Once upon a time, a long long time ago, when we had a real Army and a full Brigade and Air Wing still in the province of Baden-Wurttemburg, there was a young soldier. He was home on leave and found a 'cherry' of a Trans Am. He just had to have that car. But he was posted overseas and it was too expensive to buy that same car in Germany. Well, our young soldier was sure that his promotion to full Lt was coming in soon, so with the help of a friend as a Co-signer, he went to his bank in his home town and got a loan with which to buy his dream car. A car he could see himself in, cruising the streets of Germany picking up babes, and racing on the Autobahn. A car he just had to have.
Well, our young officer now had to figure out how he was going to get his cherry of a car over to Germany on the cheap. He remembered some of his friends from Mil Col had gone Pilot and were posted to Trenton. With a few calls, he arranged the transport of his car by Herc to Lahr. He had to return at the end of his leave, but his friends couldn't transport his car until a later date. He left them his car and keys. A few days later, his car was loaded on a partially loaded Herc and was enroute to Europe. Our young officer, having been informed of the flight plan and timings by his friends, waited with anticipation for the arrival of his pride and joy.
In the air, mid-way across the Atlantic, our hero's car and the Herc were at approximately 35,000 feet. Winds were relatively light. Sky's were clear. Unfortunately, the engines were not performing at their best. A few seconds later, one engine is out, and another is causing serious consternation for the pilot and crew. It had to be feathered back. The Herc was in trouble. It could make it at the original weight as per the flight plan, but it was overweight with an unauthorized load in the hold.
The Ramp is dropped. The tie-downs are released. The Trans Am slowly rolls back and out. The Herc, as if alive, seems to sigh with relief. It regains altitude.
The Loadie, expecting a few days leave resting in the Lahr area, has his camera. He takes pictures of the car as it plummets to the Ocean, thousands of feet below.
Hours later, the Herc limps into Lahr. It taxis up to the Hangar. The crew disembark and start to clear Customs. Our young officer is getting really antsy. He wants to get in his car and cruise the streets. He meets them at the Arrivals Lounge and asks about picking up his car. The Loadie hands him a roll of film. Stunned, our young officer asks, "What's this?"
"Why, that's your car. Have a nice day."
