Dead at the Take-Off — Lester Dent

Chance Molloy pursues a crooked senator's daughter aboard an airplane, but their flight is turbulent in more ways than one

In the 1940s, air travel is still in its infancy. Seats turn into private sleepers, passengers smoke in flight, and it's no sweat to carry weapons aboard. Chance Molloy, a self-made airline owner, is dealt a blow when his plans to establish a passenger airline in South America are thwarted by a corrupt US senator. At the news, Molloy's brother, a partner in the venture, kills himself. Seeking some kind of justice, Molloy boards Flight 14 from New York to New Mexico with one goal in mind: to get acquainted with the senator's daughter, Janet Lord, a passenger on the plane. But her charms are greater than he anticipates, and Molloy's simple plan quickly becomes complicated.

Also on board are three of the senator's henchmen, a corpse disguised as a passenger, and Molloy's stewardess ex-girlfriend. Soon Molloy realizes that this flight will reach a destination he hadn't anticipated.