1953 Flight Training video

[flyguy]

George, In those days even my underwear was khaki colored.

WALONLIIEST PARTS OF MINE ARE SUMTIME KAKI - - - - - - - - - -

THAS WHEN IMA HEARIN BIG SILENCEY SOUNS WHENE IMON A SHORT FINAL LANNIN

[flyguy]

This thread is one classic memory lane . . . .............. Thanks guys for those great links.............

I took "basic" in a 1949 Tri Pacer with a wonderful old "coffee grinder" for a radio and a bench seat that took up all the rearward adjustment to fit my long legs. Only trouble - - my Instructor (@ $4.00 per hour) was only 5' 3" tall and had to use cushions behind his rear to reach the pedals.

A funny thing happened when he had me practicing holding the airplane level while nearing imminent stalls. We put the required 50# sandbag in the rear seat to insure the bird could actually stall, then started this series of maneuvers. He had instructed me "when the (whichever) wing drops, pick it up with the opposite rudder". Well I was a little heavy on the left rudder pedal when the right wing dropped and in the abrupt spin entry, his butt slipped off what little amount of seat he had and he was wadded up in the well, the seat belt almost up under his chin! The resulting departure from his perch, stuck down in the floorboards, he couldn't see as the ole tripooper rolled over on it's top! He shouted out - - "Let go of everything" so I did ! The plane righted itself in seconds, I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him back up on the seat. and he looked at me and said "We gota do something about this seat"! I said " We gotta do somthin about the seat for sure but really need to do something about the stuff in my underwear!"

We need to look back occasionally and chuckle at the bizarre things that we encountered along this wonderful encounter with airplane flying.
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[jrenwick]

As instructors like to say: yes, they really are out to kill you!