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March 1944

1944

Wednesday March 1st Dear Mother & Sister, I got a nice letter from each of you today - I have been showered with birthday gifts it seems. I got a box of candy & Stationery from Edda & a nice box of candy, box of cookies, pair of socks, Beau Brummel tie from Dottie. Well I'm glad you're getting some nice spring weather there now - The days are pretty nice here too since the rain we had. The plane that lit on the farm was something like I was flying at Dos Palos I guess to Frank Ware gave him his directions huh (ha ha) I wrote cousin Wilbur a letter last nite - Everyone talking about flying here all around me & I can hardly keep my eyes & mind on this paper We should be going on a cross-country flight soon I don't think we'll need any extra money - If so I'll send for it - I haven't had any to spare to buy any Bonds in a long time though. I think I'll drop my instructor in primary & Basic a note tonight as there's no other news. I'll say good nite and love Tell grandpa hello for me - I just wrote Clifford a V-letter a day or two ago - So he's in New Guinea now. Bye all, Austin

March 3, 1944 Friday Nite Hello Mom, Think I'll have time for about one page tonight. Everything okay around here. I got your letters yesterday—yes, we can get film here! What is the size of my camera? I've forgotten—yours is 6-16 isn't it. We have about a week more ground school. Then we'll begin going on Cross Country & Nite Flying. I'm flying on the team now — today I was flying under the hood of Sgt. Smith's cockpit acting as observer so after a while he says, "I've never seen this place before so I came out and we weren't any where near home & he didn't know the way back either so we tuned in on our Radio Range & flew a team back home— The radio beams are something like this: drawing I have at the bottom you can tune in the stations which is at the center and when in one of the quadrants you'll either hear an A (dit dah) or an N (dah dit) and when you get on the beam you get a steady hum - you see when we heard the N signal we knew we could turn South or North and be bound to hit one of the beams if the signal begins getting louder you're coming toward the station & if it fades out you turn around & head in the opposite direction Well gotta go now Love Austin 1944 Sunday Nite

March 5th Dear Mother & Sister, It's almost bedtime, I've been pretty busy today - I went to church this morning and have been flying all afternoon. We go on a cross-country tour 300 miles tomorrow. I have plotted my course tonight & have all the navigation problems worked except correcting for the wind which I can't do till tomorrow anyway as I don't know the direction or velocity of the wind that we'll have tomorrow (ha ha). Just enclosing the little programs to show you what type of programs we have here - I really enjoyed the service this morning. I have 29 hours in now as Pilot and around 15 as Co-pilot - we get 70 pilot hours while here. A picture I took of myself while in Los Angeles one time - you know one of those little booths where you put in a dime & sit still while the pictures made. Time for lights out now so good nite to all - Sweet dreams- {If you have a mop I'm going North to PECOS AAF then west to SALT FLAT Then South to VAN HORN then South East back to M.A.A.F. Love, Austin P.S. I wrote a card last nite guess they'll both get to you about the same time P.S.S. I got a letter from Harvey Kinney today, he's been on a 10 day furlough.

March 8 1944 Dear Mother & Sister, How's everyone? I got your box of nice cards & the bill fold today - thanks a lot. A.V. (Alden) was surprised to see on the box, Austin & Alden Winn. I went on a 300 mile cross-country this afternoon. We had a big time - the weather closed in on us over at Salt Flats about 1/2 way around our course and instead of flying at 10,000 ft we came down to 4000 & followed a railroad track on back home. 18 planes didn't get past Salt Flat & had to land there. Some are sleeping in their planes tonight so we were lucky to come on in (ha ha). I also went 300 miles Monday afternoon. Yes I guess it is nice to have Miss Lovy just across the road isn't it! When have they heard from Waits? & Billy too? I've written Jack a coupla V-letters but haven't heard from him yet. I went to school tonight & worked out the navigation for another cross-country flight. Am getting a lot of just flying in too - I take off without seeing outside the plane at all. All you can see is the instrument panel. If fly climb up to 8 or 9 thousand ft & fly down right over the runways. I have an instructor who just sits there & rides & watches for other planes to keep from colliding in the air & tells me things about just flying etc. Gotta go now - Bedtime Love to all Austin

