for use. I unlocked the craft, welcomed my customers aboard and the rest is PIREP.
Did I mention the double charge? I figured if I was going to risk my life flying them in a plane I had no rating for, I might as well charge them extra. It seemed to work this time.
PIREP II
Q86 SFO DHC-Beaver 0.75minutes 59nm $10 $590
The flight was smooth as ever. I couldn't have asked for better weather. The family managed to keep a tight lid on it throughout the entire flight, except for a few questions from the husband. He looked at the flight panel and exclaimed, "Complicated to fly this thing, eh?" I responded, "Oh, it's sure a challenge. But, risk comes with the job." That was the extent of my passenger/pilot relationship.
At the flights end, they exited the plane and all was well. A happy ending, right? Not exactly. There was a message on my answering machine. The person forgot to leave their name (was it Darby?). Whoever it was, she was very enraged: "Jon? JON? ARE - YOU - THERE? I don't know if you're there, but my seaplane is missing and you were the last pilot out of here! Not to jump to conclusions, but I have a feeling you may have "borrowed" it! Maybe you know what happened to it? I sure as hell don't. Could you give me a call? GIVE ME A CALL!"
ARGUMENT III
SJC Q99 SAC C-172 Legal(?) Substances 125nm $5 $625 PPilot Very Strong 4
As I was aimlessly sitting around the main PGE Office, a phone call came in. On the other end was a deep, slightly raspy voice. His name was "Tyson."
"PGA, Jon here."
"Hey. Do you fly?"
"Uh, I fly."
"Cool. That's really cool. Well, I need you to fly some stuff from South County up north to the Sac area."
"I can do that. What's your name?"
"My name?"
"Right."
"Tyson."
"Okay... Tyson. Howabout I meet you in an hour at the South County PGA aircraft lot. Sound good?"
"Sure dude, but how much is it gonna cost me?"
"I dunno. You said Sac? Well, from South County, I can't fly a direct line. There are mountains, so I am going to need to fly off course a bit. Probably around 400."
"Sweet. Yeah, an hour?"
"Right."
On arrival to the PGA park spot, a short, thin man wearing baggy pants, a lose brand name shirt and a hat to match stood impatiently with a large box on a dolly. Next to all of this was his car: A bright red Jetta. He was definitely nervous, and in a rush.
"Sup."
"Hi there... Tyson. Is that the cargo?" I looked at the box on the dolly.
"Sure is. Hurry up and load it on dude. Seriously."
"And who will be receiving it?"
"Oh, you'll see him. He wears a gold necklace and he'll be hangin' around... look, let's load it up."
I reluctantly asked about the cargo. I like to know what kind of cargo boards the company plane.
"So, what category of stuff am I shipping?"
"Category?"
"Yeah. Shoes? Books? Perhaps clothing?"
"Shoes. Definitely shoes." He nodded assuringly.
"Right. Load it up."
One thing was for sure: These weren't shoes. At first, I thought drugs. Then, I thought porn. Then drugs.
PIREP III
SJC Q99 SAC C-172 1.15 hours 125nm $5 $625
The flight was beautiful. I enjoyed the mountain range on my right, while dead heading the entire distance. Weather was great and the flight held no event.
Upon arrival to the parking spot at Sacramento, a grungy teenager stood waiting. He ran up to my aircraft with a red dolly (like the one his friend had). Without even a greeting, he asked me to unload the cargo onto the dolly. He payed, and strolled off with the cargo, through the walk way and to his car. All went well, and quick. No questions asked. Well, a few I suppose.