Flying in San Francisco

 

“Gosh Chuck, would you look at the view?”

Chuck shifted his gaze from the dials and switches and looked to his right out of the cockpit canopy. The high rise buildings of San Francisco lay behind him as he piloted his Vought F4U Corsair out across the bay towards the Marin Headlands. Beneath him and his wing man, the Golden Gate Bridge poked its rusty red pillars through a bed of low lying cloud and fog, protruding obelisks soaring high into the crisp summer’s air.

“Gives me the creeps when that happens” Chuck replied to his wingman as he turned his attention back to the controls of the aircraft.  

            “Oh I love it, it’s surreal don’t you think?”

            “Yes Joe, that’s why it creeps me out.”

            Chuck pulled hard on the control column and sent the Corsair higher into the sky before banking hard right and descending at dizzying speeds towards the river. Joe followed suit, never leaving his wingman’s side.

            “I hope the clouds aren’t making it difficult for them to see us,” crackled Joe’s voice over radio. “I’d hate to think they were missing out.”

            “No it’ll be fine; the cloud’s sticking mostly to the headland.”  At fifty feet, Chuck pulled back on the stick and eased up on the throttle, straightening out the aircraft as he bombed down the river back towards to the harbour. “Pull up into a half loop and finish with a Cuban Eight. We’ll give them a victory roll fly past and then call it a day.”

            “Roger,” replied Joe, still stuck to Chuck’s six o’clock. The pair reached Fisherman’s Wharf and climbed vertically; rocketing towards the heavens like a couple of fireworks before rolling off the top to complete the manoeuvre. The crowds bellow cheered as the Corsairs glided past and rolled their victory dance.

            “Good show wouldn’t you say Chuck?”

            The pair once again flew off in the direction of the Marin Headlands, crossing the Golden Gate’s path, its towering monoliths slowly disappearing beneath more cloud and fog.

            “Of course Joe, when you’re as good as us, every show’s a good one.”