O.K back to flying then, but no need to apologies Mr exscribbler, " I'm easy " Think it was all relevant . All comments , corrections, welcome. Any thing our nice Mr Moderator accepts is O.K by me, and it makes me think I am talking to some one.
One CYNICALINT sent me a pprune email attaching the above contribution, and I asked him if he would post it to this blog. He has done, and it appears above. So thanks very much, cynicalint, much appreciated, all contributions help, yours particularly.
It seems that at times they had a surplus of pilots at Harrogate, and tried to reduce the number by forcing them to convert to gliders. If you ever get to the end of this blog, you will find out what happened to me at Harrogate. I think that when we started our training the ratio of pilots to crew was smaller. Probably more Wimpeys. Sterlings, Beaufighters, than Lancasters and Halifaxes with seven man crews.
On our second week we received flying instruction on all the previous exercises. plus instrument flying, taking off into wind, circuits, approach and landing into wind, timed medium level turns, taking off out of wind, landing out of wind, and over shoot procedure. A total of about 7hours flying. This included my first solo on the P.T 17, after nine hours dual. I also had to sign my log book to confirm I had been instructed in "action in the event of fire" and abandoning an aircraft", which was also signed by my flight instructor. I received two hours on the link trainer. We had the usual subjects in the classroom, plus memorizing about twenty ground signals composed of flags, ground markers, and the thirty m.p.h windsock.
At about this time , an Australian cadet, who appeared to be the fittest bloke in our flight, he was more than six foot in height and weighed over twelve stones, started to loose weight rapidly. The M.O attributed it to nervous tension or something similar. He did his best to build up his weight , but in the end he was unsuccessful and had to eliminate him.
Just wondering if our weekends in Ponca , our hitchhiking, being invited to a Ponca Indian powwow , etc are suitable items for this blog. ?????? Or will you insist I keep flying.???
If it moves salute it, if it doesn't paint it.