August 7, 1945

Aug. 7, 1945

Dear Mother:

Well here I am at the "West Point of the Air", in fact this is my second day here.  Yesterday we cleared on to the post and got processed but today we have had it relatively easy.

I guess you kind of wondered what happened to me last week.  Well it was a rather busy week with clearing the post and all but mostly we went to Austin every day and went flying.  I have been checked out in most of the light planes now so I can give anyone a ride on my commercial license now.

Friday I flew a PT 19 which is one of the planes the army has sold to civilian when they closed all of the primary schools.  It has been rebuilt and was in very good order.  My buddies "Skip" and I took it up for an hour and did acrobatics most of the time.  It sure was swell to get upside down after a year of straight and level.  We did loops, clover leafs, Cuban 8s, slow rolls, barrel rolls, and everything in the book.  It cost $16 an hour so it was rather expensive amusement!

Training video for Army Air Corps Acrobatics

Then I took Addie Mae for a ride in a Stinson 105 which wasn't so expensive but it all mounted up.  We did the same thing for 4 days in a row so you can see we lived like a couple of play boys.  Of course we laid down the law to the ladies and went to the movies afterwards and ate hamburgers instead of steaks.

This B29 sure looks like a lot of airplane to me.  Seeing we are to be the lowly co-pilot we don't have to worry about the responsibility of it but still it looks like a lot of work.  We are all kind of disgusted with the way they picked he first pilots.  Instead of picking them for 4 engine time as they suggest should be done we all have pilots who have 105 hours in 4 (2?) engines and all of them time in low horse-power training planes.  Most of our time is in 4 engine planes but we have to be their co-pilots.  They don't know much about 4 engine planes and that is all we know.  They will probably give me a bad time but I don't care.  If they think I am going to take the bums rust for them and they take it easy I am sure they have another think coming because none of us like the deal.

Randolph Field

Randolph Field was really a cadet heaven.  We are living in cadet barracks and they are just like modern hotel rooms, hot and cold running water in every room.  All the buildings are stone and built 3 stories high.  They also have houses for the permanent personnel right on the post.  They look like these modern homes that were built before the war, ultra modern.  They have green grass and trees everywhere.  Really it is a modern town and industrial center, with its schools and churches right near home.  The student officer's area looks like a huge college campus.  They have ivy on the walls with Evergreen's and palms around the buildings.  It is really beautiful.  In fact I am a little amazed at what I see.  It must have cost millions of dollars.

Tomorrow we start going to school.  We are scheduled for 6 hours a day in 3 hour shifts.  I am scheduled for a class in preventative maintenance, and what that will be I have no idea.  Probably it is an engineering class.  For the next 8 days we are scheduled for 6 hours a day plus ground school which will be quite a long day but not so bad I don't think.  However some classes start at 6 in the morning and end at 9 at night and I am bound to get some of the night classes.  However after we get going we will get every 4th day off and will get to go to town and see what San Antonio looks like.

I suppose you all have had a nice cool vacation up in Maine.  I am sure wish I were there to enjoy the water and sunshine with you.  It would have been nice to have all of us together again.

Well it is time to quit and write another letter.  Please inform eh papers of my change of address.  That will save a lot of trouble.  Notice I have a box number which is rather important.

With love
Austin

February 21, 1944

Ryan Field

Tucson Ariz.

Feb. 21, 1944

Dear Mother;

I will answer your questions first because the two sheets of paper here are all I have.  

Yes the Independent comes along very regularly and I don't believe I have ever missed a number since the days of classification.  If one comes a little late because of a new address I usually get two at a time. Right now it comes on Thursday or Friday or somewhere in there.  I don't know just what day it is but it is regular.  I get quite a kick out of it so keep it coming.

By the way my address is a little bit wrong but the difference really makes little difference.  Everyone always put 44 Group on the address and it really is 44G.  It means class 44G, Graduation in 1944 on G month (July).  They only have 2 groups here that's why the address mistake makes little or no difference.  Another thing tell A.P. to put my whole address on the letters because his last letter came through all stamped up for me to tell my correspondents my correct address.  It might save a day of time.

I will try to get a card to send to Miss Worthen.  I don't know just what I can say on a card but  Iwill think of something appropriate (the right thing).  By the way you better keep up the good work of being my private secretary.  I don't get time to remember all the people I should remember.  

I am glad to hear that Mary is having a lot of fun.  I guess if she gets the chance that she can have a lot of fun at the place she works.  Every once in a while I think of her when I look at the dials as they spin around in front of me.  Do any of the dials say Pioneer on them that she paints or what do they have on them to identify them?

