Evening star., 1942-01-25
Bv Ben H. PearSe.

The first Royal Air Force cadets,
who arrived here seven months ago as
quests" of their Army Air Force
cousins" will soon be starting the long
voyage back to the front for a long
awaited go at Jerry.
For some the front will be home, Eng
land. For others, the Near East, Libya.
Doubtless some may find the front" in
the Far East, Malaga or the East Indies.
For wherever there is a front, r. A. F.
flyers will be needed to give battle to
satellites.
When they arrived last June,
pamphlet prepared by a thoughtful
Air Ministry reminded them they were
quests" in q land still divided on the
war question. They were advised to
think Of Americans as distant cous-
ins" whom they did not know well but
would like to know better. Since then
tho conflict has spread to the remotest
corner Of the globe. First Russia, then
the United States was drawn In. Tho
cousins who came - guests depart as
brothers-in-arms.
They came because there simply was
not enough room in England to train
them. Then, too, the weather and con-
slant bombing attacks cut down flying
time. And so, after few weeks Of
ground school training, they were packed
off to Montreal and there assigned to
various civilian and Army flying schools
throughout the South, where they en-
countered such Americana as water
melons, hot dogs and soda pop and
wrestled with the puzzling American
accent of which the Air Ministry PAM
phlet had made no mention.
With commendable foresight and an
eye to morale, their Army hosts did
everything possible to make them feel
at home. They were permitted to retain
the long, easy stride, the shoulder-high
swing of the arms characteristic of the
British Tommy on the march. Regula-
tions were abridged to permit mus
taches. British cooking and food, games
and even phonograph records were i'm
ported to simulate the home atmosphere.
But the whole illusion, so carefully fos-
tered, was dispelled all at once by the
size of their first serving of butter. Back
home, butter was measured by the ounce.
Here there was all one wanted for the
asking. Home wasn't like this.
After a while they got used to the
abundance of butter and eggs, fresh
fruits and vegetables. They learned by
sometimes painful experience how many
bottles of soda pop could safely be abb
sorbed by the human system under the
hot midsummer sun. They learned to
call petrol gasoline, and finally, to get
the hang of the American accent that
made familiar words sound so strange.
1t was well they did, because they were
soon up to their collective necks in one
Of the most intensive training courses
ever designed by the Army.
The new environment had its effect at
first The British cadets took from two
to four hours longer to solo than the
American student flyers. They lacked
a certain mechanical facility that was
almost second nature to the American
cadets. Perhaps 1t was because 80 per
cent Of the British trainees had never
driven car. They did not have the
same sense Of mastery Of the machine
that makes for self-conf1dence Once
1t had been acquired during their initial
training period, however, they progressed
rapidly. Their records for the primary
and advanced flying training show little
If any difference from those Of their
American "hosts."
AS a group, they were both younger
and older than our Army and Navy
student pilots, ranging in age from 18
to 80. But for all the disparity in ages,
in the walks Of life from which they came
and the schooling they had received,