Splash and Dash Searey Seaplane Delights                            May 6 8:00 Guest User - Request Membership Layout | Log In | Help | Videos | Site | Emails  Search:   Front Page Calendar Photos Add Photos News Add News File Cabinet Add File Cabinet History Add History * Searey Info * Add * Searey Info * Polls Add Polls Classifieds Add Classifieds Utilities Create a New Site  News View All News | Add News | Emoticons | Mark Unread Search News:      Category: 275,Wet Tales Previous Item - Etanol-free Mogas in MA! This will go to the previous thread in this topic.       Favorite option: If you want this item to be marked as a favorite, click on the black heart.   Crossing Currents         Next Item - Check it out... This will go to the next thread in this topic.    Dan Nickens - Jun 01,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Crossing Currents<br /><br />By Dan Nickens<br />Copyright 2007<br /><br />A summertime beach-side read. Part One in which Rick falls for a babe…..<br /><br /><br /><br />The words struck Rick like a hard slap. “I can’t make the meeting today,” his client said matter-of-factly.<br /><br />“You can’t?” he stammered in reply.<br /><br />“No, my plans have changed. I have a personal crisis. We’ll have to reschedule.”<br /><br />Rick gritted his teeth. He’d been most of the night and all morning preparing for the important meeting. Now he had nothing on his calendar for the rest of the day.<br /><br />He hung up and sat for a minute contemplating the potential ramifications of the postponement. “Screw it! I’ll just go flying.”<br /><br />Awaiting Rick at the airport was his new little experimental amphibian. He had just bought the SeaRey from its original builder a few weeks earlier. Windy weather and work had kept him from flying it nearly as much as he wanted to. The vacuum in his day was the perfect excuse to go to the airport and take it out.<br /><br />A quick call to Flight Service told him there was a finite limit to the break in the weather. Though the wind had calmed down, summer thunderstorms were forecast later in the afternoon.<br /><br />“I’ll be back in the hangar long before the storms pop up,” Rick confidently told the briefer.<br /><br />For Randy and Nancy it was another day of vacation in Florida. Nancy was a little groggy from getting up and down with the baby during the night. Randy was ready to go.<br /><br />“We’re running late. Let’s get going. I’ll bet the parks are already crowded.”<br /><br />“We’ve been every day since we got here,” Nancy said sharply. “I want to take a day off and go to the beach today.”<br /><br />“But we agreed to go to the beach on Saturday,” Randy said shaking his head. “That is when the parks are most crowded.”<br /><br />“Well, we’re on vacation. We can change our plans. I’m tired. The baby’s tired. The beach will be relaxing.”<br /><br />Things had been a bit rough between them since the baby arrived. Randy figured it would just be easier to go along. “It’s late anyway. Okay, we’ll go to the beach.”<br /><br />Kirk and Carl were returning home after a business trip up north. They finished early and headed towards the airport.<br /><br />“Hey, Kirk,” Carl said. “There’s a restaurant. Let’s stop and get ourselves a decent lunch. We deserve it.”<br /><br />Kirk wasn’t so sure. “How about the lunch my wife packed for us in the cooler?”<br /><br />“Let’s see, hmmm, ham sandwiches or a steak? I’m thinking steak.”<br /><br />Kirk laughed. “You must be pretty sure we’re going to get this job. Well, maybe we do deserve a break, but we better make it a quick one.”<br /><br />Rick had a quick lunch on the way to the airport too. Afterwards he gave his little amphibian a good workout. He splashed down in six or seven different lakes, working on his water skills. Despite a few surprising bounces, he was feeling pretty good about his technique.<br /><br />Suddenly it dawned on him, “I could do this any day! I need to fly somewhere I can’t normally go. I think I’ll head over to the coast.”<br /><br />The coast was a half hour flight away. He turned and flew eastward.<br /><br />Even on weekday, the beaches were dotted with people. Rick flew north along the beach, away from the high rise condos, watching the surf. He had never landed in the kind of waves he could see below him. They were much larger than what he had seen on the lakes. Still, he was just satisfied to fly low over them, knowing he could divert to the beach in an emergency.<br /><br />The mesmerizing waves and sun pouring into the cockpit had a soothing effect. The bright yellow object was almost upon on him before he reacted. He banked sharply away as a kite flashed past just a few feet away.<br /><br />Rick shook his head as if to fling away the drowsiness. “Man! I didn’t know I was so tired. I could sure use a nap.”<br /><br />Surveying the beach he noticed that the barrier island had squeezed to a narrow strip of land. Behind it, in the lagoon, the water looked as calm as the lakes he had recently left.<br /><br />The idea of landing there popped into his mind unbidden. “I can land in the lagoon and walk over to the beach. A little rest on the sand would be perfect!”