Then, all being ready, I motioned to Theed to let her go, and with a
deafening rush I shot forward, leaving behind a pungent blue trail from
the big exhaust.
I rose quickly and had begun the ascent, the engine running beautifully,
when of a sudden, before I was aware of it, something went wrong.
A sharp crack, a harsh tearing sound, and one of my wings collapsed.
Across the back I was struck a most violent blow just as she took a
nose-dive, and then, next instant, all knowledge of what had happened
became blotted out by a dark night of unconsciousness.