There is a story here. Since it involves Bloke, you know it has to be, well, interesting. Earlier in the day, before the discussions with John Barleycorn, Bloke decided to fly Nikita. He got all gussied up in his pilot stuff and threw the master switch. Dead battery. Now, we're not talking just plain dead. We are talking stone cold dead. None of them volts kicking around inside. Bloke was concerned and I was curious, of course. We slapped the charger on it and it started drinking electrons like a Sailor on liberty.
Now, it is important to understand why it was dead, since the mechanics in the house (Bloke and me) need to fix it. So, I asked Bloke casually, "Gee Bloke, I wonder if you have anything hooked directly to the battery, bypassing the master solenoid?" "Nope, nothing like that." OK so perhaps we have some mysterious short circuit or perhaps the battery is just ready to go to electrolyte heaven. Leading the witness a little more I said "Are you sure? It seems kind of odd it would just discharge on its own." "Nope, everything goes through the master." Well, I had nothing to do with wiring Nikita, so I naturally assumed that Bloke was right. Bloke is always right, he is a pilot you know. Big watch, flight suit, helmet and sunglasses. You know the type. So we were standing there dumbfounded as the battery was slowly bringing up its voltage. Presently, I could sense the presence of a looming "Aw sh&t" from the other occupant of the hangar. Bloke reached into the cockpit and turned off the electronic ignition switch (which had been on for a month or so) and was, strangely enough, WIRED DIRECTLY TO THE BATTERY!!! QED, I rest my case. Semper Paratus and E Plurbis Unum.
So anyway, this is a picture of Bloke running the engine after we jump started it with Bloke's car. You will note a pretty (albeit small in this picture) moon rising over Nikita.
Taxiing down the tarmac, the jetliner abruptly stopped, turned around and returned to the gate. After an hour-long wait, it finally took off. A concerned passenger asked the flight attendant, "What was the problem?" "The pilot was bothered by a noise he heard in the engine," explained the Flight Attendant, "and it took us a while to find a new pilot."
