Halton Hills Newspapers

Flesherton Advance, 30 Jul 1941, p. 4

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Wednesday, July 3Uth, 1941 THE F1.ESHERTON ADVANCE ( THE RESHERTON ADVANCE Published on Collmgwood i- -he, i, ,n, Wednesday of -.. i-k Circulation uvw 1,000. i'r v iii Canada |2.UO Pr y*fi when paid in advance $1.60; in V. S. A. 9&60 pr year, when paid in advance 92.00. F. J. THURSTON. Editor. Pilots Learn to Handle Planes at Elementary Flying Schools carefully folded in- 1 d. Strain Tell* Experience I { be * an h norvp-1 as a cush- n. *w 1 overtu This is the sixth in a series of artu- about the Royal Canadian Air Force and the British Commonwealth Air Training; Plan, written for the weekly newspapers of Ontario. By HI GH TEMPLIN One year ago, Mount Hmpe wag a chute taken up little crossroads village south of Hamilton, about half-wtay between that city and the Grand River. How it got is name, I don't know, but the hopes of the early citizens must have been realized at last. The village itself is little changed as yet, but on the high ground nearby there are two air training camps, one of them operated by the Royal Air Force of Great Britain, the other by the Royal Canadian Air Force as a unit of the British Commonwealth Air Training I'lan. Previous stories in this series have f.dlowed the future pilot through the first two months or more of his train- own. ing but he has not been in the air yet. He has had to prove his fitness in many ways, but the nearest he has oome to actual flight has been in a minature plane, anchored firmly to the ground. At some one of the 26 Elementary Flying Training Schools scattered across Canada, he will ex- perience the thrill of his first flight, unless he has, at some time befora enlistment, paid for a rids as a pas- senger, or is oaie of those rare re- cruits with training as commercial pilots. The "No Admittance" Sign It isn't easy to get inside the tfale at any of the R. C. A. F. training schools. That is as it should be, ana no one can object to the rule-s, but sometimes, the jjuaids interpret them ore strictly than others. 1 divve up to UK- gate, armed with letters from the Training Command and accompanied by a Flying Officer in uniform. The Commanding Ollitci wa* expecting me. But the guard at the barrier was adamant. 1 had no pass, so 1 didn't tret in. He must have been an N.C.O. In the Imperials rules to hin were rules. Protesta- tions by my guide and a telephone call tu the Commanding Officer didn't al- ter the fact that 1 had no pass. Fin- nally it was suggested to the guard that he write me out one himself. He did so, and I passed triumphantly in- There isn't much beauty about the Mount Hope School. The countryside is flat and uninteresting. A year ago the camp site was still farm land The landing field hasn't grown up in grass yet, though the runways are paved. The buildings are of the fam- iliar pattern found at all the schools, with everything standardised for rap- ici and economical construction. The outside of the huts is covered' with roofing papwr. Evervwtiere there in, a look of newness. The First Flying Instruction After graduation from tke Initial Training School, the iuture pilots part from the ther tudents and gy to the Elementary Flying Training Schools, of which Mount Hope is a typical example. These schools are twl run by the Government, but by private companies, each one sponsored by a Canadian Flying Club. One re- sult is that there is a certain division -of labour at each of these Elemntary .Schools. There is a civilian manager whose duty it is to supervise all the actual flying instruction and main- tenance of the plants, and an R. C. A. F. officer in charge of discipline and of the classroom teaching. The arrangement has been cri- ticized, but it seems to be working well. Early in the war, when the l?reat Air Training I'lan was first put into operation, it enabled the R.C.A. F. to take advantage of the most ex- t-xjn-rk need instructors available, the enthusiasts who had kept alive the Flying Clubs. That saved precious weeks and has worked so well, there is not likely to be any immediate change- except in minor details. All other types of 'schools are directly under the R. C. A. F. All the planes used at Mount Hopf :irc Fleet Finches. Some other schools use Tigei: Moths. There was a time, months ago, when they used some of each or whatever training planes were available, but there is no longer any scarcity of training planes. The Fleet Finches and the Tiifer Moths are both double-seated tiiplam-s. Two pairs of wings enable them to. fly steadily in the hands of s and to land at a safe speed chute itself is side a bag which serves as a cush ion on which the student sits while flying. The "rip cord" isn't a cord at all. Fastened to the belt, on the left side, is a large metal cablu, like that used in camera shutters, jerks open thee bag in which the par*. chute is folded. Few students will ever have to use one, in Canada at least, but the feel of o parachute on the back gives added confidence. One of the buildings at Mount Hope is the parachute room. The para- chute is made of the finest grade Japanese silk, with braided cords. The length is about 40 feet and the cost O f one is about $400. Parachutes are given conatant care, since lives depend on them. Every few days, they are unpacked and hung up in a tower, looking like a flock of big bats hanging from the ceiling. Fold- ing and re-packinir are done by ex perts. An interesting 'chute story comes from another school. New