The sky was beautiful. The type that makes you realize how beautiful life is, how precious each moment is. Being only a couple of miles from the airport, James and Riley would have no problem making it back before the sun completely melted. Riley’s cat nap and window gazing was interrupted by James on the radio. “Clow traffic Cessna 96096 about 12 miles to the west maneuvering for the 45degree downwind.” Riley shook his head and spread his mouth in exhaustion. Riley’s first flight with his older brother could not have been better. He got to spend the day with the one person in his family that he looked up to, experiencing something new. An experience it was. He heard a minor knocking and felt a little bit of vibrating. He thought nothing of it. The engine started to putter until the propeller in front of him read Hartzell. James quickly moved his hand in a pattern from right to left pushing pulling and flipping switches. The altimeter read 4000 feet. James looked to his right to see Riley take a big gulp and casually grab the handle to his right.

“How… how close are we?”

“Not close enough” James responded.

The airport was roughly 8 miles away. The little plane could glide like a champ, but not nearly 8 miles. He looked over his shoulder from left to right. Each time with the same expression on his face. The plane took a violent right turn. The opposite direction of the airport is not what either James or Riley expected. The altimeter now read 3000 feet. The altitude was quickly dropping. He ordered riley to enter 7700 in on what looked like an old 8 track.

“Mayday Mayday Cessna 96096”

“James! What is going on now!? What do we do?”

James’s face wrinkled a hair and a bead of sweat dribbled down his neck. His hand was a little shaky as he pointed at the vacant farm field about a mile away.

“Land” he said.

Riley followed James’s extended arm all the way to the windshield. At this time the altimeter said 2000 feet.
“Don’t worry Riley. This is why I took lessons. I got this”

“You are going to crash a plane in a field, and you tell me you got this? Are you crazy?!”

“Listen, your negativity is not helping right now. Just do what I tell you and we will be fine”

“James if you are f***ing with me I swear…”

“I’m not! When I say now, pull the fuel valve and brace yourself for impact”

The altimeter read 1500 feet. It was surely going down. Out of the corner of Riley’s eye he saw James nonchalantly pinch his wrist. Riley folded his hands and tried to say a quick prayer. The altimeter hit 1000 feet

“Now!”

Riley yanked on the metal lever and slammed himself back in the seat. The ground seemed to be moving a million miles per hour underneath them as they glided about ten feet above the surface. James pulled back the controls to bleed off speed. The plane dropped a good ten feet to a hard thud. The planed wheels buckled and the nose dug into the ground to perform summersaults. The cockpit was filled with fine dirt covering everything in and out of sight. The rolling stopped and the brothers laid there staring at each other. A tear rolled down James’s face.

“Are you okay?” Riley asked as he hovered his hand over James’s.

“My arm. I can’t feel it.”

Riley squeezed his eyes shut as if he was a part of a bad nightmare. Then he opened his door and hobbled over to pry open James’s door. He pulled James’s limp body from the wreckage and wrapped his shirt around his mutilated arm. He wrapped his right arm around his shoulder and started to walk towards the nearest road.

“James, you got me on the ground safe, now it’s my turn to get you home safe. I love you brother. It will all be over soon I promise.”