HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1941-08-14, Page 71
Thursday, August 14th, 1941
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WINGHAM ADVANCETIMES PAGE SEVEK
I is the parachute room. The parachute
is made of the finest grade Japanese
silk, with braided cords. The length is
about 40 feet and the cost of one is
about $400. Parachutes are given con
stant care, since lives depend on them.
Every few days, they are unpacked and
hung in a tower, looking like a flock
of big bats hanging from the ceiling.
Folding and re-packing are done by
experts.
An interesting ’chute story comes
from another school. New parachutes
were taken there for testing. A weight
was attached and the parachute taken
up in one of the big bombers. It was
laid on two planks across an opening
in “the floor of the plane. One of the
ground crew, not too bright apparent
ly, was given the duty of going aloft
and releasing the parachute to be test
ed, His duties were simple. The
weight rested on a couple of planks
stretched across the opening. AH he
had to do was tip the planks at the
proper time, to let the parachute go.
All went well until one day when a
plank got caught. Jerking at it, the
aircraftman lost his balance and fell
forward through the hole. Quite un
expectedly, he tested a parachute, but
it was his own.
How To Aim A Spitfire
At the Elementary Flying Training
School, the student pilot flies about 50
• hours, 25 of them under the eyes of an
instructor and the rest alone. He may
go up as often as four times a day, but
never over four hours altogether in
one day. The other half of the day is
spent in the lecture rooms. Two after
noons a week, there are sports at 4
o’clock, tennis, softball and soccer.,
One building houses the Link trainers,
which are continually used for testing
the students. Lectures include such
subjects as navigation, engines, rigg
ing, theory of flight, armament and
signals.
Classrooms vary 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 to
recognize an enemy at a distance and
get in the first shots—and those shots
must be accurate.
AH flying schools teach aircraft re
cognition. Walls of classrooms and
halls are covered with pictures of Brit
ish, American and enemy planes. Mod
els, made of plastic and brought from
Britain, or carved from wood by Can
adians boys, accurately measured to
scale, are suspended from wires in
various positions and can be moved
across the room.
Using these models, the student
learns to aim with the sights used on
the famous Spitfire planes. I found
this sight a fascinating piece of opti
cal equipment. It is not much larger
than a flashlight bulb and is illumin
ated by a small bulb at the bottom.
The pilot looks through a sloping piece
of glass which is transparent and yet
acts as a mirror. On the glass, a circle
of light appears, with a cross-bar of
light, broken in the middle. In the ex
act centre of the circle is a spot or
bright light
There are two dials on the gun
sight, similar to those on the lens of a
camera. The pilot sees an enemy plane
In the distance. He sets one dial ac
cording to the type Or plane, say a
Messerschmitt 109, and the other for
a distance at which he intends to open
fire, say 300 yards. After that he can
concentrate on keeping the enemy
plane inside that circle of light. When
it is close enough that the wings of
the approaching plane fill the space in
the broken bar of light, the pilot touch
es a button and the fire of eight ma
chine guns converges on the spot
The Administration Officer, who was
our guide, i§ Flying Officer L. W.
Code,
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PILOTS LEARN TO
HANDLE PLANES
AT ELEMENTARY
FLYING SCHOOLS
By HUGH TEMPLIN
One year ago, Mount Hope was a
little crossroads village south of Ham
ilton* about half-way between that
■city and the Grand River. How it got
its name, I don’t know, but the hopes
of the early citizens must have been
realised at last The village itself is
little changed as yet, but on the high
ground nearby there are two air train
ing 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 th^ British Com
monwealth Air Training .Plan.
Previous stories in this series have
followed the future pilot through the
A. H. McTAVISH, B.A.
Teeswater, Ontario
Barrister, Solicitor, Notary Public
and Conveyancer
Office: GoftOn House, Wroxeter
every Thursday afternoon 1.30 to
4,30 and by appointment.
Phone Teeswater 120J.
YOUR EYES NEED
t ATTENTION
Our 25 Point Scientific Examin
ation enables us to give you
Clear, Comfortable Vision
F. F. HOMUTH
Optometrist
Phone 118 Harriston
MONUMENTS at first cob!
Having our factory equipped with the
most modern machinery for the exe-
ctitioft of high-class work, we ask you
to see the largest display.of tnoua*
merits of any retail factory m Ontario,
All finished by sand blast marines.
We import all our granites from the
Old Country quarries tough. You can save all local deal-
ers’, agents* and middleman profits by
seeing us.
