INGRID DOWS - AN ALTERNATE STORY PART 3 - THE SPACE AGE by Michel Poulin - HTML preview

CHAPTER 18 – SALES PITCH

08:50 (California Time)

Monday, May 12, 1952 ‘C’

Ingrid’s executive office, Hughes Prototype Center

Glendale Grand Central Airport, Los Angeles

California, U.S.A.

Ingrid had been at work in her office for about forty minutes when her telephone rang, with a liaison button indicating that the call was being routed via her secretary.

‘’Yes, Lisa?’’

‘’I have Sir Miles Thomas calling from London, Ingrid. I am transferring the call to you now.’’

‘’Thank you!’’

Within a couple of seconds, she heard the voice of the chairman of the British Overseas Airways Corporation, or BOAC in short, sounding a bit distant.

‘’Hello, Miss Dows? This is Miles Thomas, calling from London.’’

‘’I hear you well, Sir Miles, and please simply call me ‘Ingrid’. It must be about five in the afternoon in London right now, correct?’’

‘’Correct, Ingrid. I didn’t want to call earlier and thus wake you up.’’

‘’Thank you for your consideration, Sir Miles. So, what gives me the pleasure of getting your call?’’

‘’The reason for my call is your fantastic PEGASUS, Ingrid. The television, radio and print news here in London and in Europe are abuzz with the news of your prototype flying supersonic between Los Angeles and Hawaii on Saturday, followed yesterday by a return trip to Manila, also at supersonic speed, in which you took only six hours to reach Manila from Los Angeles, thus proving that it indeed has enough range to cross the entire Pacific in one shot. I am calling to state my intention to place right now an initial order for six of your flying marvels in the name of BOAC.’’ While she had fully counted on her two long-range test flights to help attract orders for her new airliner, Ingrid still felt a surge of joy and pride on hearing Sir Miles’ declaration. With her brain now working at top speed, she answered the British man in a warm voice.

‘’Sir Miles, your willingness to buy my PEGASUS warms my heart, truly. I will thus be most happy to come to London tomorrow in order that we discuss together the terms of a sales contract. I will take that occasion to as well offer you a little ride in my PEGASUS. Feel free to invite some of your BOAC executives and senior pilots, along with British journalists specializing in covering aviation, to come with you. Oh, and please bring an overnight bag with you: we will fly to Bombay 18, in India, where I will refuel before continuing to Sydney, Australia.’’

‘’My God, Ingrid! You are already getting me excited about you coming to London.’’

‘’Now now, Sir Miles, please don’t raise your hopes up: this will be a business trip only.’’

In typical British humor style, Miles laughed briefly at her quip.

‘’Perish the thought of a romantic trip with you, Ingrid. Uh, could I bring my wife Hylda on that jaunt? Such an experience would truly thrill her...and she could also act as chaperone for me.’’

‘’I would be delighted to meet her, Sir Miles.’’

‘’Splendid! At what time tomorrow do you plan to be at the London Airport19?’’

‘’Well, let’s see! With the eight-hour difference between Los Angeles and London time, I will probably depart very early in the morning in order to arrive at around eleven in the morning, London time.’’

‘’Eleven in the morning tomorrow sounds perfect to me, Ingrid. Uh, do you have a limit about the number of people who will accompany me and my wife on your demonstration flight?’’

‘’Well, you can invite whoever you want for this trip, unless you are planning to be accompanied by a whole battalion of British troops. There are 240 seats aboard my PEGASUS. This reminds me to caution you about one point. Since my plane is still not certified by the American Federal Aviation Administration to fly paying passengers, you and the other passengers on our flight will not be covered by travel insurances.’’

‘’Ingrid, that is the last of my worries about that trip, plus I have complete confidence in the reliability of your planes. I will however pass on your word of caution to those who will accompany me, so that they know what they will be getting into.’’

18 Bombay: Old name for Mumbai, in India. 19 The London Airport: The original name of the present Heathrow Airport when it opened in 1946.

‘’Excellent! I will thus see you tomorrow at the London Airport. I will prepare and bring a sales contract with me, along with a few American guests of my own. Thank you for your call, Sir Miles.’’

‘’It was my pleasure, Ingrid.’’ Said Miles before hanging up. The moment that the line closed, Ingrid composed a number, calling Katharine Hepburn at the Hughes Enterprises headquarters in Beverley Hills.

‘’Hello, Kate? This is Ingrid! Tell your Air Fifinella crewmembers presently training to operate the PEGASUS to be ready to depart for London very early tomorrow morning, along with yourself. Sir Miles Thomas of the BOAC just called me to place an initial order for six PEGASUS and I will go to London to offer him a demonstration ride to Bombay and then Sydney, in Australia. We will probably sign the contract in flight. And tell our girls to have their best uniforms with them: I will need them to function as actual crews for a quasi-commercial, long-distance supersonic flight.’’

