Published in 1939, Robert Winston’s book Dive Bomber takes us back to the exciting world of 1930’s US Navy aviation. It starts great — “Eighteen dollars an hour. That’s what they wanted for dual instruction at the flying school on Long Island. I had expected flying lessons to be expensive, but I didn’t think they were going to tear such a hole in my pay-check.” — and keeps going.
He attributes this list of ten don’ts to any good flight instructor:
- Don’t try to take off or land down-wind.
- Don’t fool with the weather.
- Don’t accept a ’plane for flight without careful inspection.
- Don’t attempt any restricted maneuvers.
- Don’t try to fly into the overcast before you get an instrument rating.
- Don’t practice aerobatics without plenty of altitude.
- Don’t try to be the boldest flyer, if you want to be the oldest.
- Don’t stall!
- Don’t stall!!
- DON’T STALL!!!
Solid advice then in piston biplanes, which works just as well today in computerized jets.
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I found this book from a review of the British 1940 edition in this month’s UK Pilot magazine.