 Proudly, we hail! New York City, where the American stage begins, here's another program of a cast of outstanding players. Public service time has been made available by your Air Force to bring you this story, as proudly we hail another airman of your United States Air Force. It is entitled, A Strange Field Landing. And this is the story of an airman who had one love, and of how he learned to live with it. Our first act curtain is just about to go up, but before it does, I've got a question to ask. Are you a service veteran? Well, if you are, then listen real carefully, because this message is just for you. You may be qualified to enlist in the United States Air Force in a grade that will be a real pleasant surprise. If you possess one of the critical skills needed to keep America's air defense strong, then the Air Force offers you an opportunity to put your skill to work and at a higher grade and with higher pay than you may realize. You ride or visit your Air Force recruiter for the special prior service man's folder. It's full of important details, and you'll see why. Today and tomorrow, you're better off in the United States Air Force. And now your Air Force presents the proudly we hail production, A Strange Field Landing. Well, there she is, Janet the First, our squadron's unofficial flagship. She's a beauty, isn't she? Come on, let's get in. There we are. Okay, let's fasten our seat belts. There. Say, I bet you're wondering how Janet, being only a Piper Cub, could be even the unofficial flagship of an F-86 Superjet Saver Squadron. Sure you are. And since we're going to be spending the next couple of hours in the air, I'll fill you in on it as soon as I get her off the ground. There we are, now to the story. I'll have to take you back about a year ago when I reported to squadron headquarters for my first assignment at the typist clerk. A Saberjet outfit is the flying-est outfit in the Air Force. But after I reported in, I began to think it was the most record-keeping-est outfit. It was tough, but I did my job. That doesn't mean I was content with it. Hey, Al, what's the matter? Plenty. What's all those papers you've got there? My application for the cadets that came back. You want to see something funny? Here, take a look. Disqualified for physical reason. Yeah, yeah, that's a laugh, isn't it? Why didn't they tell me when I joined up there was something wrong with my eyes? Well, I could have told you that a couple of days ago when you couldn't read that fine print. But it's nothing serious, isn't it? Well, it's nothing that can't be corrected with glasses, but that's what gets me. I've just had a recheck at the dispensary, and they told me I could have 20-20 with glasses, but glasses are no, it's still going to stop me from flying. It doesn't make any sense. That's rough, but you've got to put it out of your mind. Well, that's easy to say. Now, come on, let's get out of the bag to go somewhere. There's no point lying here, moping. What's the difference if I mope here or somewhere else? Plenty. Now, come on, let's go down to the service club. Up or out, your nose is going to end up in your cup of coffee. Cheer up. There's only one thing that could make me do that, and that's impossible. Hey, fellas, mind if we sit down here? I'll go right ahead. Sorry to bother you. Thanks. Yeah, Bill, nice club you got here. Well, basically, there's two. How about it is. You'll have to see how new swimming pools before you go. Just been open. Boy, it's really something to see. You know, it reminds me of something new in our base, too. You ever hear of an arrow club? No, what's that? That seems like some guys who want to do some flying on their own time. So a commander started this arrow club under some special Air Force regulation. Hey, it sounds great. Excuse me, Sergeant. Joe, I'm going now. I want to ask the sergeant something. No, look, I'm beat up and fed up. I'll see you later. Yeah, okay, sure. Now, Sergeant, would you sort of give me an idea? As you can gather, I wasn't in the mood to listen to two guys join. All I wanted was to be alone somewhere and try to figure out what would happen. During the next couple of days, Joe tried to cheer me up, but when he saw he wasn't getting anywhere, he laid off. Then one morning as we left the mess hall, Hey, Al, come here and take a look at the bullet board. Oh, don't tell me they got me on CQ again. No duty. Look, an announcement from the base commander. This base is authorized to establish an arrow club. It's requested that all interested personnel contact the personnel services officer. It worked. What are you talking about? What worked? You remember that sergeant sat at our table at the club the other night? Yeah, yeah. Well, he told me all about their arrow club and what a good deal it is. So I figured why couldn't we have one in our base? So I hopped it