On the Fritz continues...

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Steven had negotiated Route 2 numerous times with Clyde during his stay at Liberty Hill. He was sure to look off in the distance each time to see Mt. St. Nicholas and Grizzly Mtn., each of which were clearly visible from the main road. They had become good friends. Then they passed through the little towns of Hungry Horse and West Glacier, which seemed more like home now than Spring Arbor. Steven knew all the landmarks. He even started recognizing many of the town faithful who walked down the street.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the Airport in Kalispell. Steven remembered back to his first arrival at the airport. He recalled chuckling when he heard it was an international airport. Now he knew better; Kalispell was actually a rather large city, the largest near Liberty Hill. The airport was in the middle of nowhere. It added to the charm of the trip into this wonderful part of God’s creation.
When they reached the main parking lot, Clyde usually took a left turn, heading for the commercial airline buildings. Today was different. Clyde hung a quick right turn and went behind the two large brown hangars which always seemed to sit desolate. Not today, though. When Clyde and Steven turned the corner behind the first hangar, Steven saw a sign for Minuteman Aviation, the company his tour was booked for. They parked by the main entrance. Steven bounded out of the truck like a little child. Clyde had a hard time keeping up with Steven, in contrast to their first trip to this airport.
They walked up to a older man, walking away from the hangar, wiping his hands on a white rag.
“Excuse me,” Clyde asked. “Are you Woody?”
“One and the same. Which one of you is Steven?”
“That’s me. Ready to go, Captain!” Steven saluted Woody in ’proper’ military style.
“At ease, solider,” Woody laughed at Steven’s excitement. “We’ll take off in a few minutes. I need you guys to go in and fill out some forms. I’ll get the plane ready.”
Steven pointed to a double engine plane standing behind them. “Are we going on that one?”
“Yep, that’s mine. The Cessna CVI. Beautiful. Served me well for nearly 15 years.”
Steven stared at the plane. The long white tip of the nose. The sleek body with its five small windows. It’s just a plane, Steven thought. No, it’s more than that. But he wasn’t sure why.
After filling out all the papers, Clyde, Steven and Woody walked back out of the office and into the hangar. Woody gave Steven a few instructions about the flight and showed him on a map where they’d be heading. It was a loop around the majority of Glacier National Park. Steven had seen some of the peaks from Route 2, but there was another two million or so acres he’d never seen. Now he’d get the best view possible.
“Steven,” Woody inquired, “since it’s just you and me, do you want to sit in the cockpit with me? You‘ll get the best view from...”
“ABSOLUTELY!” Steven interrupted.
“Well, you seem ready to go. Let’s get flying!” Woody grabbed his jacket and headed toward the plane. Clyde stopped Steven just before he floated away.
“Hey, Steven. Happy birthday. How old are you today?”
“Clyde, I feel like I’m ten. This is the best gift ever. Thank you.” Steven gave Clyde one of his own patented bear hugs, then ran off to the plane. Steven went up the three small steps, then Woody shut the door behind him.
A minute later, Woody began driving the plane down the smaller runway in the back of the airport. They had a single runway just for private and smaller planes, like Woody’s Cessna. Steven watched as Woody put his headset on and began to map out coordinates to the traffic tower. He was mesmerized by the whole process, though he didn’t understand a word Woody was saying. Steven studied all the buttons, dials and switches, wondering what each one did. It was almost too much to take in at once.
The two engines instantly roared. Woody pulled the throttle back and the plane began to roll faster and faster down the runway. Steven was slightly scared going this fast, but he knew the plane had to build up enough speed to take off. Just when it seemed like the plane couldn’t run any faster, the nose of the plane lifted off the ground. It felt like they were going vertically into the air for a brief moment. Steven was pinned against the back of his seat.
“Having fun yet?” Woody asked Steven.
“This is awesome!” Steven exclaimed. “YAH HOO!”
Just a few seconds later, they reached 6,500 feet and were soaring above several high peaks and navigating around others. It was an incredible position to be seeing the Rockies from. And Steven was watching for all the peaks and the lakes that dotted the landscape. But he seemed more fascinated by Woody and what he was doing next to him in the cockpit. Flicking switches, turning knobs, pulling the throttle back and forth, side to side. Steven was mystified by the whole process.
Instantly, Steven’s mind raced back to his childhood. Steven was ten and the Hassmann’s were taking a vacation to Florida to visit Al’s parents, who had just retired. Usually, they all took the family station wagon on trips. But Al had just made a very large sale and the family had some extra money, so they decided to fly down. Young Steven was thrilled. He always loved to see planes fly over their house or to see them on TV. To actually get to ride on one was the thrill of a little boy’s life.
Steven walked down the long tunnel and entered the plane, wide-eyed. His mom held his hand and walked him to his seat. His smile got even wider when he realized it was a window seat! There was no fear of the heights he would be climbing to; just the joy of seeing everything he could see for the whole trip.
Steven’s parents were warned that children are afraid of the loud engines and the shaking of the cabin during take-off. Steven never said a word. His nose was against the window, watching all the cars and houses get smaller and smaller as they got farther away.
While the flight attendant was serving lunch, she asked Steven if he’d like to visit the cockpit. Steven reached another level of euphoria. He bounced up and down in the seat, delighted at his good fortune. He waited and waited for the woman to come back to retrieve him. He waited some more.
“Mommy,” Steven said. “When are they going to show me the cockpit?”
“Shhh,” Marge hushed her son. “The plane has some turbulence and they told us not to get out of our seats. Hopefully, they’ll be able to take you.”
Then a voice came over the intercom inside the cabin. “Hello, ladies and gentlemen. This is your pilot speaking. We are preparing for final approach to our destination, Miami International Airport. At this time, please buckle your seatbelts and return your seats to their locked and upright position.”
