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{"id":905,"date":"2017-06-22T19:38:51","date_gmt":"2017-06-23T00:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/?p=905"},"modified":"2017-06-22T19:40:39","modified_gmt":"2017-06-23T00:40:39","slug":"905","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/?p=905","title":{"rendered":"Texas – Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"Texas \u2013 Part Two<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Austin<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n After a comfortable three-day drive we arrived at my parents\u2019 home in Houston.\u00a0 Just after I\u2019d returned to Okinawa in October of 1965, they had rented a small two-bedroom home on the southeast side not far from the city\u2019s center, in an area which was quite a step up from where they\u2019d previously rented.\u00a0 Sandwiched south of Old Spanish Trail, north of Griggs Road, and west of the Gulf Freeway (I45S), the area was populated by mostly working-class white, black, and Hispanic families.\u00a0 Though not yet affected by the soon-to-come \u201cwhite-flight\u201d from what would later be known as \u201cinner city homes\u201d, the neighborhood was still clean and prosperous; even supporting a cutting-edge shopping mall named \u201cPalm Center\u201d just a few blocks east of their home.\u00a0 Anchored by a Montgomery Wards and a Foleys Department Store, it featured restaurants, sports shops, a couple of electronic stores, and even a moderately-sized furniture and appliance store.<\/p>\n A year or so after moving in, their landlord offered to sell them the house on a \u201crent-to-buy\u201d basis\u2014crediting their monthly rental payments in full to the asking price.\u00a0 Based on what the house was listed for, if they kept up their monthly rent payments they would own it outright in just under twelve years.\u00a0 This was the only viable way my parents could ever afford to buy a home, given their poor credit history and a lack of cash for any down payment, so they naturally and literally jumped on the deal.<\/p>\n Just a few years later, spurred by an explosion of land development and commercial expansion to the southwest and north of the city, the more affluent and mostly white families began to move out of the neighborhood at an alarming rate.\u00a0 Home values plummeted as the once tidy and meticulously kept up 1940s and 1950 era homes began to pile up as unsold properties and foreclosures, or were flipped and became unkempt cheap rentals.\u00a0 Not long after, the random and irregular pop-pop of 38 Special revolvers (dubbed by the news media as \u2018Saturday night specials) and the occasional rat-a-tat-tat staccato of semi-automatic gunfire was quickly followed by the high-pitched sound of police and ambulance sirens.\u00a0 The southeast neighborhood\u2019s humid night air was now pierced regularly by these unwelcome sounds and replaced the melodic echoes of kids joyfully playing in the streets and the nostalgic calls of their mothers calling them home for supper.<\/p>\n As the years marched on, Palm Center slowly but with increasing regularity, began to be plagued by petty break-ins, smash and grabs, assaults, rolling gun battles in the parking lot, and with a severely dwindling customer base, finally succumbed to the inevitable, as store after store closed its doors forever.\u00a0 The once prosperous mall became the neighborhood pariah and was eventually razed and turned into a parking lot.<\/p>\n A general consumer malaise brought on by the increasingly violent street crime, coupled with the lagging local economy began to choke off the smaller retail shops along Griggs Road; each closure almost at once replaced by iron-barred liquor stores, sleazy sex shops, small no-name convenience stores selling cigarettes and brown-bagged bottles of 40-ounce malt liquor, and dark, noisy, 24\/7 walk-in bars.<\/p>\n The remaining white families, and Hispanics who could afford to, put their neatly-kept homes up for sale, and more often than not sold them at a loss\u2014some to so-called \u2018management firms\u2019 who scooped up blocks of homes without even bothering to rehab the dwellings before renting or leasing them on a cash-only basis with no credit or background checks.\u00a0 Most of those homes became drug and whore houses, windows and doors barred and dead-bolted\u2014their driveways frequented by garishly-decorated pimpmobiles blaring unintelligible rap music from their always open car windows.<\/p>\n Soon my parents, now bearing the dubious distinction of being the only non-black residents who lived within a ten-block radius, ceased going outdoors at any time of the day.\u00a0 My mother began to keep a daily sentry-like watch from one of her front windows, looking for possible intruders and waiting for my father to come home from work.\u00a0 After a while, they were forced to install a heavy steel chain across the entrance to their driveway to keep the more adventurous drug dealers and prostitutes from pulling in off the street and conducting their business in my parents\u2019 front yard while still in their cars.\u00a0 Every day, when leaving or arriving, my parents would have to unhook the chain from one of the concrete-encased steel posts and re-attach it once the car was clear.<\/p>\n My dad, having always carried a loaded gun and several rifles and shotguns in his car, added several more guns and rifles to his arsenal and kept the additional weaponry perched just inside the front door\u2014right under the \u201cJesus Guards This Home\u201d placard.\u00a0 Still professing to have been saved in the blood of Jesus and baptized in the Holy Spirit, he regularly vowed to whoever would listen, that he would have no problem in \u2018blowing the BeJesus out of the first nigger who dared put one black foot on his porch\u2019.<\/p>\n When I chided him about his seemingly unchristian-like opinion of black people (and for that matter, any other minority) he replied tersely, \u201cYes, I know they\u2019re also God\u2019s children, but if they\u2019re looking to go meet Jesus a little early I\u2019ll be happy to send them on their way.\u201d<\/p>\n When Kaz and I drove in that late January of 1968, the neighborhood had not yet completely deteriorated, and it was still safe to sit outside in the evening and chat and drink iced tea in the shade of the aluminum carport.