The night was shattered with the powerful beat of the engines and blue tongues of flame licked around the exhausts of the wing motors.
Sue, who was next to the window, reached over and gripped Jane’s hand. Both girls had stuffed cotton in their ears and both were chewing energetically on the gum.
With rapidly increasing speed the plane rolled down the smooth runway. The ground flashed by at an amazing speed and before either Jane or Sue realized it, the transport was winging its way over the edge of the field.
The flood light below came on, outlining the entire airport with its penetrating brilliance. The pilot banked the great biplane gently and headed away into the east.
The roar of the motors filled the cabin but, by leaning close, Jane and Sue were able to talk.
“Scared?” asked Jane.
“Not now, but my heart was in my mouth when we started. How about you?”
“I guess I felt the same way, but now it seems as though flying was the most ordinary thing in the world.”
The lights of University City faded and the transport bored east into the night. Jane watched the dials on the bulkhead. The indicator for air speed pointed to 110 miles an hour while the altimeter showed they were now 1,200 feet above ground.
In a pocket at the rear of the chair ahead was a folding map which showed the route of Federated Airways from Chicago to the west coast and Jane and Sue scanned this with intense interest. Each city and emergency landing field was marked, with a brief description printed on the map.