AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2024 - 43

" The flying yesterday and today was about
the same-consistently mediocer (God,
how do you spell that?). When the whole
world beneath you looks like a patchwork
quilt, it's a little difficult to know just where
you are and what direction you are flying
in relation to the airport. You must also
be continually aware of what direction
the wind is in. Now for a guy who invariably
comes out of subways in the wrong
direction and can't even navigate himself
through Greenwich Village without getting
lost, this can be tough! What a business! My
instructor closed the throttle on me at 500
feet over some fields and woods and told
me to set it down-'forced landing.' I finally
landed but there were some mighty worried
pine trees around there. "
" It'll be good to live like a human being
instead of doubling for the brains of a
goddamn airplane. "
" We returned from a show over France
the other day to find out that our field was
socked in, so Gerry Major and I landed at a
B-17 base nearby...Those lanky old boys in
the 17s treated us like kings. They claim the
most beautiful sight in the world is those
little Thunderbolts hovering around them. "
" We flew over seven hours today and
topped it off with one of our extra special
knock down drag out ruff and tuff volley
ball games...These boys are unique, casual
easygoing, magnificent! "
" In the afternoon we went down to the
hangars, about three-quarters of a mile
from the barracks, for our first flight
instruction. Each instructor has five
students that he instructs through the whole
period. After a few minutes of instruction
regarding controls, he took us up one at a
time. I happened to be the first of our five, so
I hardly knew what to expect. It was quite
a surprise when immediately after take-off,
he yelled back, it's all yours. After several
gruesome moments of experimentation
with trial and error (mostly error) the ship
finally leveled off at about 500 feet and I
felt for the first time that we were out of the
tree tops. "
" We flew this morning and the air was
smoother than it has been so far. Got above
the clouds for the first time. God, it was beautiful.
Trouble is, you are so damn busy up
there that there is no time to dwell on these
beautiful phenomena. We did stalls today
and shot a few landings. To the amazement
of both instructor and myself I managed to
land with a minimum of the bounding about
that is so frowned upon here. It's a lot of fun
but the details are confusing. 'S funny, all my
life I've avoided routine, ordered procedure
and mental discipline, and these are the very
qualities that are most important in a good
flyer. I think I'm sort of catching on-but
occasionally I fall off the sled. "
" I didn't write about Kitts-I don't know
why. We were shooting up trains in France.
They were loaded with tanks and armored
cars and there was quite a bit of flak. A hunk
of the damned stuff hit Kitts' ship and it just
didn't get him back. He tried to hit the silk
but didn't make it. That's all. "
" I don't care for this war. I want you and
Damon and the life of our own choosing. I
want to worry about the bills-ho ho!-and
mow the lawn and make kites and stuff for
the demon and his friends. I want to see you
and kiss you every day of my life...So let's get
this war over-okay? " -George Rarey's last
letter, June 26, 1944 Emma Quedzuweit
is a tailwheel-endorsed and seaplane-rated
private pilot and historical researcher.
AOPA PILOT / December 2024
43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2024

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