The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-02-25
CHAPTER XII.

TOR a moment after the pilot
Il turns over the controls the plane
keeps on a straight course, then the
nose begins to lose its normal posi-
ton on the horizon, a wing dips
down and a blast of air rushes in
from one side of the cockpit.
Carefully learned instructions are
forgotten and the controls serve
only to move the earth still farther
from its proper position.
All this time the instructor
hands are gripping the top of the
cowling. The cadet realizes that
it is up to himself in some manner
to level the plane out into normal
flying position once more, not real
izing for an instant that his in
structor can operate the stick near
~ as we'll with his knee as with his
hand, and that he has probably al
ready saved the plane from falling
into a spin several times.
After splashing around the sky in
this manner for several minutes the
pilot brings his ship back into posi-
ton and pulling up into a stall with
& throttled motor, roarS back his IN
structions at a cadet who is much
more absorbed in watching the ap-
preaching ground below than in lis
tening to his instructor.
When forty-f1ve minutes have
passed, the ship is flown back and
landed near the stage house. where
the next cadet, with helmet and
goggles adjusted, is waiting for his
turn in the air.
The first climbs out and takes his
place on the bench surrounding the
base of the building and the plane
is off to repeat the performance
over again.
At the end OF ten hours. II the
cadet is not capable of soloing he is
in grave danger OF being washed out
as a flier.
However, If the instructor be-
lieves that a. little more time Will
be sufficient. and that the student
has shown signs Of eventually be-
coming a military pilot, the dual
instruction may be continued for
three or four more hours.
At Brooks when ell instructors
came to the conclusion that one OF
his students would never master the
art of flying quickly enough to keep
up with the standard of the class,
he turned the cadet over for check
hop with the stage commander, who
was always pilot Of long expe-
rience.
Few cadets ever passed this check;
if the stage commander believed
that any cadet had been misudged
however. he had authority to place
him back on the flying status for
further instruction.
If the commander concurred with
the decision of the instructor, he
recommended the cadet for a final
check on headquarters stage with
the chief check pilot.
The decision Of this officer was
final and to be returned to flying
after a fight with him was an oc-
currence seldom recorded in cadet
history.
After failing his final check flight
a cadet was ordered to appear be-
fore a board of officers known as
the "Benzine Board
If he was reporting for niscon-
duct or academic deficiency there
was still some slight hope Of beat
ing the board, but if it was for in
ability to fly, the decision of wash
out" was foregone conclusion.
The washing out for our class
commenced in earnest with the APP
proach Of solo flights and the re-
turns from our examinations.
I was fortunate enough to have
passed them and my previous flying
experience kept me from worrying
on any account during the first part
of our training.
There was no disgrace in wash
ing out. 1t simply meant in the
majority Of cases, that the cadet
was not especially adapted to fly