\u00a0 Having never seen her in the flesh, my parents were both instantly taken by Kaz–her beauty and intelligence on full display during our short visit.\u00a0 What particularly intrigued my mother was that with Kaz\u2019s jet black hair, olive complexion, and large almond-shaped dark brown eyes, she thought she could easily pass for being, at least in part, Hispanic.\u00a0 Several times during our stay my mom privately commented to me how \u201cMexican\u201d Kaz looked, and how she just couldn\u2019t believe that she was a \u201cJap\u201d.<\/p>\n Because we needed to travel back to Austin to look for housing prior to my checking into the base, we only stayed in Houston for about three days\u2014and for a change, this particular stay was enjoyable.\u00a0 We weren\u2019t forced to go to church; indeed my folks didn\u2019t mention it once, and my mother pretty much stayed on her best behavior.\u00a0 When we drove off, our goodbyes were heartfelt and sincere.\u00a0 As we got back on the road heading west to Austin, Kaz wondered aloud why I had previously strongly cautioned her to ignore whatever negative comments my mother may make.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was very nice.\u00a0 I like her, and I like your father too.\u201d\u00a0 She said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re so lucky to have such loving and caring parents.\u201d<\/p>\n Uh-huh.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n We got to Austin later that day and found a decent motel close to the base where we paid for a week\u2019s stay.\u00a0 We had a nice dinner and settled in to scour the want-ads in the local paper to map out a plan in our search for housing.\u00a0 I needed to check into the base the following day and planned to use what was called \u201chousing leave\u201d to search for suitable living accommodations.<\/p>\n The next day, after checking in at the base, I was given up to ten days to locate housing and was referred to a bulletin board in one of the administrative building\u2019s hallways where many apartments and homes\u2014both rentals and for purchase\u2014were posted.\u00a0 I was in the process of writing down a couple of addresses and phone numbers when a sergeant walked up and introduced himself.<\/p>\n \u201cJust checking in?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, just got in from Okinawa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat outfit you going to?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe 727th Tactical Control Squadron.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh\u2026you\u2019ll be working out of one of the large buildings adjacent to Runway 36.\u00a0 Nice view of the airplanes landing and taking off, but it\u2019s really noisy.\u00a0 Who\u2019s your boss?\u00a0 You know yet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUmm\u2026I think it\u2019s Master Sergeant Kent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah, nice guy\u2026you\u2019ll like him.\u00a0 You know, if you\u2019re looking for a nice place to live there\u2019s a brand-new apartment complex not too far from here that just came open.\u00a0 It\u2019s called \u2018The Reinli Arms\u2019, and it offers a discount for military families.\u00a0 A couple of my friends checked them out and came away pretty impressed.\u00a0 It\u2019s not too far from the base and there\u2019s a new shopping mall just across the street.\u201d<\/p>\n He gave me the address of the complex, which coincidentally was located on Reinli Street, and the manager\u2019s number.\u00a0 I thanked him and promised I\u2019d check it out.<\/p>\n The next day Kaz and I decided to make The Reinli Arms our first stop, and luckily it ended up being our last.\u00a0 It was much nicer than we expected, so we rented a brand-new two-bedroom apartment on the ground floor.\u00a0 And because each building in the complex was built around a large Olympic-size swimming pool, we had poolside access just outside our front door.<\/p>\n Since we had decided to leave our furniture in my Okinawan hooch, (at least nothing that I cared enough about to have shipped) the following day we made a trip to a furniture store which happened to be in that shopping mall across the street from the complex.\u00a0 A week later the furniture was delivered and I reported to my squadron to begin my duties for the last eleven months of my Air Force career.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n After checking into my squadron, which was indeed in one of three very large buildings very near to one of the base\u2019s runways, I was introduced to my commanding officer and my immediate supervisor.\u00a0 MSgt. Kent was a quiet and mild-mannered soul, who had been born and raised in Seattle, Washington.<\/p>\n After the introductions, he asked me to sit in his little office and offered me some coffee.\u00a0 He asked if I smoked and I told him I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t mind if I light up, do you?\u201d he asked, politely.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course not.\u00a0 Please do.\u201d<\/p>\n After taking a couple of deep drags off his unfiltered Camel, he began by asking me if I was all settled in and in permanent housing.\u00a0 I told him about our new apartment and having seen them before he agreed that they were very nice.\u00a0 We chatted casually for a few more minutes and then he suggested that we go out and meet the rest of the guys in our group, and in particular, the crew that I would be supervising.<\/p>\n After meeting my crew and being introduced around to the other crew chiefs we returned to his office to discuss what my specific duties were going to be.\u00a0 As it turned out, all this squadron did on a regular basis was train on setting up and dismantling huge tents which would be used to house radars, radio equipment, electrical generators and various types of crypto decoding apparatus.\u00a0 All this equipment, as had been explained to me by that sergeant on Okinawa, would, in the event of war, be parachuted onto a forward position in a battleground environment, and our crews would be responsible for their recovery, set-up, and operation.<\/p>\n Because we were in the middle of Texas, and not some far-flung battleground, all this equipment was housed in the big buildings we occupied; when in training mode, they were trucked out to a desolate training area north and east of Austin to be set up, run, then dismantled and trucked back to the large metal buildings.