propeller is typically called an aeroplane, airplane, or simply plane. Unpowered fixed-wing aircraft, including gliders, paragliders, hang-gliders and kites, can use rising air to gain height.
Most fixed-wing aircraft are flown by a pilot on board the aircraft, but some are designed to be remotely-or computer-controlled.
Just reading about it sent a rush through him. It sounded so cool when he read it like that. He could barely believe heâSpencer Grayâhad done it.
Bring on the Stirling Ranges, Dad. Bring âem on.
13
Mum plopped things into the cooler bag for them: two muesli bars, two apples, their water bottles, a packet of Jatz, half a packet of Scotch Fingers (Dadâs all-time faves; heâd eaten the other half of the packet the day before), and two rounds of ham and cheese sandwiches.
âThanks Mum,â Spencer smiled. âYouâre a deadset champion.â
âCanât have my boys getting hungry up in the clouds, can I?â
Dad came in, holding some maps and his fleece jacket.
âWhat time do you think youâll be back?â Mum asked.
Dad tied a second jacket, his waterproof one, in a knot around his waist. âWell, weâre lined up to take off at_____â he looked at his watch, â_____11.30, which is when the thermals will get going properly. I guess weâll try to make the most of it and stay up in the air for a bit ... Weâll probably be back at the hangar about 2.30 or 3, Ireckon. So I guess that means weâll be back in time for ... a gourmet four-course dinner!â
Mum choked on her cuppa.
âDad!â Pippa reached over to him and smacked his bum. âYou are rude.â
âJust kidding. Do you want me to pick something up on my way home? A couple of pizzas from Milanoâs, maybe?â
âPizzas, yay, yay, yes yes yes!â Pips twirled around the kitchen.
âWhoa, child!â Mum reached out, trying to stop a family photo getting knocked off the hall-of-fame table. âPips, calm down! Sounds like a yes, chaps. Just make sure one of those pizzas is a capricciosa.â
âAnd we need a Hawaiian,â Spencer said.
âYeah!â roared Pippa.
âFor goodness sake!â Dad raised his eyebrows at Mum. âIs this normal behaviour, do you think, love?â
âSadly, I think it is.â
âYeah, Dad,â Spencer said, âPips and I are so normal. Well, I am.â
âI am! Iâm normal too!â
âOkay, okay, you two. Can you men get outta here before you upset us girls any more? We have things to do, donât we, Pips?â
Pippa smiled. âYep. We have a plan.â
âWhy, what are you doing?â Spencer asked.
âWouldnât you like to know?â
âWeâre going for hot chocolate and gingerbread men at Indieâs,â Pips said happily.
âAww, I love it there!â
âAnd you love it in the air, too, so off you go!â Mum said, trying not to sound exasperated.
âGot your jacket, Spence?â Dad said.
âYepâmy wind-resistant one, just in case you accidentally inflate the emergency slide mid-flight.â
âRight, and youâd get sucked out to the moon, buddy. Emergency slide? Itâs a glider, Spence, not an A380!â
âDonât forget your food,â Mum lifted up the esky bag.
âNo. Now, thatâd be a problem,â Dad said. âStarving up in the sky. You canât eat clouds.â
And with that, and some last kisses, they were gone.
14
Here he was, at Skippers Cove airstrip, checking out an A22 Foxbat, and not far away was the local emergency helicopter, a Bell 412, with RESCUE emblazoned in huge red letters on the tail.
He walked the length of the A22. It seemed big up close, but when you saw them in the air they looked like little dragonflies buffeting about in the wind. The Foxbat was a standard light aircraft; Dad could fly one of those too, had learnt on an
Janette Oke, Laurel Oke Logan