“I know how he feels,” Hanley said.
Rolling to a stop by the old terminal shack, the nun relaxed her grip and smiled. “You know, I don’t have a driver’s license. I had no need to drive before I came to Africa. But I do well, don’t you think?” she asked.
“Yes, you do well. I doubt this experience will help you in France. Not a lot of kudu crossing the roads there I expect,” he said. “Come on, let’s look at the airstrip.”
The grasses around the terminal and the airstrip were beginning to green from the spring rains. Small cups of water lined the side of the strip, uneven in their placement and would be gone by mid-afternoon if no more rains came that day. The day was heating up. Beads of sweat lay across the bridge of the nun’s nose. Walking along the strip, she stopped, hands on her hips, the tunic she wore over slacks bunched beneath her hands. Examining the strip, she said, “Only once have I been to the airstrip in the past two years. There was no need, really. But, what I remember of its condition, this is much improved. The workers did well, I believe. Now I see why Jumma was so proud.”
“Thank you, sister. They did work hard. The young men of the mission take a good deal of pride in what they do, that’s obvious. I was glad to have their help,” he said.
Turning to face Hanley, Sister Marie Claire said, “Now that you have a good runway, make good use of it.” Looking into his eyes, she smiled, bent down and plucked a small white flower from a stem growing next to the gravel, turned and walked back to the terminal.
***
“Okay, Jumma, we’ve inspected the plane, looking for any signs of wear or fatigue, for any potential problems. As I explained, it’s better to discover them while the plane is on the ground then when it’s in the air. Trust me on that. Now, we’re going to review what is called the pre-flight check list. It is in this book, a binder, really. Here, take it. I’ll show you how to go through it and check the plane’s systems before take-off,” Hanley said, handing a small three-ring binder to Jumma. The binder was the size of a small-town telephone directory, covered in black vinyl, the pages inside held in clear plastic envelopes with holes for holding them to the rings. Jumma opened the binder, placed it on his lap with his head down low to examine the print. Running a finger down the first column, Hanley watched as his lips moved, reading the words. The check-list index looked like this:
Checklist – Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor
Pre-Start Checklist
1. Cabin Door – CLOSED
2. Controls – FREE
3. Landing Gear SW – DOWN
4. Parking Brake – ON
5. Bat. & Gen. SWS – ON
6. Gear Safe Light – CHECK
7. Fuel Quantity – CHECK
8. Fuel Selectors – MAIN
9. Crossed – OFF
10. Anti-Ice Fluid – CHECKED
11. Trim – SET > T/O
12. Flap Switch – NEUTRAL
13. Throttles – 1/8 OPEN
14. Mixtures – RICH
15. Props – HIGH
16. Manifold Heat – COLD
17. Oil Shutters – HOT
18. Oil Shutoff Valves – OPEN
19. Circuit Breakers – CHECKED
20. Electrical Switches – OFF
21. Alt. Static Source – NORMAL
22. Oil Bypass Valves – AS REQUIRED
23. Warning Lights – CHECKED
Start Checklist
1. Fuel Boost Pumps – ON
2. Magnetos – OFF
3. Engine Sel. SW – RT or LT
4. Starter (2 Revs) – ENGAGE
5. Magnetos – ON
6. Ignition Boost SW – ON
7. Primer – AS REQUIRED (SAME PROC. FOR OTHER ENGINE)
8. Fuel Boost Pumps – OFF
9. Warm Up Engines – 1000–RPM
After-Starting Engines
1. Oil Pressure – UP
2. Fuel Boost Pumps – OFF
3. Lights – AS REQUIRED
4. Radios – ON
5. Tailwheel – UNLOCKED
6. Parking Brake – UNLOCKED
Run-Up
1. Temps. & Press. – GREEN ARC
2. Props (rpm) -EXERCISE
3. Manifold Heat – CHECK
4. Vacuum – CHECK
5. Volt/Ammeters – CHECK
6. Mags. (rpm)- CHECK
Before Take-Off
1. Controls – FREE
2. Mixture – RICH
3. Props. – HIGH RPM
4. Friction Locks – SET
5. Oil Shutters – AS REQUIRED
6. Manifold Heat – COLD
7. Flaps – UP
8. Fuel Selector – MAIN TANKS
9. Oil By-Pass – CLOSED
10. Trim – SET
11. D.G.’s – SET
12. Instrument – CHECK
13. Navs. – CHECK / SET
Take-Off
1. Time – RECORD
2. Fuel Boost Pumps – ON
3. Landing Lights – ON
4. Inverter – ON
5. Transponder – ALT
6. Tail Wheel – LOCKED
7. D.G.’s – R.W. – HEADING
8. Pitot Heat – AS REQUIRED
9. Throttles – 36.& RPM
10. Oil Pressure – GREEN ARC
11. Oil Temperature – GREEN ARC
Climb
1. Gear – UP
2. Flaps – UP
3. Manifold Pressure – 32”
4. Prop. RPM – RPM
5. Fuel Boost Pumps – OFF – PX CK
6. Landing Lights – OFF
7. Airspeed – 120/MPH
8. Flight Plan – OPEN
Cruise
1. Manifold Pressure – 28”
2. Prop. RPM – RPM
3. Mixture – Lean
4. Oil Shutters – F.
5. Manifold Heat – AS REQUIRED
6. Fuel Quantity – Manage
Approach / Descent Checklist
1. Customs Code – OBTAIN
2. Fuel Selectors – MAIN TANKS
3. Mixtures – ENRICHEN
4. Manifold Pressure – 26”
5. Manifold Heat – AS REQUIRED
6. Altimeters – SET
7. Navs. – SET
8. Flight Plan – CLOSED
Before Landing Checklist
1. Fuel Boost Pumps – ON
2. Landing Lights – ON
3. Props. – RPM
4. Landing Gear – DOWN/GREEN
5. Manifold Heat – OFF
6.
