Out of the Blue: A World War Ii Story

By Pat Miller

Josie Bouchard lives in Prince Edward Island and learned to fly when she was sixteen. Four years later, World War II broke out, and she enters the war as a nurse in London.

After a serious illness, Josie decides to use her experience as a pilot and joins the Air Transfer Auxiliary. The ATA ferries planes from the factories to the air bases. Josie breaks the rules when she takes the famous Spitfire through barnstorming maneuvers she learned from a close family friend, Sean Campbell.

Josies daredevil stunts land her in hot water. Her ATA flying comes to a stop when the military grounds her and sends her to work in the hangar as a mechanic. When several ferry planes crash, sabotage is suspected, and Josies name is rumored as the saboteur.

Sean Campbell, the friend Josie had always regarded as another brother, has worked his way into Josies heart. Now that she realizes she loves him, the family gets word that he is missing in action in Germany.

Josie has her whole life planned out, but the war changes everything. Her friends tell her that God has a plan for her. As each plan goes awry, she becomes aware of incidents that seem to come out of the blue. Are they accidents, coincidences, or miracles of God?

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512730876

Pat Miller

Pat Miller is a writer, teacher, and school librarian. She is the author of more than twenty children's and professional books. She lives in Texas.

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Copyright © 2016 Pat Miller.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-3088-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3089-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3087-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016902390

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/04/2016

CONTENTS

Chapter 1: 1932

Chapter 2: 1933

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6: 1936

Chapter 7: Four Months Later

Chapter 8

Chapter 9: Two Years Later

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12: September, 1939

Chapter 13: 1940

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19: July 1941

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29: June, 1942

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34: 1943

Chapter 35: 1944

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Epilogue

To the Reader:

What is a hero or heroine? It’s a man or woman of great courage who is admired for his or her exploits; someone who is daring or risky. Unfortunately, some who are called heroes today don’t fit this description.

When I begin to write a new book, the research comes before a single word is typed. The research for this book was a true learning experience. For instance, I didn’t realize how important the Battle of Britain was to the outcome of WW II. I didn’t learn that in all the years I spent in school.

But more importantly, I didn’t realize how important were the women who piloted the planes from the factory to the air fields. One in ten lost their lives while flying between destinations. They were daring and risk takers and proved invaluable to the war effort both in England and in the United States. I could have written about the American ferry pilots, but I fell in love with the Spitfire so the story takes place in England.

I believe in giving credit where credit is due and I believe the accomplishments of the women of the Air Transfer Auxiliary have been overlooked. I wrote into my story the experiences of Spitfire Girls from WW II. As in all historical fiction, some of the story is fact and some is fiction.

This book is dedicated to those brave women of the Air Transfer Auxiliary (ATA) and the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).

High Flight

By John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds — and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew.

And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

John Gillespie Magee, Jr. was a 19 year-old American serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was a member of the 412 Squadron on December 11th, 1941. He had been returning from a successful training exercise with his squadron in England when his Spitfire collided with another plane. Both pilots were killed.

In the fall of 1940 he sent a letter to his parents. He said that he wrote a verse that started at 30,000 feet and finished after he landed. He said it reflected the sheer joy of flight he felt during a solo run in his Spitfire aircraft.

CHAPTER 1

1932

I’m too scared to get up on top of the plane, but I could do something else, Blanche said in a small voice. She was a young woman from town, seventeen, and too young for what Sean had suggested. But she was the one who had approached him asking for a job and wanting to leave Kansas to go with him. She said she would do anything to get away from Riley, Kansas. She was slim with long brown hair and brown eyes. She said she was seventeen, but Sean had his doubts.

Wing walkers created a lot more attention than the regular plane loops and rolls, and that meant more money. He had hired a wing walker at the beginning of the summer and she stole the show. But her boyfriend became her fiancé and snatched her away before the fourth show.

