“The Spanish Canary Islands.”
“Christ, if we sit down there, we’ll be interned for six months,” Wilson said.
“And when they finally let us go, there will be a flight of German fighters waiting for us.” Nembly began to adjust the engine controls.
Fine saw that he was unable to maintain altitude without moving the RPM needle into the red. “We’re just going to have to dump some fuel,” Nembly said finally “And try to make it back.”
“Set a course for Lanzarote,” Fine said, “That sounds like an order,” Wilson said with a hint of annoyance. “I suppose that’s what it amounts to,” Fine said.
Wilson considered that a moment, then looked at the chart. “Lanzarote, you said?” he asked.
“There’s only a fighter strip on Lanzarote, according to the chart.”
“There is a contingency plan,” Fine said, ‘for an emergency like this.”
“Why is this the first I’ve heard of it?” Wilson said, but then, without waiting for a reply, told Nembly to “Steer zero-eight-five.”
Nembly began a slow, wide turn to the east. “I’m going to start dumping fuel,” Nembly said. “No,” Fine said. Wilson looked at him questioningly. “Our only hope to continue the mission is that when we have a look at the engine, we’ll be able to fix it. With a little bit of luck, we’ll find we have a loose-not broken–oil feed line. If we have fuel aboard, we can take off again.”
“What makes you think they’ll let us take off? Or that there won’t be a squadron of Messersclunitts waiting for us? Lanzarote is close to the Moroccan coast, well within the range of German fighters, ” “If the Spaniards at Lanzarote don’t tell them we’ve landed, they won’t come looking for us,” Fine said, “Why wouldn’t they?” Nembly asked. “I’ve got a name to use,” Fine said.
“And some money to give him.”
“Then the only small little problem we have,” Wilson said, “is trying to set this big sonofabitch down on a fighter strip with nearly full tanks.”
“I think we have to try,” Fine said, “That’s presuming, of course,” Wilson said, “that Nembly can keep us in the air until we get there, and that the Spanish don’t shoot us down for violating their airspace.
I don’t suppose this contingency plan of yours says we can call the name you have before we get there?”
“We’ll just have to try to set it down at Lanzarote,” Fine said.
“I don’t see where we have any other choice.”
The island appeared to their right forty minutes later. When they got closer to the island, they could see the single strip, running diagonally across the only level part of it, a sort of plateau on the northern shore.” Should we try to call their tower? You have the frequency?” Wilson asked.
“No,” Fine said.
“Let’s just go in. Straight in.”
“If I screw this up with all this fuel aboard, I won’t be able to go around,” Nembly said. “Then don’t screw it up,” Wilson said reasonably.
Fine wondered why Wilson, as the senior pilot, didn’t take over the controls himself, but this was not the time to ask. Homer Wilson turned and looked at Fine.
“You better go strap yourself in,” he said. “I will,” Fine said.
“There’s time. He continued to look out the windshield until he saw they were lined up on the runway. Then he dropped to the floor, braced his feet against he bulkhead of the radio panel, put his arms over his knees, then rested t his head on his arms. Nembly, unused to the sink rate of the aircraft on one engine, misjudged, and came in too low. He reached up and shoved the throttle to full emergency power. The airplane turned to the dead engine. He made a violent crab maneuver, then chopped the throttle, and crabbed nearly as violently in the other direction.
They landed heavily, bounced, and then touched down again. Nembly reversed pitch on the propeller, which sent the plane off the centerline of the runway. The right tire screamed as he applied the brake. Fine felt himself being thrown into the aisle and for a moment sensed the aircraft was on the edge of turning over. But then it settled, and there was a lower-pitched scream as both brakes locked.