Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve
The small town of Ridgefield, Utah, surrounded by the Monroe Mountains on all sides, has a population of 6,500.There is a comfortable hotel on the main street of the town.According to the instructions, we students checked in at the hotel, and then went back to the lobby.There were fourteen of us.After waiting in the lobby for thirty minutes, a tall man in uniform walked in with a vicissitudes of life.
He glanced at us, "Is everything checked in?"
Everyone answered in unison: "Yes, sir."
"Very good. I'm Captain Anderson, your chief instructor. It takes fifteen minutes to get to the airport, and there will be a bus to pick you up every morning. Get a good night's sleep, this is very necessary."
He left after speaking.
The next morning, a military vehicle took us to the airport.The airport is much smaller than I imagined.
Captain Anderson is waiting for us there. "follow me."
He walked to a nearby house, and we followed.The house is now converted into a school, and the rooms have become classrooms.
After we sat down, Captain Anderson said, "What you're going to take is six months of flying lessons." He paused, "But it's wartime, so we have to finish these courses in three months. You'll have map classes, aerodynamics, climatology, aeronautics, cross-country flight planning and dynamics, as well as Morse code and parachute packing techniques. Each class will have an instructor. Questions? "
"No, sir."
Our first class was aerodynamics.The class lasted for an hour.When the get out of class was about to end, the instructor said: "I will send you the aerodynamics textbook. Your after-class homework is the homework from Chapters 1 to 20, and it will be completed before get out of class tomorrow. Class is over."
I flipped through the textbook.Each chapter is followed by a long list of questions.Looks like I won't be able to sleep until late.
The next class is aeronautics.An hour later, when the class was about to end, the instructor said: "The textbooks are distributed to you, and you can complete the homework from pages one to fifteen."
We looked at each other.This kind of work is quite heavy.
The third class is dynamic theory.The course was very professional and I took a lot of notes.Finally, it was almost the end of the day, and the instructor said again: "Your homework after class is to read the text and complete the homework from pages one to one hundred and twenty."
This is really laughable.There is no way to finish these piles of after-school homework, and our class is not over yet.The last class was parachute packing - a complex and tedious task, especially after such a long and difficult day.
Captain Anderson said that this was originally a six-month course, and you should finish it in three months. Now we finally understand what this sentence means.In my opinion, in order to complete the homework, every student must have stayed up until four or five in the morning.
Every day is the same schedule.After the class, we have to go to the airport to familiarize ourselves with our respective planes.I was going to fly a Piper-Kab, which is a propeller plane where the instructor and student sit side by side. The purpose of our coming here is to learn how to fly, but our after-school homework is so heavy that we have to wait until three or four in the morning to finish it every day, which makes us wish that the flight class can be postponed so that we can have time to complete the homework. I was assigned to be under Captain Anderson.Before boarding the plane for the first time, he watched me pack the parachute and put it on my back.Then we got on the plane. "Watch my every step carefully," he said. I watched Captain Anderson deftly lift the plane into the air. "There are two very important things you have to remember. The first thing to keep in mind is the rotation, keep your head turned at all times, and keep your eyes open to see if there are other aircraft approaching you. The second thing to keep in mind is coordinating speed and Altitude so you don't run the risk of colliding with the plane." We kept going up and I found the airport completely surrounded by mountains.As we climbed to 7,500 feet, Capt. Anderson said, "Now we're going to go in a circle." Then the plane began to descend in a rapid circle.That's when I realized my problem, I was airsick. Captain Anderson looked at me in disgust.I blushed with embarrassment. The next day, we practiced stalls and cloverleaf crossovers, and I got airsick again. After landing, Captain Anderson said, "Have you had breakfast today?" "Eat, sir." "From now on, you don't eat until lunch." That meant I couldn't eat anything from dinner the night before until 1:30 p.m. the next day. From the first time Captain Anderson let me take control of the plane, the feeling of airsickness completely left me.Since then, I have been able to concentrate on flying the plane, and it feels amazing. I called Richard at Grace's apartment every week, and I called Natalie and Martin to tell them I was fine.Everything was going well, and I told them confidently that I was going to be an ace pilot in World War II. Richard called one day, "I'll tell you something, Sidney. I'm in the Army." My heart suddenly stopped beating.He was so young—then I realized he wasn't a boy anymore.I said, "Richard, I'm so proud of you." A week later, he went to Navy boot camp. During training, Capt. Anderson would often shut off the engine suddenly. "Your engine stalled, Sheldon. Make an emergency landing." I looked down and there was nowhere to land.But looking at his expression, I knew he didn't want to listen to such an explanation.I descended slowly and finally found a suitable landing spot. I was about to land, but Captain Anderson turned on the engine again, "Okay. Let's take off."
