Ruth Darrow in the Air Derby
Subtitle: or, Recovering the Silver Trophy
By: by Mildred A. Wirt; illustrated by John M. Foster.
Contributors: John M. Foster (Illustrator)
Edition: [1st edition]
Series: Ruth Darrow Flying Stories #1
Publisher: Barse & Co.
Published: 1930
Place of publication: New York, NY; Newark, NJ
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 215
Subjects: Darrow, Ruth (Fictitious character) -- Juvenile fiction.; Women air pilots -- Fiction.; Mystery and detective stories.
Genres: Juvenile mystery fiction
Description: Ruth Darrow shares her father's interest in planes, and her dream is to become a pilot.  Ruth and her friend, Jean Harrington, take flying lessons from handsome Sandy Marland.  Both girls obtain their transport pilot licenses after finishing the required 200 hours of solo flight.  Colonel Darrow surprises Ruth with a new monoplane, The Silver Moth on her birthday.

Colonel Darrow plans an air derby for women, in hopes of interesting women in aviation.  Colonel Darrow offers his valuable silver trophy as the grand prize in the air derby.  Ruth wants to keep the trophy in the family, and so plans to enter and win the air derby in order to achieve that purpose.  After Colonel Darrow has the trophy taken to a silversmith for adjustments, it disappears!  Colonel Darrow is heartsick and will suffer much embarrassment if the trophy is not recovered.

Ruth suspects Geoffry Hornswell, a man with a grudge against Colonel Darrow, of stealing the trophy.  Matters worsen when Ruth's plane is damaged and may not be able to fly in the air derby.  Sandy races against the clock to repair the plane while Ruth plans how to recover the trophy.  Against all odds, both Sandy and Ruth achieve their goals, and the air derby is destined to be successful after all.
Events take a horrifying turn after Sandy Marland is accused of being in league with the timber thieves by another member of the patrol.  Ruth and Jean work with Colonel Darrow and Sandy to prove Sandy's innocence.  The shrewdness of the timber thieves is matched only by Sandy's determination to clear his name, and with the help of Ruth and Jean, Sandy is ultimately victorious.