Above the Line - Raoul Whitfield

Raoul Whitfield's short story "Above the Line" appeared in the November 1928 issue of AIR TRAILS, only the second issue of that aviation pulp. It features pilot Buck Kent and is probably the second of approximately 20 stories about Buck. There's a Whitfield story in the first issue of AIR TRAILS and I suspect it's the one that introduced the character. In this one, Buck is flying to meet a friend at an isolated cabin on the border between California and Mexico (or possibly Arizona and Mexico; Whitfield is a little vague about that). Instead, he runs into a dangerous mystery involving gangsters and stolen loot.

I read this story on a whim. I was kind of in the mood for an aviation yarn, and I've really enjoyed everything I've read by Whitfield, so I gave it a try and I'm glad I did. There's plenty of violent, well-written action both in the air and on the ground. I had a very good time reading it, and if you're a Whitfield fan, it's worth checking out. You can read it, and a bunch of other pulp aviation stories, on the Age of Aces website, which gets a high recommendation from me.