Earthbound Again

The young man in a flying suit two sizes too big stood by the old “Jenny” biplane as a small crowd found their seats in the bleachers. It was the Orange County fair of 1934, and the posters said a real airplane will land at the fair and sell rides for $5.00 each. A flying suit two sizes too big and.......... it was second hand. But, no doubt he was a pilot. Behind him the “Jenny’s” red paint sparkled even under a layer of dust.

The “Jenny” was like an old woman in heavy make-up.. Even though she was from the time of world war one, she could still fly and feel young. He picked up a megaphone and spoke so all could hear.

He spoke of the wonderful age of aviation and how safe it had become. He spoke of touching the clouds and flying with eagles. The small crowd

of mechanics, farmers, and merchants listened with their mouths open. And just when he thought he had them “reeled in,” he sprang it on them.

“ Who wants to be first?”

And there was silence.............

“ Who wants to be the first to fly? “

......silence........

From the back of the crowd, a shriek! “ I will!” “ I will!” Pushing her way through the people, a five dollar bill clutched in her hand. The crowd roared! High button shoes and a faded gingham dress, topped off by a sunbonnet, it was an old granny !! The men chuckled and the women giggled thinking a granny had such nerve. The pilot tried to help her into one of the open cockpits.

At first try she couldn’t make it, and then she and the pilot gave a good push and she went all the way over the side of the plane and was hanging on with one leg hooked in the cockpit. The people were roaring with laughter. Modestly she tried to cover her white bloomers. Once in the cockpit she turned and waved to an applauding crowd as the pilot used all his weight to pull on the wooden prop. With a puff of smoke and a roar the Liberty engine came to life and the “ Jenny “ started rolling forward. As the pilot ran back to jump in his cockpit he struck his head on the wing, and fell to his knees. The crowd was on their feet! A groggy pilot was trying to stand, he was struck again by the tail section...... the red biplane rolled down the field gaining speed at an alarming rate. Chasing it proved futile, and in moments the wheels lifted and granny and “ Jenny “.. were airborne. The crowd, still on their feet, were gasping with a sense of impending doom. For a moment granny thought of jumping out, then she saw the grassy field rushing away beneath the plane and changed her mind. The planes wheels touched the earth once, and she floated up like a kite, not yet ready to be earthbound again. No no, the “ Jenny “ wanted to fly, and a warm breeze picked them up in a comforting way. Welcome to the sky old granny and Jenny, two old girls off to adventure, like a magic cape. ( I used to have one, you know. ) Horrified spectators watched helplessly as the biplane stalled and dropped almost to the ground, then recovered enough to do it again. Could it be that granny was learning to fly ? If so, it was a crash course. (Sorry, poor choice of words.)

A wing tip almost touched the ground, and all of a sudden the run-away plane was headed back to the spectators. Panic exploded ! Now the crowd was in danger, and they reacted, jumping off the bleachers and running for their lives. But the “ Jenny “ flew safely over their heads, and some saw that granny............ was laughing! Granny skillfully guided “ Jenny “ through a series of figure - eights. And it was only then that the crowd realized they had been duped,.......... they had been fooled. Even though the joke was on them, they were relieved and laughing at how they were tricked. “ Jenny “ floated in for a landing, earthbound again.

The crowd rushed the pilot like he was a hero, all were eager to fly with him. His helper in the worn out flying suit collected money for the tickets. And what a fun job he had, paying for his flying lessons by helping his instructor pull their trick at the fair. He told me his story in the 1970’s. I don’t recall his name regretfully, just to honor him. He is surely a part of Americana. For a short time he owned his own plane, a Waco bi-plane with a cracked main spar on a lower wing. He flew it many times ( but gently) until an official inspector found out.

He reluctantly had to sell his plane, he couldn’t afford the overhaul. In the late thirties or early forties the young man held an official long distance record for single engine float planes. But I think the best time of all was that day at the fair, when flying was an adventure of a young America.

This true story was told to me by the.... “ young man in the worn out flying suit.”