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christopherappel-blog · 7 years

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Flying High

On Flying High

This story was meant to be a framed story somewhat like the princess bride. It was about a person eighty years old or older retelling a story from their lives. I did my best to write my narrator Dusty as sort of a combination of my own grandfather, and the many vets I have met in my life. I love listening to their stories, their humor, and their attempts to teach a lesson and be relevant. That’s what I tried to pull from as I wrote Dusty. Dusty’s tale flying high is one of my favorite pieces because it is a historical fiction about something I love, WWI fighter pilots. I love the whole idea of people risking their lives just to fly these planes, let alone do battle in them. In my view they were kind of like modern knights, even if they never saw themselves this way. My inspiration came from a War movie called Flyboys. The actual movie is extremely fictional, but it does draw from some facts. Because I love the movie, I did some research into the people it was based on, and did my own fictional retelling. If I had to pick out the best part about Flying High, it would be the characters. When I created them, I did my best to create believable characters with true to life dialogue.

I hope you enjoy.

“Now gather round children, I’ve got a story fer ya. This isn’t one of your moving pictures, this is a real story.”

“Don’t you mean movies Grandpa Dusty?” the boy, Oakley said.

“Move what?” Dusty said.

“Movies, like on the television…” the girl, Annie began.

“Bah, televisions. Those aren’t real stories, this is a real story. It all starts with some prince getting shot. Your home country of France was involved in a war against a nasty German dictator.”

“Hitler?” Annie asked.

“Hitler who? This man was named Kaiser Wilhelm II. He was so off his rocker, that when the Germans attacked France, the United States wouldn’t help our relatives out.”

“But Grandpa, if the U.S. didn’t help the French, how come you fought in the war?” Oakley asked.

“I was a member of a squadron known as the Lafayette Escadrille. It was a unit led by the French, but filled with American Volunteers like myself. We wore French uniforms and everything. Hell I remember my first day of training. None of us knew how to put the leather straps of the flight suits on, and quite honestly we were in over our heads.”

Arrival

“Hey guys, I figured it out. It’s kind of like putting a harness on.” Victor Chapman said.

“You know it might be a little easier if the damn instructions weren’t in French.” said Dusty.

“That’s what we get for deciding to fight for these damn Frenchies.” James McConnell muttered.

“Hey I may not speak it, but I’m French.” said Dusty.

“Maybe, but you’re also American, as are the rest of us. We don’t belong here, but the French need our help.” Chapman said as he helped the other two into their flight suits.

“Do you remember where we’re supposed to go?” McConnell asked.

“Yeah we’re to report to a base just outside of... uhhh Luxel.” Chapman said as he read a handwritten note from Dr. Gros.

“I think it’s pronounced Luxeuil.”

“Who cares Dusty.”

Once they finished getting changed the three of them made their way towards Luxeuil’s airfield. They navigated as best they could in a foreign country, but they still managed to be fashionably late.

“Sir, we are here to report for duty.” Dusty and the other two saluted who they assumed was their commanding officer. “You are Captain Thenault right? We were told to report to you.”

“That is correct.” the man replied with a thick French accent. “You boys are late.”

“Sorry, first time in France.” McConnell said.

“Fall in line with your fellow countrymen.” Thenault said.

The three of them joined the other Americans standing at parade rest in front of Captain Thenault, who then proceeded to address the line of men in front of him. “Bonjour et bonjour messieurs. Au nom de la France, je vous remercie pour votre service. Vous êtes parmi les premiers Américains à rejoindre notre noble conflit et …” he paused due to the general look of confusion he was met with. “Umm, do any of you actually speak French?”

A few muttered no’s and some head shaking confirmed Thenault’s suspicions.

“Well, I just wanted to thank you young men for choosing to fight on behalf of the French. Your benefactor, Dr. Edmund L. Gros, has seen to the costs of your training, housing arrangements, and anything else you’ll need. Do please try to at least pick up some French while you’re here, it’s a bit disingenuous to volunteer to fight on behalf of a country whose language you can not understand.”

After an initial tour of the airfield, the men were driven to the building in which they would reside while training and fighting for the French. Their quarters happened to be a Grand Hotel within Luxeuil.

“Hot damn if this isn’t the nicest place I’ve ever slept in.”

“Be respectful Dusty, Dr. Gros was kind enough to put us up in a suite befitting foreigners fighting for a country other than their own. I’m sure the Hessians slept better than the British Imperials.” stated Norman Prince.

Prince was a veteran pilot, and the one who had proposed the idea of American volunteer fighting in a squadron that they might actually make a difference. Dr. Gros relished in the idea and had give it his full support. Prince, Dusty, Chapman, and McConnell were also joined by Elliot Cowdin, Laurence Rumsey, Kiffin Rockwell, and William Thaw.

“You mean to say we’re expected to die, so they’re treating us nice so that we won’t have any regrets.” Cowdin announced, as he did, there was a general look of uneasiness among the other men.

“Quiet now!” Prince responded in an attempt to regain control.

