care?" She was asking whether I wanted to make specific arrangements.
"Lara, Zoe and I in the Seneca," I said. "You and Serena in the Bonanza. Portia or Angel in the Mooney. After that, I don't care."
"Angel," Michaela said. "I could use some hood time. Serena, do you mind the back seat?"
"That's fine," Serena said.
If Angel was disappointed she wouldn't be piloting, she didn't show it. I think riding with Michaela made it easier. "What about Scarlett?"
"With us, and Karen with Portia. Three-four-two. And the luggage can go in the back of the Seneca."
Zoe leaned up to me and whispered, "Is it always this complicated?"
"No. It's usually more cut and dried. Michaela wanted Lara with her in the Bonanza, but we can't make that work, although Michaela isn't considering one last choice."
She heard me, of course, and her ears twitched. She cocked her head, then she turned slowly to look at Portia with a glance at Angel. She was considering letting Portia and Angel fly the two Mooneys, and she'd fly the Bonanza.
"Michaela," I said. "I really would prefer to ride w ith you or Lara as pilot. Please."
She turned back to me. "Right. Of course. We have a plan."
But she still made us weigh everything.
* * * *
Scarlett and Karen loaded the luggage while the four pilots held a discussion off to the side. Zoe and I stood together, watching everything.
"I've never flown in a small plane before," Zoe admitted. "I'm a little nervous."
"Lara has been flying since she was seven," I said. "And it's a beautiful day. We're flying from our home field to a very nice airport we know very well. I would rather Angel were piloting the third aircraft, but Lara and Michaela are both more qualified to assign pilots than I am. This will be Portia's first group trip as a pilot."
"She hasn't flown much?"
"I think about sixty hours. By comparison, Lara has a couple of thousand hours, Michaela has about seven hundred, and I think Angel is about two-fifty."
"I didn't think this would be so complicated. I imagined getting here and we'd all pile into some sort of business jet or something."
"Lara would love an excuse to buy a business jet, but we actually don't leave Wisconsin very often, and it would be complete overkill for flying to Bayfield. That's the longest trip we do more than every few years."
"With all her businesses, she doesn't travel?"
"Her businesses are all local."
"Vacations?"
"Those are the trips outside Wisconsin, and we tend to charter a jet."
"That sounds far more expensive than traveling commercial."
"It is, but it lets us maintain more control."
She shook her head. "We're from such different worlds."
Finally, about twenty minutes after Zoe and I had arrived, it was time to climb into the aircraft. I helped Zoe into the back seat of the Seneca and got her buckled in. Then while I climbed into the front seat, Lara poked her nose in and gave Zoe a thorough passenger briefing.
Ten minutes later, we watched Michaela take off, then Lara taxied us onto the runway.
"Zoe, all set?"
"I'm good," she replied over the headset.
"Elisabeth, did you want to fly?"
"What?" Zoe screeched from the back seat.
"Elisabeth is a fine pilot," Lara said. "Licensed or otherwise."
"I'd rather not, Lara," I replied.
Without another word, Lara pushed on the throttles, and we began thundering down the runway. As lightly loaded as we were, it took no time at all before we departed the earth and were climbing into the sky.
From the back seat, Zoe gave a shout of joy. "Oops, sorry," she added.
"Quite all right, Zoe," Lara said. "That's often my reaction as well."
She was actually seated behind Lara. I reached an arm back between the front seats, and Zoe clasped it. Lara noticed but didn't comment.
Over the radio we heard Portia announce, "Wolf Run area traffic, Mooney five-five-nine-wolf-run, taxi for takeoff, north departure."
"Portia, c limb out in the pattern," Lara directed over the radio.
"Roger," was the reply.
We made our first
"Lara, Zoe and I in the Seneca," I said. "You and Serena in the Bonanza. Portia or Angel in the Mooney. After that, I don't care."
"Angel," Michaela said. "I could use some hood time. Serena, do you mind the back seat?"
"That's fine," Serena said.
If Angel was disappointed she wouldn't be piloting, she didn't show it. I think riding with Michaela made it easier. "What about Scarlett?"
"With us, and Karen with Portia. Three-four-two. And the luggage can go in the back of the Seneca."
Zoe leaned up to me and whispered, "Is it always this complicated?"
"No. It's usually more cut and dried. Michaela wanted Lara with her in the Bonanza, but we can't make that work, although Michaela isn't considering one last choice."
She heard me, of course, and her ears twitched. She cocked her head, then she turned slowly to look at Portia with a glance at Angel. She was considering letting Portia and Angel fly the two Mooneys, and she'd fly the Bonanza.
"Michaela," I said. "I really would prefer to ride w ith you or Lara as pilot. Please."
She turned back to me. "Right. Of course. We have a plan."
But she still made us weigh everything.
* * * *
Scarlett and Karen loaded the luggage while the four pilots held a discussion off to the side. Zoe and I stood together, watching everything.
"I've never flown in a small plane before," Zoe admitted. "I'm a little nervous."
"Lara has been flying since she was seven," I said. "And it's a beautiful day. We're flying from our home field to a very nice airport we know very well. I would rather Angel were piloting the third aircraft, but Lara and Michaela are both more qualified to assign pilots than I am. This will be Portia's first group trip as a pilot."
"She hasn't flown much?"
"I think about sixty hours. By comparison, Lara has a couple of thousand hours, Michaela has about seven hundred, and I think Angel is about two-fifty."
"I didn't think this would be so complicated. I imagined getting here and we'd all pile into some sort of business jet or something."
"Lara would love an excuse to buy a business jet, but we actually don't leave Wisconsin very often, and it would be complete overkill for flying to Bayfield. That's the longest trip we do more than every few years."
"With all her businesses, she doesn't travel?"
"Her businesses are all local."
"Vacations?"
"Those are the trips outside Wisconsin, and we tend to charter a jet."
"That sounds far more expensive than traveling commercial."
"It is, but it lets us maintain more control."
She shook her head. "We're from such different worlds."
Finally, about twenty minutes after Zoe and I had arrived, it was time to climb into the aircraft. I helped Zoe into the back seat of the Seneca and got her buckled in. Then while I climbed into the front seat, Lara poked her nose in and gave Zoe a thorough passenger briefing.
Ten minutes later, we watched Michaela take off, then Lara taxied us onto the runway.
"Zoe, all set?"
"I'm good," she replied over the headset.
"Elisabeth, did you want to fly?"
"What?" Zoe screeched from the back seat.
"Elisabeth is a fine pilot," Lara said. "Licensed or otherwise."
"I'd rather not, Lara," I replied.
Without another word, Lara pushed on the throttles, and we began thundering down the runway. As lightly loaded as we were, it took no time at all before we departed the earth and were climbing into the sky.
From the back seat, Zoe gave a shout of joy. "Oops, sorry," she added.
"Quite all right, Zoe," Lara said. "That's often my reaction as well."
She was actually seated behind Lara. I reached an arm back between the front seats, and Zoe clasped it. Lara noticed but didn't comment.
Over the radio we heard Portia announce, "Wolf Run area traffic, Mooney five-five-nine-wolf-run, taxi for takeoff, north departure."
"Portia, c limb out in the pattern," Lara directed over the radio.
"Roger," was the reply.
We made our first
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