US cadet training in France

[Riffster]

At some point in my reading, I came across an amusing anecdote that was interesting enough to stick in my head, but not (apparently) significant enough at the time to put into my notes. So I'm hoping someone on the forum here will recognize it and be able to point me to the source (or something similar, anyway!).

The story involves US aviation cadets training in France under French instructors. Because of the language barrier, the school had a large board with common mistakes and corrections written on it in French on one half, and the matching English equivalent on the other half. After finishing a training flight, the French instructor would bring his student over to the board, and point to the appropriate criticism(s) of his flying. The student could then follow across the board to read the English translation.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? I'm tearing out what little hair I have left trying to find the story again. I suspect this was primary training, but it may have been advanced training - I'm just not sure. (One reason I'd like to find it again.)

-Larry

[EvenSteven]

Can it be High Adventure: A Narrative of Air Fighting in France by James Norman Hall? It's been awhile since I read the book and I can not remember if it contains the specific episode you mention, but I remember some episodes about confusion of tongues during cadet training.

[Riffster]

Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't read the book, so I'm sure that's not where I got the story, but I'll try to track down a copy.

My memory of the story certainly has the feel of an individual relating his personal experience, but the few of those book-length narratives I have read have been Navy. I suspect the story itself was in a more synthetic work.

[Maureen Dig Aire]

I don't think it was High Adventure, either. I read that book. In fact, I have it. But, I have run across that anecdote, myself. Darned if I can remember where I came across it. Something by Arch Whitehouse maybe??? I'll thumb thru things to see if I can come across it. Meanwhile, if anyone knows....please enlighten us. Some of us....our "forgettery" works better than our "remembery" does. lol

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Riffster

At some point in my reading, I came across an amusing anecdote that was interesting enough to stick in my head, but not (apparently) significant enough at the time to put into my notes. So I'm hoping someone on the forum here will recognize it and be able to point me to the source (or something similar, anyway!).

The story involves US aviation cadets training in France under French instructors. Because of the language barrier, the school had a large board with common mistakes and corrections written on it in French on one half, and the matching English equivalent on the other half. After finishing a training flight, the French instructor would bring his student over to the board, and point to the appropriate criticism(s) of his flying. The student could then follow across the board to read the English translation.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? I'm tearing out what little hair I have left trying to find the story again. I suspect this was primary training, but it may have been advanced training - I'm just not sure. (One reason I'd like to find it again.)

-Larry

See: Joe C. Cline, "First Naval Aviation Unit In France", in "Naval Aviation In World War I" by Adrian O. Van Wyen, published by the Chief of Naval Operations in 1969. Page 38 discusses the use of pasteboard cards set up this way for communicating in Primary Flight Instruction.

[Riffster]

Thanks, Doc! That's it exactly! I had already thumbed through some other Naval Aviator sources, but I'm pretty sure I would not have remembered the "Naval Aviation News" compilation.

-Larry

[G Sting]

Originally Posted by Doc

See: Joe C. Cline, "First Naval Aviation Unit In France", in "Naval Aviation In World War I" by Adrian O. Van Wyen, published by the Chief of Naval Operations in 1969. Page 38 discusses the use of pasteboard cards set up this way for communicating in Primary Flight Instruction.

For the Naval aviator trainees, they eventually did away with English words… and drew pictures for the French translations. This is the only way they would have understood what in the world was going on.


regards,
G



P.S. Just joking, of course (I think). Interesting post, Riffster. I, too, love these amusing anecdotes. I found quite a few in Bert Hall's "En L'air," published 1918. A classic!

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Riffster

Thanks, Doc! That's it exactly! I had already thumbed through some other Naval Aviator sources, but I'm pretty sure I would not have remembered the "Naval Aviation News" compilation.

-Larry

You're welcome. Not my area, and I just happened across it while looking for something else. Strictly fortuitous!

[Maureen Dig Aire]

Isn't that the way it goes? If you can't find what you're looking for, look for something else. You'll find what you were looking for. Or something like that.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Maureen Dig Aire

Isn't that the way it goes? If you can't find what you're looking for, look for something else. You'll find what you were looking for. Or something like that.

Yep, it often seems to work out that way.