“He’s right.” Chapman yelled even louder. “These damn flying machines have only been around for fifteen years, and we’re supposed to what fly with them?”

“The French Nieuports we are going to be flying are a top of the line aircraft, we’ll be fine.” Thaw said as he pushed up his glasses. He was off to the side reading a book while propped up against the wall. “And if you were so uneasy about flying, why did you volunteer for this anyhow?”

“Like Dusty says, it was the right thing to do. It doesn’t matter if I’m scared, someone has to help the Frenchies fight the Krauts. Ever even heard of a French war victory?” Chapman said.

There was a slight pause, a calm of sorts, and all the men began to laugh. They knew what was on the line, and while it bothered them, they had all come to do the right thing. Fight in a war the French couldn’t possibly win on their own. With a general sense of camaraderie in place, they all began to pack in for the night.

“Hold on a minute Grandpa, you got to stay in a hotel?” Annie asked.

“Of course I did. Times were different back then. Man oh man was it a nice place. We each got our own suite with three rooms. You had a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, and then your bedroom. They were furnished with some of the best European pieces you’ve ever seen.”

“That’s so not fair Grandpa, I want to stay in a nice French hotel.” Annie said.

“Maybe you’ll get to if we get involved in another World War.” Dusty said followed by a slight chuckle from both him and Annie.

“That’s not funny you guys.” said Oakley.

“You haven’t asked anything, are you sure you’re even paying attention Oaks?”

“I mean the stories alright so far, but why were you guys so afraid to fly? You know you’re more likely to die in a car crash than when you travel by plane.” Oakley said.

“Well you see, the planes we flew were a bit different. We were lucky to get those damn things moving over a hundred miles an hour, and they flew like rocks.”

“Even if they didn’t fly well, it must have been cool to fly some of the first planes.” Oakley said.

“To us they weren’t ‘the first planes.’ They were just planes, and we just flew them. That was that, nothing special. Where was I?”

“You had just gotten to the part where you guys got to the hotel.” Annie chimed in.

“Ah yes, once we got settled in, the work began.”

Training

Their training took several months. They began with a general knowledge of aerodynamics, Captain Thenault taught them how lift worked, and why these machines could even get up in the air. This seemed to ease everyone’s nerves about flying, at least somewhat.

They learned battle strategy, and how to work as a squadron in the air. They were taught things like angle of attack, and they were given a chance to fire the Vicker’s MGs that their Nieuports would be equipped with.

Once they’d learned the basics of flight, and had practiced the rudimentary combat skills and ideas they would need in air to air and air to ground combat, they were ready to fly. They flew in pairs, a trainer in back, and the trainee up front at the controls. The experience was exhilarating for them. Soaring over a mile in the air at unimaginable speeds, it was incredible. It wasn’t too long before they all began to fly solo.

The excitement of flying, and the pride they took in the idea of defending their allies against an evil Empire had erased any inhibitions the Americans had.

Once they had all become proficient pilots, their individual strengths and weaknesses had become evident. Chapman and Thaw were the best at aerial maneuvers, but Rockwell, Rumsey, and McConnell had better aim. Cowdin was the most cool headed and logical in the high pressure situations that their training had provided. Prince and Dusty were tied for all around best pilots.

One night near the end of their training, Cowdin brought up the question of their identity as a squadron.

“You guys…” he began. “What should they call us?” he asked. They all turned their attention to Cowdin. Some were playing cards, some having private conversation, and Thaw as usual was reading from a book.

“How about Blue Angels?” Dusty proposed.

“Why Blue Angels? It sounds kind of lame for a group of badass combat aviators like ourselves.” McConnell asked half joking.

“Well I figured because our uniforms are blue, and because we soar in the sky like angels.” Dusty said.

“I don’t know, I don’t think it’ll stick. Don’t we want a name that people will remember?” Chapman asked.

“How about Lafayette Escadrille?” Thaw offered looking up from his book.

“It’s got a nice ring to it, what does it mean?” Prince asked.

“Well I was reading the other day and…” Thaw began.

“You were reading? Big surprise.” Cowdin said. They all proceeded to laugh.

“Hold on, give him a second, I want to hear this name out.”

“You know how the French have been our Allies as long as we’ve been a country, even before that?” he paused. “Well back during our revolution, there was a Frenchie named Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. He was a key figure in both our revolution, and their own. I think we should call ourselves Lafayette Escadrille in honor of him. Escadrille simply because it’s the French word for squadron, and we are a French squadron after all.”

“So you have been learning your French after all.” said a voice with a familiar French accent.

Everyone snapped to attention. “Sir.” they all said in military unison.

“At ease gentlemen.” Captain Thenault said. “So Lafayette Escadrille, this is to be your name no?”

“We hadn’t exactly decided, but it felt as thought there was a general consensus regarding the validity of that name.” Prince said in his usual take charge manner.

