Executive orders - Tom Clancy [517]
But he wasn't. The lieutenant colonel on the controls was scared. Air Force regulations not to mention common sense prohibited what he was doing. The weather RADAR in the nose showed red twenty degrees left and right of his projected course to Nairobi. Left looked better. He turned thirty degrees, banking the executive jet like a fighter, searching for a smooth spot as he continued the climb-out. What he found wasn't smooth, but it was better. Ten minutes later the VC-20B broke into sunlight.
One of the spare pilots turned in her front row seat: Satisfied, Colonel? she asked.
Clark unbuckled his belt in defiance of the sign and went to the lavatory to splash water in his face. Then he knelt down on the floor next to her and showed her the paper that had just been transmitted. Can you tell me anything about this? She only needed one look.
Oh, yeah, the captain said. We got a notice on that.
What?
This is essentially the same aircraft. When one breaks, the manufacturer tells everybody about it-I mean, we'd ask anyway, but it's almost automatic. He came out of here, flew north to Libya, landed to refuel, right? Took off right away, practically-medical flight, I think, wasn't it?
Correct. Go on.
He called emergency, said he lost power on one engine, then the other, and went in. Three RADARs tracked it. Libya, Malta, and a Navy ship, destroyer, I think.
Anything funny about it, Captain?
She shrugged. This is a good airplane. I don't think the military's ever broke one. You just saw how good. A couple of those bumps were two and a half, maybe three gees, and the engines-Jerry, have we ever lost an engine in flight on VC-20B?
Twice, I think. First one there was a defect on the fuel pump-Rolls-Royce sent out a fix on all of those. The other one, it was in November, a few years back. They ate a goose.
That'll do it every time, she told Clark. Goose weighs maybe fifteen, twenty pounds. We try to keep clear of them.
This guy lost both engines, though?
They haven't figured out why yet. Maybe bad fuel. That happens, but the engines are isolated units, sir. Separate everything, pumps, electronics, you name it-
Except fuel, Jerry said. That all comes out of one truck.
What else? What happens when you lose an engine?
If you're not careful you can lose control. You get a full shutdown, the aircraft yaws into the dead engine. That changes airflow over the control surfaces. We lost a Lear, a VC-21, that way once. If it catches you in a transition maneuver when it happens, well, then it can get a little bit exciting. But we train for that, and the flight crew on this one, that was in the report. They were both experienced drivers, and they go in the box-the training simulator-pretty regular. You have to, or they take your insurance away. Anyway, the RADAR didn't show them maneuvering. So, no, that shouldn't have done it to them. The best guess was bad fuel, but the Libyans said the fuel was okay.
Unless the crew just totally screwed up, Jerry added. But even that's hard. I mean, they make these things so you really have to try to break 'em, y'know? I got two thousand hours.
Two and a half for me, the captain said. It's safer 'n driving a car in D.C., sir. We all love these things.
Clark nodded and went forward.
Enjoying the ride? the pilot in command said over his shoulder. His voice wasn't exactly friendly, and he didn't exactly have to worry about insubordination. Not with an officer wearing his own ribbons.
I don't like leaning on people, Colonel. This is very important shit. That's all I can say.
My wife's a nurse in the base hospital. He didn't have to say more. He was worried about her.
So's mine, down in Williamsburg. The pilot turned on learning that, and nodded at his passenger.
No real harm done. Three hours to Nairobi, Colonel.
WELL HOW DO I get back? Raman asked over the phone.
You don't for now, Andrea told him. Sit