E. J. Skelton * Son
»t Wwt End Bridge—WALKERTON
first two months or more of his train
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
come to actual flight has been in a
miniature plane, anchored firmly to
„the ground. At some one of the 26
Elementary Flvir.g Training Schools
scattered across Canada, he wili ex
perience the thrill of his first flight,
unless he has, at some time before en
listment, paid for a ride as a passeng
er, or is one of those rare recruits with
training as commercial pilots.
The “No Admittance” Sign
It isn’t easy to get inside the gate
at any of the R.C.A.F. training schools.
That is as it should'be, and no one can
object to the rules, but Sometimes, the
guards interpret them more strictly
than at others.
’1 drove up to the gate, armed with
letters from the Training Command
and accompanied by a Flying Officer
in uniform. The Commanding Officer
was expecting me. But the guard at
the barrier was adamant. I had no
pass, so I didn’t get in. He must have
been an N.C.O. in the Imperials—rules
to him were rules. Portestations by
my guide and a telephone call to the
Commanding Officer didn't alter the
fact that I had no pass. Finally, it was
suggested to the guard that he write
me out one himself. He did so, and I
passed triumphantly inside.
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 familiar pat
tern found at all the schools, with ev
erything standardized for rapid and
economical construction. The outside
of the huts is covered with roofing
paper. Everywhere is a look of new
ness.
The First Flying Instruction
After graduation from the Initial
Training School, the future pilots part
from the other students and go to the
Elementary Flying Training Schoote,
of which Mount Hope is a typical ex
ample, These schools are not run by
the Government, but by private comp-
attest, each one sponsored by a Canad
ian Flying Club. One result is that
there is a certain division of labor at
each of these Elementary Schools,
There is a civilian manager, whose
duty It is to supervise all the actual
flying instruction and maintenance of
the planes, and an R.A.C.F, Mfieer In
charge of discipline and of the class-
' room teaching.
The arrangement has been criticiz
ed, but it seems to be working well.
Early in the war, when the great Air
Training Plan was first put into oper
ation, it enabled the R.C.A.F. to take
advantage of the most experienced In-
ser-uctors available, the enthusiasts
who had kept alive the Flying Clubs.
Thar 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.CA..F.
All the planes used at Mount Hope
are Fleet Finches. Some other schools
use Tiger 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 Tiger Moths are both
double-seated biplanes. Two pairs of
wings enable them to fly steadily in
the hands of beginners and to land at
a safe speed. Flying speed is slightly
over 100 miles an hour; landing §peed
less than half that.
Officials at Mount Hope are proud
of one record. Since the school was
Opened last October, not one stduent
has been injured or killed. The hos
pital hasn't had an emergency case to
handle. I found similar records at oth
er schools. It is qot the beginners
who crash, but those who think they
are experienced pilots.
Parachutes and Their Uses
The student takes his first flight in
the front seat of a Fleet trainer with
an experienced pilot in the rear. Be
fore he goes up, he put on one of Sev
eral types of warm flying suits, a hel
met with ear phones, so that he can
listen to the instructor, and a pair of
big, soft moccasins. A parachute is
strapped to his body. There is a broad
belt of webbing around the waist, with
two narrower straps over the should
ers and two more around the legs. All
the straps are fastened to a lock in
front of the body. The parachute itself
is carefully folded inside a bag which
serves as a cushion on which the stud
ent sits white flying. The “rip cord”
isn’t a cord at all. Fastened to the
belt, on the left side, is a large metal
handle, in easy reach of the right hand.
When it is 'ptrfted a metal cable,, like
that used in camera shutters, jerks op
en the bag in which the parachute is
folded. Few students will ever have
to use one, in Canada at least, but the
feel of a parachute on the back gives
added conUdence.
Otte of the buildings at MoW Hope
Patricia Ann was puddling in a
sandpile at the doorway when I
thought of giving her a first opportun
ity to go in her bare feet. Of recent
years there has been a deplorable ten
dency in the country to rob children
of that great privilege of going bare
footed. Somehow we had fallen in line
with it, and the pride and joy of the
Osifer homestead was allowed to go
on her way fettered by
stockings.
At first Patricia Ann
about venturing out on
I I
oj
1 I
shoes and 7/ft
was timid |
the grass.!
