NO FLAPS

NO FLAPS
By John Yauk

 
For a period of time, while stationed at Gore Field, Great Falls, Montana in 1943, I was a transitional instructor and check-out pilot. One day I was scheduled to give co-pilot familiarization and indoctrination training on the B-l7 to a newly assigned and recently graduated pilot.

We walked around and through the B-l7 as I explained ground inspection and cockpit procedures. During start-up, take-off, and climb-out, I explained what his duties were as a co-pilot, where the switches and controls were, and how they operated---always cautioning him, “Do not do anything in the cockpit unless the pilot tells you to" Fine. So after some air work and letting him handle the controls, we returned to the field for some touch-and-go landings.

All went well the first 2 or 3 landings. On the 4th, I was on final approach with gear and full flaps down and just beginning to round out my glide when the tower ordered me to go around because the aircraft ahead of me had not cleared the runway yet. I "Rogered", applied climbing power, asked the co-pilot for "Gear Up", and eased back on the control wheel to bring the nose up for a normal and routine go-around which I had performed dozens of times before.

The nose came up smoothly---but the plane kept sinking towards the runway at a sickening and alarming rate! The engines screamed as I rammed all four throttles forward to emergency power and raked the RPM controls to maximum RPM's. I pulled the nose up further as the plane shuddered near a stall and the tail touched the ground with the props whining like banshees only inches above the runway. But miraculously, the plane held there momentarily and then slowly began to gain altitude. What a close call!

I knew what happened. With the emergency over, I turned to the co-pilot, "You son of a bitch, what in the hell did you do?"

"I pulled up the gear, sir, like you told me to", he replied.

"What else did you do?", I demanded.

"Well", he said, "you were going around so I pulled up the flaps too. Why?"

I could have killed him right there. To think that a man could graduate from a pilot school and not know that a plane loses most of it's lift when the flaps are raised at low airspeed and one who disobeys orders and voluntarily does foolish things was grounds enough in my opinion. I don't, think I passed him.

This is one episode that truly describes flying. "Many hours of utter boredom interspersed by moments of stark terror".