The tales of our adventures and misadventures were related in our luxurious lounge over the ubiquitous cokes. All flying schools in the US were dry but that didn't seem to bother us as there were very few drinkers amongst us. We would just gather in the lounge and chatter after we had completed the homework from the extremely thorough ground course that we were given every afternoon after the morning's flying.
As our confidence grew and we became more proficient we were introduced to the thrill of aerobatics. Loops, Lazy eights, Immelmanns ( a half roll at the top of a loop to bring the aircraft flying straight in the opposite direction to the commencement of the loop) and the dreaded spins, which I hated although I was quite competent in all the required skills. Even in those early days I had the feeling that I would like to fly big aeroplanes with lots and lots of engines.
One of our chaps, Ted Headington, later, tragically killed at Advanced Flying school,was sent for his first solo and his Instructor, as was the custom , was standing in the centre of the field, watching his pupil. As Ted was approaching, he encountered a strong thermal current which turned him on his back at about five hundred feet. Ted continued the "roll" and made a perfect landing to find his Instructor apoplectic with rage at Ted's disregard for safety and performing aerobatics at a very low altitiude and gave him enough "gigs" to keep him at Darr for the rest of his time there.
Like all American Colleges, Darr Aero Tech. encouraged their pupils to produce a Class Magazine. Ours was called "PEE TEE" and a position on it's editorial staff carried the privilege of being allowed into Albany, occasionally, to liaise with the printers and to solicit advertising from the only too willing shopkeepers etc. who loaded us with samples of their goods including a very nice record player. I was already a very keen writer and photographer and I was appointed one of the Editors. The magazine boasted the usual glamour photograph of each course member with a brief biography which makes interesting and, sometimes, embarrassing reading today. I still have the original copy of the magazine which I sent home to England and, despite the war ,arrived safely together with it's 1941 postmark and 6 cents postage stamp!
The photographs were reminiscent of the Hollywood films of that era. Cloth flying helmets with goggles worn on the forehead (Only when you had soloed ) and skilfully retouched. Not that we had many wrinkles at that age.
Our sorties into Albany always took us to the only Hotel, The Gordon,
which had a downstairs lounge with a bar and small dance floor. We called it the Clubroom. Mint Juleps were the fashionable drink but some of us, a very few, as we were not heavy drinkers were introduced to the notorious
Zombie....only one to a customer. For your interest I append the recipe at the end of this article. Coke was the favourite drink although we had never tasted one before going to a few miles from where it was invented.
There was a piano and one of our cadets, Cockney Joe Payne ,constantly amazed us all and the very admiring Americans around with his tremendous , professional rendering of "Honky Tonk Train Blues."
The Drug Store on the corner was another American institution that we grew to love and Lee's was our favourite. The pretty daughter of the Lee family that owned the store was the main attraction but she broke our hearts by marrying our popular Aerodynamics Instructor "CsubL" Clark, so called for his love of the phrase when trying to explain to us the equation for the co-efficient of lift. We were introduced to Banana Splits, the like of which I have never tasted since, and in the little restaurant next door we were served "Sizzling T-Bone Steaks" that really did sizzle as they were served on an iron platter at the special price of $2 to British Cadets. $2.50 to everyone else.
Radium Springs, nearby was our favourite swimming and dating place with it's weekly "Georgia Peach" Competition. It was also noted for the iciest water that I have ever encountered including Alaska.
We were by now, Upperclassmen ourselves to the new all British class of 42B, but we were not able to bring ourselves to treat them as we had been treated by the Americans and after a few half hearted ( and derisively greeted) efforts we gave up and settled down to completing our Primary training and proceeding to the next six weeks of... Basic.
Recipe for Zombie Cocktail; 1oz. Heavy Rum, 2oz.Puerto Rican or Cuban Rum,1oz. White rum, 2tsp Apricot Brandy, 3/4oz.Pineapple juice,
3/4oz.Papaya juice, juice of 1 lime and some fine sugar. Shake well in cracked ice, pour into tall glass, float a dash of heavy rum on top. On a toothpick ,spike 1 green cherry, piece pineapple, 1 red cherry. Decorate with sprig of mint, sprinkle with fine sugar... Be ready to catch recipient.