down to the first sergeant and I asked him how it's about it. He said he'd see and from the looks of it, he must have done a good job or see. Come on, let's go and sign up. Hey, wait a minute. No, hold on, boy. Where do you get that let's stuff? Well, that's you and me. We're going to sign up. Oh, no, Joe. No, not me. Not you. Look, if my ears aren't acting up, I could swear I heard you say once you wanted to fly. Yeah, that's what you heard. Well, okay, here's your chance. Oh, Joe, are you kidding? You call that flying? No, in any way, even if I did want to, I bet I couldn't. Why not? Well, the same reason the Air Force turned me down. The magic number, which I don't have. 20-20. Well, I forgot about that. I'll tell you what, Al. Let's go in and see the first sergeant. Maybe we can get around it. Effective vision? Yeah, yeah, sergeant. Does the CAA have any rules along that line? As far as I know, if your eyesight can be correct with glasses, you're okay to get a pilot's license. Oh, great. Of course, you've got to pass a physical and flying examination before you get it. Yeah, sure, we know. How's about it, Al? What do you say? Well, it's very good of him to be so considerate to us poor, unfortunate. What's this AeroClub stuff anyway, sergeant? Well, if enough men sign up, the commander will get in touch with the flying school, the civilian field near here, and make arrangements for them to take lessons. If they complete the course okay, they can qualify for a CAA pilot's license. Well, that's something, isn't it? Well, I bet it's going to cost some dough. I'll tell you, the course you'll be getting does cost a lot of dough. Mm-hmm. That's what I thought. And for civilians. But according to regulations, AeroClubs may be organized as sundry fund activities or private associations. So what it amounts to is that you only have to pay a fee based on the cost of the plane's maintenance. Hey, what a break. You can put my name down right now, sergeant. How about you, Al? Oh, I don't know. Oh, come on. What are you trying to prove? Well, look, Joe, I'd have to get glasses. So you go to the dispensary and you get a pair. What do you say, colonel? Well, I... Okay, but, Joe, don't be surprised if I drop out. There's only one kind of flying I really want to do, and this isn't it. So, the first put my name down, and the next day I went to the dispensary and was fitted for a pair of glasses. During the next few weeks, enough fellas showed interest to warrant the formation of the club. And soon after, Joe and I reported to the field for our first lesson. Well, there she is, fellas. Oh, boy, looks like a Model T to me. Well, it's only a cub, but that's plenty big enough to start off with. Yeah, she looks good to me. Mr. Burns, how long will it be before we can go up in her three months, like in the Air Force? Oh, this is a little different. You'll be going up today. Today? That's great. Did you hear that, Al? Yeah, I can hardly wait. Yes, I can see that. Okay, you got your notebooks from the Civil Aeronautics Bulletin? Right, Mr. Burns. Well, Jim, no mist to stuff around here. Now we'll have a little familiarization first. Let's take a look at this ship and see what it can do. The engine, 125 horsepower at 2,600 revolutions per minute. Okay, that takes care of the nomenclature. Now, set yourself in the cockpit. You first, Wilkins. Cockpit? Oh, sure, okay. Set it. Make yourself comfortable. Now, let's take a look at the safety belt. Come on, Al. You better make each minute count. Now, before you start up, make sure the chocks are in place in front of the vessels. Or else some strange things could happen. As Jim Burns put it, strange things could happen. And they did, but not the kind he was talking about. Everything he'd been telling us was old stuff to me. I had read plenty about piloting, although until now I'd never been up in a plane. In a small town where I was brought up, there wasn't a flying field within miles. But I had figured to make up for that as a pilot in the Air Force. Now, there's nothing to worry about, Al. Well, I'm not worried. It's just that... Yeah, sure, I know. It happens to everybody the first time. It's not like you expected it to be, right? Yeah. Yeah, there's a difference, all right. Okay, now ride with the ship. When it leans to one side, lean with it like this. Yeah, sure, I get it. All right, now I'm going to turn the stick over to you. Now take care of the rudders with the dual controls and just relax. Place your thumb to the rear and the fingers in front of the stick. Now don't hold it tight, just relax. Relax. How can you relax when you've got a thousand things to think of? Instruments, gauges, wind, slipping. Where's the stick too far to the left? Push it too far to the right? Over control, Al. Just moving enough to bring her back. After about 20 minutes, I began to get the hang