After the airplane is secured, Rosalina comes over to meet me.
We share a hug before I check my phone. I thought it was buzzing, but turns out it was Rosalina.
“Nice landing.”
“Oh, thanks.” I respond in person.
“I got it on video too.” She says as we head inside to the sight of students boarding buses from the office.
As they board, she shows me video of the airplane rocking back and forth in the trade winds. Even through the helicopter window, my heart starts pounding as I watch Rosalina’s recording of the approach and landing.
“Please send that to me.”
“Done. Do you want to follow the buses to the venue?”
“Why not? Are you done for the day?”
“Yes. All my appointments cancelled or were cancelled.”
“Sorry to hear.“
After the buses start moving, we jump into Rosalina’s car and follow them. I know the venue is in Kihei, so it’s a question of where within the small town it is.
With Rosalina at the controls, I let my ego inflate temporarily and watch the footage of my landing. Arguably one of my best, and definitely my best one when “on the clock/for hire.” The only landing I imagine that could come close to it is the landing in Kona after the long haul from Dulles, but I imagine that may be because a landing as smooth as that one after a 9-10 hour flight just makes it that much sweeter.
Anyway, when we park at what appears to be our venue, only the SA gets out. I decide to follow them to the front and make sure everything’s okay.
“Captain Scimitar!” Upper Echelon calls just as I catch up to them. “I completely forgot, did you have a +1?”
“I did.”
“Okay, good. I didn’t want to short-change you.”
“I would’ve been alone, but fortunately, my wife became available.”
“Even better. We budgeted for 120, and right now we’re at 110. I don’t want to waste too much of the budget.”
“That’s good.”
“Nice flying by the way.”
“Oh, thank you. Is there anything you need help with?”
“I don’t think so. Let me check in and we’ll see.”
“Please.” I say as the staff heads inside.
Cadance and Radiant Hope then talk to me and I relay what Upper Echelon said. They follow her in just as other faculty/staff members follow suit. The remaining adults then make sure not to unload the buses until the all clear has been given.
Rosalina stands by my side just as it starts to rain again. We decide to head back to the car to seek shelter.
“Thanks for joining me. I honestly didn’t even know if I would come, since I had the girls with me. But, as it stands, they wanted to vacation here, so it worked out nicely.”
“I’m glad to be with you, even if it is for a school function.”
“The irony in the fact that we’re not even considered parents, just “by proxy.” The school said I would likely be their official “airline,” with Cadance’s backing.”
“Which one is Cadance?”
“She’s the one with the long, curled hair. I don’t think you two have met before.”
“We haven’t.”
“You’ll like her. She’s actually Twilight’s sister-in-law. And her former babysitter, though that term is rather loose given their age gap.”
“She seems nice.”
“She’s very easygoing, in spite of the difficulties of being a mother to a baby whose father is in the military.”
“Her husband is a service member?”
“Affirm. He’s stationed at Elmendorf, but even though he’s Air Force, he hasn’t flown. He’s a field general, so instead of leading an aerial squadron, he’s a strategist.”
“Interesting. Would be the first time I’ve met an Air Force member who’s never flown.”
“Same here.“
Soon, we get called in, evidenced by the alighting of the buses. Of course, when we follow them in, we wait until the very end to make sure no one is left behind. Soon after we follow the crowd, the buses pull out of the parking lot just as the doors close behind us.
At our table, Cadance for some reason switched seats so that I’m sitting between her and Rosalina. Other staff who I didn’t get to formally meet then introduce themselves.
As I chat to some teachers who ask me mostly about my career, we’re soon seated so Upper Echelon can welcome us.
“Hello, Aloha, good evening, and welcome, Crystal Prep Academy! Welcome to this year’s Spring Dance. As we’ve fervently advertised through school, our theme this year is “layover in paradise.” For this reason, I would like to extend a special welcome and huge thank you to our Pilot, Captain Max for getting us here.”
To my slight discomfort at being the center of attention, I acknowledge the crowd’s applause and cheers.
“I’d also like to thank the rest of his crew who unfortunately could not be here with us tonight. Nevertheless, I’d like to thank our faculty and staff, specifically Principal Cadance and Nurse Radiant Hope, who have worked tirelessly alongside the student association along with Captain Max. Thank you for your efforts to lead us up to tonight, because we would not be able to enjoy this occasion without your hard work and dedication to us as a student body. Our meal for this evening will be ready shortly, so at this time, please do get comfortable and find your seat assignments. Thank you!”
