The Happy Bottom Riding Club – Excerpt
It was dark, and fuel might soon be a problem. Dale, whether he had actually soloed before or not, was flying way beyond his abilities. Pancho also realized that, despite her earlier bravado, she was not skilled enough to pilot the plane either. It was only luck that they happened on an airfield in Compton, many miles from their destination. Shaken, they left the plane there and caught a ride back home.
Ben was furious when he learned of their dangerous escapade and refused to give Pancho any more lessons, let alone authorize her to fly solo. It took her most of the rest of the summer to get back into his good graces. When he finally agreed to take her on as a student again, he told her that she would have to make six perfect landings in a row before he would allow her to take the ship up alone. Day after day, she drove out to Baldwin Park to practice her three-point landings. The airfield there was a little longer than Arcadia with fewer hazards and more direct wind. That made landing easier, but it was still the hardest part of learning to fly. She kept at it. Finally, one afternoon in early September, she taxied back to the hangar after her sixth perfect landing. Ben climbed out of the ship and told her to take it up by herself.
She opened the throttle and roared down the field before he could change his mind. The little plane lifted into the air so quickly that it surprised her. Without Ben’s weight, the plane soared. She sat in the open cockpit caught in the moment, completely focused, almost breathless with joy.