Ormeside, many thanks for the stats. The words deep-end and thrown-in come to mind! The dual and solo landings were, I assume, following being towed airborne. Or were they? The cost and complication of such an arrangement makes me wonder if a mega-winch launch, a la Air Cadets gliders, could have substituted for the Dak etc. No doubt a gauche and laughable suggestion, but it just goes to prove my ignorance in these matters.
The Hastings I think was designed in part as a Glider Tug, the release eye being stowed in the rear lamp cluster, or so I was told. It was certainly required by the Army to be a tail wheel aircraft, in contrast to its civilian sister, the Hermes, perhaps for that reason and also because that gave the clearance between the main wheels to hang a beam from which in turn could be hung a 25pdr(?) gun and jeep to tow it. The load was released, and hence the parachute deployed, by means of a lavatory chain affair above the co-pilot position. He hung onto this chain on every take off in this role, and if so much as a cough was heard on i/c he evidently quickly pulled it, because an engine failure below Safety Speed was very bad news anyway but in this config would have been certain death.
In commemoration of D-Day, Avialogs have an Air Assault package designed for you personally, Ormeside:-
Latest documents published | Avialogs
Simply click on the appropriate link and the Horsa Pilots Notes etc will be revealed, to scroll through as required (only subscribers though can download them).
Danny, the human brain is complex and unpredictable. However, I am long since resigned to being a '20 minuter', ie when trying to remember the name of someone who crops up in conversation the trick is to give up trying to do so and 20 minutes later (give or take) it suddenly comes to mind. In that respect alone it can be both annoying and predictable!
PS, After a brief Google, this should show the latest satellite image of Carlstrom, with a brief history of the site since your time. I believe that the juvenile correctional facility has now closed as well:-
http://wikimapia.org/1620714/Desoto-...tional-Complex
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=27...rmpoly=1620714