Holding on to me with a chubby fist I
she experimentally dabbed one pink!
and white foot at the grass, A blazing!
sun had deprived the grass of its]
greenness and its burnt harshness evi
dently tickled her foot. She squealed
and stood poised with one foot in the
sand pile and the other held up. Then
she discovered the pleasures of walk
ing in the sand and allowing the trick
ling grains to squeeze between her
toes. That was real fun but the grass
w$s too hard and coarse for tender
feet to walk on.
In the shade of the big pine, where
the sun had not penetrated, the grass
was green and here she was initiated
into the pleasures of country children.
Squealing and laughing she ran back
and forth tenderly on the grass. She
was haying her first bare-footed romp
outside on the grass; .
Why is it that recently so many of :
us have all but forgotten the pleasures ;
we had as children in bare feet? Do I
you remember how anxiously you :
waited for that first sunniy day when
mother could be conviced that it was
warm enough for bare-footed romp
ing? Of course, we didn’t admit it,
but we had been peeling off our shoes
hn.d stockings on the way to school as
soon as we rounded the curve that
took us out of the vision of the kitch
en windows.
What a thrill there was in walking
on the gravel with winter-tender feed
Ho-w the pebbles itched in the instep
and nipped around the toes! For those
first few times we had to walk on the
beaten track of the road and hope ar
dently that no new gravel had been
applied on the roadway. But tender
feet soon vanished after a few days of
travelling on the gravel roads of- the
township.
At recess time we always had a com
petition to see which one had the
longest sole. How well I can remetn-
ber the Higgins boy who used to have
a pin in the tough skin of his big toe
and with it derived many hours of fun
from jabbing the girls who sat tn the
igi *
-•x
PIUS DEPOSIT
# PER B0TT1E
;rA
ping your feet in the creek while sit
ting on the old culvert The water wa.>
warm and the creek meandered along,
seemingly in no hurry to reach the
river. Pull your feet out and there
would be a collection of blood-suckers
hanging on for dear life.’ City child
ren were always afraid of the little
black creatrues, but there wasn’t a? repair 1
country lad who hadn’t heard that old j County Treas., hospital exp. for Eld-
superstition about their being healthy
because they -were supposed to cleanse [ pital expenses for F. Gile and J. Mos-
your blood, | ure $12.25; F. A, Edgar, checking
Take away anything you want but ~
please leave country children that
right of rights . . . going bare-footed.
City children may take off their shoes
and stockings on occasion and splash
in the water of a hose. They probably
get enjoyment from it. It has always
been the heritage of the country child
ren, however, to doff their shoes and
stockings in early spring and progress !
during the summer and fall
Mother finally lays down the lav
they have to be replaced.
! ried. United Church, Fordwich, rent
■ of room, $1.50; Isaac Gamble, part sM-
fary as Clerk. $35,00; John Harrifielj^
sheep killed by dogs, $10.00; C. H,.
White, repair to sidewalk, Wroxeter,,
$3,00; E. M. Creighton, truss for X
Reid $15.00; Municipal World, 1941
?Statutes and supplies $4.15; J, H. Neill,
to piano, Wroxeter Hall, .50;
■
m Reid $33.60; County Treas., hos-
. ure $12.25; F.
j Treas. Account, etc., amending By-law
Bolton Drain $15.00; Wm. McDonald,
. work on Jardine Drain $37.00; Amos
! C. Martin, tile for Jardin drain $59.10;
\ W. C. King, bal. salary as Collector,
W. Div, 1940, $65,00; James L. Walk-
om, bal, salary as Collector, E. Div.
1940, $40,00; Geo, Leonard Est, col
lecting scrap iron, etc., $5.00; John
Wallace, collecting scrap iron, etc.,
$5.00; Edward Orth, collecting scrap,
iron, etc., $5.00; Dr, H. D. Divingstone;
anaesthetic for M. Linton $5:00; Re
lief for July $68.66; F. A. Edgar, By
law, etc., Bolton Drain amended sched-
« ule $65,00,
I Fordwieh, August Sth, 1941 , Mo’!d >' M=Callum and Winter
The Council met in the United “rat Conned do now adjourn to
Chinch Hall, according to adjourn. j ■"=« ™ Townsh.p Hall, Wroxeter.
meat, the members were al! present, °"th! ”ftB ‘ °
the Reere, J. W. Gamble, in the chair. “ the ReeVe' CametL
The minutes of last regular meeting Isaac Gamble, Clerk,
were read and on motion ot Strong’ ------------------
and McCallum, were adopted. » EDen Exchange. Some folks say
Moved by Strong and Weir that the Eve’s telephone number was 281. Oth-
Clerk and the Treasurer be hereby I
i authorized to sign an order for an ad- I
1 diiional dozen wrist watches. Carried |
Moved by McCallum and Strong j
that the Hydro Electric Power Com-|
, mission be requested to cancel the I
contract on Lots 301, 302, 303 and 304;
owned by Dr. R, C. Ramage in the vil-1
lage of Wroxeter, as the property is
[unoccupied. Carried.