Upper Echelon ends her speech to more applause and cheers, to which I take a few sips of water.
Rosalina fortunately has been pretty engaging in the conversations she has with the faculty and staff, so I’m not actually doing any talking. I am however enjoying the sounds of the conversation and liveliness of the room. I understand that the Spring Dance is something that Crystal Prep takes very seriously, and after the semi-adventurous flight over, I imagine some of the students are hyped up for it.
After refilling my glass once already, our first appetizers arrive. Besides bread and butter, it looks like the theme is definitely island inspired.
As we eat away, Cadance understandably is on her phone, texting her husband. As Rosalina eats, I lean over to her and whisper.
“How good of a dancer are you?”
“I may be a little rusty. It will have been a while.”
“Same here. I have zero ballroom experience, so if there’s a formal cotillion, we can embarrass ourselves together.”
Rosalina chuckles. “I’m okay with that.”
A few more rounds of drinks and conversation, and while I’m busy talking to an administrator about the school’s client profile, our main course arrives.
As we dig in, Cadance and I swap seats to she can talk to Rosalina and I can talk to both Radiant Hope and the administrator, Kristal Hardt, who is the school’s chairwoman of the board.
To my surprise, the way we speak feels less like a formal conversation and more like a non-traditional interview, in the sense that the dialogue while feeling semi-rehearsed is still attempting to remain and communicate a sense of casualness. Talking about my career, previous experience with large groups, and of course, establishing the relationship to keep each other on our good side.
Crystal Prep has exemplary sports programs along with their orchestra. It shouldn’t be surprising then that many of their sports, including track & field, soccer, and even softball travel statewide and on auspicious occasions nationally. Some of their athletes have been recognized and honored by their athletic conference, and a few of their star athletes have gone professional. In this conversation, I’m still feeling a palpable sense of timidity in her talking.
Cadance did mention her account of the story behind her hiring, and as it turns out, the previous principal though creating a very high-achieving school, ran it rather intensely. Severely intolerant of losses or any and all shortcomings, and competitive to the point of “It’s not enough to leave them in the dust. They would wish they could taste the dust.”
My heart bleeds for those that had to suffer through such a hyper-competitive environment. The story of her transformation actually made the local news and as a result the previous principal was arrested on charges of fraud, conspiracy, and what Ms. Hardt describes as “academic subterfuge.” Falsifying test scores, attempting to undermine the athletics if it wasn’t to her liking, and many other blatantly unethical behaviors, all for the sake of the school’s image and reputation.
Midway through the meal, as servers make rounds to refill drinks and slowly bus dishes, the night’s entertainment takes the stage. Normally, in the right circumstances, we would have a full hula dance troupe, but due to limitations of an indoor venue and time constraints, we settle for a 45-minute performance of a hula dance that I’m only vaguely familiar with.
I may only possess a rudimentary understanding of hula, and most interpretive dance for that matter, but the dance they’re presenting is oddly reminiscent of the story of the demigod Māui (who is actually not the namesake of the island).
Māui is known throughout most of Polynesian culture, not just Hawaii, but many of his tales are pretty similar across the cultures. According to legend, Māui was a bit of a prankster, and contrary to his famous accoutrement, was not known as a fisherman, and in fact was notoriously terrible at it. It is however a symbol of one of his most famous exploits, the creation of the Hawaiian Islands. Legend says that in spite of his skills, or lack thereof, Māui went fishing with his brothers at their behest.
Māui casts off and catches his hook on the ocean floor. The perceived “bite” of a big fish prompts them to start paddling as quick as they could. However, if one of the brothers looked back, the fish would let go. Despite their massive efforts, none of his brothers noticed the island popping up behind them. That island we know today as Kaua‘i. This trick was repeated a handful of times, each time yielding a new island. After Kaua’i came Ni‘ihau, followed by O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, Lana‘i, Maui, Kaho‘olawe, and then, Hawai‘i.
His next great exploit also involved his fishhook, which was made from the bones of his deified ancestors. The hook was the source of his power, but he himself wasn’t, hence his demigod status. None of his brothers had any kind of powers despite being children of deities, making Māui the only child to have such powers. His fishhook is what is now known as the constellation Scorpio.
According to legend, Māui’s mother was annoyed that her cloth would not dry, as the days were too short, or rather, the sun was moving too fast and quite irregularly across the sky. In response, Māui ascended to the summit of Hale-a-ka-lā and steals bananas from his grandmother who resides there. A blind woman, she comes to recognize her grandson through this and offers her help in his quest in exchange for the stolen bananas. Standing atop a wiliwili tree, Māui lassos the sun by its rays, stopping it dead in its tracks, and as a result pleads for its life. The deal they negotiate is that the days of summer will be longer and the days of winter will be shorter.