“Mommy,” Steven asked in a panic. “What’s happening?”
“We’re going to land soon.”
“No! Can’t I see the cockpit?”
“I’m sorry. No, dear.”
Steven began to cry and pound the seat. Everyone thought he was scared with the change in pressure and the landing. But he was angry. Very angry. Angrier than he had ever been before or since. The rage continued right through the landing, the plane parking at the gate, and the passengers leaving the plane. Steven was so out of control, his mom couldn’t even get his attention enough to tell him that he could see the cockpit briefly as he exited the plane. They just didn’t want to make a bigger scene. So they left in a hurry.
Why didn’t I ever remember that? Steven wondered as he continued to study Woody’s every move.
“Tell me what you’re doing,” Steven asked. “Everything.”
Woody began to explain about the dials: the pressure levels, altitude meters, gas levels. Some of the controls he used all the time, some not at all. Steven soaked it all up. He instantly memorized every one.
“You want to steer the plane?” Woody asked.
“Really? Can I?”
“Sure. Here, grab this handle.” Woody took Steven’s hand and placed it on the throttle. “Just hold it steady. No jerky motions. There, you’ve got it. See, you’re flying! Now, just pull it a little towards you...Great! Nice bank turn! Just like a pro!”
Steven felt alive, more than he ever had before. Something more than just flying an airplane was taking place in Steven’s heart. A peace was rising up in his spirit, almost like this was a familiar place to be in. It just felt right to be where he was, as he was.
Welcome home, son.
Steven hadn’t heard the voice since his dorm room, when he watched Billy Graham and felt the call to ministry. He was just as startled by it this time as he was today. A tingle ran up Steven’s back as he heard the words in his spirit. He knew it was God. There was no doubt. Being at Liberty Hill, he had become very aware of His presence with him every day. But His voice had not resurfaced. Until now. Steven didn’t try to analyze the situation. He didn’t have the time - he was too busy steering the airplane.

Woody brought the plane in for a safe, comfortable landing. A small tear dripped down Steven’s face, like he was leaving a close friend in the sky. Once the plane touched down and the engines dropped into a lower gear, Woody signed off from the traffic tower and removed his headset. He continued to roll the plane down the runway, back to the hangar. Clyde was waiting at the entrance. Steven could see him through the cockpit window. He gave Clyde a big ’thumbs up’.
Once the plane stopped, Woody shut off the engines and turned to Steven.
“You know, you’re something else.”
“What do you mean?” Steven asked.
“I take charters like this all the time,” Woody recalled. “No one, I mean no one, has ever been more interested in flying the plane than you. Most people could care less.”
“I’ve just always liked to fly. Since I was a little kid.”
“You ever thought about taking flying lessons? Getting a pilot’s license?”
“Oh, no. I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not? You sure seem to love this.”
“Yeah, but my wife would panic if I wanted to do something this risky. And it’s really expensive, isn’t it? I’ve always been too busy to commit to it and...”
“Excuses, excuses, excuses,“ Woody interrupted. “Look, I’m an old man. I‘ll be seventy next month. I can’t do this much longer. I want to keep my feet on the ground now. But flying has filled my life for the last forty-six years. I built this company up from an old crop duster. But my kids are all gone with their families now. I don’t want to just ditch this business - it’s meant too much to me.
“What’s that got to do with me?“ Steven wondered aloud.
“You’ve got the same passion for flying that I have. I could see it in your eyes up there. You feel like you come alive when you fly. You belong up there more than you do down here.”
Steven was living every word.
“Clyde told me a lot about you. How you’re looking to start things over for you and your family. You’re an honest and decent Christian man. I think you’re the type of guy I’m looking for.”
“To do what?”
“To take over my business. To run the charter flights.”
“How am I supposed to do that? I don‘t know how to fly a plane!”
“I’ll train you. I’ve got a teaching certificate. I kept up the paperwork for something like this.”
“How am I supposed to pay for it?”
“I’ll train you for free. All the lessons and everything.”
“For free?”
“Sure. I’ve got a C172 in the back you can train on. It’s not as big as this plane, so it’ll be easier for you to handle.”
“Wait, wait,” Steven tried to get a handle on this conversation. It was happening much too fast.
“There are guidelines for your training,” Woody continued. “There is classroom work I can teach you. Then you fly with me until your comfortable to go on your own. Then you have to do a cross-country solo flight. The rest is all formality. It’s easy if you‘ve got the mind for it. And you do. Then, you buy the business from me. You fly all the charter flights. What do you think?”
Steven was dumbfounded. This is how God reveals your future? He just drops it in your lap, like this? Steven tried to come up with more excuses why he shouldn’t do it. In the moment, he couldn’t come up with one. Was there anything else he loved more than flying? Besides Jesus, Heather and Bree, not really. What job did he have to look forward to once he was done at Liberty Hill? Nothing. Where else would he go? Nowhere. What would Heather think? She likes snow. And if I was happy and at peace, He reasoned, she’d be happy and at peace. Somehow, as crazy as the prospect sounded, it seemed crazy not to do it.
“Woody, I’ll do it!” Steven extended his hand and they shook on the deal.
A few minutes later, Steven opened the door of the plane and hopped down the stairs to the concrete below. Clyde ran out of the office and up to Steven.
“So how was your trip, buddy?”
“Clyde, it was incredible.”
“Tell me about everything you saw.”
“Well, for starters, I saw my future. Clyde, welcome to Hassmann Aviation.” Steven smiled as he walked past Clyde into what would soon be his office.
Clyde was dumbfounded “Wait! What? Steven? What does that mean?”