My husband often quotes flying adages at me, such as "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old-bold pilots." Another: "Any landing you can walk away from is a good one."
I recall a good one we made on New Year's Day in 1939. We were flying a brand new Cub back from the [Piper] factory [in Lock Haven, PA], and were hoping to make [the airport in] Marietta, OH our stop for the night. But a headwind slowed us down so much that it was getting dark and Marietta was still a way off. So we made an emergency landing on a farm atop a hill in New Matamoros, OH.
My husband made a couple of passes at the field, and on the third time, as we prepared to land, he became aware that the motor was idling too fast. The landing area was not too long, and dropped off on the sides, so space was precious.
As he slipped the plane down, he spoke loudly and calmly to me, and I'll never forget his words: he said, "Hang on, Honey, I think we're going to crash."
However, there was slight damage to the plane, and after a minor repair the next morning, we were able to fly on into Ashland. I regret that I cannot recall the name of the gracious family which put us up for the night and served one of the most delicious good old country breakfasts the next morning that I've ever had.
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