News Letter 1941 Jul-Dec - Air Force Historical Studies Office
News Letter 1941 Jul-Dec - Air Force Historical Studies Office
News Letter 1941 Jul-Dec - Air Force Historical Studies Office
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THEN THIS... and we were still ing could be attempted. Wecould probab17<br />
cl1m'Mng. Abcn1t this time the variOllleter have made it through the pass, but there<br />
in the front cockpit ceased functioniIl&, but vas no altitude to spare. I just couldn't<br />
John kept me informed of our rate of climb push on the left rudder, and leave those<br />
by telling me continually what the one in fields on the right.<br />
the rear cockpit indicated. In my power plane experience, I have re-<br />
At 10,000 feet the altimeter hit the stops turned to the Rio GrandeValley in the :Big<br />
on the instrument but we continued to climb BendCountry, where as a young pilot I bad<br />
for a period that I nowcomputeas seven flown the river bed, a few feet off the vaminutes<br />
but which at the time seemed like ter and hundreds of feet below the cBn70n<br />
an hour. Then the bank and turn indicator sides. But on my return trip eight years<br />
went out. I could see the ice-covered ven- later, I just couldn't push forward on the<br />
turi. I figured it was time for the cloud stick hard enough to get the airplans down<br />
and me to part company. I had gotten r.- in the canyon. I guess it's just nold age"<br />
ther acclimated to the rumblings of tb:u.nder --smart people call it nexperience." I<br />
and its gratuitous gift of frozen precipi- found myself confronted with the problem<br />
tat1on, but honestly I was a long we::r from here. I couldn't force myself to abandon<br />
enJoying the situation. a course, whn. a good ludhg vas probable,<br />
There was that beautitally arranged in- for a sweepatakes ticket through the narrow<br />
strument board; airspeed inc11cator, vari- pass.<br />
ometer, bank and turn indicator, altimeter, Wesettled to l,200feet, then 1,000. fhose<br />
and compass. Of them all, only the compass level fields I saw at 3,000 feet all ..... d<br />
continued to give me a reading. Fromthe to slope greatly at the lower altitude.<br />
rate of climb indicator in the rear cockpit Eight hundred feet al t1tude and I selected<br />
and the time of climb after the al t1meter my field, a narrowonewithout planted crop.<br />
hit the stops, I am sure we had reached at and sufficiently long, provided I madea<br />
least 15,000 feet. good approach. At 600 feet I changed my<br />
I tried to hold a south course and after ide88 as to which way the field sloped, 80<br />
I madea 180 degree overhea4, and put her<br />
what seemeda lifetime, we broke out of the down. Except for a ditch, grown over with<br />
side of the cloud. By this time, we really weeds, that vasn't apparent frOlllthe air,<br />
had a nice load of ice. The bottom of the the landing was uneventtal. The ditch<br />
inside of the sailplane was covered with bouncedus back into the air, but there was<br />
what looked like snow. Robinson took: the still sufficient speed to control the sailcoatro1.<br />
while I installed an additional<br />
variometer in the front instrument panel, plane.<br />
and hooked it into the trusty gallonj'ag. Weverejust 100 miles short of Willi ....<br />
port but on the right e1de of the fence in<br />
Wecontinued a south course, and I had no the field selected. Well, I gI18ssthat'.<br />
idea where we were. The sky ahead wasclear better than being three feet short and on<br />
with no clouds in sight. One by one the the wrong Bide of the fence in the right<br />
instruments began functioning as the ice field. These hours whenyou await the armelted;<br />
first the airspeed indicator, then rival of a trailer and ground crew give ycu.<br />
the bank and turn indicator. The newvar- a lot of time to think. I decided to write<br />
iometer in the front cock:pit was workiIl& the above experience 1mmediate17.<br />
fine. Although we held the south course<br />
for some time, and I had the map, I am This flight was truly the biggest k1ckin<br />
ashamedto sq that I had trouble getting my fl;y1ng career. As I look back now, it<br />
oriented. But we continued this course was really sport, but at the time I vas in<br />
wi th a con.tant rate of descent and no ap- that cloud. gathering ice, it was more like<br />
parent thermal activity. After some time, labor. To those novices whowould ~epeat<br />
the altimeter dropped to 9,500, then 9,000; or better this flight, let me sq-;,. '"When<br />
ev.n it vas working again. you try it, it's a mighty good feenD.i'to<br />
have the National SoariD« Championin the<br />
The sq was perfectly clear, and wewere back seat' with a set of controls.' _.<br />
pretty lUre at 5,000 feet that we wouldn't ...,.,.-<br />
malteWilliamsport. At 2,000 feet, we got a "So this is :, n the aviation ca4et<br />
weak:thermal. After playing with it for a<br />
few minutes we left with a 200-foot loss of of Olass 4l-G remarked expansivel)", as he<br />
altitude. To the left was a mountain pus alighted at College Station, Texas.<br />
that opened into a level valley. To the His instructor at Randolph )l18ld or4erecl<br />
right vas a plateau between ridges running him to write 500 times "I em a 'dodo' tar<br />
30 degrees to the right of our course. '!'he not stud;ying Jq maps before tak1DCoff on<br />
latter appeared to have fields where alanet- a cro.s-country navigation flight."<br />
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