I will say a little about my present flying.  We are doing acrobatics.  You start with a loop, then a snap roll, then a slow roll, then a half roll.  Then an Immelmann turn {See this original training video of a P-47 with thrilling music}.  We do lazy 8's and chandelles still but not as much as before .  I make myself sick up there alone.  I climb to 6600' indicated and do a loop, then a snap roll to the right then a snap roll to the left then a slow roll to the left and a slow roll to the right, then a half roll to the left and recover to the right then a half roll to the right and recover to the left, then an Immelmann turn.  After that I am airsick and have to fly straight and level for a while.  It's a lot of fun anyway. (no more paper)

With love

Austin

February 12, 1944

Tucson Ariz.

Feb. 12, 1944

Dear Mother:

I guess I never wrote from a U.S.O. before but while I wait for my friend form Kentucky I use the paper and ink provided for such occasions.  This is the second trip to the town and I hope I do not get as disgusted as I did before.  I guess I can have some fun if I look around for it.

I flew 2 hours today and got in an hour and 5 minutes of "Link" trainer so I am rather tired.  The "Link" is the harder of the two because it requires much close study and the little dials on the instrument panel are not too interesting.  Today I did precision turns maintaining air speed and altitude.  The turn is made with a gyrocompass because a magnetic compass is not too reliable.  If you can maintain a special type of turn called a "needle width turn" you can make a perfect circle.  However if you vary the turn the slightest it does not come out right, the way you like to have them.  The instructor in charge said I maintained my speed and altitude very well.

You know you get some very peculiar sensations while flying "blind".  When you have the cover down, as it is most of the time, you often feel that you are climbing when you are gliding and turning after you have stopped.  As you have no visual reference points pressure means a lot.  When you stop a  turn you feel like you are starting one the other way.  This must be rather boring to you because you don't know enough about the subject.

I have 28 hours of flying now but I am still a long way from being a "hot pilot".  Even so I am working up to the point where the time is beginning to count.  I have enough time for a solo pilots license and soon (at 35 hours) I can get a private pilots license.  After that you can carry passengers with you so maybe after I get home you all may get some free rides.

It is time for me to get a few check rides but each time I get cheated out of them some how or other.  I wish I could get them over because then I could start on something else.  It is getting bearably boring to go up and do stalls, spins, 'S' turns, figure 8's, and the like every day.  I have been doing them solo for the last 12 hours and although I don't have them down perfect I am coming along.  

Next I shall learn how to do chandelles, lazy 8's, pilon 8's, loops, snap rolls, slow rolls, etc.  These are acrobatics and will be a lot of fun.

You would be surprised at the caution they use around here.  I guess the Army wants all the pilots they can get but they want careful pilots rather than hap-hazard H.P.'s.  Before you can go up alone you must be able to recover from a spin or most any other position the instructor can put you in and they really know a lot of them.

I have got both of the boxes that were sent.  Esther's other came the 10th.  I opened them both when not too many were around and still have some cookies left.  I will finish them when I get back to the post.  Have my war bonds been coming through?  If not please write as soon as possible so that I can get the situation clarified on this end.  It seems they have had a lot of trouble in Chicago where they are shipped form and if I am behind too many I can get them sent home a lost at once.

I hope Grandpa is getting better.  He seems to have come through an awful lot in all his years.  He is such a grand person I could really enjoy coming home to see him.  As far as that goes who here in this U.S.O. would not love to come home.  This is rather a poor substitute for home.

I guess I am getting to write a book here but as long as my friend doesn't show up I guess I can continue to write.

As long as Esther is going to read this letter I can thank her for the candy.  What I got of it was really swell and I can guess just where you got it.  That doesn't detract form it's taste does it.  It sure is swell to get such things from home.  You can't guess how much they are appreciated.

Those cookies sure are good too.  They were somewhat of a surprise.  I expect a small box but that is a little on the larger size.  They are packed so close there are a lot of them in a small place. (as I look at what I have done I guess I have written a book)

If I can ever get around to it I will send home a box that ought to interest every body but you especially.  I won't tell you what it is but I will get it off as soon as possible.

I am going to get my name and serial number; and address engraved on my watch so that if anything happens to it I have a chance of getting it back.

Also if anything happens to me they will have some means of identification other than my "dog tags".  It's such a swell watch I would hate to have anything happen to it.  Do you think I ought o have it cleaned oftener than is prescribed because of the dust we have out here.  I can see traces inside already.

Well I will close now because my friend is here.  His name is Charles E Rowland.

With love

Austin