<\/p>\n It was mind-numbing, tedious, and boring work\u2014and thankfully the training trips were only scheduled about once a month.\u00a0 Of course, I had to learn to drive what was called a \u201csix-by\u201d\u2014one of about a dozen large trucks assigned to our squadron.\u00a0 On training days, we hauled out all the equipment and loaded them onto the trucks.\u00a0 Then we drove about ninety minutes to a training site in the country north of Austin, unloaded the trucks and set up the equipment.\u00a0 We were timed and graded on the length of time it took us to unload and set up the equipment, and how long it took us to get everything up and running.\u00a0 Once everything was running satisfactorily and we could communicate successfully with our home base back at Bergstrom, we had to tear everything back down and reload it back on the trucks.\u00a0 Then, the long drive back to the base.<\/p>\n Those days normally stretched out to well over fourteen hours, and by the time we got back to the base everyone was completely exhausted.\u00a0 Worse, since I was now a non-commissioned officer, I was expected to maintain the morale and well-being of my crew, in addition to knowing exactly how each phase of the equipment set-up was supposed to evolve.\u00a0 Since I hated the work as much, or maybe even more than the lowest ranking member of my crew, it was extremely difficult for me to maintain a professional demeanor throughout the entire process.<\/p>\n When we were not training out in the field, our normal nine-hour days were spent performing ridiculously inane duties in and around the buildings.\u00a0 But mostly we were on break.<\/p>\n This is how a typical duty day was divided up:<\/p>\n For the first month, or so, I thought this schedule was pretty neat until I figured out that I was putting more miles on my car from the multiple trips I was taking to and from the base snack bar and coffee shop daily than I was from actually driving to and from work.\u00a0 We lived about six miles from the base, making for a twelve-mile round trip, and it was about a three-mile round trip from our building to the snack bar.\u00a0 Multiply our breaks by the total number of miles we were putting to and from the snack bar, and it came to over fifteen miles a day.\u00a0 Further, after the breaks and lunches we took, I found I was spending about three dollars a day for junk food and coffee.<\/p>\n No one wanted to remain in the huge steel buildings during our breaks\u2014they were hot and stuffy and smelled of grease and fuel from the dozen or so six-by trucks, parked inside.\u00a0 Although there was a makeshift break room with a large coffee pot inside, it was small and furnished with old ripped vinyl chairs and sofas.\u00a0 The small TV mounted high on the wall barely had any reception on a good day; every time an aircraft took off or landed\u2014which was frequently, the picture twisted and turned to snow, and the sound went out.\u00a0 So not having much of a choice, we all escaped to the base snack bar when our breaks came around.<\/p>\n After a couple of months, Kaz and I decided that I was spending too much time and money at the snack bar, so she suggested packing me a lunch, with plenty of snacks to consume during my many breaks.\u00a0 I explained that I hated hanging around the buildings, especially when everyone was gone, so she suggested that I take a book to read during the breaks.\u00a0 I told her that that wouldn\u2019t work either because for some reason our squadron had a rule that stated reading, other than Air Force training manuals, was never allowed during duty time.\u00a0 So I finally said I\u2019d think of something\u2014maybe even walk around outside for exercise when it wasn\u2019t raining.<\/p>\n One day during one of our morning breaks, I went outside to the back of the main building and sat down in the grass facing the north-south runway.\u00a0 It seemed to be a particularly busy air traffic day, the base\u2019s squadron of F4 Phantoms were conducting numerous touch-and-go landings, with a few other aircraft types, either landing or taking off, spaced intermittently between the high-performance fighter jets.<\/p>\n I was mystified when I began to see a few very small single-engine airplanes also begin to fly around the airport\u2019s traffic pattern.\u00a0 Compared to the combat jets and the other military aircraft, these little propeller planes seemed to be completely out of place\u2014seemingly zipping onto and off of the huge runways\u2014in between the larger and faster planes.<\/p>\n They didn\u2019t seem to have any military markings aside from their tail numbers, so I naturally assumed they were some type of civilian aircraft.\u00a0 But what were they doing here?\u00a0 This was a military base\u2014home to combat interceptors and some B-52 bombers.\u00a0 Austin Mueller Airport was Austin\u2019s civilian airport, and it was only located about twenty miles to the northeast.\u00a0 So I wondered what these little civilian-looking airplanes were doing flying in and around a busy and very large military airport.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean those little white Cherokee 140\u2019s?\u201d Sergeant Kent responded after I\u2019d asked him about the little planes when he\u2019d returned from his break.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I guess that\u2019s what they are,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re tiny compared to the F-4s and C-135s flying in the pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat they are.\u00a0 Sure, they belong to the Aero Club that we have here at Bergstrom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAero Club?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep.\u00a0 I think they\u2019ve got three or four of those Cherokees\u2014a couple of two-seaters and maybe one or two larger four-seaters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do they do?\u00a0 The Aero Club, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, they teach people how to fly, mostly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoes it cost money to join?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure it does, but I have no idea how much.\u00a0 You interested?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026I\u2019m not sure.