Al says that one of the worst experiences was to try to make pilots out of released prisoners of war - Free Poles, Free French etc -- who could speak only a little English. He relates an unusual hazard -- on a day time trip flying low--level out of St. Hubert, he spooked a farmer on a haywagon who threw a pitchfork at him. “He missed”. Al reports. On another occasion, one student lowered full flap on take-off instead of lifting the undercarriage. The student washed out later when he did the same with the Chief Flying Instructor. Al notes that his own Flight Commander would not wash out the studen when he nearly killed Al.

One Australian student seemed very unsure of himself, although he was a smooth pilot in the air. His landings were safe but sometimes rather “rocky”. Al says he spent many extra hours with this student in an effort to help him gain more self-confidence. One day before his Wings test with the Chief Flying Instructor, the student was so rattled that Al took him to the relief airfield where he reviewed the entire course. When he passed the course and appeared for the first time in his dress uniform, Al saw that he wore a number of decorations and asked some of his friends about them. He learned that the “insecure” student had been in the Australian Army early in the war in New Guinea when the Japanese invaded. With some other Aussies he had walked through New Guinea, over mountains, through jungles and among potentially hostile native people and eventually reached Australia. He was subsequently posted to North Africa and was one of the Aussies who were surrounded by Axis troops for more than a year in the Tobruk area. When they were relieved, the student returned to Australia and applied for enlistment in the RAAF. Al cites the experience of seeing this young man graduate and return to Australia as a Pilot Officer as one of his most rewarding.
In his flying instructors career, Al acquired 1,600 hours and qualified on Fleet Finch, Harvard, Anson, Crand and Oxford aircraft.             2001