9-4-44

Dear Folks,

Received all your letters today, so I couldn’t do anything less than write back.

We returned from Estrella yesterday and we really did set a new record down there. We all finished with 40 hrs. of flying time in six days (and nights) without a major or minor accident. No one even blew out a tire or scraped a wing tip. Considering the shape that the planes were in that was pretty good. It seemed like every flight that you went something came up that made you sweat alittle. It was so hot down there that the engines vapor locked a great deal and it is quite a sensation to be flying along and have one engine cut out on you, (however that’s a good argument for having two engines).

Another time I had a cross country at night over to Bakersfield up to Sacramento and back to Estrella. I got about 30 min. out of Bakersfield and decided to use the gas out of my bomb bay. I switched over to bomb bay tank and was surprised to find that the ground crew had forgot to fill it. Under ordinary cruising conditions these use about 100 gal./hr. When I got back we figured that I had averaged about 50 gal./hr. after leaning out the mixture and cutting down my other settings. I landed with about 20 gal. Mort B. got lost the same night but finally found the field. He landed, taxied up to the line and both engines stopped, all his tanks were dry, that’s playing it alittle too close. The weather was in our favor all the time which helped alot.

We have had another shake up. Things got tied up in Fresno where we were suppose to go next so anyway I am staying here this month. However the way it use to stand was that you went to Fresno and then came back here for gunnery but they needed 5 more in this gunnery class that is going through starting the tenth of this month and anyway I and 4 others are starting gunnery the 10th. The rest of my class will be here 2 more mos. getting some more instrument time. Mort is staying so that is going to break that up.In a way I am glad to be going on because I wouldn’t care just to lay around here. Our gunnery course is suppose to be pretty good. We get it in P70’s and all of it is over the ocean firing at targets on the H2) and then aerial town targets. I don’t see how we can miss with 4 – 50’s and two cannons. It won’t be like our gunnery in the AT-6‘s at Gila Bend because the P70’s don’t handle like the 6. These weigh as much as the B25 so it is a good deal harder to put them where you want them.

Say Dad it really sounds like you have a pretty nice apt. lined up. You might as well get a large place and $80.00 doesn’t sound at all bad for the place you described. Hope I get to try out one of those three bedrooms. I am sending you a few pictures of the P70. It looks alot like the A20 and there are alot of different modifications of it, we had just about all of them at Estrella.

Elaine and Stan I received your letter today and Karens note also. She is really getting to be quite a artist. You asked about flying 15′ above the ground. You are suppose to know where the houses and any other obstructions were by studying your maps, however, the Col. who was telling this was on convoy patrol over the  _________, up and with a radar altimeter you can read your altitude within inches above the ground or water. When everything’s working right. I received the pictures and they _______ are good, Karen really looks like Mama’s little helper especially sitting there in the chair holding Tommy, (Tom). If you don’t mind Uncle Tom is going to call him Tom, he’s big enough.

I think we are getting 5 days off so I’ll go to B. with Mort. I’ll let you know about it. That covers just about everything. Stan, hope the weather has cleared up for golf. Maybe you can get Dad and Cleda to continue their golf up there.

With love,

Tom.

(over)

Dad, I am sending $150.00 to Mrs. McCane to deposit. Do you get the monthly statements? If so check on it.