Sean Campbell was frustrated with Blanche who was following him around the plane. Are you going to do this or not? he asked. This is just a suggestion. Take it or leave it. He had already wasted an hour trying to convince her that he had nothing for her to do. He needed a wing walker to finish out the summer, but there was no way it would be this young girl. It was risky for her to even try, but maybe she’d leave him alone if he offered her a job doing something so dangerous; something he knew she wouldn’t do. She had been the first person to show up at his plane when he landed. She followed him around while he prepared for the crowd already gathering from the countryside and the small neighboring town. He needed to get in the air before he lost his crowd.

He knew from talking with other barnstormers that a young girl like Blanche could be taken advantage of. He knew of men who took the young girls with them to another town and then left them. Sean was not like those men.

Sean was standing in a field somewhere in the middle of Kansas. The small town he had flown over early that morning was surrounded by wheat fields. He flew over the field and banked the plane to maneuver between huge mounds of hay. Then he climbed almost straight up into the air again. The farmer on a tractor at the end of the field waved frantically and ducked as Sean flew over him. That was sure to get the attention of the rural folks. He usually looked for fields of alfalfa, clover, or grass to land in because those fields were much easier on his plane than grain fields. He looked for the name of the town on the water tower. If there was no tower, he’d have to fly very low to see if there was a name on the sign leading into town.

Sean flew over the small town, right down the middle of the main street. Then he circled around and measured how much attention he had by the number of people pouring out of the stores and waving at him. He then circled back to land in an open field close to the farmer on the tractor.

It was always a good idea to get permission to use the field. He’d only had one farmer refuse because he was getting ready to plant and didn’t want a crowd tearing up his field. Rides were two dollars for ten minutes over the town and the nearby countryside. In the early days of barnstorming, a pilot could get more than five dollars for a fifteen-minute ride. Sean was careful with his passengers and had never had an accident.

People already stood in line waiting for a ride. Some crowded around the plane as he shut down the engine, curious for a closer look at the machine with wings. Boys looked at Sean like he was a hero, and the young women looked at him as if he were a knight in shining armor. Sometimes he would time his landing when a county fair was held and stay in the area for several days. He had seen entire towns flock to the field as if it were a national holiday.

While Blanche was talking, several young men walked up to Sean asking questions all at once.

Can you teach us how to fly?

How long does it take to learn to fly?

How old do you have to be to fly?

Sean laughed, Hey, I can’t answer you all at the same time!

Blanche saw that the men had Sean’s attention so she slowly retreated into the crowd.

So you want to fly?

They all answered with an enthusiastic, Yes!

And then one said, But there’s no airport anywhere near here.

Sean knew that was true but suggested, Well, one of you should find the nearest airport and take lessons. Then come back here and teach the rest of you. You don’t need an airport. All you really need is a grass runway where you can land safely. He paused and smiled, And of course, you need an airplane!

They all laughed. One boy, Boone Wilson, asked, Can we help you today for a free ride?

Sean thought for a minute. He knew how much he enjoyed flying and hoped at least one of these young men would pursue aviation.

If you guys want to help me, one of you can go stand by the rope I tied up over there and start taking money. You can take turns. It’s two dollars a ride. And I need someone to keep the people away when I start the propellers to take off.

Sean’s plane was a Curtis JN-4 biplane; it was called a Jenny. He’d bought it at a good price from a government surplus salvage yard with money he’d saved from previous summer jobs around home. It had a few dents and dings, but he knew before the summer was over there’d be more of those. The Jenny had limited power and a sensitive stability. Her air speed was seventy miles per hour and her landing speed was sixty miles per hour. When he bought the plane, the man reminded him that the Jenny had no brakes.

The plane also had a tendency to overheat. The pilot had to replenish the water quite often. If the water boiled over while in the air, it would spray back over the windshield. If that happened, Sean knew he had about thirty minutes to set the plane down.

Sean didn’t carry many tools with him: a few special wrenches and extra linen and cotton to repair the wings. The Jenny used regular gasoline, and the barnstormer hoped to obtain at least fifteen gallons of gas at each stop. Sean figured he had about two hours of flying time before he ran out of fuel.

He was using his college vacation to earn money for the next year. Attending Oxford in England was costly. He didn’t have to work his way through college because the Campbell family was well-off. But Sean’s dad had taught his children, all five of them, the value of hard work and the importance of setting and achieving goals. He wanted them to know the value of money and earning it themselves was a good way to learn. His parents thought he was wasting time doing something like barnstorming. It wouldn’t further his education in engineering. However, Sean had earned his father’s respect for working through the summer for college tuition.