para- chutes were taken there for testing. A weight was attached and the para- first mattress n T t , i * overturned 1 beheld several jars oi Un 1 rip to rnilllpine* jams and preserves that looked just like mine. Thinking I had i.m.id joy ^, uv ^ ~ - in ome of the bie bombers. It was laid on two planks across an opening in the floor of the plane. One of the ground crew, not too bright apparently, was given th duty -f going aloft and releasing the par'acrmte to be tested. His duties were simple. The weight rested on a couple of planks strpached across the opening. All he had to do was tip th* planks at the proper time, to let the naraehute go. All went well until one day whpn a plank got caught .Terkine at it, tho aircraftman lost his balance and fell forward through the Hi ok. Quite unexpectedly, he tested a parachute, but it was hi* How To Aim A Spitfire At the Elementary Flying Train- Kliji School the stodem pilot flies about 50 hours, 35 of them under the ecvs of an instructor and the rest ilone. He may go up as often as four times a day, but never over four hours altogether. The other half of the day is spent m the lecture r ooms. Two afternoons a week, there arc sports at 4 o'clock, tennis, soft- ball and soccer. One building houses thp Link Trainers, which are contiiv ually used for testing the students, lectures include such subjects as navigation, engines, rigging, theon Dr. J. E. Strain of North Ltonn- ville, Wash., has been enjoying a fine Holiday during the past week among the scenes of his boyhood, and has met many old friends who were glad to eu him again. As a young man Ed. served with the American army ia the Phillipines in the Spanish- American war and relates the fallow- ing story when he was leaving for the scene of action; As a veteran of the Spanish-Amer- ican War in the Montana Regiment, I think back on my experience as a soldier and recall many incidents. One st^ry that cornea to mind is a humorous situation which I will re- count in tribute to Miss Carrie Davis, a former Flesherton girl who was very active with the church societies in San Francisco, giving their time arranging social events for the soldiers. We were stationed in San Francis- co, Calif., in training for combat in the Phillipine Islands. We had been there four months and expected to leave any time on our journey of 7,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean. On the eve of our departure, many of our friends came to wish us good- bye, giving us tokens of friendship to take on our trip. Mis* Davis, on this occasion, prepared for me a basket rilled with jars if jams and preserves. I pized the contents highly, feeling that I must be a special friend. Shortly afterwards we sailed out into the Pacific. It took me several days to become acquainted with the rolling of the ship. Accommodations aboard were crude and rations still worse. I was able to endure the food -vith th<? ad- dition of the tasty preserves on my hard tack. Such bliss lasted several days without any condescending ?iJig that anything m the reverse could take place. One day, unbeknown to me, my ,ani8 and preserves disappeared. On finding the empty basket, I was filled with indignation and determined to find the culprit. The mess call was sounded, the bunks were vacated and stolen fruits, I took them back to my quarters, not waiting to question anyone. I was soon back at my owi. stand of eating hard taok and pre- serves. I did nott have long to wait trouble was in the air "Who stole my fruit?' 1 came a loud husky shorn. "*es, who stole my fruit?" was my joining reply; the air was hot with words, each accusing the other of an underhand trick. When we calmed down I learned that he had purchas- ed his fruit from a friend on board, and om further investigation, discov- ered that the friend had recoived his fruit from the same party as I. In fact most of the fellows in my com- pany had received such (baskets fnm Miss Davis. It took over thirty years to s>l\t the mystery of my stolen fruit. I was in my office in Vancouver, Wash., when an old comrade of my company came up. I hadn't seen Him since we were discharged from the army. Shortly after his arrival he began to laugh. He told me of a practical joke he and another fellow had played on me during our os-jan voyage to the Phillipines. They had taken my fruit and preserves from my basket. He said the joke of the affair -was spooled. The First Serg- geant of the company, on hearing of the disappearance of my fruit, direct- ed a hunt to find the offender. Dur- ing the search the fruit had been slipped into the Sergeant's quarter 1 ?, and oif course not discovered; tint was the last they had seen of the preserves. They kept a watch on the Sergeant and noticed at nieai- times that he carne from his quarters licking his moustache. According to news item from the United States a bakery over there has just offered to its customers an improved doughnut with a handle on it for dunking purposes. Now, if they'll just go to work on a hot dog bun with a zipper opening and a mustard trough, everything will be fine. Its' "Duncan's for HARDWARE HAY and HARVEST TOOLS B. T. Forks, Pulleys, Rope Hitches, Plymouth Rope for draw, Trip and Sling Ropes, Binder Twine, Forks, Scythes and Snaths, Mower Files. FOR YOUR WAR ON PESTS Fly Spray, Spray- ers, Screen Doors and Windows, King Bug Killer Arsenate of Calcium, Paris Green. PREPARE TO PRESERVE Preserving Kettles, Cold- Pack Canners, Mixing Spoons, Ladles, Strainers, Zinc and Rubber Rings, Fruit Jars and Glasses. HOLIDAY