For Castle, who had now fully embraced his status as an over-the-top billionaire, covering the flight training costs for ten people was barely a drop in the bucket.
If it weren't for the fact that he already had the world's most advanced flight simulator at home and had little actual need for a personal aircraft, buying one—or even several—Cessnas wouldn't have been a challenge. After all, he held shares in multiple aircraft manufacturing companies.
Still, after experiencing his first real flight in the cockpit of a slow-moving propeller plane, Castle found himself enjoying it. He decided that once he and Big Ivan's crew earned their pilot licenses, buying one or two small planes for fun might not be a bad idea.
This thought also reminded him of an earlier plan: he had originally intended to buy helicopters for estate security. Now, after discovering that several of Big Ivan's men were already trained helicopter pilots, he realized it was finally time to make that purchase.
The VIP flight training package he paid for came with clear perks. Unlike Big Ivan and his team—who had to follow the full process from theory to practical lessons—Castle, John, and the chubby kid jumped straight into hands-on training. Each of them took turns flying with an instructor to get a feel for the experience before setting up a daily schedule: half theoretical lessons, half flight hours. Their goal? To accumulate enough flight time to fast-track their pilot licenses.
By the time the group returned home in their four cars, Castle was already mapping out his next step: buying helicopters.
Of course, even with all his money, the instructors weren't about to let their VIP student recklessly jump into a plane alone. Starting the next day, Castle and his team would begin with a six-degree-of-freedom ground-based flight simulator—a far cry from the 128-degree motion monster he had built at home.
Proper training wasn't something that could be skipped or taken lightly. Castle had learned that the hard way.
That Evening
Beckett had just gotten home from work and already knew what her husband had been up to all day. She and Gianna—who had just learned that John had been roped into the flight lessons as well—were mercilessly laughing at Castle's expense.
"Hahahaha! Rick, are you serious? You didn't even know how to fly a plane?" Gianna was nearly out of breath from laughing.
"Then why the hell did you and Harry spend all that time and effort building that flight simulator?"
Castle, slouched on the couch in full defeat, tried to shift the blame. "This is all Harry's fault…"
Beckett immediately shut him down. "Oh, don't even try it. You jumped at the idea the moment Harry suggested it!
"And even if it was his idea, so what?
"It's not like you can actually fly that simulator now, can you?
"You can only blame yourself for getting in over your head."
Gianna was practically in tears from laughter. "But Rick, I will give you credit for one thing—you were smart enough to drag John into this. Thanks for that!"
Castle was grateful for the change of subject. "It's no big deal. John had the time, so why not? Might as well learn to fly a plane together.
"Oh, speaking of which—I just remembered something.
"I was planning on buying helicopters a while ago.
"What do you guys think? Want to get one too?
"If you're interested, I can talk to Hughes or Sikorsky and get a massive discount.
"If you don't like those brands, we can look at something else."
Beckett raised an eyebrow. "A helicopter? Why would we need one?
"It's not like we travel much. You barely leave the house as it is. What's the point?"
Surprisingly, Gianna agreed with Castle. "Kate, I actually think it's a great idea.
"You're almost due to give birth—what if you go into labor and need to get to the hospital immediately?
"If we had a helicopter, we wouldn't have to wait for an ambulance or a medical chopper from the hospital.
"Plus, there are plenty of other uses for a private helicopter.
"But, Rick, if you're going to buy one, forget Hughes or the others. The best option is the AW139 from AgustaWestland.
"I've been wanting one for ages, but I never had a strong enough reason to get one."
Castle immediately recognized the model—after all, the AW139 was legendary in the luxury helicopter market.
It boasted the most spacious cabin in its class, with an interior volume of 8 cubic meters, capable of carrying 12 to 15 passengers. It had large sliding doors for easy boarding and equipment loading. Plus, its modular design allowed for quick configuration changes.
That was exactly what he needed.
His original plan for buying helicopters was for estate security, but now? He was thinking about family transportation.
With a baby on the way, a large-cabin helicopter customized with plush seating for eight would leave plenty of room for traveling comfortably with a child.
Immediately, Castle turned on the living room projector and had Jarvis pull up the AW139's specs for everyone to see.
The aircraft boasted a top speed of 300 km/h and was powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6C-67C engines.
In emergency situations, a twin-engine helicopter was far safer than a single-engine one.
With a maximum range of over 1,060 kilometers, it set a new performance standard for its class.
Its powerful turboshaft engines and five-bladed main rotor transmission system ensured superior cruising speed and exceptional power, even under extreme conditions and heavy loads.
And with its impact-absorbing landing gear, reinforced airframe, ergonomic seats, and increased tail rotor clearance, it provided an extra level of safety for passengers and ground crew.
Castle glanced at Beckett, noting the almost imperceptible look of satisfaction on her face as she examined the specs.
Without hesitation, he turned to Gianna. "Can you get us a discount?"
Gianna smirked. "Rick, have you forgotten who my family is in Italy?
"More importantly, Finmeccanica—the parent company of AgustaWestland—already collaborates with my aerospace firm on multiple projects.
"So yes, I can get us a discount."
Castle suddenly remembered that the semi-autonomous flight control system he had developed had helped Gianna's company secure a European Union military drone contract.
She had been busy integrating her firm's technology with Sky Aviation, where she was a board member.
Now it made perfect sense—if anyone could get a discount, it was her.
Castle turned back to Beckett. "So? What do you think? Should we get one?"
Beckett, who had long since become immune to Castle's impulsive decisions, deadpanned, "Can you fly a helicopter?
"Or are you going to buy it first and then realize you don't know how to use it, like with the simulator?"
Castle scowled. "I might not know how to fly one, but at least five of our bodyguards can. I'll just have them fly it for us."
Gianna backed him up. "Kate, I actually think we should get two helicopters.
"It'll make travel easier, and in case of emergencies, we'll always have a backup.
"Besides, helicopters don't need runways. We can land them directly on the estate. And with our security team handling maintenance, it's a no-brainer."
With both Castle and Gianna agreeing, Beckett finally relented. They decided to have Gianna contact AgustaWestland's New York sales office to set up a meeting the next day.
Later That Night
After finalizing the helicopter deal, Castle once again found himself being mercilessly mocked by Beckett and Gianna for his earlier fighter jet simulator disaster.
Unlike before, Gianna wasn't distracting from the teasing—she was leading the charge.
Even worse, Harry was hiding in his underground supercomputer lab, and John had taken his little girl outside to play with the dogs.
Castle had no allies.
By the time dinner ended and John's family left, Castle watched Beckett head upstairs for a shower, leaving him alone in the living room.
Clenching his fists, he swore under his breath.
"I will learn to fly as fast as possible… and when I do, Beckett will see that I'm no rookie."
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