Lewis looked out of the window at the beautiful sunset. The oranges, yellows and pinks reflecting, iridescent, off the clouds. The sunrays jumped up and down, shining in different directions as the plane moved towards it.
Lewis was on his way to Florida for a well-deserved holiday. He was a 30-year-old ex-RAF pilot and was now working for Emirates Airline as a pilot. Definitely a down grade from the RAF, but after his last deployment, he decided to do something slightly more relaxing.
In his last deployment, he saved a whole ship full of Royal Navy sailors and he got medals for it – he even got to meet the Queen. It all turned him famous and suddenly he was the talk of the country, but he didn't want that, he was just doing his job.
Anyway, he was sat in economy class on his way to Florida with someone sat on either side of him, both fast asleep. He decided that he would follow their example. He closed his eyes and, almost instantly, fell asleep. He really did need this holiday.
Lewis was woken by people screaming and the captain talking to everyone over the intercom.
He turned to the person next to him, just as the plane jerked and fell in to an odd angle. He recognised the angle perfectly: they were descending. But why were people screaming?
"What's going on?" He asked the woman next to him.
"It's one of the pilots! He's passed out and now we have to make an emergency landing!"
But that didn't explain the screaming.
"We have a few technical hitches here folks. Please don't worry though."
Oh no! That was code for an engine failure! This was not good. And it didn't help that the captain was just freaking them out more, not calming them down. Lewis could hear the fear in his voice.
Just then a flight attendant came stumbling up to him.
"Sir, are you Mr. Lewis Hill?" She asked.
"Yes, Why? What's happened?" He knew full well what was happening, but he didn't want to freak anyone out any more. He asked it desperately as if he didn't know what was going down.
"Mr. Hill, can you please come with me?"
He got up and followed her to the cockpit. This was were his military training kicked in and he walked in as calm as ever.
YOU ARE READING
Inside the Cockpit
Short StoryWhen Lewis Hill, an ex-RAF pilot, got onto his flight to Florida, he thought he would be able to relax for once. But, no, that wasn't the case. He just seems to attract high pressure situations like a magnet and metal. Will he able able to escape th...