Blood Orchid (Holly Barker 3)

“Have you been instructing for long?”

“About eight years. I took up flying because my marriage was boring me stiff, and then I started instructing. I’ve got more than three thousand hours now, and a bunch of ratings. It was the only thing I got out of the marriage, except the settlement.”

“Good for you.”

Ginny handed her a document. “These are our prices for aircraft rental and instructors’ fees. The first lesson is free.”

Holly read quickly through the price list. “Okay by me.”

Ginny picked up a canvas briefcase. “Shall we get started?”

“Sure.” Holly followed Ginny out to the ramp to a shiny Piper Warrior, and Ginny began to walk her through a preflight inspection of the airplane.

“We going to fly today?” Holly asked, surprised.

“We always fly on the first lesson; gets the student hooked.”

The preflight completed, they got into the airplane, Holly in the left seat.

“You ever flown an airplane before?”

“Yeah. Jackson was a pilot, and he would let me take the controls now and then.”

“Okay, let’s get started up. Here’s your checklist.”

Holly worked her way through the list of tasks to complete, and soon the engine was running.

“You steer with your feet; turning the yoke doesn’t help at all,” Ginny explained. “Tune the bottom radio to the ATIS frequency—that’s the automated weather report.”

Holly listened and wrote down the data, which was called Information Bravo.

“Now tune the top radio to the ground frequency—it’s on your checklist. Call ground control, give them your tail number—it’s on the placard over the yoke—and announce that you’re ready to taxi from the Orchid Flight Academy and that you have Information Bravo.”

Holly did so and was cleared to taxi to runway 18.

“The runways are labeled according to their direction. Runway one-eight is south; runway three-six is north. Keep the nosewheel on the yellow line and follow it, first to the taxiway, then to the runway.”

Holly steered with the rudder pedals and found it quite easy to keep the little airplane on track. They stopped at a parking place near the end of the runway and went through the run-up checklist.

“Now we’re ready for takeoff,” Ginny said. “Call the tower frequency, it’s on your checklist, and say you’re ready, number one for takeoff.”

Holly did so and was cleared for takeoff.

“Now check to see there’s no one about to land, then taxi onto the runway and line up the nosewheel with the center line.”

Holly followed the instructions.

“Now apply full throttle smoothly, and keep on the center line. When the airspeed indicator reads sixty knots, rotate—that means pull smoothly back on the yoke.”

Holly found the throttle and pushed it in slowly. The airplane began to roll down the runway. At sixty knots she rotated, and they lifted into the air. It was an exhilarating feeling, she found.

“Watch your direction indicator and keep her on a one-eight-zero heading,” Ginny said. “At five hundred feet of altitude, turn right to two-seven-zero.”

Holly made the right turn.

“Continue to climb to three thousand feet and hold this heading,” Ginny said. “You’re doing very well.”

Holly glanced outside at the flat, central Florida landscape moving beneath her. Her heart was beating fast. “This is wonderful,” she said.