With an Angel by My Side

Prologue

The crowd gathered along the side of the gravel strip which was the runway of Godfrey Field on the outskirts of Bangor. Cars lined the road that ran along the field and incoming vehicles sought places to park. The attention was a large, three motored monoplane – a Stinson Tri-Motor – that was taking off and landing at regular intervals. After each trip, it would take on new passengers for a flight over the city.

It was a hot, sunny day in August 1934. I stood with my parents and siblings in the front of the crowd and watched the show. After a short conversation with my father, my mother took my hand and led me over to the big plane. A few words with the pilot and we were ushered on board and strapped into a seat on each side of the aisle that led to the cockpit. While my heart was pounding in anticipation, the pilot, a woman about the age of my mother, took the controls and guided the plane to the end of the runway. With a deafening roar, we raced down the strip and were soon airborne. What a thrill as we circled the city and looked down on the familiar neighborhood. All too soon, we came in for a landing. This was my first taste of aerial flight but it would not be my last.

Many years would go by and I would have accumulated thousands of hours of flight in my own log book before I discovered the name of that lady pilot. It was Amelia Earhart. She had been hired to promote flying by a fledgling airline in Maine and had been limiting her passengers to prominent women in the community. My mother must have done some fast talking to get me on – mothers are like that.

"This is a great book that tells the story of Al's life. It includes his military experience as the pilot of a C-47 that flew the 'Hump'. It is a great book and one that you should read. Knowing Al, now in his 80's, adds a lot to the book as you see him grow from a youth, to a great pilot, to the wonderful person he is today."

-Les Shaw

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Recently revised