| November
1943 – The big day is now at hand! Off to Helena, Arkansas to
actually begin our flying. We were there in wintertime flying the Ryan PT-23
open-cockpit plane but who's cold – We’re actually flying!! The
excitement of actually soloing is one of the thrills of a lifetime. The whoops
and hollers in the air could have been heard back in Commerce, Texas. We had
civilian instructors who were dearly loved and respected. They were demanding,
but fair and on my final flight my instructor not only buzzed the ground, but
also “kissed” the Mississippi River with his wheels in flight.
Stupid? – Yes. Exciting? – Beyond belief. |
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| February
1944 – Off to basic training at Greenville, Mississippi in the
BT-13 “Vultee Vibrator”. What a thrill to have that 450 horsepower at
your fingertips. Imagine the difference between a moped and a Harley. We
ordered and received our officer’s uniforms in preparation for graduation
after one more phase of training. We’re now doing cross-country and
nighttime flying. We are asked to choose between fighters and bombers for our
final phase of training. I requested fighters!! |
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| April 1944
– Off to advanced school, the last phase of training before obtaining
those cherished silver wings. Lawrenceville, Illinois is the place and the
plane is the Beechcraft AT-10 twin-engine BOMBER trainer. Yes, I requested
fighters, but Uncle Sam needs more bomber pilots so previous requests were
ignored in the typical army fashion. The twin-engine trainer is dramatically
different from the single-engine planes, but we are required to adapt as
necessary. This capability of adapting comes in mighty handy later on. We spend
much of our time just dreaming of the magic day only a few weeks ahead of us.
We are not told until a week before graduating whether we made it or washed
out. Extremely stressful times. |
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