\u00a0 I guess it would depend on how expensive it is to join and how much they charge for lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s only one way to find out.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you call them?\u00a0 I got their number around here somewhere\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He pulled open the main drawer to his large metal desk and started rummaging around.\u00a0 \u201cA couple of years ago one of the guys here at the squadron joined up, and before I knew it he\u2019d earned his pilot\u2019s license.\u00a0 He got discharged and I think he went on to get his commercial and instructor\u2019s license.\u00a0 Last I heard he\u2019d gotten a job teaching out of Mueller Field (Austin\u2019s civilian airport).\u00a0 I think he was trying to build up his hours to apply to the airlines for a job.\u00a0 Ah\u2026here it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u00a0 You can do all that at this Aero Club?\u201d I asked as he handed me an index card with some names and phone numbers.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I guess you can do just about anything you put your mind to if have the right amount of money.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, true.\u00a0 OK, thanks.\u00a0 I\u2019ll call them a little later on.\u201d\u00a0 I glanced at the card and slipped it into my fatigue shirt\u2019s front pocket.\u00a0 With that, I decided that on my next break, after I called the Aero Club, I would spend my time watching the planes do touch-and-goes.<\/p>\n When I called them a few minutes later, I spoke to a captain who explained to me that it would be better if I just came down to their office where one of the flight instructors would be happy to explain all the details surrounding their membership fees and flying lesson programs.\u00a0 I gave him my name and told him I\u2019d probably drop by later on during my lunch break.<\/p>\n During my next break, I went back out and sat down to watch the planes in the flight pattern.\u00a0 The military jets had all but disappeared and now just two little white low-winged propeller-driven planes were buzzing around the pattern.\u00a0 I studied their landings a little closer and noticed that, whereupon the military jets were steady on their approaches and sure footed on their landings, these little planes were unsteady as they approached the runway, and when they touched down they seemed extremely tentative\u2014sometimes bouncing two or three times before finally settling on the runway.\u00a0 Then they would power back up, at times leaping haphazardly back into the air with wings wagging back and forth, seemingly on the verge of stalling out.<\/p>\n I decided that these must be students in training.<\/p>\n Frankie Makes a Career Decision<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n While I wasn\u2019t very satisfied with my new job at Bergstrom, I was extremely pleased with the life that Kaz and I were now living.\u00a0 She was an absolute joy to be around\u2014always perky and full of energy, funny (sometimes without meaning to be), and very loving.\u00a0 Every day while on the way home from work, I would look forward to walking into our apartment, knowing that it would always be immaculate and that she would genuinely be happy to have me home.<\/p>\n While she was very good at preparing traditional Japanese dishes, she was also trying very hard to be a good American wife by learning to how to cook American cuisine\u2014but, not without a few miscues.<\/p>\n One day I came home to find her bustling around the kitchen, cleaning off the counters, while something smelling very delicious was frying on the stove.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m cooking a Southern meal for you today,\u201d she stated flatly.\u00a0 \u201cYou go change out of uniform and when you come out dinner will be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you\u2019re cooking?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever mind!\u00a0 You go clean up and I will serve you when you come out.\u201d<\/p>\n She seemed a little nervous, so I thought maybe I should just do what she said.\u00a0 After a quick shower, I changed into some jeans and a T-shirt and went back out to the dining room.\u00a0 To my complete surprise, at the center of the table was a large bowl filled to the brim with several gorgeous-looking pieces of golden-brown breaded Southern fried chicken.\u00a0 Another bowl was topped with creamy smooth mashed potatoes\u2014brimming with freshly melted butter\u2014and a smaller bowl was filled with peas mixed with baby onions.\u00a0 To top off the meal, a basket of what appeared to be homemade biscuits sat next to the chicken\u2014light wisps of steam drifting up, their aroma combining with those of the fried chicken.<\/p>\n \u201cWow!\u00a0 This looks and smells wonderful!\u201d\u00a0 I reached over and gave her a kiss.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I was going to make biscuits (she pronounced the word as, \u2018bis-quits\u2019) from the beginning (from scratch), but recipe too hard.\u00a0 So I just bought at the store\u2026frozen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s fine.\u00a0 You did a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope you like.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I know what I\u2019m doing.\u00a0 But if it not good, I also have apple pie in the oven.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt sure looks like you did just fine.\u201d\u00a0 And with that, I sat down and reached for a big juicy breast.<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026I forgot.\u00a0 I also make tea\u2026uh\u2026American style tea.\u00a0 I think lady at store call it sweet tea.\u00a0 I tasted it but don\u2019t like it.\u00a0 It has sugar and too sweet!\u201d<\/p>\n I chuckled because I knew that Okinawans took their tea unflavored, and I\u2019d often heard them complain that Americans like to put too many things in their tea.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Kaz.\u00a0 That\u2019s why they call it \u2018sweet tea\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 I said, smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 But I hope you like.\u201d<\/p>\n I piled a nice serving of mashed potatoes and peas on my plate and reached for a piping hot biscuit.