The Spitfire Girls(43)
She looked around at the packed room and wondered what would happen if an air-raid siren echoed out, how frantic the stampede of people would be. Before, she’d have never looked for an exit, never considered London to be dangerous, but the reminders of war were everywhere – in her mind, in every bang that made her jump, in every building reduced to rubble. And she wondered if she’d ever stop waiting for a bomb to land, for one of her girls not to make it back from a flight, or ever lose that trembling fear that their city, their country, could be overrun with Germans at any moment.
Ben slipped his arm around her, and suddenly she couldn’t fight her desire to be closer to him. It was only one night, and, for some reason, when she was with him the world didn’t seem quite such a terrifying place.
CHAPTER TEN
HAMBLE AIRFIELD, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND,
JUNE 1942
LIZZIE
Lizzie strode past the gathered group and grinned at Ruby, who was standing a few steps away, already waiting. They were both dressed in their flying suits and she gave her rival a wink.
‘May the best woman win,’ she whispered.
Ruby had a bead of sweat shining above her top lip and all she did was nod, not saying a word, as if paralysed with fear. It was the only reason Lizzie knew she’d be able to beat her – Ruby’s nerves were definitely going to get the better of her in the air, and the Halifax required nerves of steel.
There was a large crowd watching: other pilots, engineers and of course May and the two men who were making the decision with her. Lizzie stared at the back of Captain Montgomery, hating that an American superior to her was on base throwing his weight around. Thankfully he was still recuperating so wasn’t there all the time, but he was most definitely getting in her way. And she wished her daddy was watching her; she couldn’t wait to write him and tell him blow by blow what had happened. He’d always been proud of her, but everything she did, she did to show him that she was a chip off the old block.
‘Ladies, we have a Halifax waiting for each of you. Please prepare yourselves for take-off,’ May instructed, standing to attention before them. May’s own superior flanked her on one side, while Captain Montgomery in full dress uniform stood on the other. ‘First Officer Sanders, you will be flying first and we’d like you to perform your usual training drill, which will be timed and studied by all three of us.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ Ruby replied.
‘First Officer Dunlop, you’re to wait on the runway until Ruby is safely grounded, and you’re pre-cleared for immediate take-off after that. You will perform the same drill.’
‘Looking forward to it,’ Lizzie said.
‘Commander Jones, am I to remain in my aircraft until Lizzie has landed?’ Ruby asked.
‘Once the runway is clear you may exit. Thank you for asking,’ May replied. ‘And ladies, we’re expecting to make a unanimous decision. However, if one cannot be reached, we will decide by a majority vote. I want to remind you that this is not a personal competition. The purpose of narrowing the process down to our two most highly trained pilots, and then to one of you, is to prove what we can do in the air, what women pilots can do, so we can step up our assistance to our fighter pilots and help win this war once and for all! The woman chosen will represent the entire women’s division of the ATA on that first official flight.’
Lizzie headed for the magnificent airplanes waiting for them, signalling to Ruby that she was going to take the one on the right. This might be for the war effort, but she couldn’t see why there was anything wrong with wanting to take it personally.
‘Good luck up there,’ Ruby called out.
‘Honey, luck has nothing to do with it,’ Lizzie called back.
She knew Ruby would be rolling her eyes – heck, she knew everyone would be rolling their eyes at her. But she wasn’t going to go around pretending like she wasn’t going to win, because she always got what she wanted. And when it came to flying, it was the one thing she never had to bluff. You’ll be proud of your little girl, Daddy, she thought. He’d always been the one to believe in her, and she wasn’t ever going to let him down.
She climbed up with Ben’s help, calmly sitting behind the controls and waiting, watching through the windscreen for Ruby. Five full minutes later, the roar of the other Halifax was unmistakable and slowly Ruby taxied away, rolling down the runway before taking off. It was a textbook take-off and Lizzie squinted as the plane ascended higher before beginning the short cross-country flight they’d been assigned. She listened to her own breath as she waited for it to reappear, the long minutes ticking past. Ruby would circle first, and then eventually come in to land.
There she was.
‘Contact!’ Lizzie yelled, ready to get her engine started. Within minutes she saw the plane coming down, watched as Ruby neared her, descending slowly.
Go! she thought, grinning as she took off just before Ruby’s wheels had hit the runway, pushing the aircraft hard and rocketing down the tarmac before pulling up and getting it into the air. She flew low and did an extra circle, showing off, before ascending to the correct altitude and following her cross-country course. She relaxed and enjoyed the flight, but she didn’t slow down, wanting to go faster and beat Ruby’s time; they’d be watching the clock. When you have a chance to prove yourself to your superiors, you seize it, Lizzie. Give it everything you have. Her father’s words echoed through her as she finally headed back down. She’d waited all this time, and she’d finally had the chance she’d been waiting for.