Carter Brown Mysteries - High Sky Hoodoo

Whitney Kent, jet pilot and war hero, was pleased to be back, standing in the sunlight with the sight, sound, and smell of aircraft all around. He could see the lean lethal lines of the F-92k, Kent Aircraft's jet fighter beside me. He could also see the lean lovely lines of Sue Pearson, Kent Aircraft secretary, that is, his father's secretary, and he is Kent Aircraft. As the pilot Hank Jordan lit the torch and the twin jets build up, Sue Pearson turned to Whitney and asks "What are you going to do now that you're back, Whitney?" He says "I've made a resolution to get to know some of the people who work here better, you know, see as much of them as possible". Sue says "Lose that look in your eyes when you say that, Whitney. You make me feel like a bargain in the slave market". Whitney asks "What's going on here this morning? Is this is a test flight?" Sue says "In a way. He's moving. He's off the ground. There he goes". Whitney says "You sound awfully tense, Sue, for a routine test flight". Sue says "It's not a routine job. Where have you been the last six months, Whitney? Haven't you been reading the papers?" Whitney says "I've been too busy selling that fighter, remember? I come home with orders for the factory's entire output for the next two years. Not bad effort, huh?" Sue says "Not bad, just wasted". Whitney says "What?" Sue says "Didn't you know that all F-92ks have been grounded for the last six months". Whitney says "Grounded?" Sue asks "Didn't your father tell you? The air force took delivery of a dozen. Five crashed in one week. Five men were killed". Whitney asks "What went wrong with them?" Sue says "No one knows".