North Africa to Texas and back to North Africa  




				Chapter One

	Mid-Atlantic Crisis!

	"November 6201 Delta, Terceira Approach ...Radar Contact 110 miles North East ...
	What is your destination?"
	
	A human voice at last! The familiar American accent comes through after hours of our
	trying to communicate over a stubbornly silent radio! A moment later a green transponder
	blinks on the instrument panel, the first sign of contact since leaving Newfoundland almost
	eleven hours ago.
	
	"Destination is Santa Maria ... Request permission to land at Terceira," replies John trying 
	to steady his voice and his hand holding the mike. We look at each other.

	"Negative ... This is a military base ... Landing is prohibited except in an emergency ... 
	What is your estimate to Santa Maria?"

	"Two hours ..."

	"What is your fuel remaining?"

	"Two hours ..."

	"Zero reserve ... Hmm ... Stand by while I contact the base commander." A moment later the
	voice comes back: "O.K. ... You have permission to make an emergency landing at Terceira 
	Airbase. Ceiling is 800 feet broken, visibility two miles, occasionally half a mile in rain showers.
	Be advised of the following NOTAMS: runway end identifier lights are not working; high intensity 
	runway lights are not working; glide slope is not working."

	"So what is working?" asks John.

	"I am," replies the American voice.
	
	We land in a pounding rainstorm on a wet runway glistening in the first light of dawn. Eleven hours 
	and seven minutes have passed since we took off from St. John's Newfoundland. We have thus 
	completed the most difficult leg of our flight from Texas to North Africa, even though we ended up
	landing on the Terceira military airbase in the Azores rather than at Santa Maria as originally planned.

	How did it all start? Let's reel back to the beginning ...



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