‘I know, good stuff, isn’t it?’ Betty’s excitement, as with all her emotions, was rather more contained than Fitz’s. ‘Where shall we go first?’
Fitz consulted the list of airfields they’d been given, which essentially took them in a loop, starting with RAF Tangmere,then Hamble, Northampton, Essex and back to Maidenhead. ‘What about Tangmere? It’s nearest.’
‘Good idea.’
Within thirty minutes, Fitz was in the air as the first rays of dawn stretched across the horizon, casting a warm glow through the translucent clouds. She could hear the growl of the Spitfire’s engine as it echoed through the stillness of the morning. She knew Betty wouldn’t be far behind.
The planes were fitted with minimal equipment and the key instructions on how to fly the plane were on a ring-bound notebook, not that Fitz needed to refer to it for the Spitfire. The notebook was a place for pilots to jot down anything that would help other pilots when it came to flying. Fitz had already been warned that she wouldn’t necessarily have experience in every single type of aircraft. It would be a case of reading up on the notes and then straight away flying the aircraft. She wasn’t daunted by the fact. If anything, it was a challenge she was quite prepared to take on. Some of the men might not have faith in the women pilots, but she was on a mission to put that straight, one lipstick at a time, as Marjorie had joked.
With that thought in mind, she dove into the pocket of her flight suit and retrieved the roll-up red Max Factor lipstick and applied it expertly without a mirror. Thank goodness she didn’t have to use a brush and palette.
Fitz looked back over her shoulder and could see the silhouette of Betty’s aircraft. The sun had truly risen now and the sky was clear of clouds. She couldn’t think of a place she’d rather be.
The flight to Tangmere was over far too soon for Fitz’s liking, and as the wheels touched down onto the runway she was already thinking about the next leg of the journey.
Fitz taxied the aircraft off the runway and over to the side where a mechanic was waiting for her. She took off her helmetand shook her hair free from the confines of the leather, and then fluffed her blonde waves into what she hoped looked a tidy affair. She had brought a day bag with her and reached down to pick it up before climbing out onto the wing, bag in one hand and helmet in the other.
She smiled at the mechanic who was staring up at her with his mouth half-open. Fitz lifted her bag. ‘Here, catch!’ She dropped the bag down to him and then climbed down herself.
‘This is a pleasant surprise,’ said the mechanic. ‘Not quite what I was expecting to see.’
‘We’re only here for a quick pit stop,’ said Fitz. ‘Be a darling and tell me where the canteen is.’
The mechanic cleared his throat. ‘Of course. Well, I can do better than that. I can show you.’ He ran his finger around the neck of his overall.
‘Help Betty taxi in and you’ve got yourself a deal,’ said Fitz. She did enjoy flirting with the ground crew when she got the chance. Where was the harm in it? A dash of light-hearted flirting never hurt anyone. In fact, it practically boosted morale.
A few minutes later, Betty was standing next to Fitz. ‘Cup of tea?’ she enquired.
‘Of course,’ said Fitz. ‘This lovely chap is going to take us to the canteen.’
‘It’s Bob Allan,’ said the mechanic.
‘Hi, Bob.’ Fitz smiled broadly. ‘I’m Fitz and this is Betty.’
Bob shook hands with them both. Fitz couldn’t help giving a rather coy look from up under her eyelashes. ‘Nice to meet you, Bob. Before we go over, just give us a second to get out of these flight suits.’
Bob raised his eyebrows but said nothing as both Fitz and Betty unfastened their jackets, removed their boots and slid their trousers down. Each was wearing their dark blue ATA uniformunderneath. Betty had sensibly opted for trousers that morning, but Fitz was wearing a skirt and stockings. From her bag, she whipped out a pair of low-heeled shoes and slipped her feet into them. ‘There. That’s better.’ She turned to Bob expectantly.
Bob visibly swallowed. ‘Erm. Yes,’ he said hesitantly, clearly caught out by the quick-change routine.
‘Right, Bob, be a darling and take us to the canteen. We’re gasping for a cuppa,’ said Fitz.
As they followed Bob across to the canteen, Betty nudged Fitz gently in the ribs. ‘Stop it,’ she mouthed silently.
Fitz simply grinned and winked at her friend instead.
The mess hall was busy as it was mid-morning and a lot of the crew were having their elevenses. A momentary hush descended over the room as Fitz and Betty made their entrance.
‘Tea and coffee is over here,’ said Bob. ‘What would you like?’
‘Oh, we have company,’ said a British airman, getting to his feet. ‘Good morning, ladies.’ It was as if he’d only at that moment noticed. ‘Where did you two appear from?’
‘We were just touring the area and dropped in,’ said Fitz.
The airman looked confused. ‘You can’t just drop in.’
‘Oh, they can,’ said Bob. ‘Believe me, that’s exactly what they’ve done.’
