The Man Called Brown Condor by Thomas E. Simmons Page A

again. You’ve got the airplane.”
    John felt it was the other way around. The plane began to buffet and suddenly the nose fell out from under him. At the same time, the left wing dropped and was followed by a sickening descent that left John’s stomach somewhere above. His eyes wildly stared over the nose straight down at the earth.
    His first reactions were all wrong. He jerked back on the stick, forgot to push in the throttle, and tried to pick up the low wing with aileron instead of rudder. He felt a great desire to wet his pants.
    The voice again, “Get that nose down! Give it full throttle! Get this thing flying again! Use a little rudder. I said a little! Get off the ailerons! You put in too much rudder or aileron in a stall and you’ll wind up in a spin, maybe on your back.”
    John pushed the stick forward. With the earth rising rapidly toward him, it seemed an unnatural thing to do, but he did it and held the stick there. He got off the aileron and remembered to use a little opposite rudder to get the low wing level. The airspeed began to build and he was flying again but in a dive. He eased the throttle back a little.
    â€œAll right. Now ease the stick back and get us level again.”
    With the ground still rushing up at him, John pulled the stick back too rapidly and too far. The G-force of the pullout pushed him down in his seat; his cheeks began to sag.
    â€œEase it, damnit! You jerk back on the stick like that in a high speed dive and you’ll get a secondary stall or pull the wings off this thing.”
    John eased the stick pressure and found himself in straight and level flight. He was much relieved—for the moment. For the first time he looked out at the beautiful sky and the green fields below. The tension in his mind and body began to fade. He was flying!
    Then the voice came at him again. “Okay. Now let’s try a power-on stall from a climbing turn, shall we?”
    Robinson’s stomach, which had only just caught up with him, tightened in a knot as he reluctantly eased the plane back to altitude. Following instructions, he found himself at full power in a steep climbing turn to the left. When the buffet began and the nose dropped, John thought he would be ready—terrified but ready—and he was. He got the stick forward, left the power at full, and managed to catch a wing drop, bringing the plane back to normal straight and level flight. Oh! Please let’s go home now . He was worn-out.
    â€œThat was better,” the voice said. “Now let’s try one to the right.”
    John groaned and felt his stomach do a flip. As instructed, he pushed the throttle full forward and began a steep climbing turn to the right. This time, just as the plane began to buffet, Snyder slammed the right rudder pedal full forward. The plane whipped viciously over on its back. The nose dropped straight toward the earth, which began spinning rapidly before the wide-eyed stare of the panic-stricken Robinson.
    John couldn’t help but cry out, his shout torn away into the screaming wind. He felt himself pressed down into his seat. He could barely hear the amazingly calm voice from the tube. “Rudder, damnit! Left rudder! We’re in a spin to the right. Neutralize the stick! Pull the throttle back! Do it now! You hear me, boy?”
    The “boy” got through to him. John shouted in his mind, I’m not a nigger, you hear me? Anger overcame fear and John’s mind began to work again. He pushed in full left rudder, relaxed back pressure on the stick, and pulled the throttle off. At first nothing happed. The plane continued its sickening rotation as it spun toward the earth. Panic clawed at him but he held opposite rudder and neutral stick. It’s what the book said to do. The rotation began to slow. Another turn and the plane stopped spinning, airspeed increased, and with shaking knees and hands, John eased the plane back to level