“It is decided then. You shall be known as the Lafayette Escadrille. Just in time too, your first mission is in a week, and your planes are currently on their way. Now that you are officially a squadron, what shall your mascot be?” Captain Thenault asked.

“Mascot?” Dusty responded.

“Oui, of course a mascot. You need a symbol of some sort to be painted on your planes so that in the air you can recognize each other and fight as a unit.”

“Well it should be symbolic, but maybe also a little intimidating. Something that strikes fear into the Krauts.” Chapman said.

“Well we’ve got a French name how about an American symbol?” McConnell added.

“I think I have an idea.” Dusty said.

“No we are not putting fucking angels on our planes, blue or otherwise.” Chapman said.

“It’s not that, I was thinking we have an Indian war chieftan as our mascot.” Dusty said

“That’s actually not a bad idea.” said Thaw. “The Indians do have a tendency to strike fear into their enemies using only their appearance, and they are the original Americans.

“Sounds like it’s settled then Captain.” Prince said. “We are the Lafayette Escadrille, the flying Indians.

“You were in the Lafayette Escadrille?” Oakley said in a voice of disbelief.

“So you’ve heard about us eh?”

“Heard about you? We’re studying WWI in history, I was assigned to study your squadron for my project. Grandpa you’re friends are in my history book.” Oakley fetched his textbook from his book bag and flipped to a page with an old black and white photograph and a caption that read ‘Lafayette Escadrille circa 1916.’

“Yep that’s us, I’m the one right in the middle.” Dusty pointed at a figure

“Grandpa, you’re practically a walking piece of history, that’s so cool.” Annie said

“I don’t know if I should take offense to that, or if i should take it as a compliment.”

“Maybe a bit of both.” Oakley said. The three of them laughed.

First Mission

The air was cold on the morning of their first mission. They briefing had been short, and the Escadrille was excited. This was to be the maiden voyage of their newly manufactured and newly painted Nieuports. Each man had been granted his own personal plane, owned of course by Dr. Gros, but they felt personal sentiment towards their crafts nonetheless. This was part in fact to the hand painted Indian chiefs on each of their planes. They would represent America with Pride and honor.

Their first aerial engagement was helping to support ground troops in the battle of Verdun. Five days into the fighting, the Escadrille took their first aerial victory. Rockwell had shot down a German Fokker. Dusty and Prince soon scored victories of their own.

In the battles that followed everyone managed to earn an aerial victory, and both Dusty and Prince had achieved the title of ace for having achieved five aerial victories each. The mood at the hotel had become that of a celebratory sports team after a major victory. They had all become quite confident with their abilities in the air, and life was good. They had the power of gods, flying thousands of feet above their French comrades on the ground. Nothing could touch them. Or so they thought.

Rockwell was killed on a routine scouting mission, and Prince perished while single handedly taking on a bomber. This rocked Dusty and the other men, two of their comrades had perished in such a short span. They were reminded of their mortality.

Their success on the other hand had a widespread effect on their fellow Americans. Over fifty recruits joined their ranks, and they became notorious as a unit. The Germans soon learned to fear the flying Indians. Some continued to perish, but others filled the space they left, but dusty never forgot Prince or Rockwell.

It wasn’t long before the United States entered the war, and when that happened the Lafayette was dissolved. Dusty joined the 103rd Aero Squadron with many of the other members of the Lafayette.

Chapman signed on to fight with an infantry unit citing that fighting in the trenches was safer then soaring through the air. He’d never been a fan of flying, and was happy that he was able to serve in a way he was comfortable with. He perished when his rifle misfired and killed him.

As the war drew near to an end, the original members of the Lafayette had been spread into various units of Aero squadrons in order to share their flying experience with the greener American pilots. With the United States fighting against the Germans, it was only a matter of time before the war was won in favor of the French American allied forces. Dusty never saw another member of the Lafayette for the rest of his life.

“So they just split you guys up like that, that’s not fair.” Annie said.

“There was nothing we could do, even though we fought under the French for a time, once the U.S. joined the war we had to answer to them.”

“That kind of sucks Gramps.” Oakley said.

“That’s life.” Dusty sighed with a voice of resignation. “It’s not so bad though, I mean I did meet your grandmother after the war. She was such a fox.”

“Ewww.” The kids groaned in unison.

“Thanks for the story Grandpa.” Annie said.

“Did you learn anything from it?”

“Just that you and grandma were young and less gross once.” joked Oakley.

“Hey now, one day you’ll be old and gross too.” Dusty joked back. “But really did you guys learn anything.

“I learned that you’re a pretty cool guy gramps.” Annie said.

“Here here.” Oakley seconded the sentiment.

“Oh geez kids, I love you guys.” as he said that he began to blink rapidly, and the room began to swirl.

As everything began to settle, an old but familiar voice said. “We love you too Dusty.”

Dusty looked up, and to his surprise, Captain Thenault, and the rest of the Lafayette were standing in front of him. “Does this mean what I think it means.”

“It happens to all of us.” Prince said.

“At least I got to tell them one last story.” Dusty said.

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