Eastern High School - Echo Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

Page 26 text:

Dnigned by JEANETTE FRANK Dnigned from Lifnolzum Blofk A Toast To Alma Mater

Page 28 text:

Solo Flight Which Proves To Be a Test of Courage By GERTRUDE GEYER, '32 ICK CRAIG, on his way to the flying field in New Haven, glanced at the sky. There was not a storm cloud in sight. The weather was perfect. The biplane speeding south looked re- markably like the ship that Bob Monroe flew. Yes, Dick remembered now, Bob had been talking for days about the cross-country flight that Cap- tain Hammond had promised him. The purpose of the flight was to teach Bob how to fly over un- familiar country by means of his map and instru- ments, and how to land on and take off from strange fields. Bob was the oldest student flier at Hammond Flying Field. Before long some of the other students would be hopping off like that, Dick thought. Dick's face clouded and he swal- lowed hard. He tried to imagine himself alone in the air. His footsteps began to drag, and finally, with head hanging, he presented himself before Captain Hammond, who was waiting beside his pet monoplane. Dick straightened himself with a jerk and looked straight into the instructor's eyes. Captain Hammondfs face shone with pleasure and excitement. 'fCraig,H said the captain, Hhow about a solo flight this morning ?f' The moment which Dick had been hoping for and dreading since the first hour of flying instruc- tion had come. He opened and shut his mouth, but no words came. Captain Hammond looked puzzled as Dick hesitated. Most students were eager for permission to take their solo flight. They usually wanted to go before they were ready, and he had to hold them back. He could not understand this boy. Dick's face was reddened and his hands were clenched tightly at his sides as he tried to answer. I-I'm not sure that I can- You havenit enough confidence in your ability, Craig ? Captain Hammond helped him. I think that you are ready for solo flying, but there's plenty of time. VVe'll try some more landings this morning. Dick climbed into the cockpit with a feeling of shame. Of course the captain had seen through his hesitation and was probably despising him for a coward. As soon as his hands grasped the con- trol stick and his feet found the rudder bar, Dick's eontldence returned. Captain Hammond tactfully avoided any further mention of a solo flight. ln- Seventeen stead, he drilled his pupil in landings until Dick managed to make five perfect three-pointers, wheels and tail skid gliding gently to the ground almost simultaneously. Dick's courage rose. At the end of the lesson, he said good-by to Captain Hammond with a smil- ing face. Next time there would be no hesita- tion. He would go up and show them whether or not Dick Craig was a coward. Two more les- sons went by with no mention of a solo flight by the instructor. Other students who had taken no more lessons than had Dick and who could not handle the stick as well as he could went up alone, came down safely, and couldn't stop talk- ing about it. The next time he'd do it, Dick as- sured himself. The next time came and the old feeling of panic returned. Dick's mouth became dry and his knees began to wobble. That day the captain sent the plane into a spin and taught Dick how to bring it out again. They returned to the ground in a safe and perfect landing. Next Monday, if the weather holds good, we're going cross-countryf' the instructor an- nounced after they had left the plane. He pulled a map out of his pocket and handed it to Dick. 'Tve marked our destination. I want you to take this map home, to plot our course, and to be ready to navigate by instrumentsf' On Saturday it rained and the sky was lower- ing on Sunday morning. Anxiously Dick Watched the barometer, but Monday dawned bright and clear. He hurried to the flying field. Captain Hammond looked over the course he had plotted, made a few changes in it, explaining his reasons for doing so, and then announced that he was ready to start. Dick climbed into his usual place, with the captain behind him in the rear cockpit, and started the engine. The plane taxied across the field and rose into the air with Dick's hand cool and steady on the stick. Oh, it was easy enough, he thought bitterly to himself, with the captain at hand ready to help him should he need help. Dick began to climb, higher and higher, until, at seven thou- sand feet, he leveled off and flew straight ahead, watching his bearings carefully. His worries were forgotten in the pure joy of clean, easy flying. The miles slipped by and soon they were above a