Primary Glider Training

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"I told the school officer I just had to fly. So I went back to my Link office. He called me that afternoon, and he said, 'Hey, Guy. How would you like to be a glider pilot?' I said, 'What is that?' He said, 'You fly without engines.' I said, 'Well, do you fly?' He said, 'Yeah.' 'Do you go overseas?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'I’m for it...'

They gave us our primary training there [in Hays, Kansas]. And that consisted of flying Cubs or Ronkers, tailor crafts. And that means nothing to you, but it does to people that know about flying. And we had to fly from, land in wheat fields, and would outline them with smudge pots. And we’d have to land at night from one thousand to six thousand feet, dead stick, which means you kill the engine and pull the prop up so it stops wind milling. And then you go in and land. That’s part of the training. We had a lot of other training too. Had a lot of day training. And that lasted for six weeks, I think it was."