\u00a0 Kaz seemed very intent on watching my reaction and I was eager to please.\u00a0 I grabbed the breast with both hands and took a large bite.\u00a0 It was a bit tough and a little stringy.<\/p>\n I backed off, taking a chunk of the breast into my mouth, and looked at what remained.\u00a0 The flesh just under the nicely fried breading was almost raw.\u00a0 As I began to chew the meat I tasted what I thought was blood, and I spit the whole bit out.<\/p>\n \u201cGood God Kaz!\u00a0 This chicken is still raw!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRaw?\u00a0 No, it not raw!\u00a0 Look, see how brown it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKaz!\u00a0 Look at the meat!\u201d\u00a0 And with that, I took my knife and cut through the breast revealing a nice pink tint to the flesh which was still a little runny, with a touch of bloody underlay where it met the bone.\u00a0 \u201cLook, see?\u00a0 It\u2019s raw!\u00a0 How long did you cook this for?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t remember, but the recipe said to cook until \u2018golden brown\u2019.\u00a0 It\u2019s golden brown, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n Well, I couldn\u2019t argue with that.\u00a0 It was definitely<\/u> golden brown\u2026on the outside\u2026but cool and raw on the inside.\u00a0 It was immediately apparent to me that she\u2019d heated up the oil to a high temperature and when she placed the breaded chicken into the pan the intensely hot oil almost immediately browned the exterior of the chicken.<\/p>\n I started to say something else, but before I could get the words out Kaz bolted from the table\u2014a wet choking sound escaping from her throat.\u00a0 I looked up to see her eyes instantly fill with tears, but before I could even move she\u2019d run full speed out of the dining room and into the bedroom\u2014slamming and locking the door.<\/p>\n I sat there for a few minutes feeling like a real heel.\u00a0 Finally, I got up and walked over to the locked bedroom door.<\/p>\n \u201cKaz\u2026open the door.\u201d\u00a0 I could hear muffled sobs coming from the darkened room.\u00a0 \u201cKaz, it\u2019s OK. \u00a0We can re-heat the oil and fry the chicken until it\u2019s done.\u00a0 It\u2019s no problem.\u201d<\/p>\n No answer.<\/p>\n \u201cKaz, listen to me.\u00a0 You did a great job with the potatoes and the peas.\u00a0 And even the biscuits are good.\u00a0 You just made a little mistake with the chicken\u2026but we can fix that.\u00a0 Come on, open the door and talk to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo away\u2026you hate me!\u201d\u00a0 She said\u2014the words coming in short gasps between soft sobs.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I don\u2019t hate you.\u00a0 How can I hate you?\u00a0 You tried your best.\u201d<\/p>\n After a while, I gave up and went back to the table deciding to let her have her moment.\u00a0 I heated up the oil again to a lower temperature than she probably had and slid the chicken back in.\u00a0 I let it cook for about twenty minutes.\u00a0 When I finally got it out it the crust was noticeably darker and hard, but all the pieces were cooked through.\u00a0 Well as I remember, the wings were a little bit annihilated, pretty crispy all the way through, but for the most part, everything was edible.<\/p>\n I went back and sweet-talked Kaz out of the bedroom telling her everything was fine.\u00a0 She was bitterly disappointed because she wanted so much for her first fried chicken dinner to be a success, but I had to admire her for her courage in tackling such a large, and fairly complicated meal.\u00a0 The evening turned out not to be a total loss, so after we had some pie we cleaned the kitchen and I asked to her sit down with me as I had something serious to discuss.<\/p>\n We talked about our plans for the rest of the year; in short, we had none\u2014so I told her about the aero club at the base.\u00a0 She was a bit apprehensive about my being interested in flying but I told her I would get all the details and we\u2019d discuss it thoroughly before reaching any decision.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n The next day I waited until my two-hour lunch came up\u2014having spent my morning breaks watching the little planes taking off and landing\u2014and driving my little sports car followed the directions I had received to the aero club.<\/p>\n It was in a building right off the main tarmac leading to the two north\/south runways.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t look anything like I\u2019d imagined: pilots with weather-beaten faces in distressed leather jackets and combat boots, standing around a coffee pot smoking cigarettes and talking pilot talk.\u00a0 Instead, it looked pretty much like any office would look.<\/p>\n A waist-high wooden counter with a colorful logo featuring a small yellow airplane affixed to the front separated the main entrance area from three or four unoccupied desks.\u00a0 On the counter, there were several clipboards with wooden pencils hanging off them attached with twine.<\/p>\n A middle-aged man was at the end of the counter talking on the telephone, and as I entered through the squeaky door he motioned me to wait until he finished his conversation.\u00a0 I took a chair near a window and looked out onto the tarmac.\u00a0 There were two small airplanes parked there, but they really didn\u2019t look that small when seen from this distance.<\/p>\n \u201cHey there\u2026\u201d\u00a0 The man said, after hanging up the phone.\u00a0 \u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I came in to inquire about your aero club?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it you\u2019re wanting to know?\u201d\u00a0 He asked, waving me over to a small table near the rear exit door.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Just some general information I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Sergeant DeLe\u00f3n\u2026that right?\u201d\u00a0 He asked, pushing his glasses down his nose and peering over them to look at the name tag on my shirt.<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir, that\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou wanna learn to fly, or just curious about our little outfit here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026I don\u2019t know about flying.