// 845.371.2222 technique, while similar in some ways, was very different from the smaller planes he had learned on. “Do you see the flaps lever?” Yechezkel peered at the instrument panel. “Yes.” “Push it to 25.” “Done,” Yechezkel reported, as he slid the lever into place. “Okay, now try to keep your height steady at one thousand feet. We’ll wait until you come in a bit closer. You’ll start descending in a few minutes.” Yechezkel listened intently, following the pilot’s orders exactly as the plane continued to lose altitude. Within ten minutes, the plane’s wheels touched ground. “Slam on the brakes!” Stewart screamed. “I am!” Yechezkel shouted back. He was panting from the effort of pressing on the brakes to stop the plane as it raced along the runway. He could see the end of the runway looming ahead of him. A few moments ago, he had looked forward to death. Now, his only desire was to live. “Pull up the throttle, throw the engine in reverse and then hit the switches!” Yechezkel quickly complied. The plane shuddered as it came to a stop, just inches away from the end of the runway. The journalists had been arriving since early that morning, ever since the news had broken about the They had barely managed to leave a runway open for him. It took ten minutes. Yechezkel could imagine the panic that was taking place on the ground. An inexperienced pilot at the controls of a huge aircraft was a disaster in the making. They would need to find an experienced pilot with the ability to talk him down to the ground. The supervisor finally came back and informed Yechezkel that he had found a pilot willing to guide him in landing the plane. “Good morning. My name is Jim Stewart,” the pilot began. “I’ll be pleased to assist you in landing the plane.” “All right. I’m ready,” Yechezkel responded, reassured by Stewart’s calm voice. “Turn west and continue flying straight for the next five miles. Then, turn around so you’ll be heading straight back to the airport. That way you’ll be flying directly toward the runway.” Yechezkel followed Stewart’s orders. “I’m heading east now,” he reported. “Lower your speed to 120 knots and push the control stick down. On the right side of your instrument panel, there’s a knob with a blue handle. Do you see it? “Yes.” “Pull the handle towards you,” the pilot continued instructing him. Yechezkel obeyed. They heard a strange noise. “You just set the landing gears in motion. What you’re hearing are the wheels being lowered into place.” Yechezkel was breathing hard. Landing this aircraft wouldn’t be easy. The 767 was enormous, and the 185
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