Before you turn the next 613 pages, I want you to
know that travel by airplane is still the safest mode of
transportation available,--so far,--in this millennium.
There are unannounced drug & alcohol checks for the
entire crew, --------------Crews & Stews-------------.
These inspections are made prior to going to work—at
the airport.
Volume I of Flying High occurred mostly in the last of the
fifties and the “Whoring Sixties”.
Color Television was playing in the display window of your
local department store.
Dick Tracy and buddies had the only “Cell Phones”.
“Mary-juanna” started taking money away from the liquor
and tobacco industry.
The hippies were moving into the Haight-Ashberry area.
The “pill” had become the Catholics answer to birth control.
That didn’t work. –The world’s population has doubled
since one-ninner-six-zero.--------&
Jet airplanes were leaving contrails in the sky for the first time.
Aviating, at that point in time, was a litta, no a lotta
loosa, than it is now.
I have written in Co-Pilots and Flight Engineers as Captains—if
later on in the course of FLYING GIANT AIRLINES they achieve the-
--SKY GOD STATUS AS CAPTAINS.
And by the way, ---some of the players names have been
changed to protect the guilty.
ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS---
---“IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER AGAIN”---
---“I WOULD DO IT EXACTLY THE SAME WAY”---
What you are about to enter now is the Flylight Ozone.
This book is 613 pages
CAPTAIN JACK RESLEY BECK, REallyTIRED
40,000 HOURS & 6.96969 million miles
And that doesn’t include the 1500 hours of P-51 time
P-51 Time=Parker Pen 51-—Phony time
Or the 27 parachute jumps
XVIII AIRBORNE CORPS---KOREAN “CONFLICT”
FLYING TIGER AIRLINES
TWENTIETH CENTURY AIRLINES
AEROVIDAS SUD AMERICANA (ASA)
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST AIRLiNES (PSA) —USAIR
Single Engine; -—Aeronca, Tn-Pacer, PT-22
Twin Engine; ---Grumman Mallard (amphibian), Apache, Boeing 737, DC-9, MD80,
Boeing 757---Boeing 767---C-46—-L-119 (Flying Boxcar)
Three Engine; ---Boeing 727
Four Engine; ---DC-6---Lockheed Super Constellation 1049h,
Lockheed Electra L188
Volume I of Flying High occurred mostly in the late fifties and the “Whoring Sixties”.
What you are about to enter now is the flylight zone.
I'm dedicating this book to Chief Pilot Captain Bill Butler.
If, perchance, any body knows where his Kinfolk are, please let me know at
Becksflyinghigh@aol.com or FAX#928-754-5319
FLYING “HIGH”
“THE FEA—er--FUN OF FLYING”
CAPTAIN JACK RESLEY BECK REALLYTIRED
At this point in time---Mark raised his head up from the instrument panel and, ---
“Greased the Comanche right on the numbers.”
squeak squeak
squeak
“Ahhh---how sweet it is---thank god that’s over.”
tictictictictictictictictictictictictic
The sound the propellers make when the landing gear collapses.
SCRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE
SCRUNCH
The sound the airplane makes after you hear tictictictic.
---WE STOPPED---A LITTLE DAZED---
Up till this time---Julie sat in the back seat---uttered not a word.
At this time---Julie was out of the back seat---came over the top of my seat and my body---was out my door just as the Comanche came to a screeching ass halt.
Mark and I sat there for a few moments---in shock.
“Mark---Let’s go back over to the Riverside Casino and do some more gambling---Right now I don’t feel like we have anything to lose.”
“Okaaaay”
*****
The one thing that I remember most as the Comanche came to a screeching ass halt---was the heat on the soles of my shoes. ---It felt like I was getting a twenty match hot-foot.
*****
We got out of the Comanche and surveyed the damage. The propellers were shaped like horseshoes and the once mighty Comanche sat sideways about 500 feet from where we first heard---
tictictictictictictictictictictictictic.
And about this time---
A Bullhead City Airport employee drove up on the runway and stopped in front of the airplane with his headlight focused on the Crippled Comanche.
“I’ll go get a crane with a sling. I’ll raise the airplane up and lock the airplane’s landing gear down. You boys might just a well go back over to the Riverside Casino and get a room. You’re not going anywhere tonight.”
“I’ll tow the airplane over to the hangar. I’ll put it inside the hangar---sort of out of sight.”
“Thank you Sir---See you tomorrow.”