Sean had had no idea how popular he’d be in the middle of nowhere. He hadn’t had such a large crowd in days. When the day ended, there were still people standing in line with disappointed faces, so he decided to stay overnight. After the crowd dispersed, Sean took his helpers for rides.

Where are you staying tonight? We don’t have a motel in our town, said Boone, who had taken the last ride of the day. His friends had to leave to help with chores.

I stay with the plane. Sometimes Sean traded a ride for room and board, but since it was such a beautiful evening he decided to stay with his plane.

Boone was surprised. He looked around the plane. Do you have a tent?

Sean smiled. Nope. I sleep on that bottom wing. He pointed at the lower wing of the biplane.

How can you do that? Don’t you fall off? He wasn’t sure if he believed Sean. The wing looked long enough, but there wasn’t much room to turn over.

Nope. I’ve learned how to sleep there without falling off. Sometimes I just stretch out under the wing.

But what if it rains?

Then I get in the cockpit and cover up my head.

Boone laughed at that comment. Guess I’d better head for home. Can I help again tomorrow?

Sean stopped walking around the plane and looked at the young man standing in front of him. He had a familiar look in eyes. Sean had a feeling that Boone would try to get a pilot’s license.

If you can get here around seven o’clock, I’ll take you up first. And then you can do what you did today. Do you think your friends will come back to help?

Not sure about that. But, for sure, I’ll be here bright and early!

As Boone walked off, Sean yelled out, Hey, do you know where I can get some gasoline?

Boone turned around. How much do you need? I can bring a can from home.

Sean was worn out and needed to get some rest before the next day. He would finish by lunch and take off to Kansas City. He had to plan his flights because it wasn’t always easy to find fuel out in the rural areas of the country, or the right parts for his plane if he had an accident or the plane broke down.

The next morning Boone arrived with gas and a grin. He said his dad would contribute the gas for a free ride. I was shocked that my dad even wanted to come out here. I hope he likes the ride because then he might make sure I get lessons!

After everyone who wanted a ride had come and gone, Sean looked over the Jenny, preparing to leave Riley. One of his helpers asked, Where are you going next?

I have to be in Illinois by the first of next month. I’ve been paid by the Washburn Town Board to come there for their summer festival. The town is offering me room and board for the three nights I’ll be there. From there I’ll keep going east until I get back home to New York.

I wish I was going to New York, he said longingly. New York may as well be a million miles away. I’ll never see it.

Sean stopped his preflight and looked at the young man. You never know. If you have a dream, you need to pursue it. Sounds like you’ve already given up.

Yeah, well, maybe. Thanks for letting me help, and thanks for the ride. He sauntered off with his head down.

Before he took off, Sean filled out his log book where he recorded all the important information about each take-off and landing, and the date. He would also record anything out of the ordinary such as a bad storm.

As a parting gift to the town, he flew low and as fast as his little Jenny could fly. Then he shot up into the air and did some loops followed up with a barrel roll.

His eyes were on the sky where a bank of low black clouds was piling up on the horizon. He was going in the opposite direction from the coming storm, but wanted to put some distance between those storm clouds and his plane.

Sean always thought ahead to the next stop, wherever that might be. He had a general idea of the direction he’d go, but most of the time had no scheduled stops. He knew he had ten days to get to Illinois, but he still had time to make at least two other stops along the way.

Flying across the country gave him a lot of time to think. After graduating from college he intended to get a job in engineering. He wasn’t excited about that career. His father had influenced his decision. He truly wanted to do something in aviation. That was one reason he decided to barnstorm all summer. He thought he could get aviation out of his system. Maybe he’d get tired of it? Maybe he’d settle down with an engineering job? Maybe the sun would come up in the west?

