Primary Flight Training
A/C Roy N. Van Arsdall 15306087
Flight 5, Bks. No. 5, Cl. 44I
Mustang Field
El Reno, Okla.
March - April 1944
March 15, 1944
Dear Mother,
I’ve been here about 35 hours, and I’ve tried to write about as many times.
Not quite what I thought it would be. It’s worse than CTD or anything else on regulations. We double time everywhere for the next five weeks and I haven’t even seen time to go to the latrine yet.
What preflight calls splendid jobs they call a terrible mess. Lot of stuff we have to learn (like class system).
Day runs from 5:50 AM till 6:30 PM, and it really runs. Maybe better after we get settled.
Looks like about half of us will be washed very shortly. Same happened to all others.
Will fly tomorrow quick. There’s some less than 400 here, 125 upper and 200 lower. Well over 100 ships. Look good. Very barren desolate place. Four hangers, ten barracks, mess hall, recreation hall, and dispensary. Nothing else anywhere close.
And wind! Never saw it blow so hard in my life. And it goes night and day. They say it goes all the time. Don’t see how planes go. Let you know more when things get settled.
Love,
Roy

Guys at Work
March 16, 1944
Dear Dad,
Had a good trip up on Pullman. Each had a berth and was OK. From 1:30 PM till 8 AM next morning. 200 of us came up and there are about 125 of the upper class men who haven’t washed out yet. 325 all together.
Very small camp. Just 4 hangers, 10 barracks, mess hall, dispensary and rec hall. Field is one mile square (landing field).
I guess you know how Oklahoma is. Wind never quits. Night and day. Must stay between 20 and 30 mph. Land is flat and absolutely no vegetation at all, not even grass. You can’t see for the dirt. I couldn’t even hear my instructor standing on the ground today.
If you know what “chicken shit” is in the army--we have it. Most of the upper class men have been to town once out of their allotted five. They give tours instead of gigs.
Barracks are pretty good. Fixed off in bays with 8 guys. Double-deck beds, but mine has springs like those at home. Four built-in tables.
Planes are nice if you can handle them. I sat in one about half the afternoon. We get 65 hours if we finish primary.
They are Ryan’s (PT-19). Practically all metal, low-wing and look like fighter planes. I notice mine is red-lined at 192 MPH and has a ceiling of 17,500 ft. (Quite different from a Cub). Open cockpits.
We were issued heavy fleece lined equipment. Very good.
Have well over 100 planes here. You should see them take off about 150 feet apart. There are about 15 fields within 30 miles or so, 6 of them are close.
You never saw the like. Worse than city traffic.
Food is all by women and girls. We go in mess hall and it works exactly as the Union at UK. Tables and all. All courses are 10 weeks now and may be longer. Get off on Sunday. Washouts very high. Study aircraft engines, navigation, weather, plane identification, also link trainer. Rained like h--- today and didn’t get up.
Roy
March 20, 1944
Dear Mother,
Nice blizzard today. Broke down the power lines and we had no heat this morning. Fixed now.
Had open post. Not due, but CO said we were best class ever in, so passes we got. All our blouses were in the cleaners. Wouldn’t say that’s why he did it, but he restricted all the upper class men, and we borrowed their blouses.
Had a Sadie Hawkins dance here Friday night and went to one last night at the Elks club in town.
This flying is going to be rough. They wont need about half of us. The planes are fast compared to Cubs. Fast moving to learn. And I need a bit more stability for spins. You drop like a rock in these things. Beautiful planes, though. Have to use flaps to land.
Nothing much has happened yet. Weather been too bad. Let you know how things go.
Love,
Roy
P.S.--Fog shut us out completely in about 15 minutes yesterday. Quickest I ever saw. Planes came in everywhere with no regard for traffic pattern. As low as 50-75 feet to see. Landed almost touching each other. Over 100 of them.
March 27, 1944
Dear Mother,
Just got down, but have to stay here in the ready room every day till 6 PM. We spend 6 hours a day right here.
My first couple flights I had plenty of trouble with my stomach. If your stomach ever changes direction at 175 mph suddenly, you’ll know what I mean. It seems we’ve done millions of spins. I can do them fairly well now. At first I didn’t know what was where. My feet would come up off the floor and the earth whirled at an alarming rate in front of me. Coming out everything went through the seat. Sometimes I get a bit blind for a second. Never longer. I’m working on precision spins where I can get out at a certain number of turns. I’d hate to think what would happen if I didn’t know just how to get that thing out.
