Chapter 19

In the Air Again

 

Emily returned to Avenger Field after a couple of stopovers to re-fuel as well as to RON for a night’s rest and to have dinner on the return flight from Washington. It felt good to be flying once again. She landed at Sweetwater airfield after lunch and walked back from the landing strip to the barracks, where she once lived with Moira and her other baymates. It seemed like a long time ago, so many things had changed in her life. She stowed her gear in the storage area and freshened up a bit before returning to the office building.

Mrs. Deaton was waiting for her with several boxes stacked at her feet as well as on the desk behind her. She asked Emily if she would mind delivering the boxes to Jackie’s Fort Worth office. She could use the same aircraft that she flew to the Odlum Ranch in California. Emily said yes right away, she did not have to think about it at all. Mrs. Deaton smiled at Emily’s enthusiasm.

Emily said happily, “I’ll fly anything to anywhere.” Then she laughed. Mrs. Deaton asked why she was laughing. Emily explained that ‘Anything to Anywhere’ was a motto the women pilots had humorously made up for the ATA, which really stood for ‘Air Transport Auxiliary’ in England. “I did not realize it until after I said it. I guess it was in the back of my mind and it just popped out without thinking.”

Mrs. Deaton smiled, now she understood what Emily found so amusing.

Emily stacked all the boxes on a trolley. She hurried back to the barracks to pick up her flight gear. She wanted to take off before Mrs. Deaton changed her mind and discovered something else for her to do that did not involve flying an airplane.

Emily loaded the boxes into the aircraft, did a pre-flight check, and revved up the engine. The tower cleared her for takeoff, she was air borne once again. Emily hoped that Mrs. Deaton had more delivery jobs for her to do. Flying an airplane was far more invigorating than pushing paper around a desk in a stuffy office all day.

It was a perfect day for flying, a few wispy clouds were scattered throughout a clear blue sky. Emily loved the freedom of flying. The feeling was exhilarating. She could not think of anything that she would rather be doing.

The fight to Fort Worth was short, but she enjoyed every minute. Navigation was not an issue as she was familiar with this airbase as well as the surrounding area. They manufactured the B-24 Liberator bomber in a nearby plant close to the airbase. The B-24 was one of the many types of bombers that she ferried to various airbases during the last two years. When she landed, a ground crew met her, who asked what her business was on the airbase. They seemed rather suspicious. Emily explained that she had an important delivery for Jackie Cochran’s office. This explanation seemed to pacify their guarded attitude. They found a trolley for her at her request, never taking their eyes off her for one second. Finally, they eased off, once they decided that she was not an immediate threat to the base.

Emily ignored them as she loaded the boxes. Instead, she thought about her parents and brothers, probably because she was so close to home. She thought about going to the farm for a quick visit, but she did not have a car, only the AT-6 Texan, which was a military aircraft. She did not want to take advantage of the situation for any personal side trips without authorization.

Emily delivered the boxes to the secretary, who asked her to wait for a moment as she disappeared into an inner office. The secretary returned along with Colonel Osgood of the USAAF. The Colonel was in need of pilot to fly him to Houston for an important meeting right away. Emily said she would have to clear it with Mrs. Deaton. She called her and explained the situation; actually, the Colonel took the receiver from her hand and told Mrs. Deaton who he was and what he needed. Mrs. Deaton must have agreed, because the Colonel signaled for her to follow him out to the flight line.

“Are you one of Jackie Cochran’s pilots,” he asked in a gruff voice.

“Yes sir,” answered Emily.

“General Arnold tells me you are all damn good pilots,” he said as he headed toward the AT-6 Texan.

“Yes, sir,” answered Emily with pride.

“Then let’s get this plane off the ground,” he ordered in a loud authoritative voice like someone who was used to giving orders and having them obeyed immediately.

The AT-6 Texan was re-fueled and waiting for takeoff. The ground crew stepped aside when the Colonel approached them walking with purpose toward the aircraft. Emily was keeping step right behind him.

Emily speculated over the possibility of delivering packages and people as a full time occupation at least until the war ended. She would discuss it with Mrs. Deaton when she returned from Houston.

