May 17, 1943
Mon. 9:00 P.M.
Dear Folks:
Well I soloed again today. I went up with him first. I made 6 landings and they weren’t very good. So I thought that he wouldn’t let me go up alone. But he did. I went up and landed 3 times. They weren’t very good but not too bad either considering the strong wind and the wind was just a little cross-wind. My last landing was pretty sloppy though. I leveled off too high and brought my nose up too high. If I had landed like that I would have landed on my tail wheel. Well I saw what was going to happen so I lowered the nose. But I lowered it too much and just about then my front wheels hit the ground and I bounced. I decided it wasn’t too big a bounce so I rode it out. It bounced 3 or 4 times and I finally got settled on the ground.
It jumped around like Dick and Doll used to in the spring but I finally made it set down and behave itself.
One of the boys who was in A Flt. with me on pre-flight washed-out today. He cracked a plane up the other day on his solo ride so they put him up for a civilian check ride. He failed that so they put him up for an army check ride today and he failed that too. Another boy who was in A Flt too failed civilian check today and he has an army check tomorrow so he is practically washed out. My instructor told one of our 4 boys that he wouldn’t take the responsibility of letting him solo so he goes up for a check-ride tomorrow.
One of the boys from my room soloed today. He had a little trouble. He flew around the field and tried to land it 5 times before he finally landed the thing. Every time he tried to land the plane it bounced so he opened the throttle and went up and around again. Finally on the 5th try he made it stay down.
There is a lot of interesting things like that happen. One of the fellows who soloed got thrown into a pond about 9 feet deep. The boys just found the pond. Well after they threw this fellow in they found out he couldn’t swim. So one of them had to jump in and fish him out.
There was a lot of planes up there today landing and taking off. They were flying solo first like I was. So I had to really keep my eyes open. When we turn in a plane we don’t stick our hand out. We look to see if anybody is coming and then we turn.
I got a letter from Dort today. And Ma don’t worry about me falling to sleep in that plane. I am too busy. I usually have my hands pretty full. Watching the gauges and instruments and watching where I’m going and looking for other planes and a dozen other things.
Well folks I guess I better close. I hope Murell can get home for a weekend. I know it will be quite a few months before I can do the same. You can bet if I ever get a chance to I will take it. But aviator cadets never get furloughs except in emergencies.
I guess it is about time for me to get up and shave.
We fly in the afternoons this week.
Well so long,
Alva
Write and let me know how the farm is coming and everybody else. Tell Dad the corn is more than knee high down here. About all I see cultivating is mules with negroes driving a tractor once in a while.
A.B.
Ancestors Across the Ages 