\u00a0 I guess I was just curious.\u00a0 I mean\u2026I guess I\u2019d like some information about flying too.\u201d<\/p>\n He made a giant effort to pull himself out of the chair.\u00a0 \u201cUh!\u00a0 OK, let me get you some information.\u00a0 Got a pamphlet right over here.\u00a0 Tells you just about everything you\u2019d ever want to know about our little club here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, and I\u2019m Joe Stafford!\u00a0 Colonel Stafford when I\u2019m in uniform, but just Joe when I\u2019m hanging around here.\u201d\u00a0 He extended a hairy blond and tattooed arm and shook my hand enthusiastically.\u00a0 \u201cLemme get you that pamphlet.\u201d<\/p>\n He returned with a small booklet in his hand and sat noisily down.\u00a0 \u201cShit, need to get me some exercise.\u00a0 Been spending too much time in the cockpit.\u00a0 Here ya go!\u00a0 I\u2019ll let you look that over.\u00a0 Let me know if you have any questions.\u201d<\/p>\n I leafed through the little booklet.\u00a0 It was general in nature: giving the history of the club, the types of aircraft that was in its inventory, and things of that sort.\u00a0 I was not satisfied.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I\u2019d really like to know is what it would cost to take flying lessons,\u201d I asked, as I got up from the table and walked over to the counter.\u00a0 The colonel was looking intently at a sheet of teletype paper.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, so you\u2019d like to maybe take some lessons?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat depends on how expensive it is, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGot a five-dollar bill?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFive dollars?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got an instructor just taxiing in, and I\u2019m sure he\u2019d love to take you up and give you a familiarization flight.\u00a0 What ‘d ya think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2026I\u2019m on my lunch break right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, how much time do you have?\u00a0 We can take you up and back down in about 30 minutes.\u00a0 A couple of times around the pattern should do it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I thought it would take a lot more time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope, thirty minutes\u2026or an hour, if you\u2019ve got that\u2014and it\u2019ll cost you five bucks.\u00a0 After that, if you don\u2019t like it you can just walk away.\u00a0 If you do like it, though\u2026we can talk about getting you into a flight training program.\u00a0 How about it?\u201d<\/p>\n For no reason, I suddenly had to pee.\u00a0 \u201cWell, if you\u2019re sure it\u2019s only gonna be five dollars, I guess I could go up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK!\u00a0 Lemme go out and talk to Marshall and see if he\u2019s up to taking you up.\u00a0 Be right back.\u201d<\/p>\n He went out the door that led out onto the tarmac.\u00a0 I walked over to the window and saw an Air Force officer in a rumpled gray flying suit talking to someone I assumed was his student.\u00a0 He had a clipboard and kept pointing to the airplane and the sky.\u00a0 The student was shaking his head in agreement and had his arms crossed over his chest.<\/p>\n Colonel Stafford crossed over behind the officer whom I assumed was \u201cMarshall\u201d and said something to him while he pointed toward the window I was standing behind.\u00a0 Feeling like I was spying a little I turned and sat back down at the table.<\/p>\n A few minutes later, all three men walked into the office.\u00a0 I stood up anticipating an introduction.<\/p>\n \u201cSo OK, just remember that once you increase the angle of attack and reduce power you should be looking for that burble to begin.\u00a0 Once that starts, you need to stay ahead of the airplane and begin thinking of your recovery technique, OK?\u201d\u00a0 Marshall told the student, who I noticed was sweating profusely.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah sure.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be sure to do that next time,\u201d the student said, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.\u00a0 Marshall and the student walked over to the counter and began to fill out some forms.\u00a0 Finally, Marshall flipped through a small notebook and made a few entries.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, I\u2019ll see you in a couple of days.\u201d\u00a0 Marshall told the student as he shook his hand and ushered him toward the door.<\/p>\n In anticipation of his returning back and talking to me, I got up and waited nervously.\u00a0 I glanced at my watch and saw that I still had a little more than an hour before my lunch break was up.<\/p>\n Marshall and the colonel said a few words to each other, then he turned and walked toward me.<\/p>\n \u201cMarshall Norgaard\u2019s the name.\u00a0 And you are?\u201d\u00a0 He held his hand out for a shake.<\/p>\n \u201cFrank.\u00a0 Frank DeLe\u00f3n.\u00a0 Glad to meet you.\u201d\u00a0 I took his hand and we had a friendly handshake.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe tells me you\u2019d like a little fam flight.\u00a0 Is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir.\u00a0 At least I think I do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, well I\u2019m a little ragged after that last flight but I think we can fit you in.\u00a0 You ready?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you mean now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure!\u00a0 You got time, Frank?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I got a little over an hour, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreat!\u00a0 And don\u2019t call me sir.\u00a0 It\u2019s Marshall unless we\u2019re both in uniform and not at the aero club.\u00a0 Come on, let\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n We walked over to the counter where I was asked to sign some forms and hand over my five dollars.\u00a0 Before I knew what was going on, we were out on the tarmac and Marshall was showing me how to do a pre-flight inspection.\u00a0 He explained that the aircraft I was looking at, a white and gold Piper Cherokee 140, was a low-wing four-passenger model. \u00a0It was powered by a Lycoming 140-horsepower engine and was rated for instrument flight (IFR), but we would be conducting our flight under visual flight rules\u2014or VFR.