22 October 1936

Dear Bob:

Tonight is dining in night and all pupil pilots have to wear dinner jackets and starched shirts tonight - a new experience but Flight Lieutenant Moir said that as we were to be officers in R.A.F. we must get into swing of it. - We drink toast to King with wine etc. and there is a very strict procedure.

The Superintendent of Reserve was around today to see the boys.

Today I put in nearly 2 hours dual - I practised circuits and landings, climbing, gliding, spinning, steep turns with and without engine and elementary forced landings. - The solo flight is not very far away. Our machines are terrifically fast - landing speed is 70 m.p.h. and this is with flaps down. Flaps don't slow landing speed but they make plane glide with nose farther down.

The Miles Hawk low wing monoplane glides very flat at 70 and then you open flaps and more drops but speed remains same and you don't glide as far. Did I tell you I can strip and assemble a Vickers machine gun in 1 minute 5 seconds.

Ed Good, a Canadian from Montreal, is a real friend of mine and we practise every night - it may mean our lives someday. The R.A.F. give one wide latitude for types to fly in service. - At present time I want to fly heavy night or day bombers with multiple engines but I will probably change my mind many times.

Today everything clicked wonderful with me. I made three beautiful (darbs???) of three-points landings and I feel wonderfully bucked. We do a great many tail spins and I am now used to them - You can say goodbye altitude when you get into one. - The ears feel the difference in altitude quite a bit. The Miles Hawk is the latest model trainer in the world and is the finest looking machine I have ever seen. We also have Tiger Moths (4) - the airmen pilots train on them - they are much easier to handle but I am not jealous!

We will probably be on holiday during Christmas time and have to live in London before reporting to Uxbridge.

We all have to buy full dress suits (tails) before we leave R.A.F. Civil School before reporting at Uxbridge so I have to save money.

My advance is 84 shillings a week of which 50 shillings is taken back for mess fees and then more for clothing being washed, mess drinks for dining in night, etc.

But 4 shillings 6 pence per day is put away for me until the end of the month so at end of month I get about $33 on top of advances.

Tell mother to use leather coat and winter coat.

I shall buy a new coat here and I need a lounge suit. All the boys here are very well dressed but I don't look too bad.

My dinner jacket just arrived this morning which took a load off my shoulders - Boy! it was close.

Got letter from Aunt Ida and Uncle Ross - Did Ross send photos - if not will send them to you.

I bet Ronald is some boy now. Tell Jean to work hard so she won't have to write exams. - She has to anyway to keep in with Mr. Sinclair.

At last course two machines crashed at 1000 feet. One boy jumped and saved his life, he just got out in time. The other fellow landed without rudder control, machine turned over but he only scraped knee - very lucky.

Anyway I give extra twist to parachute harness when I go up.

The air is literally full of machines and you have to keep sharp lookout.

When I glide in to land I hold the plane in the lightest touch of my hand. Even a slight movement and one would go on nose and crash. Your life is right in your fingers but the training makes you very steady and serious - no fooling about I can tell you.

Flying Officer Wilson instructs me to hold stick lightly and do all turns etc. slowly and evenly and to relax my body but not the brain (not a bad one for an Englishman).

Well I must try on dinner jacket now so goodbye for now.

Love Bill