October 2, 1943

Mom, Pop, Jerry, Mary and Mat,
  This week I received letters from Mat, Mom and Pop and a card from Jerry. Too bad your pen broke Jerry because I will have to buy you a new one. This time I will pay a "little" more.
  To date I have 27 hours in the air. Nine of these hours have been solo. That's starting to add up.
   About the only experience I can speak of this week is what happened this morning. They changed our time of flight from 6 to 10 to 10 to 1400. We didn't know what we were in for until noon. Cumulus clouds were forming at about 1200 ft causing terrific thermal convective currents. There was very little wind so I figured on a nice ride. I started down the runway, full throttle and going like a mad-man. I pulled back on the stick and the plane climbed into the air. The plane was no more than fifty feet off the ground before it started into the tricks. First one wing would dip then the other. I was having a heck of a time trying to get the altitudes. I was about seventy five feet high when I flied over the end of the runway. It seemed as if I was in an elevator, as a thermal current caught the plane. The wind just pushed it up a hundred feet within a few seconds. I was scared then. The plane could just as easily  get caught in a downdraft and I would lose a hundred or more feet.  Luckily I didn't hit any of these winds until I had sufficient altitude. I tried my darndest to keep the plane in level flight but it just wouldn't go. As went the wind, so went Chellis. what a ride. I was worse than a roller coaster. Once I hit an air pocket the plane just dropped vertically and Chellis wacked his bean on the roof. Boy did I drop, but fast.  After trying a few maneuvers I gave up any idea of flying for today. Now the problems was trying to land her.
   I made the approach with not too much trouble and tried to level her off with the ground. The wind again went to work on me. The plane was slipping and sliding to beat the band.  I worked like a demon, urging it on slowly and surely. I was mightily happy boy to feel solid ground under me again, as the plane slowed down on the runway.
   No fooling, my stomach felt funny after the ride. It's nice clear stable air for me when I am flying in these light planes.
   Gene Cole just got out of sick bay today. He was in there for three days, living the life of Riley. The doctoer said he might have sinus trouble but nothing is definite for another week.
   Have you heard that Augie Suhay is missing in action? He is the one that was with Geof and the brother of Mary's friend "Anne May" Suhay.
   Not much more to say so I will close now.
                                                               The Navy Jim
                                                                                   Oct 3rd
P.S. Last night (October 2nd)  Gene Cole