Europe, May 2, 1945
Barbara flew the huge B-17C under a bright, full Bomber's Moon, crossing the English Channel and then over France. She thought she would be safe from German planes or anti-aircraft artillery until she reached Austria. Then she would have to take her chances.
Before takeoff, an RAF lieutenant had told her that the Mayfair, the bomber she was to fly, had seen action in several theaters of the war since its first flight over Germany in April of 1941. Then it had joined two sister planes in attacking the German naval base at Wilhelmshaven. Later it was in a group of Fortresses attacking the French naval installation at Brest, and was engaged in a Luftwaffe sortie over Oslo, Norway.
The following year, the bomber saw action in the Middle East, in night attacks against Nazi positions at Benghazi and Tobruk.
"On one of those missions," the lieutenant said, "an accompanying B-17C had been crippled by enemy flak. It did a vertical dive out of a cloud, and went straight into the ground. After half of the thirty-nine B-17C's that had been requisitioned from the United States were destroyed in combat or lost in accidents, the RAF decided to abandon daylight bombing raids over Europe."
Even the RAF lieutenant looked like he wouldn't take the plane for a joy ride, much less fly it over the Channel to Europe.
But Barbara had flown Flying Fortresses in the States and England. She felt comfortable in the planes which, despite their size, were nicknamed "The Big Friend" because they were considered one of the safest airships built. Just maybe not the early "C" model.
Like other B-17s, the Mayfair weighed about twenty tons, was 75 feet long, and had a wingspan of over 100 feet. It held ten hours of fuel and had a top speed of about 325 miles per hour.
Barbara's major concern about the plane she was flying was that the "C" model was known for having mechanical failures during flight. She had done all she could to check the plane out herself before climbing into the cockpit. She saw that all gauges on the instrument panel were in proper working order, had the turbines tested for hydraulic leaks, the tires for proper air pressure, the wheel struts and break clearances for excessive wear, and that nothing was loose in the fuselage. There was no cargo, but a makeshift horse stall had been rigged, with blankets, hay, and water.
An RAF lieutenant gave her a "blindfold cockpit check" before takeoff in the Mayfair, since Barbara might have to do some instrument flying in the dark. With her eyes closed, she had been able to point instantly to every button, knob, and instrument on the panel in front of her pilot's seat. She could tell by the sound of the engine whether the plane was ascending or descending.