1944 March 11th Saturday 9 P.M. Hello folks, Am writing toite from the USO at Morfa. The 44C class graduated today and we didn't have to do any flying. Matter of fact, neither do we fly Sunday or Monday so I figured this was the best time for me to visit the town of Morfa. It's a little larger than Henning. At the graduation this morning we marched in a parade & also there was a formation of 36 planes flew over the field in review. It was really pretty. I took a 200 mile cross-country flight under the hood, I was really tired when I come back. It is tiresome sitting here & not seeing where you're going far so long at a time When we go on these XCs we carry some candy apples oranges etc & cantens of water with us just in case we do need them. The country around here is so thinly populated if we were forced down on the desert we might have quiet a while to wait before any help would get to us. The U.S.O. here is a nice place lots of games to play and music etc Also have sandwiches candy coffee cold drinks a big library and lots of new magazines too I got the pictures you sent they are good & I was glad to see all the folks that were at church too. Still looks familiar to me I guess I better stop for tonite, and leave a few sheets of stationery for the next guy. I'm going back to the field tonight on the bus. I may send my whole batch of pictures home for you to look at & then get the one I want to keep again when I get home. Have an idea I'll go to New Mexico for my next base if I get through here OK. I still have to pass an instrument check in the plane - I made 100 on my final navigation exam - got 98s in this class, made 100's. Don't think I'll have any trouble unless something unusual happens so wish me luck and I'll be doing my best. It really had taken a long time to get this far along. They help raising the standards with each class as they don't seem to need pilots as bad as navigators & bombardiers. Well goodnite all happy dreams Loads of Love Austin Wednesday nite

March 15, 1944 Dear Mother & All, As it's been a few days since I've written I better send a line or two anyway tonite - Am doing OK & have had 5 Cross-Country trips already. This morning I went to El Paso Salt Flat and back home - 400 miles - Was back in plenty time for dinner. I just came back from supper, we had lemon pie. We are about through with ground school here. Yes we do go on the range again here at this field. Maybe tomorrow afternoon. Will be glad when I get that all finished We have never gotten our class books yet but I have got seen one of them already - The lower-class (44E) from Lancaster came in here this week and some of them had some of our books. We can not figure out why they don't send ours on to us. It is the best one we've had yet too. Say, I bought me a new pair of shoes today. You know the ones you sent me while I was at Santa Ana. They were too tight & I've never gotten much use out of them. Do you suppose John would want them? They are hardly worn any at all anyway! I have had just a little sinus trouble this week—not bad though—I guess the dust & hot weather caused it. Boy, it really is a job to figure out plans for transportation home. I think I'll get a bus from here to Dallas. I've written for reservations on a plane from there to Memphis but don't know if I'll get them or not. I may ship some of my clothes home in a few days if I have time to fix them up. Just a lotta extra stuff. We have to turn in all our clothing that's been issued to us & buy our own from now on. How do you like this stationery? Edna sent this to me - well you wrote something about a ring, I'll just wait till I come home & maybe I'll want something then. Boy it's hard to believe its just a month until I'm supposed to be home. We still don't know whether we'll be Flight Officers or 2nd Lieutenants. Same pay + clothing except Flight officers wear blue bars + 2nd Lt wears gold bars. Well, I better stop for tonight now. I wanta run over to the PX a moment before bed-time. We get up at 6:00 here but that's still dark. We have the same time that you have here at this field. Give sister a hug & kiss for me and hope she's doing fine. Love to all, Austin P.S. Frank Sinatra is on the Radio now P.S. I got a letter from David Hopp & he says his taking the Air Corps exams for a/c - if he passes he'll get to come back here for his training (USA)