Sean’s oldest brother, Mac, was happy as an architect. Since construction was the family business, Mac fit right in. There were three boys and two girls in the Campbell family with Sean coming in at fourth in the lineup: Mac was the oldest; Marge was next, who was married now; Alan, a teacher in an elementary school in upper New York; Sean; and last but not least, Jeanette, the baby of the family and Sean’s favorite. The Campbell family was a close family. Sean gave all the credit for the closeness to his mother who held everything and everyone together. She was a little thing and Sean smiled to himself as he pictured her squeezing in between two tall, husky sons who were ready to throw fists at one another. The boys always backed off when their mom stood between them.

The plane made a funny sound and Sean quickly got his mind back on flying the Jenny. He looked around for a safe place to land, just in case it was needed. Below him, wheat fields stretched as far as the eye could see. He was tense as he looked over the instrument panel at the gauges, but didn’t see anything abnormal. Then the engine coughed. Now that wasn’t normal. He figured he was about twenty miles from Kansas City according to his map. If he could make it there, he knew the city had several small airports on the outskirts where he could land.

The engine sputtered for the next ten miles keeping Sean alert. He figured he must have gotten some bad fuel. As he prayed for a safe landing an airport showed up below him. He cheered silently. The airport was not on his flight chart. What a marvelous surprise. He flew over the airport to see the wind direction from the windsock near the runway. He flew his plane into the wind and made a safe landing.

Thank you, Lord!

Now he had to figure out what was wrong with the engine. He hoped it was something minor. He was glad he had those ten days to fix whatever was wrong before he was expected in Illinois. The little airport where he was now sitting was sure to have gas. He checked his map for the name of the town. He might have to find a room if there was anything major wrong with his plane. He remembered one time when he had to wait for two days to replace a broken part. He hoped that whatever caused the engine to sputter was minor.

Upon landing, he did indeed find water in the fuel. After removing the water he was on his way again.

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After he left the Illinois event, he had one more emergency to deal with before he landed in New York. He got caught in a thunder storm over Ohio. He was a cautious pilot and always flew around storms but this one came up suddenly, and before he knew it he was caught in the middle of the storm. Wind gusts created updrafts and downdrafts, and Sean’s plane bounced around in a wild dance. Lightning flashed all around him. He descended frantically looking over both sides of the plane for a safe place to put the plane down. All he could see through the heavy rain was forest below him.

Strong winds bounced the plane around and used up fuel he couldn’t spare. He had to land or the plane would run out of fuel. The rain and wind calmed down enough that he could see an opening in the trees. He circled the open space and landed in soft mud. The mud cushioned the plane, but the wheels sank lower and lower as the plane slowed. Just before the plane came to a stop, it almost nosed over. The propeller barely touched the ground and cracked. He walked away so it was a good landing, or so every pilot would declare.

He walked two miles to the nearest town and wired for a new propeller. A kind farmer and his family provided a room for Sean while he waited for the propeller. When the plane was ready to fly again, he gave each family member a free ride for hosting him.

When he finally got home he sold his Jenny and started looking for something more substantial. He would leave for his second year of college soon. A plane would be handy to get around in since he was heading back to Oxford. His family wondered why he chose Oxford since it was in England. But they knew Sean usually did what no one expected him to do.

He was glad that he had chosen Oxford because he had met Percy Bouchard during the first year. Percy’s family owned a small airport in Prince Edward Island. They immediately became friends since they shared a love for flight. Sean planned to fly to the island before the second term to meet the Bouchard family.

Barnstorming was on its way out by the time Sean started flying. New government regulations for the safety of the public forced many pilots to find another outlet for their aviation enthusiasm. But for Sean, this summer was an experience he would never forget.

CHAPTER 2

1933

I just met the man I’m going to marry! I really mean it this time! He looks like a movie star! You have to come over right now so I can tell you all about it! Josie talked in exclamations to her friend, Pippa. You won’t believe what I just did! I went for a ride in an airplane!

Pippa sighed into the phone. Just last week, it was Clark Gable. You fall in and out of love faster than anyone I know. Pippa made fun of Josie’s so-called love life. She was already satisfied with the love of her life, Clem. But both girls were only fourteen so had a while to fall in and out of love.

But this is just so exciting! Sean Campbell is a friend of Percy’s and he’s visiting from America. I took my first plane ride. Dad is furious! I don’t know what’s going to happen now! But I am not sorry I went for that ride! Please, can’t you come over?