Up to now I have 7 kinds of stalls. They’re pretty darn hard to do. You point it up till it just wont go any more. As air speed goes down it’s pretty hard to keep it from flipping over into a spin before the nose falls.
I really murdered things today. I took off and landed in attitudes you’d never dream of. Propeller pulls it badly to the left. Hard to keep straight. Once I went as nearly sideways as possible. I almost got the fence and everything else.
Rog would like to see this mess. First flight up over 100 planes go out at once all trying to get up first. Thicker than any city traffic ever was. Checks will be very rough. They just have too many pilots. We lose over 50 percent and I’m far from being a hot pilot.
This is Saturday morning. They say they’re restricting the whole group because someone took a short cut in running cross country yesterday. One of the darn army check pilots saw him from the air.
Boy, you have to really love flying to put up with this stuff, and I don’t know just how well I love it. A good percentage of the fellows figure it isn’t worth it. A year or so ago they’d treat us like kings and do their best to get us through. Oh, they needed drivers then, but not any more!!
Last night we had a dance that was to start at eight. At six we went on the parade ground and didn’t get off till after eight. And it takes an hour to feed the outfit, and then we had to clean up.
There are just a bit over 300 boys now, and there are always over 200 girls. Last night there were a lot of extra girls. And I had a date in Oklahoma City and then they restricted us. (Wind is terrible out).
We did a slow roll yesterday and you certainly appreciate your safety belt when you’re hanging there with nothing but it holding you in. Some breeze when you stick your head out, too.
The guys are all out drilling now, but drum and bugle corps saves me for the moment.
Don’t worry. Nothing really hurting me, but you have an idea what I mean.
Love,
Roy
P.S.-Flying is easy, but the army way is darn hard. When you get down you’re completely worn out and haven’t seen a thing. Once I did see the top of all the big white caps--beautiful. I do most of my work from 1 to 1 1/2 miles up.
March 29, 1944
Dear Mother,
Here on the flight line again. Go up last this morning.
I guess they meant it when they said they didn’t need any more pilots. The Major told some of the guys who have already washed out that Randolph Field said they didn’t need any more and to get rid of us on the least infraction. And believe me they do it. One check pilot took up 7 Saturday and he washed out 7 boys.
It wouldn’t be too bad if I could go to a tech school like they have been. All the boys are being sent back to their old outfits. Only those originally in the Air Corps can stay. Four boys went back to the infantry Saturday. Of course I couldn’t go back to an old outfit, but I’d have to take basic over. D.....!! At least I’m still here now, though.
Went to Oklahoma City Saturday. Darn nice town.
Will solo soon if I’m going to. They have a 20 hour check, 30, 40 and 60. 30 and 60 hours checks are army checks.
Love,
Roy

Drum and Bugle Corps at SAACC
April 1, 1944
Dear Mother,
Drum and bugle corps is getting me out of drill right now so I can write a letter.
Our blizzard is about gone, but the remains are still here. The whole field was just marooned for two days. We’ve got plenty of mud now.
Eight of us sleep in each little cubicle. There are only five in mine now. Two more washed out today. Lieu told one guy that last class he would have gone on and made a good pilot. That makes about fifteen of us already.
Today wasn’t so bad and was warm. Had a pretty good ride. But yesterday I went up from 8:20 to 9:50. And I don’t think I was ever that cold before. Snow all over, cold wind, open cockpit, and a mile up. When I got out I couldn’t even tell I was walking.
Yesterday, the vertical stabilizer came off a guys plane and he had to jump. Both he and his instructor made it OK. The boy got out on the wing and then had to get back to fix his chute. The instructor just flipped the ship over and fell out. They were up about a mile. That plane is a mess. We saw it from the air.
We don’t have a dance as usual tonight, but get paid instead. Dirty trick.
Oh, by the way, when you do see me again, you’ll think I have Dad’s head. That’s just about how much hair I’ve got and there’s not one darn thing I’ve been able to do about it. Or the barbers, either.
Guess will go to Oklahoma City this weekend again. Have a date with the same gal I had last week. Oklahoma City is full of big oil wells right in town, but it’s a swell place.
Well, don’t worry about me at all. I can take care of myself. If I should happen to be one of the lucky few, then I can worry about basic where 30 or 40 percent more wash out. If I don’t, then I’ll be right exactly back where I started--in basic infantry.
Love,
Roy
(P.S.-In seven more days, I’ll have exactly a year. No time off such as passes or anything, but then some of the guys have had to fight a lot--the ones that came in with me.)
