Flyers
by
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Ollie in his P-35 was climbing to 22,000 feet. As the little plane climbed steadily and neared the altitude for leveling off, Ollie began to feel a little woozy. Ollie hit the button on the oxygen line, but it seemed that nothing happened. God! He thought. There’s something wrong with the oxygen or that damned switch! The switch is broke or something. Got to get to a lower altitude. Ollie had the right idea, but before he could head down to a lower altitude, he was passing in and out of consciousness. Finally, Ollie passed out as the little plane started to roll over and head down in a spiral spin. Meanwhile, on the ground, the rest of the flyers were doing their maintenance when Brownie looked up in the sky.
"Oh-oh! One of the P-35's is out of control!" The flyers heard the alarm and saw the fire trucks heading toward the runways. "My God! Is that Ollie’s plane?" "I can’t tell," replied Jerry. A field officer came by and said the P-35's number was No. 21. "It is Ollie!" said Buzz, staring at the sky. "Fight it! Fight it! Bail out! Bail out! Don’t let the bastards get you!" Inside the P-35, Ollie was still unconscious; the little plane picked up speed as it headed for certain destruction. Everyone on the ground watched in horror as Ollie’s plane seemed to get closer and closer to crashing on the field. The little P-35's speed was increasing as it spun out of control and closer and closer to Earth. The plane was in excess of 275 mph. The ground seemed to inch up faster and faster from 12,000 feet to 9,000 feet. Finally, it seemed that time stood still when the little plane hit 8,000 feet at 300 mph. When all seemed lost, Ollie came to--at 7,500 feet. My God! he thought. He grabbed the stick and the controls and, with all his strength, he pulled back on the stick. This little plane would break apart, but I’m still going to stay with it, he thought.
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About the Book
This book is about seven Army Air Force pilots who flew during World War II. This book gives you a glimpse into their daily lives as they carried out their wartime adventures. This story will give you insight into how serious the war really was, plus give you a chuckle and warm your heart. Enjoy the Book! When you are through reading it I hope you will come away with a new respect for the men and women of the Armed Forces.
About the Author
Bruce Drew was born in 1930. He grew up in the Depression years in Michigan. At the age of nine he began his love for airplanes. He served in the Army during the Korean War. In the Sixties, he began writing this book about his cousin and his cousin’s friends. Today he is retired. He has three children and he recently lost his wife of forty years to cancer. He still enjoys an air show and an antique car show. In his spare time he does some military research.