R74906
L.A.C. Davey J.V.
#10 S.F.T.S R.C.A.F.
Dauphin Man

Dear Mom, Dad & Art;

Hello again folks how are you all keeping, I haven't yet received a letter from you but thought I'd begin writing & then wait for it to come in before I send this.

Well every thing is pretty good so far, I soloed on Friday morning and did pretty well considering he told me a baby g could do things I couldn't do on Thurs. but on my test flight with the Sgt. on Friday I had every thing on the button. & so he let me go up. in my 5th hr. Boy these planes are really swell, sure are a lot different to a moth, a huge engine which really sounds good when she's reved up. They test along the runway and you lift them off at 90 M.P.H. & it's really swell you cant see a thing until your half way down as it takes quite a while to get the tail up. The landing is the toughest part as you come in so fast & can't see very much until you feel your wheels on. On first looking at the instrument panel it just scares you to death but once you get on to them theres not much to it., they have hydraulic lifting wheels & flaps on them & they sure make a difference to your speed.

Have been into Dauphin a couple of times, there's not much here & is terribly dusty., they have a bowling alley in Dauphin 4 alleys & you can't get a game at all. We have our own mess hall & the food isn't too bad it doesn't come up to Vancouver food tho'. We have a theatre here & get good shows. Mon Tues & Thurs. & Friday it costs us 20¢ on Tues & Fri & 25¢ on Mon & Thurs. as they are "bank" nights & there's usually around 1400 in the envelope. One of our fellow won it last night.

This is Tues today. have just come down from an hrs flying tearing all over the country by myself. its really fun but awful noisy.

I hear one of the instructors at the Elementary Flying at Pat Bay. was killed the other day. Dawson was his name. he was instructing in Vancur when we were there., can't figure it out, cause he apparently made the student jump & didn't himself, he started flying when he was 14 & had a private licence around 15.

Well we have lost 4 of the boys from here, that is 3 from our class in Elementary. Dan McArthur asked to be remustered and is in Brandon now. & is going to try & get in as an observor. he just doesn't like handing an a/c I guess having his wing torn off in Vancur. didn't help any. Also another fellow Stan Marsh. & Walter Forsey is getting his clearance papers signed today. He was the fellow who came to Victoria with me the first time. He is leaving for Trenton tonight & is going to try & transfer to the Navy. & another fellow from the P. Albert boys has quit also. This flying really looks swell from the ground but it sure gets one down at times as there's so darned much to it. We are flying all morning this week & classes all afternoon. & classes on Tuesday nights & Thurs nights & "Link" at all hours so they know how to keep us busy. although we can stay out to 12:00 any night & late passes till 2:00 on Sat. nights with a 36 hrs pass & a 48 hr pass a month. I have a 36 hr pass this week end. & don't know what to do with it yet, but will figure something out by then I guess.

Well I'll stop again & wait for the noon mail, there should be a letter in it from you.

Received your letter at noon to day and am pleased to hear you are keeping pretty well and that every thing is OK. Oh by the way before I go any farther guess who I saw in Dauphin Sat nite of all fellows to run into - Bob Anderton he is on guard duty at East Port Paulson which is just a few miles East of us it is to be a bombing & gunnery school., I sure got quite a surprise at seeing him, also, Austin Gower - he worked in B.C. Electric & was in as an air gunner, but was told he was to do office work & is still in Brandon. I will be phoning Bob next week and see if we can get together. So Dick Higgins has been dining with the mayor of Calgary, I guess he'll be pretty well thro' guard duty by now.

So the kitchen finally got kalsomined eh. I imagine it will look much better., has Mrs Mason finished all the other rooms.

Well folks I guess that's about all for now. so goodbye for the present and lots of love.

Your loving son
Jack
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Have got about 14 hrs Harvard flying now, pretty good for a week.

Vernon Woodward is really going great guns isn't he.

Bye now love to all.
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