<br /><br />Without waiting he banked the airplane and put it down among the gentle ripples of the lagoon. He taxied up to the shallow sandy shore and beached the plane. It was low tide and the seaplane grounded well before the shore. He waded ashore after securing the SeaRey with a small anchor.<br /><br />It was a short walk across the dunes to drumming sound of waves crashing on the ocean side beach. Rick found a spot away from the few other people there and spread out his towel.<br /><br />The cool breeze and rhythmic beat of the waves soon had him drifting to sleep. He briefly opened one eye to see the two people pulling up near him in their rental car. They were parking pretty darned close to the surf. “Tourists!” Rick thought as he grimaced before just shutting his eyes and putting them out of his mind.<br /><br />Randy set up an umbrella and lounges on the sand at the water’s edge. Nancy brought out the baby’s bassinet and sat it under their umbrella. She grabbed a book and a drink and plopped down in the shade.<br /><br />“I’m going swimming,” Randy loudly announced as he kicked some sand towards Nancy.<br /><br />“Stop it! Now look what you’ve done. The baby is crying again.”<br /><br />“Well, she can come with me. Look, I can put her bassinet in the float tube.”<br /><br />Nancy didn’t think it was such a great idea, but was too tired to argue. “Well, maybe that will keep her from crying. Be careful and don’t go too deep.”<br /><br />“I know all about the rip currents they’re having here. We’ll just stay close to shore.”<br /><br />“Yeah, and you’re too rotten for the sharks to eat. Just be careful.”<br /><br />Rick didn’t look. He’d already drifted off to sleep.<br /><br />The piercing scream jolted Rick awake. He shook his head then looked towards the tourists. It was the lady he had seen earlier. She was standing in shallow water by her car screaming. Her husband was frantically looking up and down the beach.<br /><br />Rick slowly stood up. Others on the beach ran over to the couple. Rick followed them at the slow pace of someone getting oriented after a deep sleep. “Great,” he thought, “they’re probably stuck now that the tide’s come in.”<br /><br />“My baby! Where’s my baby?”<br /><br />Someone asked, “What baby?”<br /><br />Randy answered, “Our baby was here just a few minutes ago. We, uh, fell asleep. The ba..ba..baby was resting on the float. Now she’s gone.” Randy had to yell to be heard over the shrieking and moaning Nancy.<br /><br />“Hey, I saw a couple walking up the beach a few minutes ago with a baby,” one of the gathering crowd said.<br /><br />“Where?” Randy demanded.<br /><br />“They were walking towards town,” the onlooker said, pointing south.<br /><br />Without another word Randy took off running in that direction.<br /><br />“Was it a baby girl? Was it my baby? ” Nancy shrieked.<br /><br />“I don’t know. It was in a bassinet.”<br /><br />Nancy started crying again. “Someone please call the police. Please hurry.”<br /><br />Rick looked down the beach to see Randy running frantically. That is when Rick noticed the wall of black cumulus clouds that were gathering just to the south and west. A flash of lightening was followed closely by a huge clap of thunder.<br /><br />Immediately Rick switched into pilot mode. The thunderstorms were gathering over the land, and growing ominously towards the beach. It looked to him like there was still an avenue for him to escape to the north.<br /><br />He looked again towards the hysterical, screaming woman. “There are clearly enough people here to help her,” Rick thought. “There’s nothing I can do. I need to get out of here now.”<br /><br />With that, Rick returned to pick up his towel before racing across the dunes to the SeaRey. It was sitting well out in the water now, riding on its anchor line.<br /><br />A cool gust of air blew past him. It was a cold reminder that the thunderstorms were closing in. He waded out into the water and pulled the airplane in by its anchor.<br /><br />Quickly Rick went through an abbreviated takeoff checklist. In short order he had the engine started and the airplane turned quickly into the wind blowing out from the storms. With full throttle he blasted off towards the gathering storm.<br /><br />As he lifted off the water, a quick pang of guilt hit. “I wish there was something I could do for those people,” he thought. Just as quickly he decided he could make a quick swing to the south along the beach to see if he could spot the couple with the baby.<br /><br />The air was bumpy and Rick flew low over the beach. He quickly spotted Randy running wildly around between groups on the beach. Ahead was an increasing throng of people.<br /><br />“There is no way I can spot a baby,” Rick decided. That decision was punctuated by a flash of lightening from the black cloud ahead. Rick turned the airplane around out over the ocean and headed by north.<br /><br />Rick decided to stay offshore to keep a minimal distance from the wall of clouds on the mainland. There was still some lightness to the north where he hoped he could round the line of storms.<br /><br />Looking back to the beach Rick recognized the spot where a crowd gathered around the tourists’ car. Its tires were now completely awash. He just shook his head and looked away.