The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1945-01-11


delles and Lazy 8's-spins and stalls
shot a few landings. Then, as we
put the ship down on Randolph
Field. he TAXED to the exact spot
had left him the day before. Look
ing back at me he said sweetly:
"Scott, you were kinda inaccurate
in your landings yesterday. You get
out and watch me. I'll show you
what I wanted"
Getting out with a puzzled express
sion, stood aside. First he pointed
the tail at me and ran the ship up
full gun, blowing Texas dust all over
me. Then he took off and came
around to land. Three times he did
this, each time making me run like
hell to get out of the way. Just as
I was completely out of breath he
landed, looked back at me, and be-
gan to taxy in to the hangars-leav-
ing me to the long, hot walk across
Randolph Field with the parachute.
I shall never forget the smile he
wore as trudged in past him where
he sat smoking a cigar. His look
spoke volumes, though he said moth
ing. I felt good, too, and happy.
He could have used no better meth
cd to make me relax, to make me
feel as though ! had actually Joined
the brotherhood of Air Corps pilots.
Next day ! soloed again, but def
nitely remembered to taxy over and
take him back to the line with me.
During my flying training, / had
girl trouble, too. You would no
doubt call it trouble" but / knew it
was the real thing. had a Chevro-
let then, and every weekend / Just
had to see my girl, even if she did
live over thirteen hundred miles
away in Georgia. To get to see her,
! would drive that thirteen-hundred-
odd miles to her college or her
home in Fort Valley, spend any
where from ten minutes to two hours
with her, then jump back in the
car and drive madly for Texas and
the Monday morning flying period.
/ always had to delay my start
until after Saturday morning inspec-
ton. That meant that I had to av-
erage just about fifty-four miles an
hour, even counting the time I saw
the girl, in the forty-seven hours
that ! had from after inspection on
Saturday to flying time at eight
o'clock Monday morningsl
Weekend after weekend | drove
madly across the South from the
middle of Texas to the middle of
Georgia. On one of these cross-coun-
try dashes, I weakened and was
fool enough to ask the Commandant
of Student Officers if / could go to
Atlanta. I can still see and hear
Capt. Aubrey Strickland saying, "At-
lanta what?" And me meekly re-
plying, Atlanta, Georgia, Sir" He
just said, Hell, no." and I turned
and walked from his office with the
good intention of obeying the order.
But within the hour I had weak
ened. | filed my rumble-seat tank,
which held fifty-fve gallons of fuel,
and was off to see her for the short
time available. (Yes, she was, and
still is some girl.) On the return
trip | burned out two bearings near
Patterson, Louisiana. Jimmy We
dell, one of the well-known speed
flyers, helped me to get it fixed after
/ explained the predicament I was
in. But even with FIVE of us work.
ing on the number one and number
six bearings of the Chevy, I was
twelve hours late getting back to
Randolph Field.
AS | walked into the bachelor Off
GERS quarters that I shared with
Bob Terrill, I expected any minute
to hear the sad news. But I was
too afraid to ask for details, SO
just waited for Bob to say, "You are
to report to the General tomorrow
for court martial for A.w.O.L. in
violation of specific instructions.
Finally he put down his letter writ
ing, looked at me almost in dis
gust, and broke out:
Scott, you are the damned luck
lest man that ever lived! You didn't
get reported today. MOI This is the
first time in the history of Randolph
Field that it's been too cold to fly.
And it wasn't only too cold to fly,
1t was too cold to have ground
school, because the heating system
had failed. We haven't flown today.
we haven't been to ground school.
So they don't even know that you've
been over there to see that girl"
In all of these trips to see my
girl over in Georgia, l drove 1000
miles. I wore out two cars-and
you'll probably agree that her fa-
ther had full right to say to her:
why don't you go on and marry
him? Itn be far cheaper than his
driving over here every weekend"
But found that ! still had some
talking to do.
When had finished Primary and
Basic training at Randolph, I al
most let down my hair and wept,
though, on the day that Comman-
dant of Student Officers called over
and said that now I could have
permission to 60 to Georgia, to see
my girl. | thanked him and went,
but ! OF course didn't have the heart
to tell him that I had been heel
enough to go many times before,
in secret.
Well, when graduation came at
Kelly and / had those wings pinned
on my chest, / had the wonderful
feeling that I had gone a little way
towards the goal I wanted. I was
at last an Army pilot. Never did
the world seem SO good. And then
out OF clear sky came orders for