The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-05-17
An Epic..of..the-Air
-By
Col. Char les
Lindbergh
Copyrighted
Copyrighted

iOOk. Ills uCdICoG hCiShUoA ~
ly placed a number of grasshop-
pers between the sheets near the
foot of the bed.
Another evening it was reported
that three pole-cats had crawled
into a culvert in front of the bar
racks. For an hour we attempted
to smoke them out. When that
failed the fire department. was
called and we washed them out.
The smoke had evidently taken eff
feet, however and soon three dead
pole-cats came floating out from
the culvert. The next problem
was how to make use of such pos
sibilities. That question was
worthy of most careful considera-
ton. After a survey of the bar
racks we found that our cadet first
sergeant was in San Antonio.
There was scarcely one of US who
did not have some small sore to
settle with him so we took one of
the pillows from his bel and afrer
removing the pillow case. placed
it behind one Of the pole-cats. The
desired results were then obtained
by stepping on the back end of the
cat, and after cautiously inserting
the pillow back in it's case, we re-
placed it on the first sergeant's
bunk. The results were far above
expectation.
One by one the occupants # thai
bay arose and carried their cots
outside, until by midnight, when
our sergeant returned, there were
only a half dozen hunks left, in
GLIDING his own. By that time the
oior had permeated through the
other bedding, and he was unable
to locate the pillow as being the
primary cause of offense. Any
night for nearly two weeks there
after our first sergeant and his cot
might he located out behind the
barracks, and the inspection of
quarters, which was to have been
held the following morning, was
postponed indefinitely.
During our last weeks at Brooks
life became much less difficult.
Most of us who had survived the
check pilots and "Benzine Board"
were reasonably sure of gradual
ing, and, although our studies were
Just as exacting as ever, we were
able to absorb them much more
easily. Also, we had passed our
primary flying tests and were
making cross-country flights in
T. w. 3's, and learning formation
flying in Voughts. And, finally,
we were given a few hours in De
Havilands in preparation for the
advanced training at Kelly.
We were paired up for the cross
country flights. One of US flew on
the way out, while the second
acted as observer. On the return
flight we traded about, so that
each achieved an equal amount of
experience, both as an observer
and as a pilot. These trips were
usually laid out in a triangular
course, and included landing at
each corner of the triangle.
While on one of our first trips
from the home airdrome, we land
ed in the designated field alongside
of a road just as a load of water
MELONS was passing by, so we car
ried several of them back to the
Detachment in our plane.
Always there was some new ex-
perience, always something inter-
esting going on to make the time
spent in Brooks and Kelly one Of
the banner years in a pilots :lfe.
The training is rigid ana diffic lls,
but there is none better. A cadet
must be willing to forget all other
interest in life wnen h enters the
Texas flying scho DIS, and he rust
enter with the intention OF devct-