<br /><br />There was a flash of yellow on the water ahead that barely registered in his glance. He thought about his earlier encounter with the kite. “Maybe it was blown out to sea and crashed,” he laughed.<br /><br />Then he thought about it some more. What he had seen wasn’t shaped like a kite. It looked like a float.<br /><br />That thought made him wrack the airplane around in a steep turn. He held his breath as he frantically searched for the round yellow tube. It took only a minute for him to find it out on the deep blue water.<br /><br />“Oh my god! Oh no!” was all he could think. The baby’s bassinet had been in the tube. The tube had washed out to sea.<br /><br />He dove the seaplane downward as he focused on the tube. “Is that a bassinet? Could it still be in the tube?”<br /><br />“Yes! Yes!” he screamed aloud. The bassinet was still inside the tube’s inner hole. Rick trembled. “What about the baby?”<br /><br />His question was answered in a heartbeat. As he flashed past the tube he could see a small face in the middle.<br /><br />Rick wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw some movement. He quickly circled the airplane back towards the float. He added a notch of flaps and slowed the airplane.<br /><br />From his low vantage point he could clearly see the baby. He thought he saw it move.<br /><br />“Now what?” he thought. It didn’t seem as if the baby was in any imminent danger, at least none more than it was a moment ago. Rick decided to climb up and call for help.<br /><br />Knowing there was a nearby airport, he fumbled to pull the radio frequency up on his GPS. He found it and called out, “Mayday, Mayday, Seaplane Zero Papa Tango has an emergency.”<br /><br />“State your position and the nature of your emergency,” the disembodied voice of the control tower responded.<br /><br />“I’m ten miles south just off the beach. There is a baby adrift off the shore.”<br /><br />There was a pause before he got a reply. “Confirm that you say there is a baby offshore in the ocean?”<br /><br />“Roger, roger. The baby is on a float. It got away from his parents on the beach. I’m flying over it now.”<br /><br />“Okay, can you give me your exact position?”<br /><br />Rick looked at the GPS and repeated the coordinates it showed on the screen.<br /><br />“Roger. I have the coordinates and I’m contacting the Coast Guard,” the tower replied. “Can you confirm that the baby is okay?”<br /><br />Rick stared back over the tube he was circling. The flash of a dark gray fin cut a white gash in the water just a few feet away. Details came into sharp focus. He could see the baby’s arms flailing. He could see water washing in and out of the tube with the waves. The fin disappeared, only to reappear a few seconds later.<br /><br />“Sharks!” he screamed into the radio. “There are sharks circling!”<br /><br />Rick could hear the concern in the controller’s voice. “Are you saying there are sharks near the baby?”<br /><br />“Yes, yes, yes. I can see their fins. I can see the baby moving. Oh my god!”<br /><br />“I’ve talked to the Coast Guard,” the controller said. “They can’t launch from Daytona because of the storms. It will take at least 30 minutes to get a helicopter from Jacksonville and the storms are moving in here too. Is there anyone there that can help? Do you see any boats?”<br /><br />Rick frantically searched the surrounding waters. There were no boats in sight. On shore he could see the flashing lights of a police car, but it was a mile away across the surf.<br /><br />“There is no help anywhere nearby,” Rick said into the radio.<br /><br />“Keep circling,” the controller said, “and we’ll get help there as soon as we can.”<br /><br />“I’m afraid it won’t be soon enough,” Rick said quietly. “I have an amphibious airplane. I’m going to try and land near the baby. I don’t know if I can make it. The seas are a lot rougher than I’ve ever been in.”<br /><br />There was a pause. “Maybe you should just stay overhead and guide in the Coast Guard,” the controller suggested.<br /><br />Rick looked again at the gray fins. He counted a set of three circling within a few feet of the pitiful looking yellow tube.<br /><br />“There’s no time. I’ve got to try.”<br /><br />“Roger,” came the reply, “please keep me informed….if you can.”<br /><br />Rick studied the water. The waves were at least four feet high. The airplane was rated for twelve inch waves. He had never landed in water that rough.<br /><br />Lessons from his seaplane training flooded back into his head. He watched the wave crests and turned to land along them.<br /><br />The waves rushed up towards the hull, growing larger as they came closer. Just a few feet from touching down, what Rick saw scared him to death. He powered up to climb back away from the seaplane wrecking waves. The baby flashed by underneath.<br /><br />At that moment the radio crackled again in his headset with a call from another aircraft: “Cessna Four Hotel Charlie five miles north in bound for landing.”<br /><br />“Cessna calling tower, we have an emergency on this frequency. Please stand by.”<br /><br />“We can’t stand by tower,” the Cessna replied. “Storms are moving in. We need to land as soon as possible.”<br /><br />“Roger,” the tower replied, “there is a baby in the water south of the airport and a seaplane is attempting a rescue. Please minimize use of the frequency.”