I had to cover all bases ... I had to find that one little thing that this old harlot could use to kill me. So with a light fuel load we pressurised the fuel system looking for and fixing leaks . The hydraulic system leaked badly but I had decided to go wheels down and locked because the gear had not been swung for two years and some of the flight was over water and I wanted the option of being able to suck up the landing gear in the event of an engine failure. To touch the water with wheels down is fatal as the cockpit slams into the water ahead of ten tons of metal.
Our communications package consisted of a hand held radio and a cell phone. Instruments? Well .. I only needed an airspeed indicator for flight but I insisted on ALL engine guages so I had to make a fast flight to Victoria in the Baron. A light rain was falling as I landed back in Nanaimo and I saw the engineers tidying her up and lockwiring everything that needed it while Inspector Dick Head sat in his car pretending to rumage in his brief case. The engineers seemed to be smiling ... and waiting for something to happen ....
I did not dissapoint them.
I had wandered over to the big aluminium beast when I spied something amiss. There they were ... sticking out like dog's balls.... the gear pins IN ... flagged and everything. They were RED. So was the bull in me. I flung those pins at the government car but they fell short but I kept coming , frothing vehemence. The window went up. "Is that sweat on his lip , .....or snot? " thinks I.
He had made a poor decision to attempt to overide mine. He must have been confused when I respectfully asked for my ferry permit. Now he wanted to "inspect" the airplane. It didn't take him long to see the hole where the stall speed lever was , something we had forgotten to tape over ... but he blurts out.... "You have to have a stall speed indicator " he gleefully blubbers on ...."and ... and y "
I know you are playing for time , thinks I. He is off at 3.30. I know you don't have to have a stall horn but he can stretch this out.... think fast.... I look at the Baron. I may have to speed to Victoria ... I may but the egineer who walked me to the plane had a screwdriver and quickly removed the one on the Baron with nary a chance it would fit the curvature. He took it nonetheless and was installed on the DC3 .... heh! Heh! Heh! ..... upside down.....it did fit the curve that way.
It was enough to fool a fool. But , permit in hand it is time to aviate...