‘’My God! They will love this! I will love this!’’

‘’Oh, one little detail. Tell them to pack bathing suits: we may end up on a warm Australian beach at the far end of the trip. You will be my relief pilot, while Suzanne Humphreys and Hazel Ying Lee will be our two copilots for our flight, along with Ann Baumgartner and Francis Wagner as our flight engineers. On my part, I will bring with me a technical team from my prototype shop who will perform any necessary maintenance during the trip. I will also carry a set of vital spare parts in our cargo holds. The one thing that I would have liked to bring but can’t would be a spare engine: it would simply be too big to fit in the cargo holds of the PEGASUS.’’

‘’I can task one of our cargo planes to be on standby for that, with one CF80E engine and an extra set of spares aboard.’’

‘’An excellent idea, Kate. Well, I will have tons of things to arrange here, so I will leave you at that. I plan for us to depart at no later than two thirty in the morning tomorrow, so don’t go to bed too late tonight.’’

‘’Message received, Ingrid. See you tomorrow!’’

Hanging up again, Ingrid assembled her thoughts, then got up from behind her desk: there were now tons of things for her to arrange for that trip to London and many people to contact in the process.

10:47 (London Time)

Tuesday, May 13, 1952 ‘C’

Main passenger terminal, The London Airport (Heathrow Airport)

23 kilometers west of Central London

United Kingdom

‘’THERE IT IS! IT IS ON FINAL APPROACH.’’

The shout from one of the reporters who were part of Sir Miles Thomas’ group made everybody around rush to the large windows of the passenger terminal in order to better watch and film the big but also sleek plane now about to land at the London Airport. The BOAC senior pilot who accompanied his boss watched with gleaming eyes as the Hughes PEGASUS touched down on the main runway.

‘’What a beauty! I can’t wait to examine it from up close.’’ One elegantly dressed young woman who was accompanied by a RAF20 senior officer and who stood near Sir Miles and his wife Hylda also made a remark in an admiring tone.

‘’It is indeed a most beautiful aircraft. Sir Miles, could our country produce a supersonic airliner in the same class as this within the next few years?’’ When Miles answered the woman, he did so while keeping his voice low, in order to not be heard by the reporters in his group.

‘’Not in the near future, Your Majesty. Our aviation industry is lagging many years behind the American aeronautical industry, especially where the Hughes Aircraft Company is concerned. Ingrid Dows is not only a top fighter pilot and a brilliant military strategist: she is also about one of the most talented aircraft designers I ever saw, Your Majesty.’’

Margaret Windsor slowly nodded her head once while following with her eyes the supersonic airliner as it decelerated along the runway. She mentally wished that either her father or her older sister could have been here to look at that aeronautical marvel. Unfortunately, both of them were dead, which was why she was now the Queen, with her official crowning ceremony due to happen next Summer. King George VI had died of cancer barely three months ago, leaving the

20 RAF: Royal Air Force. The name of the British Air Force. nation in mourning. Normally, Margaret’s elder sister Elizabeth should have succeeded him on the throne but the sad story was that Elizabeth had died eleven years ago, killed by a German V2 missile which had destroyed a whole wing of the Buckingham Palace. Since she had been the only heir presumptive left alive at the death of her father, Margaret had then automatically become the Queen of England, under the name of Margaret the First, at the death of her father. However, that did not make her a happy young woman, far from it, as the rules and traditions of the British Monarchy and of the Church of England meant that, as the reigning monarch, she would never be allowed to marry the man she loved, who was in the process of divorcing his present wife. That man, Peter Townsend, was presently close behind her and acting as her equerry, and that after having been King George the Sixth’s equerry. A powerful jet engine noise then took her out of her thoughts, at the same time as the BOAC senior pilot made a remark.

‘’It has thrust reversers! It is going to be able to complete its landing roll in less than half a mile. What a fantastic plane!’’

As the PEGASUS rolled towards the terminal, using one of the taxiways of the airport, the nearly thirty reporters and photographers present took multiple pictures of the supersonic airliner, which made the other planes parked around the passenger terminal look like dinosaurs. While admiring the approaching airliner, Margaret Windsor got close to Peter Townsend in order to speak in a very low voice in his ear.

‘’I wish that I could also fly in this plane and go to Australia...with you.’’

‘’Unfortunately, that would be impossible, even if you went by yourself, Your Majesty: royal tours take weeks to prepare and such a sudden, unprepared departure abroad would be a big departure from the accepted norms. The government would probably nix such a quick trip anyway. At least, you will be able to visit that splendid machine.’’

‘’Do you know much about that Ingrid Dows, Peter?’’