One day Captain Anderson said, "You can fly alone, Sheldon." I was so excited to hear that. I nodded, strapped on my parachute bag, and entered the cabin alone for the first time.Another group of pilots was watching me as I taxied the plane onto the runway and was quickly high into the air.It was a truly ecstatic feeling, a sense of freedom, a sense of breaking free from the constraints of the earth and flying into a new world, a sense of not being airsick anymore. I climbed to the pattern altitude of 6,100 feet and went through the daily routine. I was instructed to stay in the air for twenty minutes.I glanced at my watch, time to show those guys what a perfect landing is.I pushed the joystick and started to descend.I could see the gang down there, they were all waiting at the airport to see me land. Landing has a set of fixed procedures.What kind of speed corresponds to the high altitude, the instructor has repeatedly taught us countless times.Getting closer to the ground, I looked at the altimeter and suddenly realized that I didn't know what speed I should be using now.Also, all the flying knowledge I had learned was suddenly taken away from me.I don't even know what I'm doing. In a panic, I pushed the joystick back and allowed the plane to go higher before it crashed.I tried my best to recall the formula of altitude to speed, but my mind was blank.When I landed, one mistake could kill me.I hovered round and round at high altitude, thinking about countermeasures in fear.I thought about skydiving, but I knew the Army would not allow the loss of a plane.But I can't stay on it forever, I have to land. I began to descend again, trying in vain to remember what speed to approach the runway.Descending to a thousand feet at sixty miles an hour... three hundred feet at fifty miles an hour... Am I going too fast?I circled the airport three times, getting closer and closer to the ground.Is fifty miles an hour too fast or too slow?I took a deep breath and rushed down at this speed. The plane hits the ground, bounces up, falls back down again, bounces up again, finally comes to a stop, and I push back on the controls, pull the brakes, and get off the plane shuddering. Captain Anderson was going to town when he saw the scene and ran back to the airport.He rushed over after I got down. "Do you know what you're doing?" he asked sharply. I was sweating profusely, "I—I don't know. Next time I'll…" "Not next time. Get on now!" I couldn't react for a moment, "Now?" "That's right. Get back on the plane and take off again." I think he must be joking. "Go." He is serious.I know the adage, "get off your horse, get back on".Captain Anderson apparently thought that the same applies to airplanes.He is asking me to die.I looked into his eyes and decided it was better not to argue.I got back on the plane and sat down, breathing under control.If I die, it's his fault. Everyone was staring at my plane as I taxied to the runway. I flew up again.I try to relax myself and try to recall everything I've learned about speed, altitude and angle of flight.Suddenly, thank God, my mind cleared again.I stayed in the air for fifteen minutes again, but this time I was confident.I made a near perfect landing. As I stepped off the plane, Captain Anderson yelled at me, "It's better. Come back tomorrow." The next flight training went very smoothly.However, at the end of the training camp, one day's experience made me unforgettable. That morning, before I took off, Captain Anderson said, "Sidney, there's a strong storm in the forecast in this direction. You must keep an eye out, and if you see a storm coming, land quickly." "Yes, sir." I blast off, climb to a given altitude, and start circling the mountains, rehearsing circles and stalls over and over again.There will be a strong storm in this direction... When the storm comes, land quickly... What if I enter the storm area and can't find a place to land?A news headline flashed before my eyes: "Pilot Trapped in Storm Area." The news will be broadcast on radio and television.The whole world will be watching with bated breath to see if the young cadet can escape safely.The airport below me was packed with ambulances and firefighters.I wallowed in this daydream, proud of my heroism in the face of this colossal disaster.Suddenly, the sky became very cloudy, because my plane had entered the center of the storm.I became blind, surrounded by dark clouds.I couldn't see the airport and everything around me at all. The only thing I could be sure of was that there were steep mountains in all directions, and I might bump into one of them at any time.I have completely lost my sense of direction.Is the airport in front of me, behind me, or to my side? The plane began to shake up and down by the wind.That news headline that appeared in my daydream was about to become reality.In order to avoid the surrounding mountains, I started to circle in a small circle, staggering and gradually descending, trying to keep the plane in the original safe area.After descending thirty feet, I saw the airport.All the staff are watching from below. After I landed, the instructor came over angrily. "What's the matter with you? I told you to watch out for the storm." "I'm sorry. You said it, sir. The storm came quietly." A full three months after arriving in Ridgefield, I earned my Air Force flight badge. Captain Anderson called us together, "You will be able to receive flight training in the multi-engine aircraft BT-19 and DAT-6. Unfortunately, the advanced flight academy is currently full. So you must stay on standby and be ready at any time There may be places available. You don't have to wait here, but you need to leave a call to the sergeant and make sure you can be found during the day and night. We will contact you as soon as the advanced flight academy has a place. Wish you all good luck." The first thing that comes to mind is Ben Roberts.I thought, I could go to New York and wait.I booked a room at a hotel in Manhattan and gave Sgt my phone number.I had a hunch that as soon as I arrived in New York, I would be notified to return to the team. I said goodbye to my classmates and got on a plane to New York that afternoon to meet Ben.
