Death and Honor

Maybe that was the original name and Howard changed it. He said he changed Trans-continental and Western Airways to Trans-World Airlines.

There came the sound of multiple powerful aircraft engines on takeoff power. Everyone quickly looked for the source—and then found it. There was a runway running parallel to the building and the fence.

Coming down the runway was a brand-new P-38 glistening in the early-morning California sun. By the time the twin-engine, twin-tail Lightning reached them, it was airborne, its landing gear nearly retracted. The pilot apparently had pulled back on the stick the moment he had gotten a green gear-up-and-locked light, because the nose of the fighter lifted as he made a steep climbing turn to the right.

Clete heard himself grunt.

That’s what the hell I should be doing, flying something like that.

I’m a fighter pilot, not a damn fly-gently-so-as-to-not-disturb-the-passengers aerial bus driver.

As the Lightning rapidly grew smaller as it climbed, there came the sound again of powerful engines at takeoff power, and another P-38 roared down the runway. This one also had its gear retracted by the time it reached them and had begun a steep climbing turn in the direction of the first fighter. Sixty seconds after that second Lightning passed them, there again came the sounds of engines on takeoff power, and a third P-38 took off.

Clete watched the third plane until it vanished from sight, then looked at the SAA captains. He saw from their faces there was no question that they were awed.

Well, why not? The hottest planes in the Argentine air force are the Curtiss P-36 Hawks. They were obsolete even before we sold them to Argentina before the war.

“Those were the P-38 Lightning, were they not, Cletus?” Delgano asked.

“Yes, they were.”

“Is that what you flew when you were in the Corps of Marines?”

“No, I flew a single-engine Grumman Wildcat, the F4F.”

“Like the Lightning?”

Clete shook his head. “No. Single engine. Designed to be flown off aircraft carriers. Nice airplane.”

The Border Patrol major walked up to them.

“I was just telling Captain McNeil that everything seems to be in order now,” the major announced.

“Oh?” Frade said.

He saw the captain, who did not seem happy and was carefully avoiding looking at them, walk to the white Carryall and get in.

“Well, I’m sure it’s the same in your country,” the major explained. “From time to time, things don’t go as they’re supposed to. But it’s all cleared up now.”

Why do I think Colonel Graham had something to do with that?

“What we’re waiting for now,” the major went on, “is for Immigration Service officers to come here and issue the necessary visas. Then you’ll be free to get on with your business. I understand that people from the War Production Board and Lockheed are already waiting for you at Lockheed.”

Ten minutes later, the immigration officers appeared. It took just under half an hour for them to issue visas. When the SAA captains and Clete came out of the Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company building, a bus with LOCKHEED AIRCRAFT lettered on its sides was waiting for them.

The bus carried them to the far side of the airfield, past long, double lines of parked aircraft. There were more P-38s than Clete could count, at least two dozen PV-1 Venturas, which looked something like an armed version of the Lodestar, then another two dozen or more Lodestars. Six of the latter aircraft were painted in the South American Airways color scheme.

On seeing their aircraft, there was a sudden wave of pride felt among all the SAA pilots, including Clete—which suddenly was greatly diminished when they saw the four aircraft sitting near the end of the tarmac.

These four airplanes had their own row; they were too large to park one behind another like the others.

“Clete, is that the Constitution you told us about?” Delgano asked.

“Constellation,” he corrected without thinking.

I boasted about that airplane without ever having seen one.

Jesus Christ, she’s beautiful!

“Three tails?” one of the SAA pilots asked.

“Vertical stabilizers,” Clete again corrected without thinking. “The only way they could get enough vertical-stabilizer control surface and get the tail into a hangar was to have three vertical stabilizers instead of one great big one.”

“That’s an incredible airplane!” another of the pilots said.

Yeah, it is.