RP: Flying across country Who: John, Brian, G, Derek, Sam, Robert and Troy Where: on a plane When: April 26, 2012 Summary: Robert does his own brand of teaching, getting a few people sick in the process
There couldn't be a worse day to fly, at least for people who got sick. A good part of the country was being plagued by rain and thunderstorms. All of Arizona was under thunderstom alert, with winds greater than 60 miles an hour. Going East, considitions were even worse, with tornadoes, hail and even stronger winds and rain. They'd be able to avoid some of it, but not all, and Robert was keeping an eye on the weather, not just through the reports from the ground as they checked in with the different towers, but with the sky, because for a pilot that was the most informative. He wasn't worried, but instead, he was planning on a little lesson.
He waited when they reached Kansas, where the rain and wind were bad, but not dangerous and got up. "Bolton, take over. I need to speak to G." He left the door open as he walked out of the cabin. Behind the first row, he pulled out paper bags and passed them around, and then he stood in front of the first row, on the right side where Bolton couldn't see him.
"What the fuck-"
Robert interrupted Brian with a finger to his own lips, before looking out the window. He motioned for everyone to seat and put their seatbelt on, before counting down with his finger, and as he reached zero the plane jumped, and then it did it again and again. "Bolton, what the fuck are you doing to my plane?"
"Me? Bitch to the weather. Thunder, lighting, rain. Maybe you should get your ass back here," Troy answered from the cabin.
"I'm talking to G. Just take it off the autopilot, and fly around it. Why the hell do you think I'm teaching you? So you can go for a joy ride? Jesus, kids today." Despite the upset tone, he leaned against the wall, perfectly relaxed, smiling at G.
He could tell the moment the autopilot disengaged, the bumping getting sharper and more sudden. It wasn't unexpected either. It wasn't just about flying, but about recognizing the condition in front of you and deciding what to do.
"Robert, get your ass in here." There was a slight edge of panic now, but Robert ignored it.
"You're doing fine. You've flown in this weather, you know what to do, and you know that bumps are inevitable. Just do what you know." Robert kept an eye on the weather, looking down the isle to the front of the plane. After a few minutes, the bumping and shaking was still there, but it had a more controlled sensation. People might not be able to tell the difference, but he could. They weren't just flying through bad weather, they were navigating through clouds to minimize the danger. It lasted for another ten minutes and then the sun again.
"Holy shit I did it!"
Robert bit his lip to stop from laughing, and only when he could speak without bursting into laughter he did so. "Good thing you didn't ruin my plan or I'd have had your ass." He winked in G's direction, before sitting down next to his brother. "We have some calm until we hit the Northeast now. More bad weather, I'm afraid."