I should probably mention that the lasso was made from his sister’s pubic hair, and the sun’s rays were its metaphorical genitalia, so…
It’s worth noting that the Hawaiian god of the sun, Kāne, is also the same word for man. Without treading into truly debaucherous territory, there is a certain irony about the god of the sun pleading for its life when it’s been caught by the balls in a rope made from female pubic hair. Then again, other religions similarly believed that the sun and rain were both figurative and literal semen from the gods essential to life on earth, so this tale isn’t all that far-fetched.
Two of Māui’s most riveting tales take up almost all the time, including brief spiels on what the dance means after each one.
Rosalina and I both give each other semi-quizzical looks throughout each routine to see if it’s what we remember from both her tour scripts and my own knowledge from my various tours and time here in the islands. Ultimately, the two of us dismiss any preconceived notions we have since 1. They’re definitely more knowledgeable than us because it’s literally in their line of work. And 2. Neither of us have needed to regularly reference them in this form. Obviously, we have to understand the plot of the tale to know that because ancient humans tended to deify things that were beyond human control, modern hindsight teaches us that nowadays, we know what’s happening in the natural world and making the connections to what civilizations mythified and the natural world’s explanation for said events.
To use an example from this very performance, the legend of pulling the Hawaiian islands out of the ocean. This may very well be a creation myth. However, it’s well-known that the Hawaiian islands formed by a series of volcanic eruptions over millions of years in the Hawaii geological hotspot. So, ancient civilizations believed it was the work of a demigod, but now today we know that there was in fact a terrestrial explanation for what was at the time deemed as extraterrestrial handiwork.
At the end of the routine, to much applause and a standing ovation, the group exits the stage as stage hands prepare the floor for the titular event of the night.
Students, faculty and staff all line up and prepare for the first dance of the night, the cotillion.
Extending my hand and bowing elegantly, almost losing the hat, I catch it with my other hand just as Rosalina curtseys and giggles, mostly at me almost dropping my hat.
Those with prior experience at a cotillion may or may not be familiar with its roots in French culture. The traditional dance actually had lyrics.
« Ma commère, quand je danse, mon cotillon va-t-il bien? » (“My friend/comrade, when we dance, is my petticoat doing/moving well?”)
Let me use a more familiar approach, as the original French lyrics follow the exact same meter.
“Blue red, step ahead. Green black, now step back.
Black, green, red, and blue. Red, black, hold one and two.
Red, blue, red once more. Green, black, blue, red, three and four.”
When the music starts, Rosalina and I complete the first set of moves, as that’s what we remember, but after the first few steps, we both kind of drag our feet and follow the flow of the crowd, who to my utter surprise nail it like pros. It’s almost as if the entire student body was required to attend a cotillion or class in formal dance in prep for this very event. Color me impressed.
When the music ends, despite our best efforts to follow along, we end up on opposite sides of where we started but otherwise it’s gone relatively smooth.
Back to the top, we try and mirror each other by role reversing, but as Rosalina does most of the movements, I get caught in her having fun and almost miss my own cues. Fortunately, since we’re role reversed, I don’t have to do all the movement, so when we finish again, I curtesy and Rosalina bows. We acknowledge the completion of the dance with applause and decide to sit out the next round as a much more upbeat song begins.
“That was fun.” I say chuckling as the kids start to have fun.
“You’re a lot more knowledgeable with cotillion dance than you remember.” She responds.
“I remembered the French lyrics, somehow. Following that in meter helped a lot.”
“That’s true. A cotillion dance isn’t that hard once you know the meter. The dance steps are relatively easy after that.”
“Exactly. I‘ve never been to one, but I have had to do it for a stage performance back when I dappled in theater.”
“Do you have any footage?”
“I don’t ever recall being recorded, but if I was, I definitely don’t possess any footage.”
“Oh.”
As we watch the students light it up on the floor, I take a look at the weather for the return trip. That storm system is tracking more northbound than northeast-bound now, so if we leave as close to our target as possible, the ride home should be smooth as silk. I also file the flight plan with a departure for 18:30 local. Since we’re only here for the day, this event may very well be lunch/early dinner. One could argue that that would be an inconvenience based on the time zone, but considering that any acclimation would have to be accomplished in a window of less than 24 hours, mealtime may as well be based on pacific time. Better yet, Spring Forward isn’t until this coming weekend, which was intentional.