<\/p>\n I was surprised when he asked me to help him pull the aircraft up to a pair of gas pumps to top off the tanks, and we did this by pulling on a shaft which had been attached to the nose gear.\u00a0 Although I thought the aircraft was not particularly large, I found that it was surprisingly light.<\/p>\n After filling the tanks, we hand-towed the aircraft back to the center of the tarmac to continue our pre-flight inspection.\u00a0 This aircraft had only one access door to the flight deck, and that was a door on the right side just over the wing.\u00a0 Marshall stepped up on the wing, opened the door and invited me in.\u00a0 I entered the aircraft and was shocked to realize that by my going in first, I had to take the pilot\u2019s seat on the left side of the aircraft.<\/p>\n \u201cGo ahead and take a seat,\u201d Marshall said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be in control of the flight from the right side here.\u201d<\/p>\n Both seats had identical flight controls\u2014yoke and rudders\u2014but the instrument panel on the left side had at least four times the number of gauges that were located on the right side.\u00a0 I sat down and found the seat to be snug and a bit hard\u2014certainly not as comfortable as my Toyota\u2019s bucket seats.\u00a0 The windshield looked extremely small, and I could barely see over the nose of the plane.<\/p>\n I glanced at the cluster of instruments in front of me and found them extremely confusing.\u00a0 And even though the weather that day was bright, cool, and sunny, I found myself beginning to sweat\u2014probably more from nervousness than the heat building in the small cockpit.\u00a0 Marshall settled into his seat and pulled on his seatbelt, prompting me to do the same.<\/p>\n \u201cOK,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll cool off a bit once we start up the engine.\u00a0 I\u2019ll walk you through what we\u2019re supposed to be doing.\u00a0 You OK?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d I said, not really sure that I was.<\/p>\n From the side of his door, he pulled out a laminated sheet with a beaded chain attached.\u00a0 \u201cThis is the checklist.\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna go through this so we can get the engine started.\u201d<\/p>\n For the next couple of minutes, he read items off the checklist and pushed buttons, spun dials, and turned knobs.\u00a0 \u201cOK, see the key there by your right knee?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTurn it to the right when I tell you to.\u201d\u00a0 He pushed a lever with a red knob and pulled another with a black knob.\u00a0 \u201cOK, turn it!\u201d\u00a0 The propeller spun slowly clockwise, and when the engine caught, the whole plane shuddered and shook.\u00a0 He reached down and pulled back the red knobbed lever then the black-knobbed one, and the engine smoothed out.\u00a0 The plane was still shuddering a bit but not as bad as it did at first.\u00a0 I noticed that some, but not all, of the gauges had suddenly come to life.<\/p>\n He pulled a small microphone from its holder near the bottom of the dash and requested clearance from the tower to taxi out from the tarmac.\u00a0 The tower responded, but with the sound of the engine and the quality of the audio, I didn\u2019t understand anything that was said.<\/p>\n The next thing I knew I heard a thud and the airplane lurched forward.<\/p>\n \u201cFeel with your feet and you\u2019ll find a couple of pedals down there.\u00a0 That\u2019s the rudder and nose gear control.\u00a0 Push down on the left rudder when you\u2019re on the ground and the plane will turn right; push down on the right rudder, and the plane will turn left.\u00a0 Give it a try.\u201d<\/p>\n I pushed down with my right foot and the plane began to make a sharp right turn.\u00a0 \u201cWhoa, gently!\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cNow to get it out of the turn, push gently down on the left rudder.\u201d\u00a0 I did as he instructed and the plane began to come back to the left.\u00a0 \u201cNow, as soon as you\u2019re going in the direction you want to go push down on the other rudder pedal to stabilize your turn. \u00a0Now head in that direction.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed out the windshield and I began to push on the pedals.\u00a0 We zig-zagged our way across the tarmac in the direction of the active runway.\u00a0 I was already getting dizzy.<\/p>\n After what he called a \u201crun-up\u201d, and twisting a few dials, he asked me if I was ready to go.<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d I said, not really believing that I was.\u00a0 He pushed the red balled lever all the way into the dash and the engine spun up\u2014the noise inside the cockpit increasing, but the vibrations easing off.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we start our takeoff roll, you\u2019re gonna see the airplane begin to drift left of that white runway centerline.\u00a0 Push the right foot gently on the right rudder pedal to bring it back.\u00a0 Not too much or you\u2019ll make the plane go to too much to the right.\u00a0 Got it?\u201d<\/p>\n I began to push and the plane magically drifted back to the right.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t ease up on the rudder or the plane will go back to the left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPut your hands on the yoke (steering wheel) like this.\u201d\u00a0 He was now almost yelling.<\/p>\n \u201cOK.\u201d\u00a0 We were now accelerating pretty fast down the runway.<\/p>\n \u201cNow pull back on the yoke gently and the plane will all but leap off the runway!\u201d<\/p>\n I eased back with both hands and before I knew it we were leaving terra firma!<\/p>\n \u201cSee how easy that was?\u00a0 Now neutralize the rudders so we don\u2019t fly sideways!\u201d<\/p>\n I did what he asked and the plane\u2019s nose straightened up to a full forward position.<\/p>\n \u201cSee that lever between the seats?\u00a0 Depress the button and push it down.\u00a0 That\u2019ll retract the flaps so we can increase our forward speed and climb at a better rate.\u201d<\/p>\n I did as he asked, and as soon as the lever was pushed down onto the floor, I sensed the airplane change attitude and the speed increase.