College Time Flights and Buzzes
By Charlie Briggs
To the glee of me and the distress of my fraternity members at Sigma Nu, Kansas state chapter, plus the use of my father’s Luscombe, this really happened. Dad leased “long stem grass” pastures in the Manhattan, Kans. Area, and was there on business, and to see me. Seizing on the opportunity to “get in a little air time,” he agreed to let me take a sightseeing flight of the area.
The year was 1949! I had a fresh new private pilots license and the experience of less than 100 hours of solo time. It is reported that 100 hours is the most dangerous time of a pilot’s career.
Looking back, I believe it. There is little that scares you and much to entice you to “slip the surly bonds” of common sense and do darned fool things. This was one of those things.
It was a beautiful fall day and I felt fresh and foxy, really too much so. Ah, but for the opportunities at hand. I had logged most of the hours I had at this time in Dads 65 hp Lusombe. After learning basically in a Piper cub, flying the Luscombe was a “blast.” It was very sensitive and highly responsive – to me it was love at first flight.
Starting at Kansas State “College,” as it was known as in those days, I joined the Beta Kappa chapter of Sigma Nu Fraternity in September of 1948. The fraternity “Home” was located on a hill in the western part of the city. The three-story structure had grace and the charm of the lineage of Sigma Nu’s origin at the Virginia Military Institute.
The first floor was for the “House Mother” apartment, the living room, the kitchen and, as I remember, a room or so for the fraternity president. The second floor was comprised of living suites for the actives, with study areas for the pledges. The top floor was the dormitory for both pledges and actives.
The time was close after WWII. Many of the actives were veterans with combat time. This set the stage for my “aerial attack.”
There was always an “engineered war,” by design staged between pledges and actives (at all times). If you didn’t do anything irregular you were still in trouble, and when you did you were just in more trouble (and boards on your butt). It was a seasoning time for students just out of high school. It was serious, fun, and maturing. Taking this into consideration, I decided on a sneak air “attack” on the dorm early one sleepy Sunday morning.
The prior evening there had been some social events at the house and around the campus. Even though the curfew was strictly enforced, many delightful hours ensued on many Saturday evenings.
Well, the stage was set. I arose early and drove to the River airport where Dad’s plane was located. It was a beautiful, cool and still morning. The little Luscombe was ready and “raring” to go. So go we did! I circled the College campus at legal altitude and approached the Sigma Nu house from the North. At the appropriate time, I simply idled back a bit, and made a shallow dive toward the north end of the House. Leveling off, I virtually rolled a wheel across the copper-plated roof, turning on full throttle in the climb out.
There were actives and pledges coming out both ends of the house – some waving, some shaking their fists. So, I knew I had made a noticeable impact! I had “emptied the dormitory!!”
Now for the Consequences.
I got full credit for the “sneak” attack. Much talk, but strangely enough, no threats from the actives. It was just in the works.
On Wednesday of the next week, and 3 a.m. in the morning, the fraternity house sirens went off, and all pledges were “escorted to the basement for orientation.” After a few “loveable” boards on every pledges butt (to teach togetherness), the whole pledge class was loaded, blindfolded and hauled 20 miles to ranch country south of the river. There, with no more to do, we were all released to find our way back home. The actives were really chuckling. The Pledges were not!
Then a funny thing happened.
Of course we were totally unharmed, it was just a part of the drill – Pledges versus Actives. Well, it was beginning to get light. As we were trying to figure out just which way to go, I spotted a cattle corral. We were in the pasture my dad had leased…I knew exactly where we were! I immediately, heroically, led the pledge group to the ranch house, which was near. Afteexplaining the situation and who I was, they more than happy to take us back to the campus.
Instead of going direct, we had him deliver us to another fraternity house that were friends of ours. After spending a good amount of time there and accepting breakfast and compliments on my attack, we took off for our home fraternity house just a few blocks away. Before going in, we put dust on our shoes, and clothes, ruffled our hair, and put on sad and forlorn faces, *(while getting our own, rather large chuckle.) The Actives never caught on and we never told.
I never told Dad either, until a long time later. He just chuckled too.