<br /><br />There was another pause on the radio. “Tower, can Cessna Four Hotel Charlie offer any assistance?”<br /><br />“Hotel Charlie, the seaplane may not be able to land in the waves. Can you fly overhead to check his condition and relay messages?”<br /><br />“Roger, we can do that.”<br /><br />“Hotel Charlie we anticipate that the storms will be over the airport in the next twenty minutes. Do you copy?”<br /><br />“Roger, tower. Hotel Charlie understands. Give us the seaplane’s position and we’ll proceed directly there.”<br /><br />The thought of a fellow pilot braving the storms with him gave Rick the courage he needed. He set up for a second shot at the landing.<br /><br />The gusts from the approaching storms had picked up strength. The wind whipped the top of the waves into a froth as the SeaRey dropped towards them.<br /><br />Rick had to cross control the airplane to keep lined up with the wave crests. It was a tough, moving target to get lined up with a wave line. He picked one that he hoped would put him close to the bobbing yellow float.<br /><br />When he was inches from the wave tops Rick saw he would be landing too far from the baby. He applied power to skim the wave crest and get closer. As he closed on his objective he started worrying about hitting the baby. He immediately chopped the power.<br /><br />The seaplane hit the top of the wave and bounced. Rick pushed the stick forward to plant himself on the wave. He bounced again, but this time it was less.<br /><br />The seaplane was rushing towards the baby in the float. Fear that he would indeed strike them caused Rick to swerve the seaplane sideways.<br /><br />The swerve took the SeaRey off the wave top and down into a trough. The nose of the airplane buried itself into the preceding wave. The canopy turned green as the ocean washed over it.<br /><br />Just as quickly as it went under, the little seaplane popped back up on the other side of the wave. It was a quick way to stop.<br /><br />Rick saw a swirl of water around his feet. He quickly switched the bilge pump on and looked to see it was indeed working. It was.<br /><br />The seaplane was riding roughly on the waves. He could hear water going through the prop. With regular rhythm the canopy was washed over by the waves.<br /><br />Rick scanned quickly to find the yellow float. It was nowhere in sight.<br /><br />Now panicked that he had lost the baby, Rick slid the canopy open, took his headset off and stood up in the seat. It took only a minute before he spotted the small float as it topped a nearby wave.<br /><br />Mentally marking the position he kicked left rudder and tried to turn the airplane in that direction. A wave rolled by, raising the windward wing. The opposite wing was quickly pushed under water as the seaplane tried to turn.<br /><br />Rick felt a measure of relief when the wing popped back up as the seaplane wallowed over the wave. Through the water spattered canopy he again spotted the yellow float in the direction he was now headed. At the same time he saw a gray fin bump it.<br /><br />Time seemed to flow like cold syrup as Rick struggled to keep the seaplane heading towards the baby. Every few seconds it seemed a big roller would try to smashed him off course or out right sink him.<br /><br />Finally he got within a couple yards of the float. He planned to pull along side and grab it as he went by.<br /><br />The prop buzzed as a particularly large amount of water went through it. That sent a chill down Rick’s spine. “Oh, lord! If I miss the float, the baby will go through the prop!”<br /><br />It was then that Rick spotted a gray fin headed directly for the float. It hit it with such impact that the float was tilted up on edge. The wind caught it and it hung in the air, ready to fall back into the water in either direction. Rick exhaled only when it fell back with the baby still above the water.<br /><br />Rick was within seconds of intersecting with the float. He wasn’t about to take a chance missing and running over the baby with the prop running. At the last possible moment he reached over and switched off the engine.<br /><br />As soon as he switched off the engine, the seaplane swerved away from the float and into the wind. “No!” Rick screamed. His scream was lost in the wind.<br /><br />With the engine stopped, Rick heard the baby screaming. He knew in his heart that the baby was almost out of time. There was no question that it would be gone if he tried to maneuver back into position to grab the float.<br /><br />“No! No! No! I can’t let that happen.” He reached behind him and grabbed a rope. He tied it to the airplane. He tried to avoid any thought of the predators below him as he slipped over the side into the water.<br /><br />Rick forced himself to minimize splashing. He was sure that would drive the sharks crazy. He swam as smoothly as he could over the rise and fall of the waves towards the sound of the baby’s screams.<br /><br />The first fin appeared between him and the float. Rick gritted his teeth and swam on quickly now. “If I can just latch on to float…we’ll be okay.”<br /><br />The second fin appeared much closer to him. He could feel the swirl of water pressured by a powerful fin break against him.