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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0145.PDF
JANUARY I6TH, 1941 SPIRITED GATHERING : A trio of Hurricanes refill their tanks with leaded fuel. and we know that they probably won't be back for atleast an hour, we go for lunch. But we always leave a spare crew on duty to deal with any aircraft—maybe fromanother squadron—which might land. " The crews take great pride in the aircraft in theircharge. They call their Hurricanes by pet names, always starting with the machine's appropriate letter. Thus youget a machine with the letter ' F' called Freddie, ' Q ' Queenie, and so on. They paint mascots on the air-craft, too. 'Freddie,' for instance, bears a picture of Ferdinand the Bull. Another aircraft has a witch on abroomstick, another has George and the Dragon, and they usually paint a tiny swastika along one panel for everyHun the pilot has got. They keep the aircraft spotlessly clean, too. After each trip it is wiped clean of oil, andevery other day the Hurricane is washed and scrubbed with soap and water. And they wash behind the ears, too, asthough they are washing a small schoolboy! As you may guess, there is not much time for fun and games. Most_ of the recreation—darts, shove-halfpenny and such-like— 'are played in the camp, but now and then the airmen get a day off to enable them to find relaxation outside. Butgenerally they are quite happy staying in camp. During the summer-time our hours are from about 3 a.m. until10.30 p.m., but in winter the hours of daylight are short, giving us a chance to rest. '' May I say a word about the fighter pilots ? I thinkthey are a fine lot—as good as they ever were. I've been in the Service since I was a boy in 1923—I'm only 33now. But I've worked for some grand people. Once I was with some members of the Schneider Trophy teams,when they were instructors at a Central Flying School teaching younger men, now fighter pilots, I suppose, tofly. I am Cornish, though my wife now lives with our three children in the village of Ryther, near Selby, York-shire. My family are boatbuilders in Falmouth, and a great-grandfather, or something like that, of mine was apetty officer in Nelson's Victory. He helped to conquer one dictator. I hope to do my bit in Conquering this dictator." OFF AGAIN : All the care, training and enthusiasm isdevoted to one end—well-tuned aircraft ready at any instant.
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