[Ira Penaluna 03] • The Courtney Entry

Aviation in the mid-twenties seems, to most people, to have little commercial value beyond air circuses and stunt flying. Yet there are some who believe that it has a practical future: a successful flight across the Atlantic would provide the boost that is needed. The Orteig prize of 25,000 dollars for the first man to fly non-stop between Paris and New York is, so far, still unclaimed, though many have died attempting it. Among those who are still ready to face the awful hazards of such a long-distance flight is Ira Penaluna, a hard-bitten war veteran from Cornwall Ira discovers that the Courtney aeroplane he is to fly requires drastic design modification, but increasing financial pressures jeopardise its safety. The news that there is another challenger on the point of departure forces Ira to take off in perilous conditions. His struggle to cross the Atlantic against storms, with unreliable instruments and without a radio, makes compelling reading. He has no means of knowing the progress of the competing airman-a young man named Lindbergh