<br /><br />Stifling rising panic, he forced himself forward and grabbed the float. He pulled it to him just as a wave broke over them. Both he and the baby coughed and spit up water. Just for a moment, the baby looked into his eyes and became quiet, whimpering softly.<br /><br />There was a sharp scraping against his right let to remind him they were not alone. Rick grabbed the rope and pulled as hard as he could towards the airplane.<br /><br />In disbelief Rick felt teeth tear into his left leg. He was jerked as the shark twisted, trying to pull him under. Rick kicked at as hard as he could with his free leg. The shark let go.<br /><br />The intense pain in his leg made Rick cry out. The baby immediately began to shriek also.<br /><br />Another fin appeared and headed towards them. “This just can’t be happening!” Rick yelled, pounding his free fist into the water ahead. The fin veered away.<br /><br />Rick pulled hard on the rope, drawing him and the baby towards the SeaRey. It seemed impossibly far away.<br /><br />After moments of frantic pulling, looking to and fro for the dreaded fins, a strange weakness seemed to grab hold of him. Looking at the remaining distance, the good possibility that he might not make it sent waves of remorse to immobilize him.<br /><br />Rick stopped pulling and looked up at the darkening sky. That was when he saw the Cessna pass overhead at low altitude. It made a sharp turn and came back towards them. He was so excited that he dropped the rope and waved at his fellow pilots.<br /><br />It only took a split second to realize that losing the rope was a disaster. He thrashed about with his one arm to find it. He yelled out loud when he clutched its rough yellow fiber in his hand again.<br /><br />With revived spirit he pulled again towards the seaplane. It actually seemed to be an achievable goal.<br /><br />The sight of a huge gray and white head surfacing between him and the SeaRey stopped him again. A cold steel eye judged him as bait. Rick trembled on the end of the line.<br /><br />Stay tune for the next exciting episode, same SeaRey station, same SeaRey time….<br /><br /><br />          Bruce Bennett - Jun 01,2007   Viewers  | Reply     That's not fair Dan........when will the next episode be??????? JB          Dan Nickens - Jun 01,2007   Viewers  | Reply     As soon as I finish writing it, Judy. Let's see....do trashy novel stories always have a happy ending...or is that only romance stories?          Kenneth Leonard - Jun 01,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Da...Da, Da....Da, Da...DA, DA, DA, DA          Dan Nickens - Jun 01,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Oh, come on, Ken...'Jaws' is so dated and stereotypical after more than 30 years. It's about time the story was updated to give the sharks the credit they deserve for keeping the seas clean.          Steve DiGiacomo - Jun 01,2007   Viewers  | Reply     So does that mean that the shark ends up with Rick's Searey?          Dan Nickens - Jun 01,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Hadn't thought about that angle, Steve...I'll see what I can do.          Jon Ladd - Jun 01,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Is there a Dynon D10-A in this plane? That would be useful for all this cranking and banking! It must be a C hull Landomatic. I bet he uses a RAC grip with no relay for those flaps, wonder how he wired it? I bet the fishing would be pretty good around that floating baby raft. Dolphin love to school around flotsam, or would this be jetsam? I never can get that straight. What about the guys at the lunch counter eating steak?. This is just like Jazz, it doesn't resolve.          Dan Nickens - Jun 01,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Jon, Jon, Jon. Not everything in life is an engineering exercise, is it? If it were it would be just a beautifully resolved opera.          Philip Mendelson - Jun 01,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Nice Work Dan!          Terry Mac Neill - Jun 01,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Dan,<br /><br />You are worse than those damn sharks, however I will be waiting with ' Baited ' breath, please excuse the pun, for the next episode.<br /><br />P.S. Sharks eating babies does NOT fall into the category of house cleaning the seas.          Dan Nickens - Jun 02,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Crossing Currents Continued<br /><br />By Dan Nickens<br />Copyright 2007<br /><br />More beachside fun. Part Two in which Rick loses the babe…..<br /><br /><br />“Four Hotel Charlie, do you still have the swimmer in sight,” the controller asked with growing anxiety.<br /><br />“Roger, tower, but we have another problem. There is a school of sharks around them.”<br /><br />There was no reply.<br /><br />In the airplane Carl just shook his head, “Holy, molely, Miss Molly, he’s not gonna make it, Kirk.”<br /><br />Kirk wasn’t going to argue with that assessment. He had one eye on the huge black clouds now marshalling along the shore and one on the water. It seemed both the clouds and the sharks were circling for a kill.<br /><br />“Hey, Carl! See if you can grab the cooler out of the back seat.”