‘’Only a bit more than the average British citizen, Your Majesty. What I know about her is mostly through my past service with fellow RAF fighter pilots, who were abuzz about her exploits in air combat. All agreed that Ingrid Dows is a phenomenal combat pilot who is also unequal in terms of military strategy and air tactics. She is still the top-scoring Allied fighter pilot of World War 2, by a wide margin, with over a hundred confirmed air victories, both in the Pacific and in Europe. Compared to her, my own eleven confirmed victories are a pittance.’’

‘’And what about her as an aircraft designer? I heard some saying that she merely copied future aircraft designs she saw thanks to her late adoptive mother, Nancy Laplante.’’

Townsend made a wry smile at that question.

‘’That’s simply jealousy talking, Your Majesty. You can’t produce a successful aircraft design just by simply looking at a picture of a future plane. The truth is that she is a genuine genius when it comes to aircraft design, the same way she proved to be a strategic genius, notably by mostly calming down the situation in Palestine, which was considered a near impossible feat. She is truly a one-of-a-kind woman, on top of being a most decent and compassionate person who cares for people of all social classes. That unfortunately made her a target for millions of racists in the United States.’’ Margaret nodded her head at that, then concentrated her attention back on the PEGASUS, which was about to stop at its assigned gate. That Peter called her ‘Your Majesty’ in public, rather than ‘Margaret’, was simply being cautious on his part, to avoid having reporters make stories about him and Margaret’s relationship being ‘inappropriate’. She felt a wave of frustration and resentment at the hypocrisy of this whole ‘morality rules’ business but, unfortunately, could do nothing to make it go away.

The two BOAC agents manning the gate at which the PEGASUS was now connected by a jetway then opened the door giving access to that jetway, prompting Sir Miles to speak up in a strong voice to the crowd of reporters and photographers.

‘’If I may have your attention, gentlemen of the press, I will now go with Her Majesty to the newly arrived PEGASUS supersonic airliner, in order to greet Miss Dows. Once Miss Dows will give us permission to board her plane, you will then be allowed to go down this jetway and board the PEGASUS. Thus, be patient: you should be able to enter this airliner in a few minutes at the most.’’

Miles then bowed to Margaret while smiling to her.

‘’After you, Your Majesty.’’

‘’Thank you, Sir Miles.’’

With Miles walking slightly behind and to one side of Margaret and with Peter Townsend gallantly offering his right forearm as support to Hylda Thomas, the small group walked down the corridor of the jetway, arriving at the left-side forward access door of the PEGASUS as Ingrid Dows came out of her plane. Ingrid, who was wearing an Air Fifinella uniform, then saluted militarily Queen Margaret as the latter stopped just short of the access door.

‘’Welcome to the Hughes PEGASUS, Your Majesty. Are you planning to fly with us or are you simply here to visit it?’’

‘’Unfortunately, my royal schedule did not permit me to go fly in your plane, General Dows, although I would have loved to fly in this marvelous machine.’’

‘’Then, I will be most happy to guide you around my aircraft, Your Majesty. My crewmembers will take care of guiding the other people waiting in the terminal.’’ Looking at the impressive collection of military medal ribbons pinned on Ingrid’s chest, then at the three other women of Air Fifinella waiting inside the plane’s forward access lobby, Margaret couldn’t help ask one question while pointing at the medal ribbons worn by Katharine Hepburn, Suzanne Humphreys and Norma Jean Mortenson.

‘’Are all your crewmembers military veterans, General?’’

‘’They are, Your Majesty. All the women employed by Air Fifinella are veterans from the 99th Air Wing who were recruited by me after they left the service. All the members of my present crew served in the Pacific and in Europe during World War 2. Katharine Hepburn quit her job as a Hollywood actress in 1942 in order to join the U.S. Army Air Corps and was part of the crew of my B-12 bomber which bombed the Kremlin three years ago. Suzanne Humphreys also joined the 99th C.A.G. in 1942, and this after serving with your Air Transport Auxiliary in Great Britain. Norma Jean Mortenson joined my military unit a bit later and distinguished herself in Papua-New Guinea, the Solomons, the Philippines and in Europe. She was my driver when I landed in Berlin in 1944 to present an armistice offer to the surviving members of the German High Command.’’

‘’My goodness! That’s a lot of valor on display.’’

‘’And we are all proud of our services to the nation, Your Majesty. If you will follow me, I will guide you, Squadron Leader Townsend, Sir Miles and his wife in a tour of my PEGASUS. Katharine, Suzanne and Norma will take care of guiding the other people waiting in the terminal. Norma, you may now go into the terminal and invite in our other prospective visitors.’’

‘’Right away, Ingrid!’’

As Norma walked up the jetway, Ingrid started leading Queen Margaret, making her first visit the cockpit. Peter Townsend opened wide eyes on seeing the impressive collection of ultra-modern instruments on display, which included radar screens and heads-up-displays.

