dESPair THC 009

"The Little Prince"

There once was a Canadian aviator who found himself stranded in a tiny
backwater village on the upper Ganges river. He was on a world sightseeing
tour and pilgrimage that was to take him to such exotic locales as Africa,
Morrocco, India, Nepal China and Japan. He hoped to find spiritual
enlightenment by visiting the birthplaces of great spiritual leaders like
Budda, Confusious and Mohammed.

So it was that he and his guide found themselves in such a remote part of
India tracing the path of Budda. Now this guide was an unsavoury character
and not a little untrustworthy as he proved by making off in the night with
their rented Land Rover, our hero's photography gear (he had a contract with
the National Geographic Society for a photo journal of his travels) and all
that the bounder deemed valuable.

Not one easily daunted by life's misfortunes, our intrepid traveller opted
to see the ruin he'd journeyed so far to visit. As this forgotten city was
some distance off and his transportation had been stolen he was forced to
cover the distance on foot. Once there our Canadian dutifuly joted down
notes and made sketches since he no longer had a camera, and when satisfied
with his research he turned back toward the village. It wasn't long
however, before dispair overwhelmed our "Dudley Do Right" and he slumped
down upon a rock, lay his weary head in his hands and contemplated his
situation. Time passed and as our pitiful pilot was distracted by the call
an overhead Mourning Dove. He lifted his eyes and they came to rest on the
carcass of an old DHC-2 Beaver cradled in the great branches of an ancient
tree. Now if ever there was a gift from heaven, this was it!

The Beaver held a special place in the heart of the aviator. This plane was
responsible for opening up the Canadian North and like its fur bearing
namesake the Beaver played a major role in the development of his nation.
Much excited, the pilot scaled the tree and after careful examination
determined that the airplane was relatively sound and immently salvageable.
So with a promise to return, he bid the Beaver goodbye and set off for the
village to get help.

The following morning found our pilot and several willing villagers, with
all the tools they could muster, returned to the foot of the ancient tree.
There was much discussion over how best to get the Beaver from the tree.
Some argued for cutting the tree down but the pilot would have none of it.
This would hardly be just reward to the majestic tree that had saved the
Beaver from certain distruction. So it was decided to lower the airplane by
means of strategicly placed block and tackle and cleverly rigged sheer legs.
With the plane safely on the ground the pilot instructed eager hands on how
to dismantle and load the forlorn little Beaver aboard the trailor they had
brought for the purpose.

Great excitement welcomed the salvage crew when they arrived back at the
village. The little Beaver was immediately adopted by the villagers and
they scoured their homes and shops for anything that would help restore the
airplane to flying condition. All manner of spare wood and metal was put
into service as patches for the Beaver's doors and skin. Fortunately the
big Pratt & Whitney radial engine escaped injury and the pilot was able to
undo the work of time and coax it back to life. Soon all the repairs that
could be done were complete and the villagers cheered and clapped each other
on the back in congratulation when the little Beaver once again took to the
air. Everyone celebrated well and long that night for the pilot planned to
leave the next morning.

The flight from India was quite an oddessy as the Beaver was still weak from
its long stay in the embrace of the ancient tree. The duo travelled in
short hops with the pilot arranging to have needed parts available at their
landings. The pilot's plan was to get the Beaver to de Havilland's in
England and arrange passage for himself and the Beaver back to Canada where
he could carry out a complete restoration.

Along the way our pilot made a layover stop in Copenhagen. He was a sailing
enthusiast and so decided to spend some time visiting a marina not far from
Copenhagen. As he strolled the quayside his attention was drawn to a
beautiful red sailboat named "Mogador". As luck would have it, the owner
and his beautiful wife were aboard and they graciously invited him aboard.
Over a few rums they became acquianted and since they all had hit it off so
well they each decide to postpone their respective trips so they might get
to know each other better. By coincidence this delightful fellow was the
commander of the Norwegian Wing of dESPair. You can imagine the pilot's
delight when the commander offered the use of one of his empty hangars at
the dESPair Norwegian Headquarters.

Of course the Canadian took him up on the offer and flew to ENTO to begin
the work of restoration. The two men soon became fast friends and enjoyed
each other's company immensely as the restoration continued. Before long
the work was complete and the little Beaver was like new. All that was
required was a new suit of clothes and the pilot shut the Beaver up once
more in the borrowed hangar. The commander began to feel hurt and left out
as the pilot declined all offers of help and refused the commander entrance
to his own hangar.

Finally the kind hearted Norwegian could take no more. Determined not to be
refused any longer he stormed over to the hangar fully prepared to demand
entrance. Just as he was about to pound on the door it swung open and the
commander was greeted by his Canadian friend. The amused expression on the
pilot's face did little to abate the commander's ire and he insisted on an
explanation. The pilot agreed that he had treated the commander poorly and
by way of explanation took him by the arm and led him into the main hangar.

The commander could only stand and gape so taken aback was he. There
gleaming in the harsh light of the hangar overheads was the little Beaver
all decked out in dESPair colours. " This is my thanks to you for all your
kindness. It's name is the Little Prince" was the Canadian's simple reply.