<br /><br />“Are you hungry, man? You gotta be crazy to wanna eat something right now.”<br /><br />“No, I’m not hungry. We can the drop the cooler and maybe distract the sharks.”<br /><br />“I don’t think those sharks are going to be attracted to our ham sandwiches.”<br /><br />“You got a better idea?”<br /><br />“Sometimes no idea is better than a stupid one, but what the heck. I’ll grab the cooler.”<br /><br />Carl struggled to get the cooler into the front seat. Kirk slowed the Cessna and dropped his flaps. He turned into the wind, low over the waves, and headed back for the floundering seaplane.<br /><br />“Keep the door open with your leg, Carl, and I’ll tell you when to drop it.”<br /><br />Carl cinched his seat belt as tight as he could and shoved against the door. “I’ll try, man, but this ain’t gonna be easy.”<br /><br />“Just do it. Okay, on three…one…two……..three, let it go!<br /><br />Carl could see the cooler tumble away but he didn’t see where it hit. Kirk figured it was just far enough away not to hit the swimmers. At least he hoped it didn’t hit them…<br /><br />As suddenly as the gray killer’s head appeared, it disappeared into the water. Rick didn’t wait, he pulled the rope wildly and grabbed on to the side of the bobbing seaplane.<br /><br />He had another immediate obstacle. There was no way he could push the float over the side and into the cockpit. The float was just too big. He would have to crawl in first.<br /><br />With one arm holding the float and his other hand on the side of the cockpit, he tried to pull himself over the edge. When he kicked to help himself over he almost retched in agony. Knife-like pain from his injured leg almost caused him to let go of his hold.<br /><br />Rick realized he wasn’t going to get into the airplane without using both arms. Grabbing the rope, he tied the float close to the airplane, and released it. He watched to make sure the rope held. That was when he spotted the fin now headed directly for the float.<br /><br />Turning quickly, Rick used both arms and pulled himself over the side of the cockpit. He fell into the seat, feeling as if his leg was on fire. He looked at it and saw a red stream spurting faster than the dripping water.<br /><br />He pulled his gaze from the red gash that stretched down his leg. Rick grabbed the rope holding the float and pulled it towards him. He could see the wide-eyed baby staring back.<br /><br />The huge torpedo-like head appeared suddenly inches away with teeth-packed jaws gaping wide. The shark hit the yellow float and it exploded. Shaking remnants of the tube like a toy, the shark pulled a chunk of it under water.<br /><br />Rick reached as far as he could to grab the other side. The baby was already under water as he pulled the bassinet back to him. With the tube now limp, Rick was able to pull the bassinet back inside to his chest.<br /><br />Both Rick and the baby lay there quietly for a moment as the waves splashed up on the hull of the drifting seaplane. The baby then began to quietly sob. “Shussh, now,” Rick said softly. “We’re going to try to take you home now.”<br /><br />Rick settled into the pilot seat. He sat the bassinet on the co-pilot seat and cinched the SeaRey’s seat belt around it. Rick smiled at the small plastic strap that had secured the baby to the bassinet. “The lawyers at the bassinet company are going to awfully proud of that strap!” he told the baby.<br /><br />Blood red water swirled around Rick’s feet. The water was much deeper than Rick had ever seen it in the cockpit. Quickly he checked the bilge pump. It was on and pumping, but it wasn’t keeping up with the sea washing over the side and through the open canopy every time a wave struck. Rick slid the canopy closed.<br /><br />The pain in his leg returned. Rick pulled off his t-shirt and wrapped it tightly around his leg. That seemed to help.<br /><br />The sight of the Cessna flashing by overhead got his attention. He put on his headset, turned on the radio and said, “Hello?”<br /><br />“Seaplane! Is that you? Are you alright?”<br /><br />“Yes….er, no….I think I got bitten.”<br /><br />“Do you have the baby?”<br /><br />“Yes, it’s crying but it looks okay.”<br /><br />“Great, now can you get back to the airport? The thunderstorms are rolling in pretty quick. If we don’t get there soon, we won’t be able to get in at all.”<br /><br />Rick scanned the sky over the beach. It was dominated by massive black clouds. The south end of the beach was completely covered by a wall of gray rain.<br /><br />Rick hesitated, “I don’t know if I can take off in these seas,” he radioed.<br /><br />“Can you just taxi in to shore?”<br /><br />“Maybe…er, but I’m afraid the surf near the shore will sink the airplane. Is someone coming to get us?”<br /><br />“There’s a chopper on his way down from Jax. Standby and I’ll check his progress. Tower, this is Four Hotel Charlie. Say position of the chopper.”<br /><br />“The chopper is fifteen minutes out. From the movement of these storms, I’d say they’ll hit the airport in the next five or ten minutes. You’d better come on in if you want to land here.”<br /><br />“Did you copy that, seaplane?”<br /><br />Rick acknowledged. “Okay,” he said slowly. “This little seaplane won’t survive the storm out here. I’m not going back in swimming with those sharks. I’m going to try and fly it out.”