Walking on Air: The Aerial Adventures of Phoebe Omlie

Chapter 3

- 38 Chapter Three Phoebe had gone to Bettendorf hoping to convince the company to allow her to market the Monocoupe in Memphis. She got the franchise and a lot more. Phoebe became a consultant for the company and ultimately the plane’s “ambassadoress,” as she demonstrated the Monocoupe in a variety of activities over the next few years.1 Monocoupes had a “pixie-like” quality, described in ad copy as “pert . . . an airplane [with] wholesome charm . . . a jolly, friendly sort of airplane,” not unlike that of Phoebe herself.2 Although Phoebe was a highly skilled pilot with at least 1,000 hours of accumulated flight time in a host of different aircraft by the time she joined the company, she built her career with the company on proving that “the Monocoupe is made so well and is so easy to fly that a girl can pilot it.”3 In the summer of 1928, Phoebe, flying her black and orange Monocoupe 70, affectionately dubbed Chiggers, joined the fourth annual Ford Reliability Air Tour. Her “flivver” had just barely enough power to compete; rules indicated that entries must be capable of speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour.4 She was the only woman competitor in the race and she flew alone. Given the uncertain reliability of many of the planes and their engines, there was no question that mechanical problems would arise along the way. Indeed, the tour featured a litany of broken wing-bracing wires, punctured oil pans and fuel lines, overheated engines, and broken propellers. One participant, - 39 Walking on Air Dan Beard, in anticipation of difficulties, shipped eleven propellers around the country ahead of time.5 While many of her fellow competitors carried mechanics to help keep their planes flying, Phoebe resolutely declined. “Why would I need a mechanic? I have an aircraft mechanic’s license. Besides if I did take one, people would say he flew the ship over the worst parts. No, I’ll go it alone.”6 The 1928 National Air Tour was the third annual tour and the longest one yet: thirty-two cities in nineteen states and 6,304 miles over desert, plain, and mountain range. The circuit headed south out of Dearborn, to Indianapolis, St. Louis, Wichita, Tulsa, down into Texas, turning west at San Antonio, through New Mexico, Arizona, north at San Diego, up the west coast all the way to Tacoma, Washington, then headed east across Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and back to Dearborn.7 The circuit was demanding enough to test the planes and the pilots in every kind of condition. Though the planes departed at one-minute intervals, they soon dispersed across the sky and each was essentially alone. Navigation along the route was a challenge. Over familiar territory in nice weather, plotting a course was simple. Pilots used road maps and depended upon visual references like highways, rivers, and railroad tracks (sometimes referred to as the iron compass). Unfortunately, often several sets of railroad tracks radiate out from a town making it all too easy to choose the wrong set. This method (known as pilotage) has some obvious disadvantages in remote areas with few landmarks or in inclement weather when limited visibility could be disorienting. In the days before the widespread use of radio or other navigational aids, pilots used “dead reckoning,” an unfortunate term for mathematical calculations based on airspeed, compass heading, elapsed time, and distance, to plot their course to a destination. If the route was flown at the planned airspeed, when the elapsed time was up, the destination should be visible. Wind is the critical element in the calculation ; its speed and direction directly affect the aircraft and its progress over the ground. So if wind velocity and direction are unknown, the plane could be blown off course. Weather reporting was rudimentary at best along the route, so it was very easy to get lost, particularly in areas where landmarks were few.8 Takeoffs and landings were very demanding. Most airfields were called fields, and that is mostly what they were: a relatively level pasture with the grass cut to demark the “runway.” A windsock, a tube of bright-colored fabric at the top of a tall pole, indicated wind direction. Most had no facilities for fueling or servicing airplanes. Pilots and tour coordinators had to make - 40 Walking on Air prior arrangements...