Skyquake

1986

I used to work at the local Nashville airport as a plane refueler or "lineman."   Once in a while the NASA T-38 trainer jets would fly in.   They had a lot of prestige, so the tower would grant them unlimited ascent on departure -- meaning they could take off with as much power and speed as they wanted.   If I've lost any hearing, it wasn't from all those rock concerts I attended; it was from being on the wing of an old mail plane and having six jets take off at full throttle, seemingly right behind my head.   What would it be like for a lineman at a busy spaceport?

The multitalented Kevin Gnewikow was the model for this and many other of my pieces.