of it. But it felt good to swing the stick and see her move to the right or left. Maybe for the first time in some days I could feel myself smiling. But it wasn't for long. Suddenly about a thousand feet up and to our right. Now that was all I needed. It flashed by so fast it made us seem as if we were standing still. As if we were nothing, just didn't count. All right, Tim, let's go back. Go back? The half hour isn't up yet. Who cares? Let's go back. I've had enough. You are listening to the proudly we hail production, a strange field landing, and we will return in just one moment for the second act. Today your Air Force is offering ambitious young men greater opportunities for success than ever before. As an airman, you will receive free specialized training in one of the hundreds of Air Force career assignments. And there are careers to suit every interest, such as communications, radar, air traffic control and many, many others. Find out soon about your opportunities as an airman. Visit your nearest Air Force recruiting station at your earliest opportunity. You are listening to proudly we hail and now we present the second act of a strange field landing. There are times in your life when you do things you're ashamed of, but only later, much later. I regret now I blew my stack that day when the saber jet flew past us, but then, well, all I knew was that I wanted to go back. Back? Sure, Al. Sure, I'll take over. The rest of the way back to the field neither of us said anything, but I cooled down somewhat, and by the time we taxi to a stop, I'm, uh, I'm sorry, Mr. Burns. For what? We'll talk about it later. Hey, how was it, Al? Boy, how was it? Oh, great. Just great. Come on, Joe, let's go. Your turn now. Stick around, Al. We'll be back in half an hour. Follow the coaxer on me. Here you are. Thank you very much, Jim. Joe, I made some notes here. You didn't do too badly, but you had a tendency to get things mixed up a little. You're telling me I moved the stick left when I should have moved it right. I pulled the throttle instead of pushing it. Oh. Now, you are... Oh, you don't have to tell me. I loused up, but good. No, no. As a matter of fact, you're about the best first-timer I've ever had. Oh, but I goofed out, didn't I? Yeah. You want to talk about it? Yes, sure. Why not? You might as well know now I wasn't so hot on this in the first place. I always wanted to become a jet pilot, but the Air Force turned me down because of my eyes. And this kind of flying isn't for me. I can understand how you feel. You? Sure. I'm retired now. Retired, but you're not old. Look, when I take my glasses off, I can see almost exactly as well as I can with them. And they turned me down for that. They knew what they were doing. Take my word for it. Well, I... I can't go along with that. Look, I'll tell you what. Why don't you stick it out until your first solo? Maybe you'll change your mind. Yeah, sure. Why don't you? Well, how long will it take until I solo? Within seven to nine hours of flight instruction. Seven to nine hours solo? Yep. If you don't have any extraordinary difficulty learning. Oh, yeah, that's possible. There's no... there's... there's so much you've got to learn. Well, it is. How about it, Al? Well, I'll see you Saturday afternoon. Well, I... Oh, okay, Jim. What have I got to lose? I had nothing to lose, but I had a lot to gain. So I wasn't to know that until later. As it was, I got along pretty good. Most of the book work, such as navigation, regulations, and so forth, I already knew. So I was able to really concentrate on the actual flying instruction. But poor Joe, he was having a tough time. I can't figure it, Al. You're doing forced landings already, and I'm still trying to get out of these coordination exercises. Now, look, Joe, from what I can see, you're flying the plane too much. Let it fly itself a bit. You only end up by, uh, fighting it. Well, I try, Al, but I just can't seem to work everything together. Hi, fellas. Hi, Jim. Well, how about it, Al? You ready to go up? I'm all set, Jim. Okay, get in. Take off. Aren't you coming? No. She's yours. Now, she'll seem a little lighter without my weight, so watch that. Otherwise, you've got nothing to worry about. Get going. Finally, my first solo on my own. I just had a shaky minute on the take-off, but I forgot about that going through my check-off routine. I have to admit I felt great and miserable at the same time. I could fly all right. I could handle a ship like a feather. I knew without burns or anyone telling me that I was a born natural pilot. Maybe you think that was conceited of me, but all I knew was that I had proved to myself I was right. And suddenly I got mad, like when I saw that jet the first day. So there I was feeling mad and happy at the same time. If anyone was mixed up, I was. But I finished my solo and brought her