Pippa held the phone away from her ear. Josie, calm down. I can’t come over right now; I’m in the middle of canning apple sauce with Mom.

Percy asked Sean if he’d take me for a ride in his airplane. Boy, did he get in trouble with Dad when we landed! Percy just winked at me. I think he is changing his mind about me learning to fly. I did shed a few tears, though, because Dad started yelling right in front of Sean, and I was so embarrassed. You’d think I was five years old, not fourteen. Anyway, Mom and I have come up with an idea. I can hardly wait to tell you about it!

Listen, I have to get back to work. I’ll see you tonight at the bonfire, and you can tell me all about it.

Josie floated to her room upstairs in the two-story home to relive her first plane ride.

The Bouchard’s owned a small airport in Prince Edward Island, the smallest of Canada’s provinces. It was located off the east coast of New Brunswick. It was 1933, and Josie was fourteen, the youngest in the family. Josie’s three brothers, Percy, Quincy and Chauncey, all knew how to fly. But Josie’s father, Corbin, said she would never get her license. He said a girl should keep her feet on the ground. He taught his daughter everything there was to know about a plane, except how to take off and fly. Josie’s mother was on her side, though, and Josie never gave up trying to convince the males in her family that she could do just as well, if not better, than any of them in the air.

Josie’s mother, Verna, had given up hope that she’d get the daughter she wanted, but Josie came along after Chauncey. Her children came one after the other barely a year separating them. She had tried desperately to make a little lady out of Josie, but her efforts were in vain. Josie worked in the hangar with the guys and was seldom found in anything frilly or feminine. Most of the time she had grease or mud on her face. She was a bundle of energy and when she came into a room the whole atmosphere was electric.

Josie threw herself across her bed, plumped up her pillow, folded her arms under her head, and closed her eyes reliving the morning flight. Then she slowly opened her eyes and gazed up at the ceiling where she had painted, much to her mother’s dismay, bright yellow stars on the ceiling.

The day had started out like every other day. She got up early, had breakfast, and went to the hangar. Two planes needed work that had to be done by the end of the week. The hangar was the family dairy barn, but after removing the hayloft and the stalls, there was room to hangar three planes at a time. Bouchard and Sons was one of the premier dairy farms on the island, but it was fairly evident that the sons would not carry on the milk business, so Corbin changed everything.

Now the family business was aviation. It was not as lucrative as they had envisioned since Prince Edward Island was not situated in a high aviation traffic area. Their airport would be a refueling airport. Charlottetown, two hours away, was growing and becoming a major shipping port. Corbin hoped that planes would help the commerce of the Island in the future. He kept a fairly large herd of dairy cattle just in case the airport didn’t prosper, and had hired some farm hands to help with the herd. He had farming in his blood, but his sons were serious about the future of aviation.

The island was coming out of the Depression. Since the Bouchards had the farm, they got through the rough time fairly easily. They had chickens, cows, ducks, and hogs. Their fields yielded tons of potatoes, and an apple orchard took up the back yard of their property.

Josie’s father, Percy and Chauncey were already in the hangar on the day of Josie’s first plane ride. Josie complained that Bouchard & Sons should have her name in the logo of the business since she did just as much work as her brothers. And since Percy would be away most of the time in college, she was pushing for a name change.

Corbin showed Josie what she needed to work on and then left with Quincy for Summerside, a small harbor town.

She heard a plane droning in the distance, and as she always did, stepped out of the hangar. She saw the sun reflecting off a biplane in the distance and waited to watch it fly over. The plane did a pass over the runway, went around and then landed. Percy ran out to meet the pilot. Josie watched as the men tied down the tail and the wings of the plane. She found she was more interested in the plane than in the pilot. When Percy led his friend away from the plane, Josie moved in for a closer look, carrying the tools she had been using.

She had only seen pictures of the Travel Air 4000 biplane. The pictures didn’t do it justice. It was painted bright red with black lettering on the sides and the tail. Josie checked out the cockpit first and saw a picture of two girls taped to the side. Her eyes glanced over the instrument panel and controls. She put the tools on the ground so she wouldn’t accidentally scratch the surface of the plane.

