Flygirl

When Ida and Lily arrive in Birmingham, they’re told that they will be flying a new experimental plane called the B-29 bomber. It is the biggest plane the women have ever seen, “big enough to fit a platoon of elephants” (229). Ida and Lily spend three days preparing for the flight. On the day of the flight, around 60 men gather to watch. Ida and Lily overhear one of the men call the plane a “Widowmaker” (232). Three other men will be riding in the plane with Ida and Lily, which they realize is so that the men can take over if the women can’t handle it.

The plane is heavy, and the takeoff is wobbly, but Ida manages to get it to cruising altitude. They circle the base twice. The women prepare to land, but the plane lurches and they realize they’ve lost one of the four engines. Then, another engine catches fire. Captain Hank, one of the men aboard, tries to convince Ida that he should take over, but Ida insists that she can handle it. Ida and Lily radio in and request that fire trucks be waiting on the ground just in case. Another engine fails, and the plane drops in the sky.