down. From then on, my lessons became more complicated until finally the day came when I had to make a hundred-mile cross-country solo flight with two strange field landing. I had all my preparations complete. I was about ready to go. When I saw Joe come out of the airfield office and sit down on a bench looking depressed. Hey, hey. Hey, Joe, what's up? Not me. That's for sure. Oh, come on. Spill it. Boy, what's eating you? Oh, Jim just told me I better give up. He was nice enough about it. He said I'm just wasting money. Some people like you are born flyers, and some aren't. Ready, Al? Weather, maps, and flight plans all set? Yeah, Jim. Okay, you better be taking off then. I've got to have this shipped back by four o'clock. Yeah, sure, Jim. See you later, Joe. Jim had borrowed a four-seater tri-pacer for my use on this trip. The smooth handling plane, so I had some time to think. There seemed to be no point in going on with the lessons now that Joe was out. After all, I had continued them to show my appreciation for his having tried to help me. But now it didn't seem fair to him that I should go on. Though I made up my mind this was going to be my last flight. But it wasn't an easy decision. By now I was really crazy about flying. Still, every time I saw a jet or a bomber or even a transport, I'd get mad all over again. A guy can't go on like that, torn between two things, I thought. By then I started going over a thickly wooded mountain range, and even though I had my hands full bucking down draft, I noticed off to my left a small cabin plane. We could be doing some side-flipping. And then as I watched, all of a sudden it went into a dive and somehow made a crash belly landing in a small clearing. I circled down for look-see. But I got down to 500 feet. I saw somebody climbing out of the cabin. It was a girl. She started waving at me, and I could see she wanted help, so I circled around and came in to drag the clearing. It was smaller than I thought, but I had plenty of practice landing in small fields, so I knew I could bring her in, okay? And I did. Uh, you all right, Miss? Yes. Yes, I am. But my father, he's unconscious. All right, I'll take a look. No limb fractures. Just this bruise on his head. Do you think there's anything seriously wrong with him? I don't know. I can't say. He might have a skull fracture. What happened? I don't know. He said something about running low on gas and that his radio went bad, and then it happened. He lost his radio, huh? That's not good. I don't have one either. Please, can't you take us out in your plane? I don't know. Maybe we should wait until someone spots us. Please, trees? It might take days. My father's hurt. If we don't get him to a hospital... Well, look, lady, I'm only a student flyer. I don't know if I can get out of here again. It's so small. Besides, I don't think I have the right to, well, take the chance with you. Can you land in here without any trouble? Well, yeah, but there's a little difference between landing and takeoff. Please, I know you can do it. Okay, we'll give her a try. You think he can help carry him over to my plane? Here, take it easy now. I'll grab him under the shoulder. Uh-oh. What's the matter? Oh, my glasses fell off. It's badly cracked, too. Well, I can get along without him. Come on, let's go. Okay, now, miss. Make him comfortable back there, and we'll be going in a moment. I just have to turn her around to get her headed into the wind. Okay. Now, as soon as I get my line of flight, I... What is it? I don't know. I can't make out those trees at the end of the clearing. Their edges are fuzzy. Your glasses, can't you use them? No, wait. Let me check. They're not cracked too badly. Yeah, I really do need these things. Wait a minute, if I... Yeah, if I kind of tilt my head, it's fine. Oh, thanks, wouldn't you? Yeah. Oh, now let's get out of here. That was a close one. It seemed a very smooth takeoff to me. Well, thank you, miss, uh... My name's Janet Rickney. Oh, I'm Al Cullen, airman third class. I'm glad to meet you, Al. Same here. You from around here? No, I'm from Texas. The big state, Texas? Yes. Will it take us very long, yes? No, we'll be there right soon. Took me 15 minutes to get to an airfield, and as soon as I landed, I called a hospital for an ambulance. After it arrived, and Janet's father was loaded into it. Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't even thanked you. Oh, forget it. Listen, I'll stick around here until you find out how he's going to do, and then you call me, all right? All right, Al. I went back into the lounge, phoned Jim Burns, and told him what happened. After I hung up, I sat down by the phone and waited for it to ring for me. But it didn't. Instead, in about an hour. Hello? Hey, it's you. I thought you were going to call. Thank you personally. Well, how's your father? Oh, he's going to be all right. It was a skull fracture, but a minor one. Well, I'm glad to hear that. I can't tell you how grateful we are. Oh, you didn't have to come all the way back here to tell me that. I'm glad I was able to help. I know. You're certainly a credit to the Air Force. You know, you can really handle a plane for only a student. Are you trained to be a jet pilot? No, I was training to be just a pilot, and that was my last flight. Last flight? Why? Oh, well, that's a long story. I like long stories, please tell me. Well, all right. I guess I'd better start. So, that's the way it is. You know, Al, you're a funny guy. You've only had a short time of instruction, and you've already accomplished something good with it by saving us. If you stop now, you'll never be able to do anything like this again. Well, the only way I want it is with some gold bars on my collar. Now, listen, Al, I'm going to get kind of personal with you, but somehow, after what you've done for us, I feel I should. All right, go ahead. Well, first, I think you're too stubborn. In a way, it's almost childish to feel, but if you can't have something your own way, you don't want it at all. Besides, you surely must know by now that the Air Force was right in turning you down. Especially after what happened back there after you broke your glasses. Yeah, I... I guess so. I hope you'll forgive me for being so... well, so frank with you, but it's only because I want to help you, not merely out of gratitude, but also because I... I think you're a... a nice guy. Well, thanks, but... Well, gosh, Janet, you sure aren't afraid to speak your mind. I can't help it, partner. I told you I'd help from Texas. Not there. We say what we think. Just about then, I got a call from Jim Burns who wanted to know what I was doing with his plane. So I said so long to Janet, took off once again and returned to my field. But on the way back, I'd done a lot of thinking. Boy, that was some cross-country flight. Maybe you'll take me along on the next one. This... this... this Janet must be some dish. Oh, she's an eye-opener, all right, but in more ways than one. Fine work, Al. It was a real strange field landing, though. Thanks, Jim. Say, how long will it be until I get my pilot license? I shouldn't have too much to do yet, should I? So you really want it now, huh? Yeah. Well, I'm glad to hear that. Well, finally. I've been waiting to hear you say that for a long time. Wouldn't take you long now to get it out, except for one thing. What's that? Lack of teaching time. This Aero Club's grown so big that it's hard time to squeeze everybody in. If your club had a plane of its own, then you would have plenty of time. Maybe we can get the fellas to pitch in and buy one. That could be done. I know some Air Force units that have. The planes aren't cheap. Well, we'll see. Well, there was an answer, but it came about in an unexpected way. In a few minutes, we'll arrive at the place where I'm going to spend this weekend. The ranch of Mr. Rigney. That's right, Janet's father. And I'll let you in on a little secret. He's going to be my father-in-law someday, I hope. Hmm? What's that? How did this plane become the squadron unofficial flagship? Well, Mr. Rigney heard that our club was hard up for a training ship, so he just went out and bought us one. The guys were so grateful they made it their flagship. Just a case of double gratitude, that's all. Hey, there's the ranch landing strip. You see, that's Janet waiting. And after we land, don't be surprised if she starts telling you a few words about tech. When you make an investment, you want it to pay off, right? Well, men, how about those years you invested in the service, learning skills, gaining experience valuable to yourself and your country? You can make those years pay off in big dividends today by becoming a member of the United States Air Force. Yes, if you've been in any of the armed forces, you may be eligible to enlist in the Air Force in a gray that'll be a real pleasant surprise. You see, the Air Force needs men skilled in certain important fields, and you may be just such a man. If so, the Air Force offers you an opportunity to put your previous service experience to work and to collect on those credits you've earned toward a comfortable retirement. Your Air Force recruiter has a folder full of details, so you write or visit him right away. Ask for the prior service man's folder. Remember, today and tomorrow, you're better off in the United States Air Force. This has been another program on Proudly We Hail, presented transcribed in cooperation with this radio station. Proudly We Hail is produced by the Recruiting Publicity Center in New York for the United States Air Force, and this is Dick Herbert speaking, and inviting you to tune in to the same station next week for another interesting story on Proudly We Hail.