She was so intent, as she inspected the Lycoming engine, that she jumped when Percy called to her. She gathered her tools and headed back to the hangar.

Josie, come meet my friend, Sean Campbell. You’ve heard me talk about him. I invited him to come meet the family. She dropped the wrench on the floor beside the plane she was working on, and walked over to the two men. She took notice of the tall man who stood next to her brother.

Hi, Josie. Percy says you’re the best mechanic in the Bouchard hangar. Is that true? Sean’s smile was broad and friendly. Josie didn’t think he really believed that she was the best mechanic. She just nodded at him. She didn’t have to prove herself to anyone. But she was pleased that someone in the family had boasted of her ability with a screwdriver and a wrench. How she adored Percy.

Want to take a ride? Sean’s eyes were such a deep blue they almost looked black. He stood so close to Josie that she could see that he hadn’t shaved that morning. His black hair was thick and wavy, and he was not only tall, but lean and handsome, too.

Josie’s face twisted in a grimace as she glanced at Percy. Didn’t you tell him that Dad said I could never go up in a plane?

Sean disregarded her question. When I found out that Percy’s family owned an airport, I gladly accepted his invitation to visit. I’m from New York, but I have an aunt in Charlottetown.

Sean smiled to himself. Percy had told him about his sister, but he didn’t imagine the sight he saw in front of him. She was decked out in coveralls, and grease smudged her face. A smattering of freckles covered the bridge of her nose, and her red hair struggled to stay under a well-worn canvas cap. Her brown eyes had flecks of gold in them.

Percy never told me that. So it’s okay to work on planes but not to enjoy taking a ride in one? I’m going to take Percy up for a ride. When your father gets back, maybe I can convince him it would be okay for you to go up with me.

I don’t think it’ll do any good to talk to my dad. Josie glanced over her shoulder at Sean’s plane. I like your plane; I looked her over while you and Percy were talking. She didn’t hold on to any hope that Corbin’s mind would change.

Josie had nothing more to say so she went back to work and left the men to visit. She wasn’t interested in their conversation until she heard Amelia Earhart’s name mentioned. Josie had read everything she could find about the woman pilot.

She had read that Amelia bought her first plane within six months of her first flight lesson. Josie thought she must be rich if she could buy her own plane. In 1932, Amelia had flown from coast to coast in America.

Josie also admired Amy Johnson who had made a solo flight from England to Australia, and another flight from England to Cape Town, South Africa. Josie thought Amy’s story was so romantic because she married her husband eight hours after they met.

Josie read every book in the library about flying, but the small Summerside library only had seven books on airplanes. She found more information from the magazines.

She boldly proclaimed over supper one evening that she wanted to learn how to fly like Amelia Earhart. Josie was used to getting her own way, and as the youngest, she was more than a little spoiled. Her father dropped his fork on the table, sat back in his chair, and folded his arms over his chest.

Josie, I’ve told you and told you, flying an airplane is not ladylike. You have to stop this foolishness about flying.

Verna had interrupted. "And I suppose working in the hangar is ladylike? There are no limits to what a woman can do. Josie should be able to do what she wants with her life and I, for one, will not stand in her way." Verna Bouchard always supported Josie; otherwise it would be five against one instead of four against two. It made the odds a little better.

Josie had never been more proud of her mother that evening. But her father was stubborn. She’ll not be getting her pilot’s license and that’s final! Corbin didn’t like to think of himself as old-fashioned, but the thought of his little girl up in that big sky alone nearly undid him.

She tried to hear what Sean said about Amelia Earhart, but the men had moved outside. She dropped her wrench and sat down on the hard-packed dirt floor of the hangar, and dreamed again about flying. She didn’t hear Percy come up behind her.

Taking it easy? Better not let Dad see you sitting there. Josie caught the humor in his voice. Her dad was not a slave driver.

You know, it’s just not fair that you all have your pilot’s licenses and I can’t even take a ride in a plane. Josie knew she was whining again about the same subject.

