Аэропорт / Аirport. Артур Хейли
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СКАЧАТЬ in a taxi?”

      She looked at him, inquiringly. Her eyes—a bright, clear blue—had a quality of directness. She had a slim figure, yet with a fullness which the trim airline uniform heightened… Mel was conscious of her desirability and warmth.

      “Only if the taxi goes to my place, and you let me cook you dinner.”

      He hesitated, then reluctantly shook his head. “I wish I could. But we’ve some trouble here, and afterward I have to be downtown.” He got up. “Let’s have coffee, anyway.”

      The sudden invitation from Tanya had surprised him. They had had several dates together, but until now she had not suggested visiting her apartment.

      Lately, Mel had sensed that if their meetings away from the airport continued, there could be a natural and obvious progression. But he had moved cautiously, instinct warning him that an affair with Tanya would be no casual romance but a deeply emotional involvement for them both.

      In the coffee shop, Mel glanced around. He nodded toward the outer door through which they could both see a moving, surging swarm of people.

      Tanya shuddered. “Can you imagine what it’ll be like when they collect their baggage? I don’t even want to think about it.”

      “Nor do a good many other people—who ought to be thinking about it, right now.” Their conversation had already drifted into aviation. Airplanes and airlines held a fascination for Tanya, and she liked talking about them. So did Mel.

      “The really big thing, however, which most airport planning hasn’t caught on to yet is that we’re moving toward the day when air freight business will be bigger than passenger traffic. Not long ago, hardly anybody wanted to work in air freight departments; it was backroom stuff; passenger business had the glamour. Not any more! Now the bright boys are heading for air freight. They know that’s where the future and the big promotions lie.”

      Tanya laughed. “I’ll be old-fashioned and stick with people.”

      A waitress came to their table. They ordered coffee, Tanya cinnamon toast, and Mel a fried egg sandwich.

      When the waitress had gone, Mel grinned. “I guess I started to make a speech. I’m sorry.”

      “Maybe you need the practice.”

      “I’m not president of the Airport Operators Council any more. I don’t get to Washington as much, or other places either.”

      Curiously, it was a speech of Mel’s which had brought them together to begin with. At one of the rare interline meetings which airlines held, he had talked about coming developments in aviation. Tanya had been there and later sent him one of her lower case notes:

      great. mind suggestion? it would all be better if more abt people, not facts…

tl

      As well as amusing him, the note had caused him to think. It was true, he realized—he had concentrated on facts and systems. He revised his speech notes, shifting the emphasis as Tanya suggested. The result was the most successful presentation he had ever made. It gained him an ovation and was widely reported internationally. Afterward he had telephoned Tanya to thank her. That was when they had started seeing each other.

      “So, why does your brother-in-law dislike you?”

      “I guess he knows I’m not overly keen on him.”

      “He is taking Flight Two to Rome tonight.”

      Mel smiled. “The Golden Argosy?” Mel was aware that Trans America Flight Two—The Golden Argosy—was the airline’s prestige flight. He also knew that only the line’s most senior captains ever commanded it.

      At an adjoining table, a woman said loudly, “Geez! Look at the time!”

      Instinctively, Mel did. Getting up from the table, he told Tanya, “Don’t go away. I have to make a call.”

      There was a telephone at the cashier’s counter that he used. Danny Farrow’s voice said, “I was going to call you. I just had a report on that stuck 707. You knew they had asked TWA for help? TWA has sent for Joe Patroni.”

      “If anyone can get that airplane moved tonight,” Mel conceded, “it’ll be Joe.”

      “Oh, a bit of good news—we found that United food truck. The driver was unconscious under the snow. But they got an inhalator on him, and he’ll be all right.”

      Tanya was still at the table when Mel returned, though preparing to go.

      “I’m coming, too.”

      As Mel paid their check, two Trans America ticket agents entered the coffee shop. One came across.

      “Excuse me, Mr. Bakersfeld… Mrs. Livingston, the D.T.M.’s looking for you. There is a stowaway—on Flight 80 from Los Angeles.”

      Tanya appeared surprised. Aerial stowaways were seldom a cause of great concern.

      Mel walked with Tanya from the coffee shop into the central lobby and stopped at the elevator.

      “Drive carefully out there,” she cautioned.

      “Your stowaway sounds interesting. It’ll give me a reason to see you again tonight.”

      They were close together. As one, each reached out and their hands touched. Tanya said softly, “Who needs a reason?”

      In the elevator, going down, he could still feel the warm smoothness of her flesh, and hear her voice.

      4

      Joe Patroni was on his way to the airport from his home. At the moment, the Italian-American, who was airport maintenance chief for TWA was halted in a traffic tie-up.

      Legends had grown up around Joe Patroni.

      Joe took a job as an airline mechanic, became a lead mechanic, then a foreman with a reputation as a top-notch troubleshooter. His crew could change an engine faster than an airplane manufacturer said it could be done; and with absolute reliability.

      A contributing reason for his success was that he never wasted time on diplomacy. Instead, he went directly to the point, both with people and airplanes. He also had a total disregard for rank, and was equally forthright with everyone.

      On one occasion, Joe Patroni walked off his job and, without prior consultation, rode an airplane to New York. He carried a package with him. On arrival, he went by bus and subway to the airline’s Olympian headquarters where he strode into the president’s office. Opening the package, he deposited an oily, disassembled carburetor on the presidential desk.

      The president, who had never heard of Joe Patroni, and whom no one ever got to see without prior appointment, was apoplectic until Joe told him, “If you want to lose some airplanes in flight, throw me out of here. If you don’t, sit down and listen.”

      The president sat down and listened. Afterward, he called in his engineering vice-president who ordered a mechanical modification affecting carburetor icing in flight, which Patroni had been urging unsuccessfully for months.

      Soon Joe was promoted to senior supervisor, and a few years later was given the important post of maintenance chief at Lincoln СКАЧАТЬ