The Advance Trainer aircraft that we flew was the North American AT-6 Texan; generally recognized as one of the best aircraft in the WWII inventory. My advance training instructor was Lt. Stewart, the best of the excellent flight instructors that shared their knowledge and skills with me. The AT-6 Texan was quite a step up from the BT-13 Valiant in a number of ways. Here is some information about it.

The North American AT-6 Texan was a single-engine aircraft with a retractable landing-gear. It was of aluminum construction with canopy covered tandem cockpits. It was 29 feet long and 12 feet high. It had a wingspan of 42 feet, and it weighed 4058 pounds. It was powered by a 550 horse-power Pratt & Whitney radial "Wasp" engine. It had an adjustable Hamilton constant-speed propeller. It curised at 170 mph with a maximum speed of 205 mph, a ceiling of 21,000 feet, and a range of 750 miles. It was equipped with a flourescent lighted instrument panel that included a turn and bank indicator, a rate of climb/descent indicator, and an artificial horizon instrument. Mounted along with the throttle were a prop pitch control lever and a fuel/air mixture control for adjusting the engine operation to air density changes that come from changes in altitude. There were individual manual trim tab controls for adjusting aileron, elevator, and rudder functions. And there were hand-held microphones for intercom and radio communication.

In looking back, I find it a priviledge to have flown the North American AT-6 Texan. I flew it in Advance Training; I flew it in the Army Air Corps Central Instructors School; And I flew it as a Flight Instructor for the rest of the war. There was only one other aircraft I wanted to fly: the P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft. While I was a Flight Instructor, I submitted at least four written requests to be reassigned to a P-51 fighter squadron, but to no avail.

The Army Air Corps Pilot Training Program was a very busy activity. The aircraft were in the air most of the daytime and some of the night time hours. The training was thorough, including both air and ground instruction. Whereas the Basic flight training phase further developed (of course) our basic flying skills, the Advance Training phase moved us up mainly into higher skills and operations. My Advance Training Flight Instructor, Lt. Stewart, taught me a lot. Considering all the pilots I ever flew with (in formation flight aerobatics or otherwise) it is my opinion that Lt. Stewart was the best pilot I ever knew. And I knew some very good ones.

While we were still flying dual with our instructors, before being cleared to fly solo, we spent a considerable amount of our ground time in the cockpits of AT-6s parked on the ramp. It was important that we learn everything in that cockpit: exactly where it was located, what it was for, and how it was operated. This was a critical first-learning experience. In addition to the visual learning, we had to develop (with closed eyes) our in-cockpit physical skills of touch and reach for everything that required our manual control while flying. We also spent ground time learning the AT-6 specifications from the manual.

In adition, there were other ground-training and ground school sessions. For example, in one classroom session we learned how to navigate at night by a widely dispersed geographic network system of lights that blinked out morse codes. (we also received morse code refresher sessions) To enable a pilot to confirm or determine where he was, the system's "location" codes were sequenced in the geographic grid in this specific order: (W - U - T - V - D - N - B - G - M). How is it that I still remember a detail like that sixty years later? It's because we had an outstanding instructor whose skills included the effective use of "memory keys". The key he gave us for remembering the light code sequence was this statement: "We Understand That Virgins Do Not Become Good Mothers". Who could forget that?

The decompression chamber was another important "ground learning" facility. It taught us the critical need for oxygen masks and equipment when flying in the rarified air of higher altitudes to avoid the effects of anoxia (oxygen deprivation). About 20 of us at a time were brought into the decompression chamber, and we put on oxygen masks while enough air was being pumped out of the chamber to simulate an altitude of 10,000 feet. At that point, one of us volunteered to take off his oxygen mask, and anoxia set in very soon. He began to quiver all over and slumped into a state of unconsciousness. And his oxygen mask was quickly put back on his face, and he promptly recovered with no ill effects. We were invited, but there were no other volunteers. We were grimly impressed, and the purpose of the exercise was admirably fulfilled. (A few days later we had a flying exercise in which we climbed above 10,000 feet and used our oxygen equipment.)

Then,too, there was a building in which were located the memorable "Link Trainers" a mechanical marvel of its time. The Link Trainer was a mechanical simulator of the AT-6 cockpit and instrument panel with a lid closed over it so that the pilot could not see out of it; thereby simulating instrument flight conditions. Many flying maneuvers could be simulated; including stalling out and spinning out of control. The pilot could even bracket a simulated radio beam and come in for a landing on an imaginary runway in a simulated (but very realistic) instrument flight experience. These marvelous devices were of great value at Aviation Cadet Advance Training facilities. They not only utilized unavoidable Aviation Cadet ground time, but they also eliminated the cost of flying time that would otherwise have been required to develop the needed "instrument flying" skills.

Just before it was time for Avation Cadet Class 44-I to graduate, the entire Aviation Cadet pilot training program was put on hold for one full class session. In other words, 44-I graduated when 44-J would have, and so on back down the line. But since we had already completed all of the scheduled training, we were given even more advanced flying exercises and assignments. The powers that be did make it more interesting and valuable for us; even though we were still in the AT-6 Texans, instead of the P-40s that were parked on the ramp.

Following that initial disappointment came the real shocker ~~ the "BLUE PICKLE!" At the time of graduation we were all looking forward to receiving commissions as second lieutenants and the coveted silver wings. But, about half of us received their silver wings along with the "blue pickle", instead of the gold bar, (unaware that such a thing even existed). They were rated as flight officers, and they felt deeply betrayed. The blue flight officer bar was similar to the brown warrant officer bar (neither commissioned nor non-commissioned officers).

These were "signs of the times" for the US Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet program ~~~ forebodings of the soon coming "pilot pools" and "pre-cadet" squadrons that would result from the over-production of US Army Air Corps second lieutenants with pilot ratings. I'm sure it wasn't easy back then to accurately forecast the combat casualty attrition rate for pilots and aircrews upon which to base training plans and operations. I suppose that if it were I who had to decide whether to risk over-production of aircrews to meet our possible victory needs in that deadly all-out survial situation, or to risk falling short of the need, I would have done the same.