January 18, 2005
Peril
The N3N-3 Yellow Peril was the Navy’s primary flight trainer during the Great Middle War (aka WW II). It was a bright yellow biplane with two open cockpits. The instructor rode in the front, the cadet in the back. Instructors often said that they felt safer flying off carriers under combat in the Pacific than teaching cadets to fly.
They demonstrated that rather clearly on the occasion of our first night-flying in primary. We would take off together with several other planes at dusk, circle the Memphis Naval Air Station a couple of times, then land. The instructors would deplane and send us back up alone to follow each other in a circle until it got good and dark, then we’d land solo.
The planes had the usual running lights, green on the starboard wing, red on the port, white on top of the fuselage so we could keep up with each other. It was a clear night. We’d been warned not to confuse the white fuselage light on the plane ahead of us with a star.
When I happened to remember that, I found myself all alone at 5,000 feet, several miles north up the Mississippi River (without a paddle, of course), and hard after Polaris. That and being born at the right time are a couple of reasons how I got to be a member of the Greatest Generation.