Christmas with Strangers

In this final segment of four, we find our muddy, disheveled, young and very pregnant couple on the porch of benevolent people. A day that started with potentially fatal results ended in the comfort of a warm home, celebrating Christmas with strangers. The same day when another couple, long ago, was also welcomed by strangers in Bethlehem.

The Crash Scene

In part three of, "Christmas Morning with Strangers," the author’s mother recalls they were proceeding at tree-top level after awhile and began noticing the ground getting very close. Then a terrible jolt. Although flying low and level, the terrain decided to go its own way and grab the main wheels. So the occupants found themselves upside down in a muddy field. No fire or explosion. The pilot was the worse of the three with cuts to his head. All were banged around pretty good but nothing life threatening.

A Foggy Start

Today’s drawing depicts a single engine plane of the late forties and its three passengers. The plane did not have an electric starter like today‘s private aircraft. One had to hand-prop the plane. It is the equivalent to popping the clutch on a manual transmission auto. Fortunately, for the husband doing this cranking, the engine started the first time.

Federal aviation regulations would indeed frown on this type of flying today. The author states that, aside from being very dumb to fly in these conditions, the pilot would lose his license. In this case, assuming he was spotted on a dense, foggy, Christmas morning, that is.

The flight went well. For awhile. The density of the fog varied until it got much worse.