Oh how I wish we could’ve had either Vinyl or Spike come and DJ. Both had to decline on account of the length of time they’d need to free up. Both currently live and work on the east coast, so I completely understand.
After a few songs, I join in a few songs with the students by virtue of my own obligations. A couple of my favorite songs and one that the entire student body participates in, which as the finale, no one is sitting down for.
“Alright, Crystal Prep Academy!” The DJ hollers. “Thank you so much for having your spring dance here. That marks the end of our time together! Please travel safely and we hope you return to our lovely isles again! Aloha!”
Making haste for the bathroom, I ask Rosalina if she wants to fly with me, but she declines because she’s at a critical time in the business. Fortunately, most of the students will be asleep, so as far as beverages and snacks are concerned, it’ll be mostly self-serve.
While the buses load, Rosalina and I race back to Sunshine so I can preflight. With her help, the cabin is soon chilling to a more bearable temperature or at least more comfortable by virtue of circulating air, and the external walk-around is complete just before the buses arrive.
Since we’re right at closing time and all flights have concluded for the day, I ask Rosalina to hold the students indoors while I program the planned route into the FMS. After I verify it against the GPS, I head inside and address the students, though without a PA system, I have to speak up.
I raise my hand for their attention. A sea of shushes follows.
“Alright! I know we’re all a little sad to be leaving Hawaii, but at this time we’ll begin the boarding process! All those passengers that need extra time to board, please step forward at this time.”
Again, no takers, so after I wait for a few moments, I call out, “at this time, all passengers seated in the first class cabin, please step forward!”
All 16 in first class then verify themselves with Cadance and I. The two in premium economy then follow them since they’re sort of in-between the two major boarding groups.
After they pass through, Cadance gives me a signal so she can start crossing names off when I finally call, “at this time, we’d like to welcome all passengers aboard with Crystal Prep Academy.”
One by one, Cadance crosses off names with me, and despite some complications with a long line on the boarding stairs, all 90 students are checked off without needing to repeat ourselves. Even with only two to a side and no one with carry-ons or overhead bin luggage, there’s still a line, so I run to the baggage compartment and briefly check the luggage compartment to make sure the girls grabbed all their luggage. Nothing left behind, I return to the airplane and find just about everyone taking their seats.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard our flight. We are returning to Sacramento Mather airport. My name is Split Scimitar, but you can just call me Max. I am your Captain for this evening’s flight. In case you couldn’t tell, I am the only crew member for this leg, so let me lay down a few extra ground rules for flight with a single crew member. Snack and beverages will be self-serve, but please do take your fellow schoolmates into consideration. Rule number two, no more than one person waiting for the forward lavatory at a time. If I have to use the lavatory, I don’t want a crowd in this hallway, and I do respectfully ask you give me priority. Rule number three, if there is an emergency that requires my attention, please let one of the faculty or staff know. Principal Cadance is responsible for communicating with me. Please do not hesitate to let her know. Are there any questions about those rules specifically? If so, please ring your attendant call button.“
No one responds, so after I take a breath, I continue.
“Okay. If there are no additional questions, let me close and arm the doors, and we can get going.”
L1, R1, closed, locked, armed.
L4, R4, closed, locked, armed.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard our flight with service to Sacramento Mather Field. My name is Split Scimitar, but please call me Max. At this time, we are now ready for departure. Please direct your attention to the video monitors for a presentation of the safety features of this Boeing 737-900ER.”
When the video ends, I wrap up the cabin announcement with, “we’re expecting about 5 hours 15 minutes en route, so please sit back, relax, and enjoy our flight this evening.”
2 alight and stable.
Surfaces check. Flaps 10 for takeoff.
Cleared as filed, no anomalies, NOTAMs, or outstanding PIREPs. I think we’ll have a good flight ahead of us.
“Maui airport ATIS information Lima, 0440Z. Wind 010 at 11. Visibility 10. Scattered clouds at 13,000. Temperature 21, dewpoint 17, altimeter 30.11. ILS and Visual runway 2 in use. Landing and departing runway 2. Notices to airmen: taxiway B north of taxiway F closed. Advisory: all VFR aircraft contact clearance delivery prior to taxi. Advise on initial contact you have information Lima.”
“Maui ground, Shadowbolt 1, Sunshine ramp, Lima, taxi.”
“Shadowbolt 1, Maui ground, runway 2, taxi via C. Go ahead and switch to tower, 118.7.”
