“Greed triumphs, Len,” Frade said after he had shut down the engine.
“What?”
“Never mind.” He pointed to the tower. “Let’s climb up there and see if the Collins will work.”
Thirty minutes later, with a pleased smile, Second Lieutenant Leonard Fischer, Signal Corps, USA, handed Major Cletus Frade, USMCR, a headset.
“Your cans, sir,” Fischer said.
Frade put them on and heard a distinct metallic sound: dit dah dah dah, dah dat dit, dit dit dah dit.
He smiled.
There was a pause, then his smile broadened as dit dah dah dah, dah dat dit, dit dit dah dit came again.
And, after another pause, the Morse code for JGF sounded again. And again. And again.
“If you weren’t so ugly, Lieutenant, I think I’d kiss you.”
Fischer smiled, handed Frade a microphone, and threw a switch.
“That’s ready, too?” Frade asked, surprised.
Fischer nodded.
Frade pressed the TALK button on the microphone.
“South American
Airways Zero Zero One,” he said in Spanish, “this is Jorge Frade.”
There was no reply. Over the next few minutes, Frade made the call again, and again, and again. Still, no reply. He shook his head and shrugged, and started to take the earphones from his head.
“Jorge Frade, this is South American Zero Zero One. Go ahead.”
Frade recognized Delgano’s voice.
“Zero One. What is your position?”
“Jorge Frade, Zero One is fifteen kilometers north of El Palomar at two thousand meters, indicating three hundred kph.”
“Zero One, Jorge Frade, report reception of our RDF signal.”
“Frade, Stand by.”
There was a minute’s silence as Delgano tuned his radio direction finder.
“Frade, Zero One. Receiving RDF signal loud and clear.”
“Zero One, using RDF signal as navigation device, proceed to Frade, descending to one thousand meters, report when field is in sight.”
“Zero One understands proceed Frade using RDF, descend to one thousand meters, report when in sight of field.”
“Zero One, Frade. That is correct.”
“Frade, Zero One has field in sight.”
“South American Airways Zero Zero One, you are cleared to make a low-level east-west pass over Jorge Frade at an altitude of your choice.”