Teenagers in Helicopter Heaven: the Benifits of a Teen Not Using Cigarettes
Posted: Sunday, May 08, 2011
by Calvin Pstone
No Smoking 101
From the book, No Smoking 101. The 6 teens are on the top most deck of the yacht, Pamalotta as it speeds North to Sitka, Alaska, July 2nd, 2013.
Chapter 49: A Teenager in Helicopter Heaven
Flights of the Betty Lou and her sister airships en route from Ketchikan and Annette Island, take the inland passage at an altitude of 600 feet or so. This allows the spotters to check out the well traveled inland waterway up close, a historical Coast Guard summertime treat for pilots and crews since the early 1940’s of World War II.
James Lee “Jimmy Lee” Masterson, son of Coast Guard Admiral Carlton Masterson, serves as one of today’s spotters. This marks Jimmy Lee’s return from visiting his father and one of the perks of being an admiral’s son is a free ride home of his choosing. His possible transportation choices had included a ride on the Coast Guard buoy tender Cottonwood, going for dry-dock refitting in Bremerton, Washington, or a redeye flight from Ketchikan, packed tightly as one of 197 passengers in a DC-10, or the transportation he was presently enthralled with. Naturally, he picked the most adventurous, the helicopter. As with any other 16 year old, the youth proclaimed his choice by uttering a simple, “Duh-the helicopter”.
Jimmy Lee wore a custom Coast Guard coverall flight suit and standard flight helmet. With safety restraints attached, he leaned out the open port door of the helicopter as it loafed along the inland waterway at 125 knots or about 137 miles per hour, less than half of its top speed in order to allow more detailed viewing of the ship and boat activities below.
The wind ripped by fiercely and taxed the hearty materials of Jimmy’s protective clothing. He will have a wind burned face upon arrival. While enjoying a view shared only by eagles and affordable only by government employees, Jimmy Lee felt as close to being in Heaven as a teenager can get, on or off planet Earth.
The pilots see the Pamalotta ahead and stare down at her graceful beauty. John, the co-pilot says, “Hey Ted, let’s slow down a bit and take a better look. What a ‘knock-out’ ship. She must be doing 50 knots or more.”
Ted pulls the throttle back three clicks, and the copter slows to a mere 80 knots. As he descends to a hundred feet of altitude, he turns the sleek 1,800-horsepower turbine flying machine to a list of 30 degrees to port as they pass by the Pamalotta’s ultra smooth progression north.
Gliding past the twin-hulled yacht at a distance of 200 yards, port to port, Jimmy Lee sees six teenagers, like himself, seated on the crow’s nest deck. Simultaneously, he and the Pamalotta’s teens all start waving energetic arm waves to each other. As is the nature of a youth flying through the skies, Jimmy Lee feels an extra thrill from sharing his ride through paradise with his peers.
We have before us a rare paradox, peer sharing instead of peer pressure.
Chapter 50: I Was a Teenage Government Test Case
Pat lowers a waving arm and focuses attention back to the new friends seated around the spacious crow’s nest deck and says to the other five teens, “Cool, I love helicopters. Jevon and I both hope to have one someday. If I don’t smoke cigarettes, I can do anything. What color do you want yours, Jevon?”
And the adventure story continues. You know how events turn when everything is going along just dandy. . . No Smoking 101 , the book. . .free poster pictures and drawings.
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