“C to runway 2, 118.7, Shadowbolt 1.”
“Shadowbolt 1, Maui tower. Will you be ready upon reaching?”
“Affirm, Shadowbolt 1.”
“Roger. Runway 2, line up and wait.”
“Line up and wait runway 2, Shadowbolt 1.”
“Shadowbolt 1, for your planning purposes, expect radar vectors with HCF approach.“
“Shadowbolt 1.”
“Hawaiian 526, Maui tower, report final approach fix inbound, traffic departing prior to your arrival a 737.”
“Report final approach fix inbound, Hawaiian 526.”
“Shadowbolt 1, runway 2, cleared for takeoff.”
“Cleared for takeoff runway 2, Shadowbolt 1.”
Set takeoff thrust, spool up, a short field takeoff.
Thrust set, brakes off, rolling.
80 knots.
V1
Rotate.
V2
Positive rate, gear up.
“Shadowbolt 1, contact HCF departure, Mahalo E Aloha!”
“HCF departure now, Mahalo E Aloha, Shadowbolt 1.” “HCF departure, Shadowbolt 1, HIAKA One, 2,400 climbing 9,000.” Flaps up.
“Shadowbolt 1, HCF departure, aloha. Traffic inbound to Maui opposite direction inbound on the LNDHY One. Expect radar vectors in about 5 minutes.”
“Roger traffic. What’s their transition?”
“Traffic proceeding via APACK.”
“Shadowbolt 1, roger.”
“Shadowbolt 1, turn right 10 degrees for spacing.”
“Right 10 degrees, Shadowbolt 1.”
Immediately, the incoming aircraft shows up on TCAS. Well clear of it even for wake turbulence (even though we’re both 737’s), I decide to hasten our climb since I have plenty of performance to spare once we pass 10,000.
“Ladies and gentlemen, from the flight deck, we’ve reached our cruising altitude of 37,000 feet. We’re expecting a smooth ride all the way home to Sacramento tonight. Our aircraft as I mentioned earlier is equipped with complimentary WiFi access, so if you do need to communicate travel information, our expected arrival time is about 2:10 am. At this time, I’ll turn off the seatbelt sign but please do remain seated with your seatbelts securely fastened in case we do encounter some rough air. If there are any outstanding changes, I’ll let you know as soon as possible. Also at this time, I will go ahead and leave the cockpit door open if there are any of you who may be interested in taking a peek. Thank you once again, welcome aboard.”
Once I finally release my own safety restraints, I breathe a little sigh once we’re with Oakland and in SELCAL territory. While it’s arguably the easiest part, it’s also the most boring part. A view of nothing but blue above and blue below, coupled to the setting sun. I’ve done flights like this before. Normally those flights leave at anywhere between 14:30 and 16:00, thus arriving on the mainland around midnight or so, but sometimes hourlong delays happen for whatever reason. Not that it bothers me.
I then take a quick peek back at the cabin. With a few exceptions of those on their phones, most of the cabin is asleep. To that I decide to grab couple of random drinks from the galley.
When the sun goes down, I turn on all the panel lights and the cabin lights to their lowest setting. With most of the students asleep and all but one of the adults, I wash my hands and return to the cockpit.
“Shadowbolt 1, descend and maintain FL280, proceed direct PIRAT, direct ARGGG, then direct Sacramento. Expect to transition via COLOM on the ILS runway 22L.”
“Descend FL280, direct PIRAT, direct ARGGG, direct Sacramento, expect COLOM, Shadowbolt 1.”
Cadance then sits down in the right seat.
“Hello Cadance. Just the woman I wanted to see.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Now that we’re descending, I wanted to debrief you on the arrival. Mostly stuff you should be familiar with. Since I don’t have any crew, I have to ask you to go up and down the aisle to make sure everyone’s seated, belted, and all their trash and stuff is taken care of. You should turn the cabin lights on so you can see and to indicate we’re in the final approach phase.
“You can wait a little. Usually it’s done twice just in case.”
“Was planning on it.”
“Perfect. Feel free to use the PA to wake everyone up too.”
“You got it.”
“Shadowbolt 1, cross Sacramento at or below 200 knots.”
“Sacramento at or below 200, Shadowbolt 1.”
“Shadowbolt 1, Half Moon Bay altimeter 30.02.”
“30.02, Shadowbolt 1.”
After passing 15,000, I call the cabin.
“Cadance speaking.”
