Pilot Error – Tiger Country

Steve Johnson finished his pre-flight inspection, wiped up the few drips of oil on the lower engine cowling and clos­ed the polished aluminium side panel. Checking the switches were off, he walked to the front of the aeroplane and pulled the varnished propeller through a few times to test the com­pressions.

The immaculate Tiger Moth was more than his pride and joy – it represented something of a fulfilment in his life. Too young for the RAAF in World War 2, Steve had been cap­tivated when he had his first flight in one as a member of the Air Training Corps. From then on he had to be a pilot – just like all the aircrew trainees he’d seen learning to fly at the EFTS which the wartime RAAF had established at Tarraburra.

But it hadn’t worked out. The war had ended before he turned 18 and with his one aim in life suddenly snatched away, he’d had to set about earning his living.

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