Beech Tree News Network

I am not much on violence; I do like to see mean people get their come-uppance.

This puts me in mind pf my old friend Greg Drake Sr.

Greg was in army ROTC at Western, and at summer camp between his junior and senior year; he was assigned to mop the mess hall kitchen. He was sure he had done a good job; he had. But not according to the mess sergeant, a short man and a bully, with a short-man syndrome. We all know the type.

            In curse words, the sergeant said, “it’s a            mess. You can just do it again.” He emptied the dirty water on the floor. “yes” Greg said. “I’m about to do that very thing.” By this time Greg was a big fellow… and STRONG. He grabbed the sergeant’s arm, turned him around, took hold of his back collar and belt, turned him face-down, and commented to mop the floor with the smart bully.

            Greg Drake rose to the rank of captain in the U.S army. At 87, memories are still good. We do not forget serious mistake too easily. A good flight instructor knows how far to let a student go before things go bananas.

            When my first air force instructor let me make my first take-off in a propeller-engine plane. I knew nothing about engine torque; I soon learned. He said, “your airplane- keep ‘er going straight.” I put the throttle to the wall; I ran off the runway to the left. With his help we got it back on.

            “I wanted you to see that a prop. Turning to the right makes the plane go to the left. It is called torque. You must correct with right rudder.” I never forgot after that- it came to be a habit without thinking. He had showed me how to spin an airplane and recover, I practiced spins day-after-day… at 10,000 but, I may add, I wanted late of room between me and the ground.

            He was fond of saying “an airplane loves the ground better than anything.” His name? Vaugh Roberts- former U.S air corps flight pilot in world-war II. He taught me much, it listed carefully.

Kindest Regards…