In mid-air by R. J. McSwiney
QR code
In mid-air by R. J. McSwiney is a wartime aviation short story written in the early 20th century. It centers on a bomber pilot in World War I whose mission goes awry when his armed bomb fails to release properly, forcing him to choose between certain death and a final act of purposeful sacrifice. During a raid, pilot Charley Reid’s single heavy bomb detaches at the nose but stays hooked at the
rear, hanging vertically and armed, battering his old biplane and making landing impossible. After futile attempts to shake it free and a fruitless exchange of messages with his airfield, he resolves to die usefully by crashing into a German headquarters chateau. Diving toward the target, the swinging bomb catches on roadside telephone wires, is torn off the hook, and slams into the chateau’s facade, detonating as Reid’s jolted plane clears the roof. He dodges ground fire, recrosses the lines, and lands, where mechanics lift his limp body from the cockpit, a peaceful smile on his face—his peril turned into an unintended but decisive strike. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Download for free
For your e-reader or reading app — Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Calibre etc.
Kindle → Use Send-to-Kindle
Kobo, Nook etc → Transfer via USB
Phone, tablet or computer → Open in a reading app
Other formats & older devices
There may be more files related to this item.
About this eBook
| Author | McSwiney, R. J. |
|---|---|
| Title | In mid-air |
| Original Publication | New York: Street & Smith Corporation, 1929. |
| Series Title | Produced from the Second January number, 1930, of The Popular Magazine. |
| Credits | Roger Frank and Sue Clark |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PR: Language and Literatures: English literature |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Air pilots, Military -- Fiction |
| Subject | World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 77176 |
| Release Date | Nov 4, 2025 |
| Last Update | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 178 downloads in the last 30 days. |
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!