April 3, 1944
Dear Mother,
I’m sitting out drill again. Very pretty day and all the planes are out buzzing around.
I was going to call you early yesterday morning to catch you at home and get the call through quicker, but just too lazy to get up.
Only took 1 1/2 hours to get through. It had to go through Evansville I heard her say. Right after we called our girls in Oklahoma City.
One girl’s dad was just drafted. Next weekend is upper classes graduation dance. Everyone gets weekend pass. We (2 of us) are staying at one of the girl’s home. Lucky to get a place to stay.
After another supervised solo or two (instructor sits on ground and watches, some help!) I can go check out a plane by myself. And jerk up some under class man to crank it for me. (These darn little old planes land at 70-80 per).
Don’t wonder too much if I wash out. It’s very discouraging at the good fliers they wash out. I know 60 percent of us will not get through. One Lieu told me that a bit back all you had to do was keep it in the air. Now you have to be a Joe Foss.
Love,
Roy
April 4, 1944
Dear Mother,
Beautiful day today, but very very rough. No wind at all on the ground, but at just 500 feet it was a whiz. Drop or jump so fast that you’d leave the seat. Oh, you should try to get your foot back on the rudder if it comes off when you pull out of a spin. Like lifting lead.
All I did today was supervised solo again. Might as well be alone, though. All he does is sit on the ground and watch. Made four more landings. Supposed to have four supervised solos before you can have a plane of your own, but he said if I knew my traffic pattern well tomorrow, I could check out my own plane and just go.
They’re hitting the upper class very hard on their 30 and 40 hour checks. And also getting quite a few of ours.
It’s really a lot of fun to be up there with a plane by yourself. On one of my landings I made all the instructors scatter. They (5 or 6) were sitting on the edge of the field. I came in right at them. Boy, you should see the beating these planes take. Practically all the new guys were soloing at once today. Wow!!
Did you know I talked 8 minutes Sunday? Time flies, doesn’t it?
Love,
Roy
April 6, 1944
Dear Mother,
Pretty day, but rough up. I did spot landings for one hour and took up a ship alone the last hour.
You should see the guys take off first thing every morning or first thing every afternoon. Everyone is trying to get off first to get out of the rush and dust. Sometimes 8 or 10 will be side by side going over the hangers. Looks like formation flying.
We taxi around like driving a car and park even closer. We also have traffic patterns just like city streets.
I’m almost sure I’ll only last until my first army check. We haven’t had one single man get by yet. Some are just a little worse and their instructors put them up for checks early or something. They got seven more of our group today. Well over 25 percent have already been knocked. Well, fun while it lasts.
You didn’t hear the half of it when the operator said $2.00. Cost $2.25 to call and $1.90 overtime, but I don’t care. Got all I need, so doesn’t matter which end it comes from.
Love,
Roy
April 11, 1944
Dear Mother,
Lots of things have been happening lately. Weather permitting, I’ve been flying 2 hours or so a day. A bit dual and the rest solo. I’ll try anything now.
This was our weekend pass. Didn’t get away from flight line till 6 PM. Got to Oklahoma City about 8 PM. Jerry and I always hitch in and ride trolley back (35 minutes).
Graduation dance was formal and the girls didn’t want to go so we went to the Municipal Auditorium and saw the Ink Spots. Dance, too. Millions of people there.
While we were there a tornado went through. Streets were filled with glass and junk and we didn’t even know what had happened.
This gal’s mother fixed up one of these bed couches in the living room for us. My girl stayed the night with Elaine (Jerry’s girl).

Virginia Mae (‘Knothead’) Hurst, Oklahoma City
We got up at 9:15 and had a pile of breakfast. Plenty of it. Went to first Christian Church, but was full. Went down to Presbyterian. Nice. Went to a show that afternoon.
When we got back here Barracks #1 was practically gone. Tornado got porch and roof and a lot of other junk.
Last night we went to the rec hall for a show. Worst storm in ages came up. Water was knee deep. Had our best clothes on and just ruined them. Floated off the works here.
Took off north today and while first flight was up wind changed to south. One instructor and student came in to north. He saw his mistake and tried to take off. Could have stopped easily. The mud just wouldn’t let go. They got a bit off the ground twice, went through a wire fence, bunch of hedge, up in the air and over on the back. Both were standing in the ready room a bit later not even scratched. Plane damage was $12,488.00--total wreck. We tear up a lot of stuff, but no one ever gets hurt. About 2 weeks ago had first chute jump ever made here.
