It was a sunny day this April, and I was flying with my boy off to Carnavo n in my light aircraft to see a solar eclipse(日食). Looking out of the window, I was deeply absorbed in the picturesque scenery below. My son Jacob, 15, who was enthusiastic about flying, was in high spirits.
After 25 years in the mining industry, I'd quit my job to pursue a career in flying. Getting my commercial pilot license in September 2022, I believed this was my calling.
Jacob was a passionate flyer, who always enjoyed the flights with me. "What does this button do?""How does it work?""What is the function?"There were so many questions he'd ask curiously. I wonder if he'll be a pilot some day.
Watching the eclipse through our solar goggles(护目镜), we both were in amazement. After a bite of lunch, I did all my checks and refuelled the plane before flying us back.
Flying back into the air, I headed towards Jandakot Airport, which was right near our house.
More than half way , I spotted some smoke in the air. Realizing we were flying over Lancelin where there'd been some nearby bushfires, I didn't think there was anything to panic about. Travelling south, we took in the lovely coastline. "This is beautiful!"Jacob exclaimed.
At around 5 p. m. , just about five minutes to our destination, the engine suddenly decreased rapidly. Glancing over at my boy, I thought, "this is bad. "As I tried to bring the engine back to life, it worked only for a millisecond(毫秒), and then died again. "Okay mate, we've had an engine failure, "I said calmly to Jacob. The plane was dropping and we went from 1800 feet to 1500 in just 20 seconds.
Looking forward, I could see Jandakot Airport about 15 kilometres ahead. "We aren't going to make it, "I told myself. We only had another 60 seconds before making the decision. Looking down at Leighton Beach north of Fremantle below, I saw crowds of people on the beach.
注意：1. 续写词数应为 150个左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
But thankfully there were not many in the water behind the waves
On the beach, I hugged my boy, thrilled.