1 Moved by Weir and Strong that the
wide seat ahead. Finally, however, the [Township Engineer, F. A. Edgar, be
teacher caught him in the ac>.. [ hereby instructed to prepare Plans and
How we hated washing our feet! | Specifications for the erection of a
Mother would come up and in place j bddge opposite Lot iS on the 12ib
concession of Howick Township,
ried.
Moved by Strong and McCallum
until
that
HOWICK COUNCIL
I
i
EDen Exchange. Some folks say
Iers claim ADam 812. Our guess is
SAtan 1 (won).
t * * *
The British Ministry of Supply has
announced that last year enough scrap
metal was salvaged in Britain to make
»ten cargo ships, 1000 Army tanks, and.
s 20,000,000 shells.of a
of tucking us in she would flip the|
covers off our feet. Woe betide the!
one caught slipping into the sheets I
without wasning. Do you remember | Township Engineer, F. AJ
how you would scrub half-heartedly Edga_ be hereby instm c7ed to prepare >l
at the feet only to find later that mo- a reporj on Municipal Drain No. 16.:
ther’s scrutiny would call your atten-[ carr:ed *
tion to rings of dirt draped around the| Moved by Winter and Weir that the '
calf of your leg? Punishment was■al- Township Road Supt. be hereby in-?
| structed to have the tires on the power .
‘ grader re-capped. Carried. J
Moved by Weir and Winter that the.
_o— -------, _ . . ! tender of Amos C. Martin to construct
marked by the bright point of light on ; rd and had hoped in this way to es-| Municipal Drain No. 15 for the sum of i
the gun-sight. In training, no guns j cape. $742.74, be accepted. Carried. " i
are fired but the pupil learns to judge: Do you remember the thrill of a’ Moved by Weir and Strong that thes
distance and to alm accurately and| stubble field? It took careful navigat-| Road Accounts, as approved, be paidJ
quickly. § ing to escape the thistles and the stub-;. Carried. j
Commanding Officer at Mount Hopei,Me. Another source of pleasure, that! Moved by Weir and McCallum that I
is Flying Officer W. P. Pleasar.ee. fo-ou may perhaps remember, was dip-1 the following accounts be paid. Car-|
Car-
n
BARGAIN FARES
TO
TORONTO
EXHIBITION
In effect from many points
in Ontario
SINGLE FARE
FOR THE ROUND TRIP
Rmwjw Trf* JExira
so meted out on several occasions to 5
a certain boy who in place of securing >
the wash basin and filling it with wat
er, had dipped his feet in the rain bar-
GOOD GOING AUG. 21 - SEPT. 6
RETURN LIMIT - SEPT. 10
SAFELY OVERSEAS, NEWLY-ARRIVED CANADIAN TROOPS SWELL BRITAIN’S GARRISON
Hon. X L. Ralston, minister of national defence. Is ritotvn, LEFT,?dian Division overseas. Major-General Price left afeng with C&nadtorst
as he addressed a large gathering of Canadian soldiers aboard troop-" troops- recently in the largest cenvoy ever to leave Ccrtsd.on sSws. la
ship at a Canadian port recently. These tf&zpg have now safely arrived me group from LEFT to RIGHT are: C-oL the Ifon. J. L. Ralston, mart*
overseas. The Ht Hon. Ernest Lapointe, standing fess-da Mr. Ralston.- feter of national defence; Major-Gen. C. B, Price, G.O.C, Third CMa&aa
had special words of farewell and encouragement for the Franrii-tnaak-'Di vision; RL Hom Ernest Lapointe* minister of Justice; Major-Gen. H»
lug soldiers of the. etnttogent Hen. Mr. Ralston is sbswn. RIGHT, asp. G. Omar, ebief of the general staff; Bri& A. E. Nash, der.tijy ad*
fee bid farewell to Major-General B. Price, G.O.C. of th* Third Cana* Jutahf genml Colonel Ralston U shaking hands with Geoerri Price,,