Blubirds

June 1940. ROSE DUNNING is desperate to “do her bit”. She knows she can’t fight, but she can fly an aeroplane. Rose watches with frustration as her brother ALBERT becomes a Spitfire pilot and fights in the Battle of Britain. Rose volunteers for the WAAF, but she’d rather join the Air Transport Auxiliary: a pool of women pilots who fly combat aeroplanes from factories to the frontline. There’s just one problem – Rose doesn’t have enough flying experience to do the job. However, her brother’s death in action convinces her that she must never give up. Rose fights against appalling male prejudice, bureaucracy and her own fear of failure. She faces the dangers of flying blind and unarmed in hostile skies, often in damaged aircraft and tying to live through frightening Luftwaffe bombing raids and devastating V2 rocket attacks. The women pilots of the ATA get the worst flying jobs and little respect from their male counterparts but by sheer hard work and determined professionalism they prove their value. Their reward: to fly front line fighters like the Spitfire. Rose has come to rely on two people in her life: her best friend and fellow pilot GABBY and DOUG, her RAF fighter ace sweetheart who comes to her aid when her Spitfire is attacked by a German fighter. Doug is shot down over France and Rose does not know if he is alive or dead, but she must fly on regardless as the War in Europe moves into its final, frantic stages. Rose’s greatest fear is ending up totally alone and the death of Gabby in a pointless flying accident knocks Rose badly. Just when things could hardly get worse, Rose is informed that Doug will be executed by the Nazis as a “Terror Flyer”. Broken-hearted, Rose is pushed to the very edge. She runs away in a vain attempt to recapture the security of her pre-war life. Everything is brought into sharp focus when Rose is nearly killed in a V2 rocket strike. She must stop living in the past, stop worrying about the future and deal with the reality around her. Finally Rose gets news that Doug is still alive and a PoW in Colditz, but now under attack by the Americans. Rose won’t wait any longer – she must get to Doug. She steals a transport ‘plane and flies into the war zone to rescue her love. Almost shot down by American Mustangs, Rose lands and finds herself under arrest by US forces. Doug is now free and Rose is a prisoner. Neither knows the other is close by. Just when it seems the Americans are set to ship Rose off to prison a message comes through from a friend in RAF intelligence: Rose’s mission has Churchill’s personal approval and she is to be given every assistance in locating Doug. Rose’s little European adventure should land her in heaps of trouble – except she has given Churchill a marvellous idea. The ATA will now be employed transporting Allied PoWs back from Germany to England. Rose is considered a hero and given a reward – not only does she get her man, she also becomes the first woman in the world to fly a jet aeroplane: the Gloster Meteor.