whacked our esteemed instructor across the back of both hands.
Haha! While I was the student receiving flying boat training, I had just touched ever so nicely on the water, and was enjoying the satisfaction of continuing to control the aircraft, as a taildragger pilot might continue to "fly" the aircraft after touching down. My mentor instructor, a person of undeniable mastery of the aircraft had not touched a thing all flight. Indeed, he rather seemed a little bored with my performance.
As I gently decelerated the aircraft on the water, holding precisely the attitude I desired, he said to me: "Let go of the controls". I was not quite ready for this unexpected instruction (as it is totally counter to floatplane technique while on the water). So I delayed my compliance. Obviously ready for my delayed reaction, he slapped my hands off the control wheel at 60 knots, as he repeated "let go of the controls" again.
I complied. And, I learned, and retained. Flying boats
are different from floatplanes, and there I was slowing through 50 knots on the water, with
no one controlling the plane, to prove it!