Chapter Two Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty-Two
14th January 1979
Berlin-Brandenberg International Airport, Schönfeld, Brandenberg
When Nan had found out that she was younger than she had thought that she was, she was temporarily restricted from flying multi-engine aircraft. It didn’t matter that she had already flown many hours in her adopted father’s Fieseler Kranich, she wasn’t allowed to fly solo in the Kranich until she actually turned eighteen. Amedeo had apologized profusely to Nan over him causing her to be restricted in that manner. It had only been for a month, but that had been a complication she could have lived without. None of this was helped by Amedeo being a Prince and fourteen years older than her. Who was Nan? She was sure that the Italian public would just love it when they learned that the current love interest of the Heir to the Italian throne was likely the daughter of a sociopath with mad dreams about selective human breeding and woman that same sociopath had kept as a prisoner on his farm. When Nan had gone to Italy that weekend she had brought those problems up with Amedeo. He had just shrugged and said that wasn’t as big a problem as Nan made it out to be, they would work these things out. He was a sweet man, but Nan was unsure if Amedeo completely understood.
The good thing about that time while Nan had been waiting for her birthday was that she had become acquainted with the Gotha-Cessna D150, the license-built version of the American Cessna 150 equipped with a Continental O-240 engine that had been built specifically for the European market by ČKD in Bohemia. That happened to be the airplane currently favored by the University of Berlin’s Flying Club that Nan was a member of. She supposed that there was a lesson in that. No matter what international rivalries existed, making money was always going to be a key consideration for all the players involved. That was why planes designed by Cessna and manufactured in Germany and France were almost as common a sight as those built by Focke-Wulf, Bücker, Arado, or Mráz in the flying clubs and at airfields across Central and Eastern Europe.
Nan had also found that in addition to being simple and easy to fly, the D150 she was using drew far less attention than the Kranich and had flown it to travel to Italy this weekend. That was when that conversation with Amedeo had taken place. She just wished that she could share in his optimism that things would work out.
“D150 Echo-Mike” Brandenberg Center said over Nan’s headphones, “Transferring you Berlin Tower.” What followed was a radio frequency and a new transponder squawk code.
“Rodger that Center” Nan said into the microphone.
Nan swiftly dialed in the new radio frequency on the second radio and changed the four-digit transponder code before flipping the switch to make the radio change active. It was what she liked about flying, the rules were simple. Through trial and a whole lot of error, everything had been sorted out through the prior decades. As opposed to everything else in Nan’s life which was messy.
“Berlin Tower, this is D150 Echo-Mike” Nan said, “Request landing.”
That would reflect what the Operator in Berlin Tower would see on their screen; Gotha-Cessna D150 D-EUEM.
“Echo-Mike, this is Berlin Tower” An authoritative voice said over the radio, “Please enter pattern for 24L, hold altitude at 150 meters, and await further instructions.”
That meant flying counterclockwise in a racetrack pattern holding the altitude until she was given clearance to land, the upwind and downwind legs were parallel to the runway. 24L was smaller of the two runways at Berlin-Brandenberg, used mostly for Civil Aviation and by small carriers. It was extremely familiar to Nan because she had flown in and out of it dozens of times.
Eventually, Nan was given clearance to land.
One of the things that the D150 had going for it was that the hinged flaps were simple and there were no other high lift devices on the wings. Just pull down on the lever and they deployed. Nan was able to ease the D150 down in 24L before taxiing to the flightline were a dozen nearly identical Cessnas were parked. From experience, Nan knew that it was a long walk to the S-Bahn Station near the front of the main Terminal Building. It had taken some time, but she had found a very simple solution. With practiced ease, she pulled the folding bicycle out from the luggage space behind the seats as well as the rucksack containing everything that she had needed over the weekend which she shoved the logbook into. Setting up the bicycle only took a moment and Nan was about to peddle away when she saw the black Mercedes-Benz Town Car pull up to the flightline. With an annoyed sigh, Nan walked her bike to the Mercedes.
“I figured that you would want a ride Annett” Charlotte said after rolling down the window, “It will also give us a chance for a mother/daughter talk.”
Charlotte seemed outwardly cheerful, but her tone suggested that she was in Social Worker mode. Taking her time, Nan loaded her things into the car’s trunk. Charlotte was the closest thing that she had to a mother and Nan hated it when she talked to her that way.
“Where did you get that jacket?” Charlotte asked. Nan was wearing a sheepskin lined American Bomber jacket, one she had gone to great lengths to find, part of her desire to look the part of a pilot. Nan knew that it was more than a little absurd.
“You told me I ought to get a gift for myself for Christmas” Nan replied.
Charlotte seemed happy with that answer.
