....and polishing pistons, too.

Girls Getting Greasy!

Yes, there is something very elemental about that.

Heh! I like the fact that the girls are wearing matching coats and "Boonie" hats.

The overalls & hats are Songmark 'school uniform' at the maintenance hanger, just as much a a sailor blouse.

I read that in the 1920s US Army Air Corps and US Navy Aviation, pilot candidates had to successfully complete the basic courses on aircraft maintenance (in addition to their other courses) before they could qualify as a pilot. Even though the regular mechanics were all lower rank than the officer/pilots, the pilot had to be prepared to do their own basic maintenance & repairs on the aircraft they flew. And to be able to talk with their mechanics about problems and also to understand what the mechanics had to go through to keep the planes flying.

Songmark instruction is 1930s traditional that way. An air-adventuress has to be prepared to fix her own plane, and to properly check it over before a flight.

Too bad this is no longer possible.

(eyes an enormous pile of fiddly bits scattered around a nearby F-22)

Nice expressions.

You can tell who likes what job. The students on the right are working with the solvent saturated rags....

And here I thought the Kitty gal was only grimacing because the engine block was heavy.

Most of the weight of the aluminum (?) block is on the two cables. She's having to hold it steady by hugging it tight, though, and is very aware of all the cylinder head bolts poking her belly & chest. I think she's also watching the cable hooks wiggle.

It's kind of unrelated, but my grandfather was an aviation buff and he studied to be a pilot (but never could achieve his dream to fly) When I was a kid, he showed me his old books, he a huge pile of plane manuals with illustrations. All from WWII era, all propeller. He even had his old exam papers.

It's related. You have a good grasp of what these students are having to do to learn how to safely fly.

He made the attempt to be a pilot. Congratulations to your grandfather for doing that.

All I really know is seeing some samples of books. The amount of knowledge one should have (for safety) for any one aircraft, is amazing.

Heh. Takes me back to 1982, and my courses at Northrop U.

I take it the girl on the far left *the cat girl* is the 'newbe* since she's doing all the heavy work. :) Beautiful as all your work is ken.

I may not have thought it through when I did the illo, but Amelia wrestling with the engine block does fit the personalities involved. She's the recently elected dormroom leader of the four.

As Simon Barber wrote her, she is very British Upper-middle-class: Her father is an army general. Very concerned with doing her duty, and doing what's proper. That duty includes to not have anyone do what she wouldn't be willing to do herself - especially as she would understand some of the reasons for the egalitarian training.... She was an enthusiastic Girl Scout/Girl Guide.

And also Amelia wants to keep Molly occupied, since taking an engine apart is better than some of Molly's other urges towards achieving entropy.

Of course it may also be fun to show the most prim of the four, wrestling with the most awkward job.

Amelia is not perfect. Some of the enjoyment in Simon Barber's "Excerpts from a Diary" is watching Amelia rationalizing some hedonistic action to the prim part of her personality.

Remind me to send you more radial engine picts I took.

Thank you! I would be interested in more references!

*chuckles...

V.