West with the Night

The morning after deciding to learn to fly, Markham begins to study flying. Her teacher is Tom Black, who has never taught any other student. His job for Wilson Airways is to plot new air routes into the heart of Africa, most of them originating from Nairobi. He takes time away from his usual work to train Markham in a Gypsy Moth aircraft.

Over the course of 18 months, Markham flies over 1,000 hours. To accomplish this, she gives up training horses completely. Ruta also gives up training horses to become Markham’s mechanic, lavishing as much care on her airplanes as he did on her horses. Tom is hands-off in his teaching approach, allowing Markham to figure out how to manage the plane with as little input from him as possible. Once she achieves her B license, she begins to carry passengers, mail, and supplies as a freelance flyer.

Another famous pilot she encounters is Denys Finch-Hatton, who also flies a Gypsy Moth. On one occasion, he asks Markham to fly with him on a round trip. For some uncanny reason, Tom encourages Markham not to go on that flight, which turns out to be prescient when Denys’s plane crashes and he dies.