Wings of Duty

Wings of Duty — Page 58

Syed Muhammad Ahmad 58 was destroyed. Thankfully the pilot suffered only minor injuries, but the plane was a total write-off. The Fox Moth had a passenger cabin immediately behind the engine. One of the seats had its back to the engine meaning that it faced the tail. Opposite to it was a slightly longer seat where two passengers could sit facing the front of the plane. Behind the passenger cabin was the pilot’s cockpit, which had a sliding top. There was a small round window between the cockpit and the passenger cabin and the pilot and passengers could communicate by signals or by passing notes. Like the L-5, the Fox Moth’s average flying speed was slightly over 125 miles per hour. However the L-5 was a monoplane while the Fox Moth was a biplane. The L-5’s engine was quite powerful given the plane’s size and weight. The Fox Moth was slightly underpowered. The community had two airplanes once again. For a few months the needs of the community and the Kashmir War kept us heavily engaged. However, with time, communications in Pakistan started to improve and the need for these airplanes began to diminish. I remember when Huzoor went to Rabwah for its inauguration in June 1948. Two days earlier, I had flown to Rabwah in the Fox Moth and landed in the