This adventure from 1934 attracted me by the cover, featuring young Jane Cameron on her first flight as Air Stewardess, as the plane crashes into a ball of flames.
Oops.
Author Ruthe S. Wheeler mixes entertainment with the real life duties required by a woman in this new career - there were no stewardesses in 1934 - they began by hiring trained nurses.
On graduation day from nurses' school, Jane has no money and no prospects, when her supervisor presents an offer from Federated Airways. Transport planes are trying out nurses on staff as air travel increases, and Jane and her friend fly to Chicago to become pioneers that very night, on a tri-motor biplane complete with a packet of gum and ear cotton for sound. They are surprised to see the woman in charge is a doctor as they pass their tests and carry on to Cheyenne headquarters for training. A stormy gale turns into her first emergency when, as they travel at 100 miles per hour, they crash, ripping the plane into fifty yards of burning wreckage and flaming gas. No one said being the heroine of a girl's adventure story would be easy.
This has not scared Jane off, and her further adventures include nursing an ill billionairess who has chartered the whole plane - which gets into a mid-air dogfight with with kidnapping bandits, a planeful of food poisoning, and achieving her own pilot's license - which comes in handy for stunt flying when a movie company films at the airport - complete with ejection at 1,000 ft and another crash landing. Becoming the new supervisor in charge of hiring doesn't slow her down; when there is an outbreak of diphtheria in Montana during a snowstorm, Jane volunteers to fly the supply ship, and she achieves national attention when gun-toting bandits take over the plane attempting to kidnap a young movie star on board - for that rescue she will have to attempt flying a seaplane, but how hard could it be?
Yes, this can be called a girl's adventure story, however, for 1934 the message is quite modern - girls are more than capable of more than serving the coffee, indeed that is never considered. Jane doesn't hesitate to take over the situation with a clear head and flying know-how, she is skillful and able to fly in any circumstance. And what is even nicer, no one questions her abilities or skills. There is no man waiting in the wings to distract her. She is a career aviator.
This was a refreshing read of a nurse who through hard work and positive attitude, moved her way to becoming a pilot.
This can be downloaded on many ebook websites, and there is a free online version to read from Gutenberg.org here.
1934 / Hardcover / 246 pages
😃The stewardess as the supergirl. So the pioneers were essentially nurses. One is always discovering something new.
Neeru