Flora longs to fly 'like a bird', to escape from her humdrum life, to have adventures. But her future is mapped out for her. When she leaves school, she will go to work as a maid at the local Rectory. What else is there for a country girl in a small Norfolk village? When her parents' farm is sold, along with other farms in the area, speculation is rife. Will there be an aerodrome and will Flora get the chance to get close to her beloved aircraft? When the secret is revealed, Flora is disappointed that there will be no aeroplanes but is excited to see the strange airships being built. She is fascinated and takes every opportunity from her limited time off to haunt the air station. She meets Sam, an engineer working on the airships, and pesters him for information.When war is declared, the air station becomes operational, sending the airships out over the North Sea on coastal patrols and convoy duties. Flora seizes the opportunity to escape from the rectory and get a job at the air station. The work is hard but she is happy seeing more of Sam and learning about airships. But will she ever get the chance to fly? Excitement builds when at the end of the war plans are made for the first flight across the Atlantic to America. Greatly daring, Flora sneaks on board.1411