Just now we had another bad storm. Four planes were still out. Went up in the air and everywhere, but they finally got ‘em in.
Taking link trainer now. That’s the nuts. Pull the hood down and you are completely instrument for an hour and there seems to be dozens of them.
Must quit now.
Love,
Roy
April 13, 1944
Dear Mother,
Nothing new and I’ve just about written myself out tonight.
Got the paper roll today.
Flying two hours a day and have one hour link trainer. Very perplexing, to say the least.
Today was a very nice day. Have lots of fun out by myself with the plane now. These planes will do anything any other ship will do. Those very disastrous checks will be very soon now. We become the upper class Saturday.
Thompson’s have said two or three times that they got a very nice letter from you.
Thought I’d better write to the church, but don’t know as it was meant to be read in church.
One guy, a bunkie of mine, came in today with only the stabilizer crank for control. Elevator pin fell out. Major said he should have bailed out, but he saved the ship.
Really not a darn thing to say, so---
Love,
Roy
April 18, 1944
Dear Mother,
Flying has been canceled for the day. Now I know what a dust storm is. I can’t even see the next building. Wind is high and it’s really bad.
Dirt is settling on this paper so fast it’s covering up what I write. I don’t know how we’ll ever sleep. My bed is just covered.
We’ve never seen such a storm at home. And honestly, there’s nothing as bad as dust. I just opened my stationary box and it’s well on the way to being full.
The sky may be blue up stairs, but you’d think it was nearly night here. All I have to do is slap my self to raise a cloud. Breathing is very bad.
That’s not the half of it. We have it mild (be very bad at home) every day.
Tom had his last ride Saturday. The Lieu took him up first that morning and then made him sit around and wait till 1:00 before he’d tell him. I thought that was pretty dirty.
I would have had one of those rides today if we’d flown. Get it the next good day I guess.
Tom goes back to Jefferson Barracks Thursday for reassignment. He was a truck driver in the artillery. And he was in a year before Pearl Harbor. His girl was coming down this weekend, but he had to call her not to.
One guy made a 68 and a 92 in ground school. You must get a 70 to have open post. His mother and girl came down from Michigan the middle of the week. We have visitors here, but they wouldn’t let them on the post, nor him off. All he could do was go to the gate and speak Saturday afternoon. He went to see the C.O., but no soap. He was going AWOL, but the guys talked him out of it. These officers are completely heartless. Never saw any like them.
Tell Rog to get his head on the right end. That’s what they’d tell him here. I got his card Saturday and letter today.
Love,
Roy (I’ve got some Oklahoma soil in here!)
April 19, 1944
Dear Mother,
Maybe you’ll be relieved, or even glad, don’t know, but I got the works this afternoon. Wasn’t alone. All five check pilots had three men each. Only two men got by.
I’m not kicking because I was rather disgusted with the outfit anyhow. Their attitude and how they treated the boys.
I gave him a good ride. He told me so, but there were a couple of things that just weren’t quite up to par. There’s no use telling all about it here. I know what I did and what I can do. I have plenty of hours for a private license if I ever want it.
I wont get to go with Tom because he’s an artillery man. That’s the one and about the only thing I hate about it. This was one swell bunch of guys. No fraternity brothers were ever as good as these.
I wont know exactly what’s up for awhile, but I’ll let you know how things turn out.
There certainly hasn’t been anything lost during this training. What I got here wouldn’t have come any place else.
I can’t say at all that I didn’t care whether or not I washed. I hate like the dickens of get beaten at anything, but when I see all the guys go the same way, I know we can’t all be that bad. Like awhile back they put 95 percent of a class though; now they have it nearly reversed.
Now that I’ve given enough excuses and alibis, I guess you gather that I’m something besides a hot pilot!
There’s really not very much that I can say. It’ll sure be a relief from worry, though.
For one thing, I hate to write folks and tell them I couldn’t make it after I’ve spent nearly a year on the way (which is a darn lot farther than most of the guys got and I’d call them lucky).
Well, I’d better shut up. Don’t say anything till I find out for sure what’s going to happen to me, and don’t worry about it any more than I am, which isn’t very darn much.
He has to give me another ride tomorrow to make it legal. Free ride!
Love,
Roy
April 21, 1944
Dear Mother,
Well, I haven’t anything much to say. I’m not the only one who’s getting a raw deal and it’s too long to explain.
In my bay there were eight; now there are three.
I leave for Jefferson Barracks Monday for reassignment. It’ll be the infantry, where I don’t know. I wont get anything out of that either. I think the army has given out all it’s going to already. Tom went to J.B. yesterday.