1944 March 19th Sunday Dear Folks, It's a nice day here except a little cool for a change. I have already had my instrument check and am pretty sure I passed it OK. Tomorrow I'm flying to Pecos, Farwell, Amarillo, Abeline, Big Spring, and back home - We'll land at Amerilla & Abeline & eat dinner at one place - get gasoline at both - The trip is 946 miles. I wrote to Dallas and got reservations on a plane to Memphis. They came today and then we heard we would graduate until April 15th so I'll have to write it all over again. I got a class book from one of the lower class but as it seems we aren't getting ours anyway - I'll mail it on to you. I went to church again this morning - We had a good dinner today. Here's a few of the things on menu, Fried chicken, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce & tomatoes, celery, milk, coffee, chicken noodle soup, crackers, bread, fruit jello, butter and a few odds & ends (ha ha). I've almost completed all the day flying I get here. We get about 20 hours nite flying - On the Time & Distance problem we had yesterday it worked out perfectly- We flew about 60 miles & met an airplane over a little town at exactly the right minute - all I had to do was just turn left and fly his wing- [Intercepted Him Here at 9:29 - PLAN STARTED FROM HERE AT 4:00 45 miles 20 miles 40 miles] Well I guess I'll get home sometime 5 days won't make much difference unless they also make it an 8 day leave instead of 10- We are plotting our course for our cross country now which covers sectional charts we look like a bunch of navigators instead of pilots. Must go now hope you can read my scribbling Love to all Austin

1944 Sunday March 26th Dear Folks, How's everyone by this time around home? Tis Sunday afternoon now & we are flying tonite until 2:30. Then tomorrw aternoon & nite till 3:30. We take a cross-country tomorrow nite. I went to church this morning & we had about 20 negro WACS that came to church. The colored boys here on this field had a big party of some kind last nite. About 300 colored WACS came here visiting for the week-end. I got the Enterprise today & also a card from you. Is John keeping both tractors now or is he going to sell the small one? Maybe I'll get this package to you some day. I've got to plot my cross-country this afternoon so will have to make this one short as usual. I hope sister is feeling well. Tell all hello - Lots of Love Austin

March 28th 1944 Tuesday Dear Mother and All, The wind is blowing so strong this afternoon & the dust so bad we aren't having our P.T., so I have time for a line or two. We had a pretty eventful nite last nite - I got in at 4 A.M. this morning made everything O.K. - We went on a Cross Country flight and several of our planes kinda got lost etc. One the planes in our element (sp?) went way past the first turning point of the trip & ran out o gas almost half way around - He made it into an airfield at Wink though and sat there till about 8:30 this morning - Two other guys went into another field at Pyote & forgot to lower their landing gear so cracked up the plane - And A.V. Winn got up about ready to begin on the Cross Country & One engine cut out on him as he was going to come back home & he he was approaching the field the other engine stopped so he landed in the desert wheels up about 1/2 mile from the field No one was hurt in all the accidents though so we were pretty lucky I guess. Boy every town looks just alike at nite and you have winds aloft blowing from different directions & speeds than they are on the ground so you have to figure on all that stuff etc. Don't let all this stuff worry you any though - We just take that as everyday happening & get a lot o' laughs out of the guys that got lost The planes that are damaged though run into big money The nites are really dark around here. We don't fly but 2 more nites this week & that may finish all my flying time at this field I sent you an Air Mail letter Sunday but it came back & I had to put 2 more cents on it. I mailed the box of stuff home yesterday too. By the way I seem to have lost a little box I was keeping that had a few keepsakes in it. I don't guess I had already sent it home & forgotten about it? It was a blue candy box with a lipstick tube, a small Bible, and a few other odd things. Haven't heard any from the airlines yet but we do graduate now on APR 15th instead of the 13th. I got 3 nice shirts yesterday and they really fit nice. My complete uniform hasn't come yet & I already have a short coat, trench coat, and had my Cadet hat & blouse changed into Officers. Edna's birthday is April 17th. Do you have any suggestions as to what I could get her? Say those letters in the box of pictures you can kinda put up without showing them to the public (ha ha). Well I better stop about now. It's time for supper & I think we go to a show tonite for a change. Some guys have link from 10 to 12 PM but I'm all through with that. I lack about 12 hours of site flying and hove to take tetanus & typhoid boosters shots. Hope the blessed event is all O.K. If it's happened! Love to All, Austin