‘’My God! Compared to this, the cockpit of my SPITFIRE looked downright primitive. You have aeronautics advance in a most impressive way in so few years, General.’’

‘’Let’s say that my late adoptive mother, Nancy Laplante, gave me some useful pointers in that domain, Squadron Leader. What baffles me is that she also gave the same pointers to the British government after she arrived in London in 1940, yet the British aviation industry seems to have profited little from it.’’

‘’I know, General.’’ said Townsend in a bitter tone. ‘’I suppose that you could blame this on the ingrained conservatism of our politicians and bureaucrats.’’

‘’Well, to be fair, I myself met my share of thick-headed U.S. Air Force leaders and American politicians while pushing forward my ideas. But let’s concentrate now on the present moment. We will next visit the business-class cabin...’’

The tour given to Margaret and Sir Miles by Ingrid ended up going for a good forty minutes, with Ingrid fielding dozens of questions and queries from her guests during the tour. One of those questions came from Sir Miles as they were about to conclude the tour.

‘’Miss Dows, why did you choose a London-Bombay-Sydney route instead of one passing by Capetown? Going to South Africa instead of Bombay would have allowed your plane to stay over the Atlantic and fly supersonic during your whole trip, instead of having to stay subsonic during the first leg of our trip while you overflew land on the way to Bombay.’’

‘’There are two reasons for my choice of routes, Sir Miles. Yes, the trip would be faster if passing by Capetown. However, due to my personal opposition to racial segregation, the South African government has basically tagged me as ‘undesirable’ in their country. Also, I have some members of my present crew who are African-Americans and I have no wish to subject them to the racist Apartheid policies of the South African government during a stop in Capetown. You are free to fly your future PEGASUS fleet to South Africa, Sir Miles, but no Air Fifinella aircraft will stop there as long as that awful Apartheid policy will be in force. I follow the same policy with the American states which actively practice racial segregation and enforce those despicable ‘Jim Crow’ laws. My goal in life is to help make life better for all, irrespective of race, religion or sex.’’

‘’A most worthy goal, General.’’ said Margaret Windsor. ‘’This World would be a much better one if we all followed your philosophy.’’

‘’Indeed, Your Majesty. Well, the last place I want to show you is our aft lower cabin, reserved for young families with infants and for wheelchair-bound passengers. That cabin, like the aft upper cabin, is a strictly non-smoking area.’’

After Ingrid had escorted back Queen Margaret and Peter Townsend to the terminal, Hazel Ying Lee, who had been her copilot for the trip to London, came to her, saluting Margaret before speaking to Ingrid.

‘’The refueling operation and post-flight maintenance inspection are completed, Ingrid. We can now fly out towards Bombay.’’

‘’Thank you, Hazel. Tell Kate and Suzanne that they will fly the leg to Bombay, as discussed before our departure from Los Angeles. Me and you will help take care of our passengers for a couple of hours, then will go rest. How many extra passengers do we now have aboard?’’

‘’Apart from Sir Miles and his wife, we now have a mix of 48 American and British passengers for our trip to Bombay and Sydney, most of them reporters and press photographers.’’

‘’Good! This trip should constitute an excellent publicity for our supersonic airliner. Well, let’s get this show on the road!’’

19:09 (California Time)

Friday, May 16, 1952 ‘C’

Hughes aircraft prototype center

Glendale Grand Central Airport, Los Angeles

The moment that Ingrid walked out of her PEGASUS and started coming down the mobile staircase which had been pushed against its size, little Hien started running towards her while shouting with joy.

‘’MOMMY! MOMMY!’’

Both of them fell into each other’s arms just as Ingrid touched the ground, with Ingrid happily kissing her adopted daughter on both cheeks.

‘’My sweet Hien! I missed you a lot during my trip.’’

‘’I also missed you a lot, Mommy. Did you have a nice trip?’’

‘’I did! It was also a very productive trip.’’

Hedy Lamarr, who had brought Hien to the prototype center for Ingrid’s arrival, then spoke up.

‘’It was a productive three days here as well, Ingrid. The White House called yesterday to place a firm order for three PEGASUS configured as presidential transport planes, to be delivered as quickly as possible. They would like to see you in Washington as soon as possible, so that you could discuss with White House staffers what they would like to have in that presidential configuration. By the way, your PEGASUS is also on top of the news lately...for various reasons. Most are praising you as an aircraft designer, while others insinuate that you are simply stealing ideas from the future.’’ That last sentence made Ingrid sigh in frustration.

‘’I suppose that I will always have critics and jealous types, whatever I do or achieve.’’

‘’That’s human nature for you, Ingrid.’’ replied Hedy in a sarcastic tone.