Florence was delighted to edit the manuscript as requested by my editor.
However, she did not know to use a computer, and I had to expensively print out the 252-page manuscript.
Florence, as a former pilot instructor taught and flew many of the World War Two planes during the war to the army bases for the men to fly into combat, so of course she had a personality of a perfectionist.
When she came to my house, she set down the ground rules of the volunteer job of editing. Florence arrived every week like clockwork as she instructed me to make hot cocoa a specific way for her to drink.
She brought her copy of the manuscript that was sprinkled with red circles.
I politely told her I did not need her to edit the entire manuscript just the piloting parts, but Florence quickly dismissed that idea!
I slowly became grateful instead of annoyed for this amazing woman who told me the many fascinating stories of her teaching pilot training at the Sweet Water Springs, Texas army base in 1943. I added many of these stories which enhanced my book.
One week she brought over photographs of her being throw into the wishing well which were hilarious!
Before a training pilot went up in a plane for a solo test flight it was a rite of passage to throw in a lucky penny in the large circular wishing well that was in the middle of the Sweetwater Spring army base. If she passed the solo test, her baymates would swing her into the water to retrieve her lucky penny. She would come out soaking wet, a reward in in the sticky humid Texas heat and marvelously satisfied with the accomplishment. I loved looking at the photo of Florence being thrown in with her cute pigtails getting soaked!
Stay tuned for next time: Florence teaching the link trainer, a mechanical simulator that did not leave the ground!