Well, I may write again from here and I may not, but I’ll write from J.B. as soon as possible. Maybe they’ll let me be a private and not bother me about it.
Love,
Roy
April 24, 1944
Dear Mother,
A bit ironical sending these pictures now, but I had them made.
I did get to fly about three months both here and CTD. It was free and I guess no harm done.
I piled up quite a few hours while I was messing around. I guess if I’d liked it better I would have done better. The Lieu said, “You can fly pretty well, but you wouldn’t be a good military pilot”. Well, there’s really a bunch of us that are getting fed that line.
They have a certain small quota that they fill, and they fill it just to the man, no matter what. I’ll mail a letter with this.
You can just put this picture way down in a trunk and some time after the war we can get it out and be amused.
That’s just the way we always dressed on the flight line.
Love,
Roy


Officer, Gentleman, Fly Boy - Close but No Cigar!
April 24, 1944
Dear Mother,
Well, here’s your No. 1 flunk writing again.
I went before the board this morning and got the final good wishes. I go to Jefferson Barracks at 1:00 PM Monday. I will stay there only long enough to be reassigned to some infantry outfit. Looks like that’s where everyone is going.
My military and academic records are both excellent, so the board tells me. I was congratulated on that, but a H--- of a lot of good that does.
I don’t mind not getting to fly because I never could love it like I thought I could, but it’s just not getting through that hurts.
I got another ride by the guy who runs this place, just to see how things were going. He said, “Mister, they may wash you out, but it wont be because you can’t fly. It’s just because they don’t need any more no matter how good they are.” And I think everyone is beginning to believe that, too.
I’m sending you a box with a lot of stuff that would be hard for me to carry. A lot of things I had that I thought maybe Rog would like to see. Maybe some time he can make a better go of it than I did. I hope someone can make out OK.
Some of the things, such as my pictures, I will write for later. That is, when I can find a place to settle down for awhile.
How do you feel about this air corps business? I know you never did want me to get in it while I was at home. I just wondered--I knew you’d never say anything about it while I was in here.
Hope you come out OK with the kids at school. I wish all I had to do was study something. Would be very simple.
There is one thing. They gave me some 30 hours here with 185 horsepower, which would have cost about $20.00 an hour. When I quit I could do loops, slow rolls, snap rolls, spins, stalls, chandelles, and the low work we were assigned. His only excuse was that I wouldn’t make a good military pilot. I don’t know what he wanted--maybe more recklessness. My instructor said he’d seen guys in combat that didn’t know much more about flying than some of us.
Lots of Love,
Roy
Recollections……
With yo-yo flying at incredible angles I walked smartly round the corner of a building smack into a pair of officers. My yo-yo salute was worth two hours of parade ground marching.
Take one step backward, salute smartly, about-face, and depart. That’s the proper way for a subordinate to leave the presence of a superior officer. I wanted to impress my instructor at the end of my first training mission so I tried to perform these moves with extra precision. Unfortunately, my instructor was still in the cockpit; I was standing on the wing step. One step backward put my right leg completely through the fabric-covered wing.
A perfect three-point landing at the end of my solo flight! I was so pleased with myself that I glanced away from my target at the at end of the field and gleefully clapped my hands. Perfection on the first try! A quick look ahead replaced joy with panic. Prop torque was pulling my plane in an arc to the right. Left rudder! Too late! The turn was too sharp for the rudders to work. I was headed right across the path of another plane taking off. Stomping the brakes was all I could do! The plane did a ground loop that almost dug a ditch with the wing tip. I was surely done for the day; perhaps permanently. When I got back to the end of the field where my instructor waited, he simply waved me toward another takeoff.
The takeoff was smooth. I made the first left turn right on schedule. The next left turn put me parallel to the field and the proper distance out to climb to my assigned 1500 feet. Everything was so smooth! I had constantly been looking in every direction. The air was full of planes flown by guys such as myself. Suddenly there he was directly above me! My prop was within five feet of chopping into his belly! The infamous blind spots that had killed four at Allegheny! I shoved the stick full forward. I don’t think the other guy ever saw me. Enough for one day!!!
The flier going the other way wiggled his wings and waved as he passed. I waved back. Shortly another plane zipped by and the same thing happened. Guys flying today sure were friendly! When the third plane came by the waving hand seemed more frantic than cordial. A quick look around told me why. I had gotten off course practicing turns and was now flying the wrong way in the landing pattern. How many more lucky pieces did I have?