6-2-44.
Dear Folks,
Pardon the pencil but it is all I have here at the present. Everyone is down here on the flight line waiting for the weather to give us a break and open up. The weather has been pretty bad the last few days which has made flying (can’t make out this word) in sports.
I received Dad’s letter yesterday and yours a couple days ago. I haven’t got either one of them down here and can’t remember if there were any questions to answer or not. Glad Mac got to come up for a visit. Does he know when he leaves for the Navy yet? Also has Stan heard anymore? A navy flying boat (a PBY “Catalina”) landed here yesterday with engine trouble. It is really a big plane but I would specially care to fly one, because they don’t go very fast.
We were suppose to start night flying Sun. night but they have changed it to a week later so we will have time to take our instrument check rides. When we do start at night our schedule will be flying from 6:00 PM till 2:00 AM, sleep till 12:00, ground school and PT from 1:30 till 6:00. Anytime in (can’t read this word) that you want to take will have to be between 2:00 AM and 1:30 PM ground school. I am anxious to start night flying because it is alot of fun and I still like to do my living at night rather than the day.
I got a letter from Wilma yesterday and she said that Ernie Burgess and Allen Carter having finished their instructor training at Randolph Fld. and are due back at Luke Fld. this Sat. to start instructing. Had I known they were going to get that kind of a deal I might have thought things over alittle more back there at Luke when I was still in their squadron, however, I still would have picked this.
The clouds are breaking up alittle and I just saw the weather ship take off. I thought so, the captain just came in and said to get ready so will close for now.
(Fri. night)
Here it is 8:30 and I have to go to link trainer at 9:00. I got to fly some actual instruments this afternoon, the ceiling was at 4,000 ft. and we flew down to Fresno and back at 5,000 ft., couldn’t even see to wing tips. Flew the beam down there and back and hit both stations right on the head. Shot some landings and flew around the local area awhile when we got back. Landed at 7:30, ate dinner and here I am. We fly in the morning at 5:30 and have to get in a few hours of formation time, so will probably do that then.
Thanks alot for sending the advocates, shoes and snapshots. They did a good job on the shoes.
Hope things are coming along OK, and take it easy.
Give Karen a kiss for “ga-ga”.
With love,
Tom
