So if you were attacked by an enemy fighter and whipped into a steep turn to evade a stream of cannon shells, you could count on not only instantly losing your AH but having to recover from an unusual attitude on Limited panel in IMC.
-- - - - "with nothing on the clock but the maker's name."
Fortunate enough to record and transcribe two who were on Cats in the RAAF. GP CPT Paul Metzler and FL LT Ron Roberts.
Paul's story of being shot down in the Bismarck Sea in January 1942, then spending the rest of the war, a POW in Japan, is rivetting. Ron took a while to warm up, but when he did he had a few very funny yarns about flying post war for Qantas based in Port Moresby. Had a chat with Clive Caldwell in his office in York Street Sydney. Did not have a tape, sadly.
Another was Joe Palmer who had a long civil and air force involvement. Got a bit of Joe on tape. He features in Ellison's FLYING MATILDA in the chapter Porcine Paraphrases. (Joe did anything to pile on the hours while instructing at No 9 EFTS. So Norm Ellison dubs him 'a flying hog'. And Jerry Pentland . ."this little piggy stayed at home . . " Jerry had a pet piglet that grew and grew, until one Christmas . . . .. )