The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-05-17
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CHAPTER XIII

CHAPTER XIII
When the solo flights were more
or less successfully completed the
flying instruction was divided into
TWO periods of forty-five minutes
each. One of these was used for
dual and the other for solo prac-
tice.
An instructor would attempt to
smooth out the rough points in his
students flying and demonstrate
the method of going through new
maneuvers so that the cadet could
be given the opportunity to go up
alone and try out the maneuvers
for himself.
One of the first lessons was the
"three sixty"-so named because
its completion required a total
change in direction of three hun
dred and sixty degrees. The cadet
would take off and climb to eight
hundred or thousand feet. The
higher he went the less difficulty
he had in properly completing the
maneuver. Then he would fly
into the wind directly over a land
ing "T' in the centre of the field.
As the plane passed over the "I
he throttled his motor and made
a quick bank either to the right or
left depending upon his prelimi-
nary instructions. The object was
to make a complete circle and land
without using the motor, bringing
the plane to stop beside the CT"
zone eightys" were the next re-
quirement and they were probably
the cause of more crashes than
any other maneuver. They were
started in the same manner as the
''three sixty" but with the plane
heading down wind and at only
five hundred feet altitude. They
required quick manipulation of
controls and a steep bank into the
field just before landing.
Next came acrobatics. Loops,
spins, barrel rolls, Jenny Immel-
mans, figure-eights, wing overs,
and reversements, every one OF
which each cadet had to master
thoroughly during his course at
Brooks.
After the first few weeks had
passed we became more or less ac-
customed to life in the cadet de-
tachment, and found a little time
now and then to look around the
country and even spend night in
San Antonio. Our examinations
were purposely given on Saturday
morning so that we would not
spend the week end studying. 1t
was well known that too much
studying affected a cadets flying
and the school schedule was ar
ranged with that in mind.
Our day began with first call at
five forty-five and flying started
about seven. AT eleven we re-
turned to the barracks and from
one to five o'clock was devoted to
ground school. After supper we
could study until bed check at
ten o'clock. Plenty of sleep is a
necessity for the student pilot and
that fact is recognized nowhere
more than in the army schools.
Every week night at 10 o'clock the
cadet officer of the day checks
each bunk and turns in the names
of any vacant ones.
Some of our acadamic subjects,
such as aerodynamics and machine
guns, required nearly all of our
time after school because of APP
preaching examinations, whereas
others were comparatively easy
and the classroom instruction was
sufficient in itself. When we were
not studying there were always
plenty of Their things to attract
our attention. If one of the boys
left the post, as sometimes hap
pened, he often returned to find
his belongings heaped together in
the middle of the floor with the
army cots piled on top. Several
times some cadets returned at mid
night to find his equipment care
fully transferred and set up on the
roof or in the mess-hall. Another
one of the favorite sports was to
put a hose in the bed of a sound
sleeper at 2 a. M, or, if he slept
with his mouth open, to fill it from
a tube of shaving cream or hair
grease.
One of the fellows found "a scor-
pion in his bed and each night for
a week thereafter looked through
the bedding for another, but final
ly became careless and forgot to