Up in the Air!

After meeting my first amazing WW II woman Airforce service pilot, Florence Wheeler, it sparked the beginning of my research to write my historical novel, She Flew Bombers.

I learned that young women in the 1930’s did fly airplanes! Many learned how on fabric and wood surplus 1918 World War One Curtiss Jenny’s.

I was determined to try and find this airplane to see and feel what it looked like to describe more accurately in my book. It would be my first hands on experience, and this method would continue when writing all five of my historical novels.

I went to the Pacific Coast Air Museum in nearby Santa Rosa, CA and asked if anyone knew of where a “Jenny” was in Sonoma County. One of the members told me he thought a pilot had one in a hangar in the town of Sonoma at the Schellville Airport.

I drove there with my camera and clip board and stopped by the Vintage Aircraft Company at the airport. The receptionist told me that Frank Shelling had a restored World War One Curtiss Jenny, but he was not there and to come back on a Thursday.

A lightbulb went off in my head as I read the sign “Biplane Rides” and I paid to go flying in a restored 1941 WW II Boeing PT-17 Stearman open cockpit bi-plane.

This type of aircraft was used by the WASPs for training purposes and practicing aerobatic maneuvers. These maneuvers are used to challenge pilots to control the aircraft in unusual attitudes, improving their handling skills and situational awareness. Aerobatics training also enhances confidence and calm decision-making during challenging flight conditions.
By going up in the 1941 Stearman I could add this skill of experiencing aerobatics firsthand and write an accurate account of what it is like for the WASPs to perform tricks.

I thought about the comic strips in the newspaper and watched the television specials of the Snoopy the dog cartoon character fearlessly flying across the fields into enemy territory chasing the Red Baron across France performing many aerobatics. I was over the top excited to become Snoopy!

After I paid for the flight, I met my pilot, Chris Prevost, who was the owner of the Vintage Aircraft Company. This remarkable man was a passionate vintage aircraft restorer with over 11,500 flying hours. I told the pilot that I was doing research about the WASPs to write a book. He was as excited to meet me as I was to meet him, and Chris said he would perform extra tricks for me to experience!

We walked outside to the bright reddish-orange aircraft as a surge of enthusiasm with anticipation filled my entire being as my heart fluttered.

Pilot Chris placed a simple, thin cloth helmet on my head. This was obviously just a photographic gimmick since it certainly would not protect my head in case of a crash. He also put a parachute on me then his assistant helped me climbed up the ladder into the front cockpit and strapped me in.

The assistant hand-propped the propeller as my excitement also turned with it and the roar of the engine shot up my adrenaline level as my heart pounded. I was ready for this super, fun thrilling adventure!

Chris got in the back cockpit, and we ascended into the sky. It was exhilarating to feel the wind rushing into my face, the fragrance of the exhaust with the freedom of sitting in the open air enjoying the lovely panoramic view streaming below as the patchwork of the colorful fields soared by.

Unfortunately, that wonderful rush was short lived when the plane flew extremely fast, and I was spun sideways and upside down like a crazy rollercoaster ride. The ground became the sky and the sky the ground. The tricks filled me with rapid confusion.

I had constant anxiety that the pilot never instructed me on the use of the parachute I was wearing, plus having an asinine cloth cap as a fake helmet was worrisome. What if something went wrong in this 66 -year- old antique plane and we had to bail out?  Further tricks made the G-forces press weight on my body as the vintage plane climbed and rolled.

The 20-minute flight felt like an intense hour as I closed my eyes shut for mental protection. I couldn’t even see or hear the pilot behind me to tell him I wanted to get out to end this nightmare.

Relief!

At last, it was over as pilot Chris Prevost landed the WW II Stearman and helped me out. I climbed down the ladder to the safety of solid ground my legs wobbled and shook.

The pilot with a big grin on his face asked me how I liked all the tricks he performed. Not wanting to disappoint him I mumbled, “It was OK.”

Upon sitting down inside the hanger, I gained control of myself, retrieved my clipboard and asked him what the name of all the tricks were called that we did. Chris proudly rattled off the list of aerobatics:

S turns, lazy eights, barrel rolls, loops, hammer heads and Cuban eights.

I wrote them all down thanked the owner and drove to the safety of my home.

While driving I thought I certainly was glad to have had that unforgettable adventure but would never try it again! On the hour ride home, I formulated what I would write in my budding manuscript “She Flew Bombers.”

I would name the heroine Violet, after my daughter. Besides “Violet the pilot” sounded catchy! Violet could go up in a plane with a handsome barnstormer pilot and share the same fear I had doing aerobatics. I would base Violet loosely on WASP Florence Wheeler’s flying experiences.

The next day as I typed my budding manuscript on my laptop, I discovered that writing in the first-person feels more sincere and authentic, and I could openly share this feeling with personal hands-on experiences. This would make the story more relatable and emotionally compelling for my readers.

Stay tuned for Blog three: Flying in a World War One fabric and wood Curtiss Jenny.

Photos of my adventure: