TEARS AND ACROBATICS“Go around and try it again,” I shouted.“Yes, sir,” the cadet in the rear cockpit behind me shouted back.I felt the throttle under my left hand go all the way forward with a jerk. I pulled it back.“Open that throttle slower and smoother,” I shouted back. I didn’t look round. I just turned my head to the left and put my open right hand up to the right side of my mouth. That threw my voice back.“Yes, sir,” came the cadet’s voice from the rear cockpit.I felt the throttle under my left hand move forward slowly, smoothly. The engine noise rose louder. The ship rocked and bumped slowly forward over the rough ground. The tail of the ship came up, and the nose went down. The nose of the ship veered to the left. I wanted to kick right rudder to bring the nose back. I just sat there. The nose swung back straight and then veered badly to the right. I wanted to kick left rudder and bring the nose back. I didn’t move. The nose stopped veering. We were going pretty fast. We bumped the ground once more and bounced into the air. We stayed there. I took my nose between my left thumb and forefinger and turned my head to the left so the cadet behind me could see my profile.The ship banked to the left. I felt a blast of air strong on the right side of my face and felt myself being pushed to the right side of my cockpit. We were skidding. I wanted to ease a little right rudder on and stop the skid. Instead, I patted the right side of my face several times with my right hand so the cadet could see it. I felt the rudder pedal under my right foot jerk forward. We stopped skidding. The ship straightened out of the bank and flew straight and level for a little way. It made another left-hand bank, leveled out again, and flew straight again for a little way. It did it again. I felt the throttle under my left hand come all the way back. The engine noise quieted down, and the engine exhaust popped a few times. The ship nosed down into a glide. It made another left turn in the glide and then straightened out. We were gliding toward the little field we had just taken off from. It was a little field near Brooks that the Army Primary Flying School used as a practice field.“That was lousy,” I shouted back. “You jerked your throttle open. You veered across the field on your take-off like a drunken man. Are you too weak to kick rudder? You skidded on your turns. You landed cross-wind. Go around and try it again. See if you can do something right this time.” It was about the twentieth speech like that I had shouted back to the cadet that morning.I felt the throttle under my left hand jerk forward. I pulled it back.“Damn it, open that throttle slower and——”A voice from the rear cockpit broke in on me:“I hope you never get anyone else as dumb as I am, Lieutenant.”The voice was choked. The kid was crying.“Hey, listen here,” I said, “I give you a lot of hell because I’m as anxious for you to get this stuff as you are to get it. I wouldn’t even give you hell if I thought you were hopeless. Sit back and relax and forget it a while now. You’ll do better tomorrow.”The cadet started to open his mouth. I turned hastily around and sat down in my cockpit and opened the throttle wide open. The engine roared. I didn’t hear what the cadet said.I took off in a sharp climbing turn. I dove low at the ground, flew under some high-tension wires. I pulled up and dove low at a cow in a pasture. The cow jumped very amusingly. I pulled up and did a loop. I came out of the loop very close to the ground. It was all against army orders. It was all fun. I pulled back up to a respectable altitude and flew sedately over Brooks Field. I cut the gun to land. I looked back at the cadet. He was laughing. There were little channels in the dust on his face where the tears had run down.
TEARS AND ACROBATICS“Go around and try it again,” I shouted.“Yes, sir,” the cadet in the rear cockpit behind me shouted back.I felt the throttle under my left hand go all the way forward with a jerk. I pulled it back.“Open that throttle slower and smoother,” I shouted back. I didn’t look round. I just turned my head to the left and put my open right hand up to the right side of my mouth. That threw my voice back.“Yes, sir,” came the cadet’s voice from the rear cockpit.I felt the throttle under my left hand move forward slowly, smoothly. The engine noise rose louder. The ship rocked and bumped slowly forward over the rough ground. The tail of the ship came up, and the nose went down. The nose of the ship veered to the left. I wanted to kick right rudder to bring the nose back. I just sat there. The nose swung back straight and then veered badly to the right. I wanted to kick left rudder and bring the nose back. I didn’t move. The nose stopped veering. We were going pretty fast. We bumped the ground once more and bounced into the air. We stayed there. I took my nose between my left thumb and forefinger and turned my head to the left so the cadet behind me could see my profile.The ship banked to the left. I felt a blast of air strong on the right side of my face and felt myself being pushed to the right side of my cockpit. We were skidding. I wanted to ease a little right rudder on and stop the skid. Instead, I patted the right side of my face several times with my right hand so the cadet could see it. I felt the rudder pedal under my right foot jerk forward. We stopped skidding. The ship straightened out of the bank and flew straight and level for a little way. It made another left-hand bank, leveled out again, and flew straight again for a little way. It did it again. I felt the throttle under my left hand come all the way back. The engine noise quieted down, and the engine exhaust popped a few times. The ship nosed down into a glide. It made another left turn in the glide and then straightened out. We were gliding toward the little field we had just taken off from. It was a little field near Brooks that the Army Primary Flying School used as a practice field.“That was lousy,” I shouted back. “You jerked your throttle open. You veered across the field on your take-off like a drunken man. Are you too weak to kick rudder? You skidded on your turns. You landed cross-wind. Go around and try it again. See if you can do something right this time.” It was about the twentieth speech like that I had shouted back to the cadet that morning.I felt the throttle under my left hand jerk forward. I pulled it back.“Damn it, open that throttle slower and——”A voice from the rear cockpit broke in on me:“I hope you never get anyone else as dumb as I am, Lieutenant.”The voice was choked. The kid was crying.“Hey, listen here,” I said, “I give you a lot of hell because I’m as anxious for you to get this stuff as you are to get it. I wouldn’t even give you hell if I thought you were hopeless. Sit back and relax and forget it a while now. You’ll do better tomorrow.”The cadet started to open his mouth. I turned hastily around and sat down in my cockpit and opened the throttle wide open. The engine roared. I didn’t hear what the cadet said.I took off in a sharp climbing turn. I dove low at the ground, flew under some high-tension wires. I pulled up and dove low at a cow in a pasture. The cow jumped very amusingly. I pulled up and did a loop. I came out of the loop very close to the ground. It was all against army orders. It was all fun. I pulled back up to a respectable altitude and flew sedately over Brooks Field. I cut the gun to land. I looked back at the cadet. He was laughing. There were little channels in the dust on his face where the tears had run down.
“Go around and try it again,” I shouted.
“Yes, sir,” the cadet in the rear cockpit behind me shouted back.
I felt the throttle under my left hand go all the way forward with a jerk. I pulled it back.
“Open that throttle slower and smoother,” I shouted back. I didn’t look round. I just turned my head to the left and put my open right hand up to the right side of my mouth. That threw my voice back.
“Yes, sir,” came the cadet’s voice from the rear cockpit.
I felt the throttle under my left hand move forward slowly, smoothly. The engine noise rose louder. The ship rocked and bumped slowly forward over the rough ground. The tail of the ship came up, and the nose went down. The nose of the ship veered to the left. I wanted to kick right rudder to bring the nose back. I just sat there. The nose swung back straight and then veered badly to the right. I wanted to kick left rudder and bring the nose back. I didn’t move. The nose stopped veering. We were going pretty fast. We bumped the ground once more and bounced into the air. We stayed there. I took my nose between my left thumb and forefinger and turned my head to the left so the cadet behind me could see my profile.
The ship banked to the left. I felt a blast of air strong on the right side of my face and felt myself being pushed to the right side of my cockpit. We were skidding. I wanted to ease a little right rudder on and stop the skid. Instead, I patted the right side of my face several times with my right hand so the cadet could see it. I felt the rudder pedal under my right foot jerk forward. We stopped skidding. The ship straightened out of the bank and flew straight and level for a little way. It made another left-hand bank, leveled out again, and flew straight again for a little way. It did it again. I felt the throttle under my left hand come all the way back. The engine noise quieted down, and the engine exhaust popped a few times. The ship nosed down into a glide. It made another left turn in the glide and then straightened out. We were gliding toward the little field we had just taken off from. It was a little field near Brooks that the Army Primary Flying School used as a practice field.
“That was lousy,” I shouted back. “You jerked your throttle open. You veered across the field on your take-off like a drunken man. Are you too weak to kick rudder? You skidded on your turns. You landed cross-wind. Go around and try it again. See if you can do something right this time.” It was about the twentieth speech like that I had shouted back to the cadet that morning.
I felt the throttle under my left hand jerk forward. I pulled it back.
“Damn it, open that throttle slower and——”
A voice from the rear cockpit broke in on me:
“I hope you never get anyone else as dumb as I am, Lieutenant.”
The voice was choked. The kid was crying.
“Hey, listen here,” I said, “I give you a lot of hell because I’m as anxious for you to get this stuff as you are to get it. I wouldn’t even give you hell if I thought you were hopeless. Sit back and relax and forget it a while now. You’ll do better tomorrow.”
The cadet started to open his mouth. I turned hastily around and sat down in my cockpit and opened the throttle wide open. The engine roared. I didn’t hear what the cadet said.
I took off in a sharp climbing turn. I dove low at the ground, flew under some high-tension wires. I pulled up and dove low at a cow in a pasture. The cow jumped very amusingly. I pulled up and did a loop. I came out of the loop very close to the ground. It was all against army orders. It was all fun. I pulled back up to a respectable altitude and flew sedately over Brooks Field. I cut the gun to land. I looked back at the cadet. He was laughing. There were little channels in the dust on his face where the tears had run down.