Every day is the same schedule.After the class, we have to go to the airport to familiarize ourselves with our respective planes.I was going to fly a Piper-Kab, which is a propeller plane where the instructor and student sit side by side. The purpose of our coming here is to learn how to fly, but our after-school homework is so heavy that we have to wait until three or four in the morning to finish it every day, which makes us wish that the flight class can be postponed so that we can have time to complete the homework. I was assigned to be under Captain Anderson.Before boarding the plane for the first time, he watched me pack the parachute and put it on my back.Then we got on the plane. "Watch my every step carefully," he said. I watched Captain Anderson deftly lift the plane into the air. "There are two very important things you have to remember. The first thing to keep in mind is the rotation, keep your head turned at all times, and keep your eyes open to see if there are other aircraft approaching you. The second thing to keep in mind is coordinating speed and Altitude so you don't run the risk of colliding with the plane." We kept going up and I found the airport completely surrounded by mountains.As we climbed to 7,500 feet, Capt. Anderson said, "Now we're going to go in a circle." Then the plane began to descend in a rapid circle.That's when I realized my problem, I was airsick. Captain Anderson looked at me in disgust.I blushed with embarrassment. The next day, we practiced stalls and cloverleaf crossovers, and I got airsick again. After landing, Captain Anderson said, "Have you had breakfast today?" "Eat, sir." "From now on, you don't eat until lunch." That meant I couldn't eat anything from dinner the night before until 1:30 p.m. the next day. From the first time Captain Anderson let me take control of the plane, the feeling of airsickness completely left me.Since then, I have been able to concentrate on flying the plane, and it feels amazing. I called Richard at Grace's apartment every week, and I called Natalie and Martin to tell them I was fine.Everything was going well, and I told them confidently that I was going to be an ace pilot in World War II. Richard called one day, "I'll tell you something, Sidney. I'm in the Army." My heart suddenly stopped beating.He was so young—then I realized he wasn't a boy anymore.I said, "Richard, I'm so proud of you." A week later, he went to Navy boot camp. During training, Capt. Anderson would often shut off the engine suddenly. "Your engine stalled, Sheldon. Make an emergency landing." I looked down and there was nowhere to land.But looking at his expression, I knew he didn't want to listen to such an explanation.I descended slowly and finally found a suitable landing spot. I was about to land, but Captain Anderson turned on the engine again, "Okay. Let's take off."
