Views
3 years ago

MARCH 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 3

  • Text
  • Blues
  • Helfman
  • Enforcement
  • Galveston
  • Capitol
  • Dominic
  • Heroes
  • Deputies
  • Certification
  • Contributing
MARCH 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 3

WORDS BY CAPTAIN R.L.

WORDS BY CAPTAIN R.L. SMITH What you’re about to read, you most likely won’t believe. Hell, it happened to me and I’m not sure I believe it. But the truth is, not believing changes life as we know it. I knew 2020 was mostly likely the year I would retire from flying. It’s been a long and rewarding twenty-five years, but it’s time for the younger generation to take over. My eyesight and health are just not what they used to be, and every pilot knows there will come a day when he must move to the right seat and just enjoy the ride. With all the COVID crap going on, this final year wouldn’t mean much flying for anyone in my group, so when the opportunity to fly a nightshift cross-country training mission came across my desk, I told the boss count me in. We launched out of CXO at 2100 hours and I punched the auto pilot to climb to 12,000 feet and head northwest to Waco. While the mission was classified and I can’t share the details, let’s just say it was as routine as you can get. We made several stops, carried out the objective of the mission and made it back to base well before sunset. In fact, I was in my Jeep and headed for home well before 0500 hours. Because of the early morning hour, I knew traffic would be a bitch if I took the main roads, so I decided to head south out of the airport and take the scenic route as opposed to the freeway. As I had learned the night before in my weather brief, the dew point was falling, and fog was beginning to roll in from the south. A fine cloudy mist was beginning to form just above the roadway and my headlights were starting to reflect off the fog making it harder to see all the twisting turns in the road. I reached down to turn on the fog lights and when I looked up, there was a deer standing in the middle of the road less than 40 feet way. I slammed on the brakes and the Jeep started sliding sideways down the wet road. The last thing I remembered was the mud from the ditch hitting the windshield making it impossible to see where I was and what condition the Jeep was in. I guess the impact of the airbag must have made me pass out because when I came too, there was man in a pilot’s uniform helping me out of the Jeep. It was hard to see anything down the road as there was a blinding light and what sounded like a jet engine, but unlike any jet I had ever heard before. The pilot helped me across the roadway and led me to the aircraft. I must have hit my head harder than I thought because I didn’t recognize the aircraft at all. It wasn’t a helicopter and it sure as hell wasn’t an airplane. I really couldn’t comprehend what was happening. It was like I was in a fog – no pun intended. Since we were basically on a back road in the middle of nowhere, there were no cars or people around for miles and had this man in whatever the hell it was he was flying, not shown up I could have been stuck in that ditch until daylight. Once we got inside and strapped in, the gentlemen introduced himself as Major Littleton. “Captain Smith my name is Major Littleton, I’m a pilot with the 122nd Division of Police Alliance. Please brace yourself, this craft will accelerate faster than anything you’ve experienced before. I’ll explain more once we’re airborne and in transition.” What the hell is the Division of Police Alliance, and what does transition mean and airborne? Suddenly I was pinned in seat with what had to have been no less 8g’s and the view looking forward can only be described as the scenes in Star Trek when they went to Warp Speed. Just a blur of white streaks and a deafening noise. Inside the cockpit was unlike anything I had ever seen before either. The entire panel was glass (that’s glass gauges to non-aviation readers) but the gauges weren’t aviation types, I can’t really describe what they were. Suddenly the acceleration stopped, and we were high, like 50,000 feet high, above some city that I didn’t recognize. Littleton punched some buttons on the panel which I assumed was some type of autopilot that put the craft into a sort of hover, and he looked at me and said “Captain, let me explain.” Please do, because I must be out cold and I’m imaging all this right? “Not exactly. I’ll explain where we are and why we are here. Please know you were chosen for this mission because of your experience and openness to changes that are sure to come. We believe you are capable of understanding the evolution of flight and what the future holds for aviation and policing.” I’m not sure what the hell you’re saying, what is happening …. and are we hovering? Because it doesn’t seem like we are moving forward any longer? I’m sorry, but I’m so confused. I guess I’m intrigued by whatever the hell it is were flying in. I’ve never seen a cockpit like this and outside a F16, never experienced g-forces like that. And did you say mission? “Yes sir, in some respects we’re hovering and yes I said mission. Like I said, this may be a lot to comprehend, but please let me explain and then you can ask all the questions you like. I’m sure you’ve seen movies about time travel and yes, it’s possible. If you think about it, when time travel became possible, at some point people from the future arrived in your time period. Most likely you never knew when they arrived or departed because any changes in the time continuum is extremely dangerous. I know, it’s just like in the movies, but it’s true to the extent that the future as you know it, is always in flux. The expected future is the line by which time follows but it can be altered by any slight deviations caused by man? Are you following me? Uh huh. Not really but let’s say I do. Are you saying you’re from the future? “Yes, I was born in 2080 and in my time period it’s 2111. It’s the 22nd century.” Sooooo, you just hopped on over to the 21st, kidnapped me and brought me back to the future? Like “Back-to-the-future Part IV?” “I know it sounds crazy and I assume that’s a vintage movie you’re referring to, but please let me continue. Time travel wasn’t invented until the 23rd century.” I thought you said you were from the 22nd? “Yes, but around 2203 a scientist named Sampson developed a 26 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 27

The BLUES - Digital Issues 2020-2023

Blues Helfman Enforcement Galveston Capitol Dominic Heroes Deputies Certification Contributing

Blog

© 2023 by YUMPU