“We’re out of 15,000. Go ahead and do the final check. As soon as we drop below 10,000, everyone’s gotta be seated. Call me when everything’s secure.”
“Got it. Cabin lights are on.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, as we begin our final descent into Sacramento, please at this time check in your general area for any trash or other items. Please return your chair backs and tray tables to the full upright and locked position. Principal Cadance will be passing through twice to pick up any remaining service items. We’ll be landing shortly. Thank you.”
A few minutes after I’ve briefed the approach, I arm the speed brakes and set airspeed to 200.
“Flight deck, go ahead.”
“Everyone is seated, all belts are secure, and the trash has been collected.
Below 10,000, speed below 250 knots.
“Thank you. Over and out.”
“Shadowbolt 1, IFR flight plan is closed. Understand Mather in sight.”
“Affirm, Shadowbolt 1.”
“Shadowbolt 1, roger. Do you still want the ILS or did you want a visual?”
“We’d like the ILS via COLOM. Proceeding to COLOM via AUDIO.”
“Shadowbolt 1, approved as requested. Retain squawk code for flight following. No additional traffic observed at Mather. No landing information available for Mather. Switch to advisory, good night!”
“As requested, squawk to the ground, thanks for the help tonight, Shadowbolt 1.”
“You’re welcome!”
“Mather traffic, Shadowbolt 1, approaching AUDIO, proceeding inbound ILS 22L via COLOM, Mather.”
No responses on frequency. Approaching AUDIO, speed 180, flaps 5.
The area I’m flying over and most of the surrounding area has noise abatement, since it’s a suburban residential neighborhood. As such, no reverse thrust, and a slower approach speed. Even though we have an 11,000 foot runway, I’ll use flaps 40.
Turn right to intercept COLOM.
Flaps 10. Speed to 160.
Established on approach path. Flaps 15. “Mather traffic, Shadowbolt 1, COLOM, inbound ILS 22L.”
Glide slope intercepted. Lower landing gear. Flaps 25. Speed to 140.
“2,500.” Flaps 30.
Flaps 40 as the GPWS calls out, “1,000.”
“Mather traffic, Shadowbolt 1, 7 mile final 22L.”
500.
200. “Autopilot disengage.”
Hand fly to touchdown. Touchdown at 130.
50.
40.
30.
20.
10.
Touchdown. Spoilers up, brakes on, no reverse thrust.
30 knots, brakes off.
Exit at F, F A to Superior.
“On behalf of your Southern California based pilot, we’d like to welcome you home to Sacramento Mather Field. Current local time is 2:24 am, the weather a dry 59°, calm winds and clear skies. For your continued comfort and safety, please wait until the aircraft has come to a complete stop, the seat belt sign has been turned off, and I have specifically given the all clear. Our revised procedure is due to our late arrival, so please wait for my signal and all three conditions have been met. It has been an absolute pleasure serving you today, and I hope that this event was as much of a success as we all had hoped. Thank you so much again for your patronage, welcome home to Sacramento.”
Flaps up, landing, strobes, wing/pulse lights off. APU on. APU generator on.
Parked at the building’s closest spot with a comfortable margin of wingtip clearance. Shut down.
Seatbelt sign off.
Cabin lights on.
“Disarm left front main. Standby for stairs.”
L1 disarmed, opened.
The aircraft’s own air stair is then released from its storage bay and deployed. Secure against the ground and the guardrails set, I get on the horn and announce.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. You are now free to deplane and follow me to the terminal building. Have a wonderful spring break, and don’t forget to spring forward on Saturday Night.”
With that, I head down the stairs and let a small line form behind me. I enter the code for the building, given to me before I left, and giving a wave to the security camera, I open the door and let the students and faculty in. Only the uncontrolled lights remain on, which provide enough light to guide them from the plane side to the ground side, where buses are waiting for them.
After I run back to the plane and make sure no one is stowing away, I find Cadance so I can officially close out the tab.
“Thank you so much for doing this.” She says as she opens her arms.
Accepting her embrace, I reply, “the pleasure was all mine. Felt really nice to return to Hawaii with a clientele.
I should have a statement ready by the next business day. I’ll send it to the email you provided me.”
“Actually, if it’s school related, can you send it to my school email? Let me send it to you right now.”
“Sure.”
*Cadance - message*
“MiAmore.Cadenza@CrystalPrepAcademy.org”
“Got it. Thank you.”
“Do you want to spend the night here?”
“Nah. I’m an hour’s hop away from home.”
“Okay then. Travel safe. Thanks again for doing this.”
“My pleasure. Good night.”