Lessons For A Lifetime
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As time moved on, my control techniques improved and my instructor introduced me to dive bombing, evasive flight moves, stalls, gliding control, etc. By now, we were at a stage of training where the flight stress increases and the flying time diminishes. It was great to have more time to write June, family, and even work out in the gym. I did go out with my buddies, even though I didn't drink as some did. I had seen a close family I loved destroyed by alcohol. There was even time for me to practice my violin occasionally.
My confidence as a pilot was increasing and made me anxious to try a hot fighter plane. I don't believe I was cocky about my flying ability. After the cumulonimbus challenge episode, I really became a different pilot and hopefully a better one!
A couple weeks later while practicing dive bombing, I was up around three thousand feet altitude, and had gone "over the falls" and was diving straight down. At over two hundred mph, the ground comes up quickly. At about five hundred feet, I saw a person on a motorcycle right in my line of sight as I pulled back on the stick to level out. At the same moment, I passed about thirty-five feet over his head and my right wing clipped the top of a scrub tree causing my left wing to yaw forty degrees forward, almost to my line of flight. Instinctively, I hit the left rudder to compensate, and the right wing nearly swung into my flight line. I eased up the rudder pedal quickly again, and the arching decreased rapidly, and the plane was flying normal, almost!
When I hit the tree, I lost three feet of fabric from my right wing. I thought I probably had more damage than I could see, and I knew it was possible the right wing could fault. I climbed for altitude to bail out with my chute. Unfortunately, I couldn't coax my plane higher than 900 feet because the Bernoulli Principle of Lift was destroyed more than I could see by the damage to my right wing fabric.
I had only two choices: Make a forced landing on top of dried stream beds, small tree trash, and all kinds of large rocks scattered around. It would be suicidal. Or, pancake it in, which was the best option for survival, meaning decreasing the speed until the plane literally drops to the ground with less forward movement. I knew the stalling ratio versus the speed, and planned to drop it in from about fifteen feet off the ground. Unfortunately, my calculation of wing damage and lift from the torn fabric on my right wing was too low!
After cutting the ignition and with my hand on the steel throttle instead of dropping in from fifteen feet, I dropped thirty feet to the ground. I was knocked unconscious! When I came to, my left hand was still clutching the throttle knob. The steel shaft upon which it was mounted had been bent a full ninety degrees upwards by the impact. Groggily, I quickly noticed the pungent smell of gasoline.
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About the Book
An amazing story of an adventurous young American who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio during the “Great Depression,” and World War II. Times were tough for everyone. Jobs were scarce, food was very limited and the American Spirit had disappeared. So had John's father. Left alone was John, his mother and younger brother who struggled together to survive. They not only did so, but eventually were all successful in life. A happily ever after story? Yes, but the road to victory was amazingly different.
What happened to John at various times, and in unexpected ways, over a long period of time was completely unbelievable. In this life story you will most likely encounter episodes which, although well explained will stretch your sense of reality. Don't worry; it had the same affect on the person to whom it happened. Even so you will find no gore, profanity or exaggeration in this book. You will, however see the world as John saw it and also have many good laughs. It is also certainly possible that “Lessons for a Lifetime” might uplift the reader as it certainly did for the author!
About the Author
John Canfield was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He knew his life would be musical from the time he heard the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra at the age of nine. He received his training from Charles Ryklich on violin and later received degrees in Music Education from Miami University (Ohio), in Music, Theory and Composition from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and his Doctorate in music from Florida State University. He founded and conducted the Fort Lauderdale Florida Symphony Orchestra, the Columbia Philharmonic in South Carolina and the Bloomington Indiana Pops Orchestra at Indiana University.
He also initiated and developed the stringed instrument educational program in Broward County, Florida - Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano and Deerfield over a twenty year period. He has taught musical courses at Florida State University, The University of South Carolina, Covenant College, Eastern Illinois University and Indiana University. His written works include: All Musicians aren't Mad, The Life and Works of Henry Hadley, The Band Directors Guide and Orchestral Etudes for Strings. He currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife June.