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, pull back gently on the yoke and rotate the lever above your head counter-clockwise until you notice that there\u2019s no more downward pressure on the yoke.\u00a0 That\u2019ll mean you\u2019ve established a positive rate climb!\u201d<\/p>\n Within a few minutes, we were climbing smoothly\u2014the engine purring contentedly as we pulled away from the base\u2019s giant runway.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that wasn\u2019t too hard, was it?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but I was just following along with what you were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you weren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked over and he was sitting there with his arms crossed over his chest.\u00a0 His feet were also nowhere close to the rudders.<\/p>\n \u201cSee?\u201d he said, with a big toothy grin.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re flying this baby all by yourself!\u201d<\/p>\n My hands tightened on the yoke hoping we wouldn\u2019t suddenly stop flying.<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u00a0 Easy.\u00a0 You\u2019re doing fine\u2014and you know what?\u00a0 You\u2019re a natural.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s get out of the pattern and go do some turns.\u201d<\/p>\n We flew for almost an hour, making several climbs and descents, some turns\u2014a couple a bit steeper than I cared for\u2014and finally headed back to the airport for a touch and go, then a final landing.\u00a0 During the whole flight, Captain Norgaard explained the purpose of each instrument on the dashboard and by the time we re-entered the pattern on final approach I was starting to feel pretty comfortable.<\/p>\n After we landed, we returned to the aero club\u2019s office to debrief and discuss whether or not I was going to join the club.\u00a0 I told Marshall that I\u2019d first have to discuss my joining the club and signing up for the Private Pilot training course with my wife before making any decision.\u00a0 He agreed, thanked me for taking the flight and told me he\u2019d be looking forward to being my flight instructor.<\/p>\n After arriving back at our building, I spent the last couple of breaks of the day sitting outside watching the little Cherokees take off and land, and daydreaming of someday becoming a pilot.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got some news to tell you about today!\u201d I said to Kaz, as we sat down to have dinner.<\/p>\n \u201cOh?\u00a0 What happened at work?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it wasn\u2019t so much what happened at work, but more like what happened during lunch.\u201d\u00a0 It was hard for me to contain my excitement.<\/p>\n \u201cLunch?\u00a0 What happened at lunch?\u00a0 They have something special to eat in the cafeteria?\u201d<\/p>\n I chuckled because what the cafeteria served for lunch on a daily basis was one of our usual topics of conversation.\u00a0 \u201cNo\u2026in fact, I don\u2019t have a clue what they served for lunch today.\u00a0 No\u2026it was a little more exciting than that.\u00a0 In fact, I didn\u2019t even have lunch today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, so you gonna tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI went flying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh??\u00a0 Flying?\u00a0 How can you go flying?\u00a0 What you mean, flying?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I went to what is called the \u2018Bergstrom Aero Club\u2019 and I was taken up in a little airplane.\u00a0 I flew for almost an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh??\u00a0 I don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 What is \u2018Aero Club\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n I explained to her what I understood about the aero club that I\u2019d visited that day, and that I was thinking about maybe joining the club to learn how to fly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to learn to fly?\u00a0 Why?\u201d she asked quizzically.<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d I started haltingly.\u00a0 \u201cI think that maybe I\u2019d like to become an airline pilot someday.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always loved airplanes and have often dreamed of flying, but until now I\u2019d never really understood how one goes about doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it going to be expensive?\u00a0 We don\u2019t have too much money, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, we don\u2019t.\u00a0 But I figure if maybe I can get a part-time job for the next year, we\u2019ll be able to afford what it would cost to learn how to fly.\u00a0 The dues at the aero club are very cheap, and according to the colonel who runs the club, I\u2019ll be able to earn a pilot\u2019s license for less than five hundred dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s still a lot of money,\u201d Kaz said, wrinkling her brow and pooching out her lips.\u00a0 \u201cBut maybe if you get good part-time job\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d I told her, not knowing where I could get a part-time job.<\/p>\n A few days later I paid a visit to the aero club to get all the details I would need to enable us to make a decision on whether I could start my flying lessons anytime soon.\u00a0 Although not particularly expensive, the cost of taking two to three lessons a week easily exceeded my monthly Air Force salary.<\/p>\n So in the end, Kaz and I decided that before we did more planning for any proposed flying lessons, some part-time work would have to be sought out.<\/p>\n To be continued\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Texas \u2013 Part Two Austin \u00a0 After a comfortable three-day drive we arrived at my parents\u2019 home in Houston.\u00a0 Just after I\u2019d returned to Okinawa in October of 1965, they had rented a small two-bedroom home on the southeast side not far from the city\u2019s center, in an area which was quite a step up … Continue reading Texas – Part Two<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=905"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":907,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905\/revisions\/907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n