COMBAT AND COMPETITION.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

COMBAT AND COMPETITION
strong, but it was an untidy arrival to say the least.
Two weeks later we gathered outside the hangers to arrange
ourselves for a photograph in front of the obligatory aeroplane. No 80
course was over.
Rolling across the prairie, on the journey to Vancouver, Canadian
Pacific provided the usual comforts. The big coaches equal to the best
of Pullmans by day and the upper and lower bunks, which swung into
place when required, were as comfortable as one could have wished.
In the mornings, after a relaxed night between freshly laundered
sheets, there was that unbelievable breakfast - blueberries and cream,
eggs sunny side up, flapjacks and honey, rounded off with excellent
coffee.
Then, if so disposed, you could repair to that chauvinistic delight
of the North American railroads, the club compartment. A retreat
where male passengers could take their ease undisturbed by the ladies.
It certainly brought out the worst in our colleague Lieutenant Kenneth
Morris. On his first and only visit Kenneth pushed open the door,
stood for a moment like some latter day Goebbels, to whom he bore
more than a passing resemblance, peered through the smoke, homed
in on the spittoons and said loudly:
"How absolutely disgusting!"
We tried to convey silent apology to the other occupants and
hustled him out before he could do any further damage. But relations
were strained for the rest of the journey.
After leave in British Columbia we returned through the Rockies
to Calgary, home of 37 SFTS3 , to find that most of the BFs - sent to
different places for elementary training - were together again. A few
of our fellow pupils had come straight from American flying schools
where they had failed to make the grade. As was customary, and
frequently successful, they were being given another chance in
Canada.
Some of their stories were quite extraordinary. Trainees on the
most junior course were required to eat 'square meals' - following a
dogleg route from plate to mouth. Marching round the perimeter track
in full kit and parachute during the heat of the day, or sitting on the
T after flying was over, were typical punishments for quite trivial
offences.
Instructors often shouted in the air and threatened physical
violence. Maybe this worked with the average American trainee, and
their system seemed to produce plenty of the 'right stuff during the
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