02221cam a22003373u 4500 76617 UtSlPG 20260610134755.0 m cr n 260607r20251929utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PS March, Ivan Too old to fly Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2025 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Produced from The Popular Magazine, November 7, 1929. Release date is 2025-08-02 Roger Frank and Sue Clark Too old to fly by Ivan March is a pulp war aviation short story written in the late 1920s. It centers on an aging Marine machine gunner who yearns to fly and ultimately proves himself in World War I aerial combat. Sergeant Horatio “Dad” Galladay, a battle-worn Marine and master machine gunner, is sidelined to teach recruits but longs to get airborne. He persuades ace pilot Buck Weaver to take him on a brief hop over the lines, despite the worries of Buck’s sweetheart, Ruth Childers. Over Nieuport they are ambushed by Fokkers; Galladay freezes at first, then rallies as Weaver is badly wounded, cutting down three enemy planes with the rear Lewis guns. When Weaver passes out and the De Havilland falls into a spin, Galladay snaps in the rear controls, steadies the shredded aircraft, and brings it back over Allied lines. In the hospital afterward, Weaver survives and he and Ruth become fully engaged, while Galladay—himself wounded—faces acclaim for his valor. The tale closes with the old sergeant’s fierce, boyish joy at finally flying and his eagerness to return to the fight. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Originally published: New York, NY: Street & Smith Corporation, 1929 Short stories World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations, American -- Fiction Produced from The Popular Magazine, November 7, 1929. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76617 117342 117342