<br /><br />“Roger, seaplane, I understand you’re going to try and fly. We’ll standby on station to see you get off.”<br /><br />“Thanks. It helps to have someone nearby.”<br /><br />“We won’t leave you.”<br /><br />Anxiously Rick grabbed the ignition switch. The engine just had to start. It did.<br /><br />The thrust of the engine slowly pushed the little seaplane forward into the waves. Even with the canopies closed, water came through like rain. Rick checked the floor. Most of the water had been pumped out and the bilge pump seemed to be getting ahead of the waterfall overhead.<br /><br />Rick’s initial reaction was just to jam the throttles forward and go. Years of flight training, however, forced him go through a quick checklist. He set maximum flaps. He set the trim for takeoff. He checked his engine instruments. He looked for evidence of the wind.<br /><br />There was a strong outflow from the big cell just south of him. It blew as a crosswind along the crest of the waves. “That’s my way out,” Rick decided.<br /><br />The seaplane was already pointing into the wind. Rick timed the waves to let a trough pass before pushing the throttle full forward.<br /><br />At first the SeaRey seemed to just wallow without response. It appeared to Rick as if it would never rise up, but it did. Rick worked the ailerons to keep the wing tips out of the water as best he could in the rolling waves.<br /><br />Rick picked a wave and tried to stay on its crest. To keep from sliding off as the seaplane accelerated, he kicked hard left rudder. He screamed in agony as the knives drove back deep into his injured leg. Gritting his teeth, he didn’t let up on the rudder.<br /><br />The cold wind from the storm helped lift the SeaRey quickly out of the water. It skipped several times on the crest of the waves until it was completely free and flying.<br /><br />“Yeehaw! They’re off the water!” Kirk radioed.<br /><br />“I don’t know what the official terminology is,” the tower replied, “but roger your ‘Yeehaw!’”<br /><br />“Seaplane, you better make a quick turn away from the storm and let’s make a dash for the airport.”<br /><br />“Roger. I’ll follow you,” Rick replied.<br /><br />The tower jumped in, “Seaplane, can you confirm the baby is with you?”<br /><br />“Roger.”<br /><br />“Are there any injuries?”<br /><br />Rick looked at the baby. It was wide-eyed, but quiet. “The baby looks okay. I think a shark bit my leg. It’s awfully bloody.”<br /><br />“Understand you have injuries, Seaplane. We have ambulances standing by at the field.” The tower paused. “The storms are rapidly closing in. Wind is 240 at 18, gusting to 25. Rain and lightening are visible nearby.”<br /><br />“Roger. Copy all. I’ll get there a quick as I can.” Rick had left the throttle fully forward. The engine whined at maximum power. The little seaplane bumped badly in the rough air. Rick didn’t care. He followed the Cessna as it slowly pulled ahead of him.<br /><br />“Cessna Four Hotel Charlie, do you have the airport in sight?” the tower asked.<br /><br />“Roger, tower.”<br /><br />“You are cleared to land any runway.”<br /><br />“Negative, tower, we will wait until the seaplane gets down.”<br /><br />“Understand, do you copy Seaplane?”<br /><br />“Roger tower, I have the Cessna in sight, but not the airport…wait, I have the airport now.”<br /><br />“Seaplane, clear to land any runway. Suggest runway 20. Winds are now 260 at 20, gusting to 26.”<br /><br />“Tower, I’m having trouble with the rudder. My left leg isn’t working right. I don’t think I can handle that much crosswind. I’m going to try and land in the grass between the runways.”<br /><br />“Whatever you need to do, Seaplane. The airport is yours.”<br /><br />Kirk flew over the field. He was headed straight into a wall of rain but he held course steady and banked sharply away only as rain started pelting his windscreen. Carl sat beside him stiffly and didn’t say a word.<br /><br />Rick watched the windsock. He picked an expanse of grass that would put him directly into the strong wind and headed towards it.<br /><br />The SeaRey shook crazily in the wild wind. Rick felt the bottom drop out as a gust passed, losing 100’ of altitude in a heartbeat. The drop did, however, remind him to put his landing gear down.<br /><br />Keeping the throttle in, Rick virtually dived for the grass. He pushed the main wheels down to the ground as soon as he thought he could. The SeaRey responded by bouncing him back into the air.<br /><br />The second bounce was not nearly so bad. The third was hardly noticeable. In a few seconds he was completely stopped.<br /><br />From the ramp he could see the racing trucks and ambulances. He sat there with the engine idling, listening on the radio.<br /><br />“Welcome to solid ground,” the tower radioed. “You can hold position for the welcoming committee.”<br /><br />“Roger,” Rick weakly replied.<br /><br />“Can I land now?” Kirk asked.<br /><br />“Cleared to land any runway, Cessna Four Hotel Charlie. Just, please, please, stay off the grass.”<br /><br />“I’ve seen that sign before. I’ll do my best, sir.”<br /><br />“You already have,” Rick answered.