When the tower gave her the green light, Emily made a smooth takeoff; she knew the Colonel was impressed. She banked to the left toward Houston, a short flight away. The Colonel went over some documents in his briefcase as they flew over the farms fields below them. Emily could see her daddy along with Ethan and Eli working near the old barn. She dropped altitude and tipped her wings as she flew low over the building. They looked up, waved, but they probably did not know it was Emily in the aircraft. The Colonel felt the movement when she tipped her wings.

“What the hell are you doing,” he bellowed over the noise of the engines through the two-way radio.

“Sorry, sir,” replied Emily. I was just waving to my daddy and my younger brothers. That is our farm down there.

“So, you’re a Texan?” asked the Colonel.

“Yes sir,” answered Emily, I was born on that farm below us along with my older brother Jeremy, and my two twin brothers Ethan and Eli, who are younger than I am.

“I suppose your older brother is in the military?” asked the Colonel.

“He was in the navy sir, but he died at Pearl Harbor,” answered Emily sadly.

“Damn shame,” replied the Colonel with conviction, but we will get back at those sneaky little varmits for what they did to all those unsuspecting innocent people, both civilian and military.”

“I’m a Texan myself,” he continued with pride. I was born in Galveston; lived there all my life.” He continued leafing through a pile of paper with deep concentration.

Emily landed the aircraft at the Houston base, where the Colonel thanked her as he gathered his papers into his briefcase. He climbed down from the airplane heading for the large building to the right; other soldiers saluted as they stepped aside to let him pass. As he walked toward the building, Emily thought about the meeting that he was attending as she waited for clearance to takeoff. She could not help pondering what the high-ranking military was discussing behind closed doors. She would never know, as she was not privy to that kind of top-secret information, she was just a curious person by nature.

In England, the pilots of the ATA kept as sharp lookout for the Luftwaffe on such clear perfect days for flying like today. The Luftwaffe always seemed to launch an attack in such fine weather. At least, Emily did not have the Luftwaffe to worry about in the USA.

While enjoying the return flight to Sweetwater, an idea formulated in Emily’s mind.

She could start her own flight delivery business after the war ended. She had her commercial and cargo licenses, so she qualified to fly cargo and passengers; all she needed was an airplane. That could be a problem, she thought. She would write to her dad tonight to let him know that she was the pilot who buzzed the barn and tipped her wings as she flew away.

Daddy was well acquainted with everyone in the county; he would know someone who was selling an airplane suitable for her business. She had saved most of the money she received from the WASP as well as the ATA, she might have enough to pay for part of an airplane, and daddy would probably help her out if she presented the idea to him. It was a possibility; she believed it just might work. There was enough space on the farm to store the airplane as well as a rough landing strip, that daddy used for the crop duster. It was certainly worth a try she concluded.

When she arrived back at Avenger Field, it was past quitting time; Emily went straight to her bay to write a letter to her dad about her business idea. After she finished writing the letter, she thought about Gene. This Friday he was home on a weekend pass, so they planned to go out for dinner. Emily felt like dancing this weekend. She hoped Gene would feel like dancing too even though his shoulder might be sore.

There were three other women working at Avenger Field with Emily. The four of them occasionally went to the Bluebonnet Hotel to have a drink and listen to the music.

Saturday evening, Gene met Emily at the base and they drove the country restaurant for dinner. It was their favorite place to have dinner together. After they finished their meal, Emily suggested that they join everyone at the Bluebonnet Hotel for dancing. Gene agreed; he was also in the mood for music and dancing. The Bluebonnet was the popular gathering spot for all the locals in Sweetwater on Saturday night. They sat at a table with Gene’s family as they enjoyed the evening, dancing the night away as everyone tried to forget about the war for a while. Gene could not dance fast because it was difficult to twirl her around with a stiff painful shoulder, but he managed to dance slowly to the waltz music. Toward the end of the evening, Mrs. Crenshaw asked Emily if she would like to join the family for Sunday morning service at their church and then have lunch afterward at their home. Emily agreed, thanking her for the invitation. She was beginning to feel like part of the family.