Plt Off "Ace" Pilto
17Sqn, Debden
July 1940

Took my first flight in earnest today. A quick stroll down to Rye, near Hastings, to supervise the activities of the boffin squad with their monstrous iron latticeworks that they call Chain Home. Why they call it that I have no idea, we all joke that it probably does nothing except attract lightning strikes and provide the local seagulls with a comfortable nesting place. No sign of Jerry, just a leisurely cruise around the coast at 21,000 ft with A flight tagging along a few miles behind. At one point I glimpsed something behind us and requested permission to detach from the formation to weave behind so that I could keep whatever it was in sight but I soon lost visual contact and rejoined the formation after a few minutes of essing along behind everyone else.

Landing was nothing special, a big bounce because I came in too fast but no close encounters with the fence or stalled engines this time.

Also, I've earned the moniker of "Ace". Not for my prowess in the air but at the bar. The English chaps were somewhat aghast when I showed them how one could ingest five pints in the space of three minutes. Horrible tepid muck they drink here, I wish I'd thought to bring a Coolgardie safe with me.


Let's pretend I got the BWOC badge to embed here.

Wenn ihr sieg im deine Kampf selbst gegen, wirst stark wie Stahl sein.
"The best techniques are passed on by the survivors." - Gaiden Shinji