Valentine's Dinner?

38. Technical Talk

Valerie stared at the Google Earth image on the computer screen as her mind spun, then she turned to Patrick. "What are the chances of finding a level spot up in those mountains?"

"There'd likely be a selection of ridge tops, ledges, cirques and stream beds as they descended. Maybe even a small meadow or two. Depends on how high they were and what their airspeed was when power failed. The higher and the faster, the better. The standard glide ratio is about one in four."

"One in four?"

"One down for four forward." He raised his arm and tilted it to show her the angle. "About like this."

Valerie nodded. "How high would they fly above the ridges and peaks?"

"Depends on the stability of the air. Normally a few hundred feet to keep clear of the wind shears and the updrafts and downdrafts near the faces. And to give them space and time to respond to a power failure."

He watched Valerie nodding, so he continued. "They would likely have been at cruise speed; a hundred and twenty knots or so. Pilots are taught to immediately flare to convert speed to height and to increase the rotor rpm. Ideally, they would slow to sixty or seventy knots for a safer and more controlled approach."

"Flare?"

"Pull back on the cyclic stick to convert forward speed to lift." Patrick used his hands to demonstrate. "The vertical stick in the pilot's right hand is the cyclic. It tilts the rotor forward, back and to each side. The collective stick in his left hand controls the pitch of the blades."

Valerie blew out a deep breath "So, there is still a lot of control, then. Even with no power?"

"Yes, and if it was as calm up there as it was at the beach this afternoon, they'll be fine."

She nodded, then grimaced. "But the loss of radio contact?"

"VHF is line-of-sight. Being nestled in a cirque or a valley, or just between ridges would block their signal except from above."

"Yeah." She bobbed her head. That makes sense. "Cell phone too?"

"Remote areas, particularly mountainous ones have a lot of dead zones. Areas out of range of cell towers."

Valerie blew out another deep breath. "Yes, of course. Do you miss flying?"

"I'm still flying. It's been a passion since I was a child."

"No, I mean as a pilot."

"I'm doing that; accumulating hours for my commercial license. I fly three or four hours each leg, giving Garth or Jack breaks. Mr Benton is the best —" He was interrupted by the ring of the telephone.

Valerie rushed across the room to answer it, and after a brief conversation, she returned the handset to its cradle. "Garth and Jack are on their way up." She turned back to Patrick. "So, you work as the steward while qualifying for your ticket."

"It's like a dream position. I get paid very well, and I don't have to pay for my ride.

"Ride?"

"Most have to hire an aircraft to accumulate their hours."

"How many do you need?"

"Only seventy-six more now. I'm at fourteen twenty-four. Another two months or so."

"And the helicopter pilots here? What training would they have?"

"I would expect they have regulations and requirements similar to those we have in England. It was going to cost me over fifty thousand pounds to train and qualify. That's why I joined the Air Force. They paid me and trained me."

"Smart." Valerie nodded. "Requires a lot of training and practice."

"There is a lot of responsibility. No proper government would allow inexperienced pilots to operate commercially."

"This makes me feel much more relaxed."

Chloe had listened to the conversation as she clicked away at her computer, then at a lull, she looked up from the screen and said, "Mummy, look at this."

"What is it, Sweetheart?" Valerie asked as she moved closer to examine the image.

"It's the coverage map for Virgin Mobile. I've made one window show the area and the other the coverage." She ran her cursor to the small dead area. "This spot is in the middle of the mountains, almost directly between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek."

"Lorne uses Virgin."

"I know. I heard you discussing roaming up on Table Mountain."

"You don't miss much, do you?"

Chloe gave her mother a toothy grin. "I need to talk with you in private about some of the other things you two said."

Oh, God! What has she overheard? Valerie pointed to the screen. "So, tell me what you see here, Sweetheart."

"Look at this spot, then..." She paused a short while before tabbing to the Google Earth window. "Then look at this. The valley leading down to this lake. Looks like a reservoir with its straight side, but, I bet he's back up here in this valley. In the no-reception area."

What about all the other dead areas to the south?" Patrick asked.

"Why would they fly down there? That's not on their route."

Patrick had listened with increasing interest as Chloe explained, then his old Air Force Search and Rescue mind kicked in. "You're right." He pointed to the valley. "That's the prime search area." 

He remained quiet for a short while as he ran his fingers through his hair as if refreshing implanted lessons. "The first rule in crash survival is to remain at the site unless there are compelling reasons not to. I hope the pilot heeds that."

Valerie nodded. "The location transmitter and the radio for contacting searching aircraft."

"Yes, exactly. But also, the aircraft provides increased visibility and shelter."

"Hmmm. Yeah, shelter." She bobbed her head as she thought. "Are there wild animals in the area? Dangerous ones?"

Chloe pointed to the computer. "I can look it up." She had turned her attention to the keyboard just as the doorbell rang.