NEEDS Fishing Tackle, Guns and Am- munition, Flashlights and Bajtteries, Softballs, Bats, Tennis Balls, Vacuum Bottles, Sta-Away Insect repellant. F. W. DUNCAN HARDWARE "Blue Coal" Phone 54 Mussolini has been quiet for a long time. Perhaps he has finally learned that he has a big chin to stick out. A man in Georgia got a divorce because his wife tore four shirts off his back one after the other. Her method was wroTisg, but her taste may have been good. The motor stalls at times, and 10 do people who are trying to get the thing paid for. "We have but one aim, and one single purpose. We are resolved to destroy Hitler and every vestige of his Nazi regime; from this nothing will turn us nothing! Rt. Hon. Winston Churchill. Flying speed is slightly over 100 miles an hour; landing speed less than half that . Officials at Mount Horp are proud of one record. Since the school was opened last October, not one student has beer, injured or killed. The hos- pital hatm't had an emergency case to handle. I found similar record* at other schools. It is not the npfrm- nors who crash, but those who think :they are weperlenced ~ilots. I parachutes and Their uses Thf student takes his first flight in the front sont of n Floot trainer with nn experienced pilot in the rear. T5r- fnve ho (TOP? nn, hp puts on one of severn.1 typo?; of warm flyiiifr "nits, a hf'linpt with par phonos, FO that h rnn listr-n to tlio instructor, and jmir of bijr. soft morcnpins. A parn- rlnit" is slrRTiifl '" li' 15 l"'dy. Thprc is n hrrntl bolt n f wr-hhinf nrrvind (ho 1 v."th two narrower straps OVPT the shoulder* nr.fl two more around the learn ATI gtT>* arc fastcripd to n lpk i front of th bodr. TV pura- of flight, armament and signals. Classroom: varv according to the subject taught. I will describe only one of the most interesting. It is obviously important that pilots of fighting planes should be able ( recognize an enemy at a distance and ] get in the first shots and those shots must be accurate. All fying schools teach aircraft re- cognition. Walls of classrooms and halls are covered with pictures of British, American and enemy planes. Models, made of plastic and brought from Rritain, or carved from wood b\ Canadian boys, accurately measured to scale, are suspended from wires In various positions and can be moved across the room. Using these models, the student learn to aim with the, sights used on the famous Spitfire planes. I found this sight a fascinating piece of op- tical equipment. It is not much larg- er than a flashlight and is illumin- ated by a small bulb at the bottom. The pilot looks through a sloping pioc of glass which is transparent and yet acte a s a mirror. On the glass, a circle of light appears, with a cross-bar of li^ht, broken in the middle. In the exact centre of the circle is a spot of bright light. There are two dials on the grnn- sight, similar to those on the leni of a camera. The pilot sees an enemy plane in the distance. He sets one dial according to the t- > of plane,, say a Messerschmitt 19, and the other for the distance at which he intends to open fire, say 300 yards. After that he can concentrate on keeping the encmn plane inside that cirri" nf lijrht. When it is close enough that the wings of the approaching plane fill tho space in the broken bar of lijrht. the pilot touches a button and the fire of eight machine [runs con- vorires on the spot marked by the hricrht point of light on the gun-sieht. In training, no guns are fired but the pupil learns to judge distance and to aim accurately anjr quickly. Commanding Officer at Mount Hope is Flying Officer W. P. I'leas- ance. The Administration Officer, who was our guidv, is Flying Officer I. W. Code. (Next Week Camp Borden) EVERY MOTORIST SHOULD CLIP THIS VICTORIA CORNERS Mi. and Mrs. McClure are visiting the hitter's sister, Mrs. Albert Stinson. Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Hatchelor, Mr. GASOLINE SAVING (App rored by Automobile 40 on the open re = , Avoid jack-rabbit starts. j Avoid useless or non-esse driving. wastes gasoline. ntial "" not up slowly- gears. 3 d and prop- and Mrs. Wilfred Cinllughcr and visited Bill Hutchelor in the OmngeviUe hospital. was at rim hit him in ..the face, his nose and causing so Ay ton after a load of shingles anl had a flat tire. He pulled into a garage to pump the tire up and it is supposed that the heat burst the tire and the breaking large a gash that Hi stitches had tu be made to close the wound. Half an inch lower it would Imve hit his eyes. It was a remarkable escape from death. He knew nothing from when he started to put air in the tire until hp awakened in Oranigeville hospital. He is, however, doing as well as could be exnected. Rev. McMillan of Flesherton was the preacher at Inistioge on Sunday, ;is Mr. Jackson, our student minister, 's one of the leaders at thp summer camp, lorth of OWPII Sound. One of the- things -on cajinot de- posit, nl the. bank is a promise. Most garden;* sire n w far onnnqrh advanced to he Then '* \ ir jawine and wMninc ;\|IAU! IT on lino part of tliis mr ' I : thinking there's n loi of and in '. ' hat s mi'lmdy erlv adjus D Tune UP motor, timing, etc. D Walk .. and 1.0 5 Boa. ' reducing speed. V GO 50 50 . REMEMBER: The slower you drive, the more you save! The Government of the DOMINION OF CANADA Acting through: THE HONOURABLE C. D. HOWE, Minuter $ Munition and Supply G. R. COTTRELLE, Oil Controller for Canada stst $/uvie some. VICTORY f ^ i ^ w A m A

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