OKAY BA? (Vista Real 1998)
My first visit to Vista Real is a story worthy of RC Fables. I came to the flying field on a sunday with a single glider. At that time, I had brought an Olympus - borrowed from the legendary Fil Avena.
Upon arrival at the flying field, I was quickly introduced by my companion Tom Bautista to all the flyers present. One genteman to whom I was introduced, was this fellow named Mang Jimmy Dim. Little did I know then, that he was quite famous for his generosity.
Since there were several powered planes in the air, I sat down near the corner lot where everyone not flying gathered together. We chatted, as I waited patiently for the powered planes to land. Then, when the last plane landed I asked if I could set-up my bungee cord & do a glider launch. It took me over 20 minutes to set-up properly. I pulled on the bungee - reached good tension, hooked it up to my glider… then launched my plane up. It was a quick 2 1/2 minute flight, with no sign of any thermals.
I did it again. And again. Still no luck.
After a fruitless fourth attempt, I decided it was time to set things aside for now & let the powered planes their turn again on the runway (no one wanted to fly with a bungee cord & line lying about). So, I packed-up a bit & went back to the corner lot.
Mang Jimmy unexpectedly asked me to assist him. He said that he needed help in setting up his airplane. Beside his vehicle lay quite a number of planes, all-balsa and all-powered. It quickly became clear to me that Mang Jimmy was a Builder. No doubt, the planes before me were all hand-made by him. A quick question verified this.
So I asked him which airplane he wanted to take to the air. He pointed out a largish maroon/red highwing plane - whose name I later learned was “Kadet 40″. Apparently, he loved this model & built quite a few.
Not knowing a thing about nitro planes I advised Mang Jimmy about this & asked him to teach me exactly what to do, so I could assist him better. So, he talked about where I needed to stand, where I needed to hold the plane, what to expect when the motor started, etc. In short, he told me what to do & off we went starting his airplane.
A quick flick with a stick & the engine was running. I was asked to carry the plane & point it upwards so that he could tune it up more. That I did, and was quite surprised at the power. I could barely keep my grip on it. So, I put the plane back to level & started walking gingerly for the runway. I set it down, and held on the tail and leading edge of one wing. I looked at my eager pilot, who nodded - signalling to let go of the plane. Naturally, I let go.
In a few moments, the Kadet was airborne. I walked towards Mang Jimmy & stood beside him as he flew. After a minute, he spoke “Okay ba?” To which I replied “Okay na okay!” The Kadet did look gentle, and flew with almost glider-like stability.
To my surprise, Mang Jimmy said “O okay pala eh… eto, hawakan mo.” And promptly passed me the radio. I was in shock. Not only was it my first time to fly a powered plane, I was doubly taken aback by the fact that this fellow hardly knew me - and he was already entrusting his plane. Not knowing what to do, I held on to the radio & took over the controls. I was amazed at how easy it was to fly the plane. If I steered her too much on a bank, she would self-correct and return to level. And yet, she was responsive to my inputs. I lost all track of time.
Sometime in the middle of that wondrous experience, I heard Mang Jimmy’s voice again “Okay ba?” To which I replied “Okay na Okay! Ang sarap paliparin!” (with a bit of gusto & much enthusiasm). A bit of silence, then… “O okay pala eh… eh di ibaba mo na. Baka maubusan na ng fuel yan.” A bit alarmed, it was my turn to pass the radio abruptly. “Hindi pa ako nakakapaglanding ng powered! Kayo na lang ho!” Faster than Mang Jimmy could react, the radio was back in his hands. He smiled at me and took the plane down for a low pass, turned her in a wide circle and landed her with much grace & style.
I walked over to the plane, picked her up & headed back for Mang Jimmy’s car. He walked behind me and said “O… Okay ba?” To which I responded “Okay na okay! Masarap paliparin! Ang bait!” I set the plane down, and Mang Jimmy leaned over his tool box. He set his radio down, and began looking for some tools.
I said “Okey Mang Jimmy, punta lang ho ako doon sa Kotse ko.” He looked up at me with a face filled with consternation and said “Sandali lang, tulungan mo ako.” Not knowing what I was to do next, I said “Okay.” A moment later, he stood up with two screwdrivers at hand. He passed me one, and bent over the Kadet.
“Tanggalin natin yung mga servo. Ako dito sa katawan, ikaw dyan sa pakpak.” A bit surprised that he wanted to dismantle his airplane right there on the flying field… I hesitated a bit, then went to work. Just as I had taken out the wing servo, I looked at him & was surprised at how quickly he did his job. He was already done… having taken out the rudder, elevator and throttle servos.
I said “Meron pa ho?”
“Wala na.”
“Sige po, mauuna na muna ako. Punta lang ho ako ng kotse.”
“Sandali lang…” Mang Jimmy picked up the fuselage, and passed me the wing. “Dalhin natin doon” pointing at the corner lot.
So we walked over the corner lot where most of the guys were talking. Oddly enough, everyone was looking at me with really big grins on their faces. I didn’t get it.
“Eto ba kotse mo?” Mang Jimmy said, pointing the airplane at my car.
“Opo.”
“Okay. Isakay mo na.”
I was really thick-skulled that day… “Ang ano po?”
“Basta, buksan mo na tong likod.”
Perplexed, I opened my car’s trunk. It was only when Mang Jimmy approached my car & put the fuselage into the trunk that I realized that I was being GIVEN the Kadet 40. I was shocked, gleefully happy, amazed at this man’s generosity, and proud… all at the same time.
“Salamat po!” was all that I could say.
A loud cheer came from Tom Bautista “Okay ba!?!”
I said “Okay na Okay!”
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