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say I’ve heard of any. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any. I have a feeling that if you want to learn badly enough, you’ll somehow find a way. I did even though my father tried every way he could to stop me. He owns a factory that makes coffins. He thinks I should, in his words, ‘make the damn things, not fly one.’ Every flying school in Detroit owes money to one bank or another. Dad happens to be on the board of the largest bank in the city. He and friends at the other banks made it clear to the established flying schools that they were not to teach me if they wanted to keep a line of credit. Airplanes are expensive. None of the schools would even talk to me. I did just what you did today. I came out to the country and found Percy. He didn’t owe any bank because no bank would lend him money on that old wreck of his. I had a little money my grandfather left me so he taught me to fly.”
    â€œTrouble for you is Percy is leaving. The Jenny is outdated. Rumor has it that new government regulations are going to bar Jennies from any commercial use. They say the old Jenny won’t pass the new government design and licensing criteria. All the schools are getting newer planes. Percy can’t compete and he’s broke. He’s taken a job flying the mail out of New York. I think he’s crazy. About twenty mail pilots were killed this past winter. Percy says he has to do that or give up flying and get a real job. I don’t know what to tell you.”
    â€œWell, what about you? I can pay you. Would you teach me?”
    â€œMe? I’m afraid I can’t do that, John.”
    â€œSure. I understand. Wouldn’t look good to your flying buddies and society friends.” Johnny turned to open the door of his car.
    â€œNow you hold on. If you’re thinking I’m handing you the nigger boy bit, you’re out of line. I’ll tell you something else. If every time you don’t get the chance to do something, you think it’s because you’re colored, you’re going to wind up using that as a crutch not to try. Sure, some people won’t give you a chance, but some will. You’ll just have to find them. As for me, there are two reasons I can’t teach you. One, I don’t have an instructor’s ticket. Even if I could give you flying lessons, they wouldn’t mean anything to the government and they wouldn’t give you a license. Two, my WACO and I are leaving for Texas. I’ve got a job with a college buddy who’s drilling for oil down there. That sounds better to me than making coffins. I think you owe me an apology, John. I’m the one that just took you flying, remember?”
    Chastised, Johnny said, “I’m sorry. It’s just that I been dreaming ’bout flying since I was a kid. I heard plenty of those ‘Willie, get away from that wheelbarrow, you don’t know nothing ’bout machinery” kind of jokes when I first started work as a mechanic. I took it cause I had to if I wanted to work. I guess I proved them wrong. I got white folks come to me now. I just don’t like facing the fact that I gotta go through all that again with airplanes. I gotta fly. I’ll do anything. I’ll knock on hangar doors till my fists bleed.”
    â€œLook,” Robert said. “You got a good paying job in Detroit. Do you think you could get one in Chicago?”
    â€œMaybe. There are plenty automobiles there need fixing, I reckon. But why? Things are going good for me here.”
    â€œI was just thinking along your line, John. If you’re going to get turned down by a lot of flying schools, you might as well start with one of the best. That’s the Curtiss-Wright School of Aeronautics in Chicago. I think they teach aviation mechanics there, too. Maybe you could work days and go to their night ground school. There’s a lot to learn before you ever get in an airplane. If you can get