One day Captain Anderson said, "You can fly alone, Sheldon." I was so excited to hear that. I nodded, strapped on my parachute bag, and entered the cabin alone for the first time.Another group of pilots was watching me as I taxied the plane onto the runway and was quickly high into the air.It was a truly ecstatic feeling, a sense of freedom, a sense of breaking free from the constraints of the earth and flying into a new world, a sense of not being airsick anymore. I climbed to the pattern altitude of 6,100 feet and went through the daily routine. I was instructed to stay in the air for twenty minutes.I glanced at my watch, time to show those guys what a perfect landing is.I pushed the joystick and started to descend.I could see the gang down there, they were all waiting at the airport to see me land. Landing has a set of fixed procedures.What kind of speed corresponds to the high altitude, the instructor has repeatedly taught us countless times.Getting closer to the ground, I looked at the altimeter and suddenly realized that I didn't know what speed I should be using now.Also, all the flying knowledge I had learned was suddenly taken away from me.I don't even know what I'm doing. In a panic, I pushed the joystick back and allowed the plane to go higher before it crashed.I tried my best to recall the formula of altitude to speed, but my mind was blank.When I landed, one mistake could kill me.I hovered round and round at high altitude, thinking about countermeasures in fear.I thought about skydiving, but I knew the Army would not allow the loss of a plane.But I can't stay on it forever, I have to land. I began to descend again, trying in vain to remember what speed to approach the runway.Descending to a thousand feet at sixty miles an hour... three hundred feet at fifty miles an hour... Am I going too fast?I circled the airport three times, getting closer and closer to the ground.Is fifty miles an hour too fast or too slow?I took a deep breath and rushed down at this speed. The plane hits the ground, bounces up, falls back down again, bounces up again, finally comes to a stop, and I push back on the controls, pull the brakes, and get off the plane shuddering. Captain Anderson was going to town when he saw the scene and ran back to the airport.He rushed over after I got down. "Do you know what you're doing?" he asked sharply. I was sweating profusely, "I—I don't know. Next time I'll…" "Not next time. Get on now!" I couldn't react for a moment, "Now?" "That's right. Get back on the plane and take off again." I think he must be joking. "Go." He is serious.I know the adage, "get off your horse, get back on".Captain Anderson apparently thought that the same applies to airplanes.He is asking me to die.I looked into his eyes and decided it was better not to argue.I got back on the plane and sat down, breathing under control.If I die, it's his fault. Everyone was staring at my plane as I taxied to the runway. I flew up again.I try to relax myself and try to recall everything I've learned about speed, altitude and angle of flight.Suddenly, thank God, my mind cleared again.I stayed in the air for fifteen minutes again, but this time I was confident.I made a near perfect landing. As I stepped off the plane, Captain Anderson yelled at me, "It's better. Come back tomorrow." The next flight training went very smoothly.However, at the end of the training camp, one day's experience made me unforgettable. That morning, before I took off, Captain Anderson said, "Sidney, there's a strong storm in the forecast in this direction. You must keep an eye out, and if you see a storm coming, land quickly." "Yes, sir." I blast off, climb to a given altitude, and start circling the mountains, rehearsing circles and stalls over and over again.There will be a strong storm in this direction... When the storm comes, land quickly... What if I enter the storm area and can't find a place to land?A news headline flashed before my eyes: "Pilot Trapped in Storm Area." The news will be broadcast on radio and television.The whole world will be watching with bated breath to see if the young cadet can escape safely.The airport below me was packed with ambulances and firefighters.I wallowed in this daydream, proud of my heroism in the face of this colossal disaster.Suddenly, the sky became very cloudy, because my plane had entered the center of the storm.I became blind, surrounded by dark clouds.I couldn't see the airport and everything around me at all. The only thing I could be sure of was that there were steep mountains in all directions, and I might bump into one of them at any time.I have completely lost my sense of direction.Is the airport in front of me, behind me, or to my side? The plane began to shake up and down by the wind.That news headline that appeared in my daydream was about to become reality.In order to avoid the surrounding mountains, I started to circle in a small circle, staggering and gradually descending, trying to keep the plane in the original safe area.After descending thirty feet, I saw the airport.All the staff are watching from below. After I landed, the instructor came over angrily. "What's the matter with you? I told you to watch out for the storm." "I'm sorry. You said it, sir. The storm came quietly." A full three months after arriving in Ridgefield, I earned my Air Force flight badge. Captain Anderson called us together, "You will be able to receive flight training in the multi-engine aircraft BT-19 and DAT-6. Unfortunately, the advanced flight academy is currently full. So you must stay on standby and be ready at any time There may be places available. You don't have to wait here, but you need to leave a call to the sergeant and make sure you can be found during the day and night. We will contact you as soon as the advanced flight academy has a place. Wish you all good luck." The first thing that comes to mind is Ben Roberts.I thought, I could go to New York and wait.I booked a room at a hotel in Manhattan and gave Sgt my phone number.I had a hunch that as soon as I arrived in New York, I would be notified to return to the team. I said goodbye to my classmates and got on a plane to New York that afternoon to meet Ben.