Famous Flyers and Their Famous Flights. Wright Jack
Hank Brown!” shouted Bill. “Bygolly, I thought I recognized that face! OldHank! What was he doing here?”
“He’s got a ship down here in one of ourhangars. It’s a beauty – a four passengercabin plane, with the pilot’s seat up front – abeautiful job. Listen, Hank’s gone downto the hangar now to look it over. Maybeyou can catch him down there. It’s AvenueB, the last hangar in line.”
“Great. I’d like to see Hank. Last timeI saw him he was in an English hospital, eating porridge and not liking it at all. Whowould have thought that the old skinnymarink would have put on all that poundage?Old Hank fat! And flying in a cabinplane. Come on, fellows, we’ve got to godown there and see him.” He turned to Headlund.“I’m going to be in town all summer,Heady, and I guess you’ll be seeing plentyof me. What street did you say? AvenueB?”
Captain Bill and the boys hurried out, found the right road, and walked along ituntil they came to the last hangar. A beautifulplane, black and aluminum, stood outside.But as they approached, there was nobodyto be seen.
“Ahoy, there!” shouted Bill. “Anybodyhere know Hank Brown?”
Hank himself appeared from the other sideof the plane, where he had been conferringwith a mechanic. “I’m Henry Brown,” hesaid, peering from behind gold-rimmedglasses at Bill and the boys. His face registeredno sign of recognition at first. Thensuddenly it lighted up, he rushed forward, and gripped Captain Bill’s hand in his, slappinghim heartily on the back with the other.“Well, Bill! You old sock! Whereon earth did you come from? What are youdoing here? Where have you been?”
Bill, delighted to see his old buddy, laughedat him, and poked him in his now well-paddedribs. “One question at a time, Hank.What are you doing here? And how comeyou’ve got this grand ship?” asked Bill.
“I asked you first,” laughed Hank.
They spent the next ten minutes tellingeach other just what they had been doingsince their last meeting. They spared thedetails, but each was satisfied with the other’sstory. Hank had done well as the managerand later as president of his father’ssteel plant. Prosperity had ironed out thewrinkles that had always twinkled aroundhis steely grey eyes, and contentment hadadded inches to his waistline, but he wasstill the same generous, fun-loving Hankthat the boys had known in France.
“Listen,” said Hank. “Come on in andtry the plane. See how comfortable it is.Say, this is some different from the old rattletrapswe used to fly, isn’t it?”
“But we had some good thrills in them, didn’t we,” said Bill. This meeting withHank was bringing back memories that hadnot stirred in him for many years.
“Let’s get in here where we can talk incomfort,” said Hank.
They mounted a little step that the mechanicset for them, and entered the side doorof the plane. The inside was amazinglyluxurious. Along both sides were upholsteredseats, covered with multi-colored cushions.There were built-in fixtures, and everythingto make for the greatest ease in traveling.The pilot’s seat could be partitionedoff by a glass sliding door up front.
The three men sat down on the seats atthe side of the cabin. “Gee, they’re soft,”said Bob. “I could ride all day on these.”He jumped up and down a little.
“Remember your manners,” said Bill.
Bob stopped jumping and blushed. “Oh,I forgot,” he said. He had really forgottenthat Hank Brown was an important man,a millionaire. But Hank only laughed.
“How would you people like to take theplane up on its last ride this year?” he asked.
“The last ride?” said Bill. “Why thelast?”
“Well, I’m putting her away,” said Hank.“That’s what I was talking to the mechanicand Headlund about. I was going to spendmy summer up in my log cabin in Canada, fishing, and all that. But my wife wantsto go to Europe instead. She’s going totake the two girls over to France and leavethem there in school. That would meanshe’d have to come back all alone. I’ve beenintending to go back to take a look aroundever since I’ve been back in America, so Ithought I’d take the opportunity of gettingover there now with her. I wouldn’t takethe plane. I won’t need a big ship like this.If I want to fly I can pick up a little Frenchor German bus. So I’m putting old Lizziein the hangar. Seems a shame. But howwould you like to go up now? Would youlike to try her out?” he asked Bill.“Would I?” said Bill. He slid into thepilot’s seat, and looked over the instrumentboard, to familiarize himself with the instrumentswith which the plane was equipped.Then he turned back to the boys. “Wantto go up?”
Bob was almost beside himself with excitement.“Take her up, Bill go on,” hesquealed. “Sure we want to go up. Goahead, Bill.”
Hal said nothing. His face was pale. Billthought that it would be best to ignore him, and just take it for granted that he wantedto go up, too. And Hal, although he wasby this time frightened to death, would notadmit it. He decided to risk the going uprather than say that he was afraid.
The mechanic taxied the plane out intothe open and took away the steps. Billpressed the starter, and the great propellerbegan to move. Slowly the ship rolled overthe ground, gradually gaming momentum.Finally it rose into the air. Bill handledthe huge ship as though it were a toy. Higherand higher it rose. Bob, looking out ofthe window, saw the building of the airportwhizzing by below them, thendisappear into a whirling mass. Were they going?Were they standing still? Bob couldn’ttell.
“How high are we?” he shouted at thetop of his voice to Hank.
“About 5,000 feet,” judged Hank. Hewas looking over at Hal rather anxiously.He thought that maybe the boy was goingto be sick. But Hal manfully hung on, and said nothing.
“We seem to be standing still,” shoutedBob.
“We’re going, all right. Your uncle isa great one for speed!” shouted back Hank.
The plane was banking now for a turn.They were going back. In a short whileBill had brought the plane down once moreinto the airport.
“Well, how did you like it?” he said, turning around in his pilot’s seat.
“Great!” said Bob.
But Hal was just a little sick. He saidnothing, and waited for the world to settledown again.
“You sure handle the ship like you usedto in the old days,” said Hank admiringlyto Bill.
“She’s a great ship,” said Bill, modestly.
Hank had an idea. “Say,” he said impulsively,“how would you like to fly herwhile I’m in Europe?”
“Gee, Hank, I really don’t think” – beganBill. He thought, the same old Hank, alwaysgenerous, always impulsive.
But Hank was going on with his plan.“Listen, I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.You fly my plane. And you can fly it upto the Canadian cabin if you want to. Thena perfectly swell vacation plan won’t be entirelythrown away. How about it? Thecabin is all ready to move into. They’vebeen fixing it up for me. What do you say?Are you game?”
“Game?” said Bill. “Gee, I’m crazy aboutthe idea. But I don’t see why you shoulddo this for me.”
Hank was embarrassed. “You’ve beenpretty decent to me in other times, rememberthat, Bill, old boy,” he said.
“Forget it,” said Bill.
Hank turned to the boys. “Bill here shotdown a Boche when the Boche was all butstepping on my tail. Those were the days,eh, Bill?”
“You bet,” said Bill. “We sure wereglad to get back alive. Remember old Lufbery?Raoul of the Lafayette Escadrille?There was a boy who could shoot themdown. Six out of seven in one day. Notbad flying, that. They used to get prettyclose to Raoul themselves. He’d come inwith his clothes ripped with bullets, butready to go right out again with the nextpatrol. Then one day he got his, and therewasn’t a man there that wouldn’t have giveneverything he had to save him, either.He’d gone up after a German that nobodyseemed able to down. Lufbery climbed upto get above