Chris finished his walk around inspection of the Cessna 172. He had made the trip around the small high wing aircraft many times, but his attention never wavered. He knew in his heart how important the ground walk around was to having a safe flight. It was here that he could spot a potential problem before it became a fatal issue at 7,000 feet.
Chris was well aware of the outcomes of not doing a proper preflight. As a 4th year engineering student at Cal-Tech, his major was aeronautical engineering. His goal was to get his private pilot's license before he graduated. It had been tough managing the finances to stay in school and manage flight school, but he had managed it so far.
Inside the aircraft, sitting in the right-hand seat, Fiona Sanderson, watched Chris as he completed his pre-flight walk around of the aircraft. Fiona was a senior flight instructions at Hastings Fixed Based Operations. At 28, she was a couple of years older than Chris and had been a fully qualified flight instructor for over 3 years. Chris had been her student for the past 8 months. She knew he was diligent, but his finances prevented him from flying as often as he wanted. He was also an excellent pilot. Fiona had gotten to know Chris well. She watched as Chris climbed into the cockpit, belted himself in, and put the headset on and then turned to smile at her.
"Ready to go?"
Fiona nodded and sat back to watch Chris do the pre-flight. Even though she knew the pre-flight checklist by heart, she held the clipboard and visually checked each item off on completion. Finally, Chris flipped on the magnetos and hit the starter. The small engine coughed several times before the ignition caught, and the exhaust emitted a throaty roar. With a smile, Chris revved the engine and watched the gauges carefully. With satisfaction, he looked at Fiona.
"I think we are ready."
"Then let's get this bird in the air."
Chris keyed the microphone and contacted ground control, received his instructions, and rolled the aircraft toward the taxiway. Fiona sat relaxed and comfortable, secure, knowing that Chris was more than competent at the controls of the plane. With clearance, Chris pushed the throttle forward and the small plane rolled down the runway.
The instruction flight lasted a little over an hour. Fiona was sitting in the operations office while Chris finished his post flight check and filled out his logbook. He would have to bring all the paperwork to Fiona for her signatures. Fiona was sitting with Bill Hastings, the owner of the business. He was a little grizzled and always seemed to wear a frown. Fiona knew that despite his looks, the older man was a teddy bear at heart. Bill was asking Fiona about the flight they had just completed.
"How much longer are you going to string him along?"
"What do you mean?"
"He has been ready to solo for a couple of weeks. He has all the skills. You keep putting him off. Why?"
"I'm not putting him off, he needs to strengthen a few things. He is still not as comfortable doing stalls and needs more work on emergency power off techniques."
"Bullshit. I watched him doing go-arounds two weeks ago, and you pulled the power three times as he was pulling up off the runway. He recovered all three times without even blinking an eye. What's going on?"
Fiona tensed and looked at Bill.
"If you want to sign off on him, you do it. He is my student and I decide."
Bill looked at her.
"Fiona. If you wish to get to know the guy better, ask him out. Don't keep spending the kid's money, making him put in hours that he doesn't need."
This time Fiona bristled. Bill continued despite her rising anger.
"He is a nice kid. I can see your attraction to him. I have seen the looks. There is nothing wrong with that, but don't abuse your position as his instructor. Get him in the air and let him solo and then move on. You never know, he might have similar interests."
Before Fiona could reply, Chris came in and leaned against the counter, putting his logbook and the post flight incident report beside it. Fiona picked it up and looked at it, adding her initials to the bottom of the form. She spun his logbook around and initialed the entry for today's flight. Closing the logbook, she pushed it back toward him.
"When will you be back?"
"Probably two weeks. I need to save up enough to take my next lesson."
"No more lessons. All you need is to worry about the aircraft rental. Next time you solo."
She watched his face and nearly laughed out loud at his expression. His expression was a combination of absolute glee and terror.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. You are ready."
Bill stood up and stuck his hand across the counter.
"Congratulations. Now you have to think about going on and getting that instrument rating."
"I have that on my mind, but, right now, the only thing on my mind is getting past finals and graduating. Then I have to find a job."
The trio stood and talked about Chris's plans for a few more minutes before Chris made his excuses.
"Thanks for everything you guys have done, but I need to get home and hit the books."
He turned and nearly jogged out of the operations center to his car. Bill watched Fiona, who was watching Chris. Smiling to himself, Bill turned and headed back into his private office.
&&&&&
Two years later, Chris came into the operations office with a wide grin on his face. Fiona was sitting at the desk and grinned as she leapt up and came around the counter to wrap her arms around the young man's neck.
"Hey gorgeous. How's things?"
"Marvelous. I got good news."
"So do I. You go first."
He saw the twinkle in her eye.
"I passed my check ride today. I am officially a commercial pilot. I got checked out on the King Air Turbo Prop. I am official."
Chris picked her up and spun her around, then kissed her.
"Congratulations. I am so proud of you. When do you go to work?"
"Bill says I will get my first charter this week."
