It was the spring of 1932, those
carefree flying days between the wars. It was not carefree, however,
for farmers who grew their crops near Kelly Field in southwest
Texas. The skies were filled with P-12s flown by student pilots
of the 43rd School Squadron, Advanced Flying School Pursuit Section,
and those P-12s riled farmers worse than crows. At their instructors'
signal, the students would close their throttles and select a
landing site-usually a local farmer's field - and practice the
landing stage. A plane would land in as many as four fields per
mission, occasionally greeted by an angry farmer with a shotgun,
ready to shred some tailfeathers with buckshot.
Kelly Field holds warm memories for Keith Ferris. For the first
six years of his life, Ferris lived within 100 feet of it. His
father, an instructor at the school, is depicted in "Farmer's
Nightmare" sitting at the controls of aircraft number 2.
He waits as two of his students begin their takeoff rolls, while
up above another instructor with his students prepares to "cut"
engines. - Signed by the artist. |