No easy days during primary training...

[Mark D]

These photos are courtesy of Jack Threadgill. His father took these when he was a civilian flight instructor at the Dallas Aviation School, Love Field - if I remember correctly. Pretty scary!

Mark D

[Robbie Roberts]

Wonder how many windsocks you need to take out to be an "Ace"

Robbie

[Holedigger]

Turning Farm Boys into Fighter aces in three easy steps! Considering how fast pilot training was "ramped up" early in the war, did we have more trainee casualties early in the war or later? How were training rules/regs hours required changed as the war went on? Compared with the RAF or for that matter, the Luftwaffe, how was the hours required change? I know the Luftwaffe was really hard pressed as the war went on, fuel shortages really impacted pilot training. Can't imagine trying to fly a 109 after just a few hours in a basic trainer!

[Dave Hadfield]

Did he have much to say about the PT-26 (RCAF "Cornell")?

I mean other than the the ones in the shrubbery.

Dave

[Mark D]

Hi Dave

If you are talking about the fellow who took the photos - Idon't think that he flew the 26. The PT-19 and the 26 are both a pleasure to fly. Very nice to take off and land.

Mark D

[TonyM]

These photos are courtesy of Jack Threadgill. His father took these when he was a civilian flight instructor at the Dallas Aviation School, Love Field - if I remember correctly. Pretty scary!

Mark D

The crash in the first two photos was a non-fatal accident despite the huge amount of blood on the right side of the fuselage in the first photo.

The airplane in the third photo, which is PT-19A # 42-34089, crashed on 5-26-43 about one and a half miles southeast of Rochelle, Texas. Civilian instructor Marion E. McLaurin and Aviation Cadet Everal H. Lemley were killed. The airplane stalled from an altitude of about 500 feet agl. The airplane had taken off from Curtis Field, Brady, Texas.

I could not identify the other airplanes in the remaining photos.

Tony M.