I have an idea, Squirt. Maybe Sean could take you up. This might be a good way to get a ride without us brothers getting into trouble.

Josie muttered, Dad would have a fit if he found out.

Percy reached and tousled Josie’s hair. "Yes, well, he said we couldn’t take you up, but he didn’t say anything about going up with another pilot."

She thought for a minute. But you know he’d be really angry. We both know what he meant.

Percy and Sean had just finished the first year of college. Percy was so smart. Although he was the oldest and she was the youngest in the family, they were the closest.

Sean walked up to join Percy and Josie. Did you decide what you want to do?

The three stood and looked at the plane. Josie knew it would be her decision. Yes, her dad would be angry. But things would go back to the way they were, except she would have the ride of her dreams. She just couldn’t say no. This might be her only chance.

Okay, let’s go!

Josie ran to Sean’s plane. She climbed into the front seat of the open cockpit. She felt her heart beating so fast she thought it would come right out of her chest. Sean gave her goggles and buckled her into her seat, making sure the buckle was tight.

I have an extra helmet, Josie.

I don’t need it, she responded. She wanted to feel the wind in her hair. She threw her work hat at Percy to hold. This ride was something she had dreamt about all her life. It would be the one and only ride after Corbin found out.

Sean climbed into the back seat and put on his leather helmet and goggles.

You’d better take good care of my little sister, Sean. No showing off with that barnstormer stuff.

Hey, trust me!

Josie was excited. Sean was a barnstormer! She had read about those pilots who flew across the country flying upside down and doing tricks in the air. She looked over at Percy and he gave her a big ‘thumbs up’.

I’ll just take her over Summerside and then over, I don’t know how to pronounce it, Mulpeque Bay. Then we’ll circle back. I’ll be careful.

And then they taxied off! The plane rattled and bounced along the grass runway. Josie was beside herself with anticipation. Sean turned the plane around so they would take off into the wind. The plane picked up speed, and Josie knew the instant the wheels left the ground. It was the most thrilling sensation of her life - to be airborne!

The cockpit was open to the air. Josie could peek over the side and see all the patchwork fields in different shades of green. She pictured her grandmother’s quilt folded at the end of her bed with patches of varied colors. The creek that flowed behind their house glistened and shimmered in the morning sun. She marveled at the sight of the gently rolling hills that led to the red cliffs that separated the sea from the island. It looked so different from the air. She spent a lot of time walking along the top of those cliffs. They didn’t look as dangerous from this viewpoint.

So Sean was a barnstormer. Would he dare do a loop with her in the plane?

There was no conversation with Sean throughout the flight. She wouldn’t be able to hear him without earphones. This is what I want to do, thought Josie. I want to be a pilot.

As they soared through the air she thought she would explode with the excitement of it all. They passed low over the cattle in the field that was next to her home. They didn’t even lift their heads to watch them fly over. These cows must be used to low flying planes since they grazed so close to the airport. There wasn’t a cloud in sight and the sky was a deep endless blue. The birds were so lucky to have all this space to rise above clouds and glide with the wind. Sean flew over Summerside and then flew back to the airport. He rocked the wings up and down to wave at Percy who stood outside the hangar.

The flight was over much too quickly and soon they were bumping along the runway. Percy and Chauncey waited until the propellers stopped turning and then ran out to meet them.

Sean got out first. Josie, give me your hand and I’ll help you. But Josie seemed to be in a trance. Sean smiled. Hey, the ride’s over. Time to get out. Josie removed her goggles and looked at Sean’s hand grudgingly.

I can get out by myself. I’ve been getting in and out of these things for most of my life. But until today all I did was sit in the seat and imagine what it would be like to actually take off. She pulled her legs up and as she climbed out of the plane her foot got caught on the side and she fell head first onto the ground. She immediately bounced back up brushing grass and weeds from her coveralls.

Sean reached out to help but she refused to take his hand.

I’m okay. Josie was okay, but had never been more embarrassed in her short life. She didn’t dare look at Sean as she handed her goggles to him.

Well, was it everything you hoped it would be? asked Percy as he walked up to join them. He stood with his hands on his hips. He was grinning and Josie knew why. He saw her clumsy departure from