I graduated from college in 1965. The Vietnam War was in full swing, and any able-bodied male who was not being educated was being drafted. I could have gone to graduate school, but instead decided to take my chances. I moved in with a couple of old friends in Palo Alto, California. Having a fancy B.A. in English, I went to an unprepossessing flight school at the Oakland Airport and got work as a lineboy in exchange for commercial-license instruction and a pittance suitable only for a breatharian.
Technicalities: Two Bobs
Key Takeaways:
- The narrator's early flight training in 1965 was significantly influenced by instructor Bob Short, a renowned jazz tubaist whose unique landing techniques for taildraggers left a lasting impression.
- Years later, before embarking on a trans-Pacific flight via Alaska, the narrator received a .22 revolver from a second unconventional pilot friend, Bob Long, intended for wilderness protection.
- This firearm caused extensive bureaucratic problems upon arrival in Japan due to strict gun import laws, leading to hours of customs confusion before a temporary resolution involving local police was reached.
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