<br /><br />With people running towards the airplane, Rick switched off the engine. He slid open the canopy and felt spatters of cold rainfall splash on his face. It felt good.<br /><br />The SeaRey was instantly surrounded. The baby was unbuckled and quickly taken to the closest ambulance.<br /><br />“Where are you hurt?” a paramedic asked Rick.<br /><br />He smiled. “Everywhere, I think, but mostly my leg.” The paramedics pulled him out onto the ground and quickly turned to his leg.<br /><br />Lightening crackled and thunder broke so close that the air seemed to vibrate. “We need to get you out of here now,” the paramedic told him.<br /><br />“But what about my airplane?” <br /><br />A guy in a coat and tie grabbed one wing. “Don’t you worry about your plane, Sir. I own the FBO. This airplane has a place of honor tonight or any night in our hangar.”<br /><br />Through heavy rain, Rick saw the Cessna as it touched down and rolled to a stop out on the runway.<br /><br />The tower radioed, “Welcome home, Hotel Charlie. Well done.”<br /><br />“Thank you, Sir.” Kirk paused for a minute before adding, “Anybody who says aviation is hours and hours of boredom spiced with a few seconds of terror hasn’t had a flight like this one.”<br /><br />“Roger that.”<br /><br />The End<br /><br />          Philip Mendelson - Jun 02,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Dan I am truly IMPRESSED! Steve wants to know if you will write the script for<br />Searey Chronicles Four!          Dan Nickens - Jun 02,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Hey, what could be better than 1, 2, and 3: SeaReys out and about having fun?          Jim Thomas - Jun 02,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Dan<br /><br />It was a short walk across the dunes to drumming sound of waves crashing on the ocean side beach. Randy found a spot away from the few other people there and spread out his towel.<br /><br />I think you meant to say Rick... and there's no 'e' in lightning.<br /><br />Editorial hat off. Fun read, Dan!<br />          Steve DiGiacomo - Jun 02,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Dan, now I'm really worried. Not knowing is the most difficult part. Please tell us what happened to the shark. I sure hope he's ok, he missed dinner. The poor little guy is probably hungry.<br /> <br /><br />Great story! You are SO The Man. This is just another reason I have to brag to my friends about you and your many Searey adventures. Keep it up, please.<br /><br />          Dan Nickens - Jun 02,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Sadly, Steve, the rubber from the yellow float blocked the shark’s bowels and he died a slow, horrible death. He was so full of “crap” when he died that even the crabs wouldn’t eat him. His shark clan was left without a leader and wandered aimlessly up to Maine. It turned out that Rick’s client didn’t really have a personal problem. (Well, actually he did, he was caught downloading kiddy porn on the the town's computer, but that wasn't why he cancelled the meeting.) He had cancelled his meeting with Rick to meet with Carl and Kirk. They got the job building a municipal aquarium instead of Rick’s company, but they went bankrupt trying to do it. Carl thought Kirk was stealing lunch money during the job. He shot and killed Kirk, then spent his life on the run in Mexico. Nancy dumped the bum of a husband she had and moved to Utah to live in a Mormon convent. Randy found true love with the tower controller and they moved to Key West, but died of AIDS shortly thereafter. The shark clan tried to kill a pod of killer whales that led them into a trap where they were captured for the aquarium. The kid grew up to be a life guard who fell asleep as the President’s family was swept out to sea from Kennebunkport where they were eaten by the pod of crafty killer whales. Rick got fired for taking unauthorized time off, he married Paris Hilton who made him sell his SeaRey and he lived unhappily ever after. The end. Really.          Dan Nickens - Jun 02,2007   Viewers  | Reply     That's the problem with mass produced, low budget publications, Jim...the editoring sucks! Thanks for the help (although I can't believe anyone read this thing that closely!).          Jim Thomas - Jun 03,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Dan, Editoring... I like it! Feel free to send your rough drafts to me first, for complimentary editoring. That way I can have fun with your great stories before anyone else! I enjoyed your story and am impressed that you cranked it out so quickly. You did a good job of both scenic and character development in very few words. I read a lot of Florida fiction - Hiassen, White, Dorsey, Corcoran, etc... and I'm amazed at the stuff that passes proofreading and editing. In fact, I think you did a better job editoring than the commercial guys. Like others here, I'd love to see you set your sights on a full blown novel. JMHO          Bill Furr - Jun 04,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Yea, don't be so damn lazy. What else do you have to do? go Flying? Mr. James Michner of Seareyville.          Philip Mendelson - Jun 04,2007   Viewers  | Reply     Yeahhhhhh! Yeahhhhh! Yeahhhhh!

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