MORE SECRET LIFE OF WALDO F. DUMBSQUAT
VOLUME 2
by
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C/4C Waldo F. Dumbsquat’s puny body was pressed deeply into the cushions of the ejection seat. The front seater continued to pull on the stick as the T-33 entered a high-G loop. Waldo knew he would have to have a seat cushion surgically removed later. The chute straps cut unmercifully into his scrawny legs and chest. The oxygen mask hung like an anvil on the end of his nose.
“Isn’t this great?” asked the pilot, Captain Frank Luke, during the high speed recovery.
Waldo found it difficult to answer for he now had no lips.
“Hope I didn’t G your lips off, Dumbsquat,” laughed the pilot. “I’m just not happy unless I’m flying Mach with my hair on fire.”
Waldo smiled which is hard to do when you have no lips. He really enjoyed these STARDUST flights out at Pete Field.
“Okay, time for a Cuban 8. Come on the controls and ride through the maneuver with me,” instructed the pilot.
Waldo placed his hand on the stick grip. Unfortunately, his feet didn’t reach the rudder pedals.
Captain Luke shoved the throttle into military power, executed an aileron roll to get the nose below the horizon, and began picking up the energy needed for the next maneuver.
“Looks like we’ve got the smash we need, little buddy,” said the pilot, glancing at the airspeed indicator.
Waldo strained against the gravitational forces and he felt his argyles roll down as the aircraft pulled into the vertical. On the backside of the loop, the pilot, executed a half roll and began setting up the second half of the aerobatic maneuver.
Birdstrike!
A whooping vulture crane impacted the front cockpit windscreen, shattering it completely. A shotgun blast of glass shards and grotesque blobs of bird and feathers struck Captain Luke, knocking him unconscious. While Waldo slowly comprehended what had happened,
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About the Book
More Secret Life of Waldo F. Dumbsquat is the second volume in a series of books by Don Hall. In this humorous story collection, Don captures the essence of cadet life at the United States Air Force Academy. More Secret Life…describes the misadventures of Waldo F. Dumbsquat, a perpetual freshman fated to never graduate. As cadets encounter academic and military training challenges at the Blue Zoo, Waldo comes to the aid of his classmates in an amazing way. Mixing Academy mythology with cadet issue satire, Don recruits the reader into the ranks of the Cadet Wing for a laugh-filled flight.
About the Author
Don Hall is described as a dynamic, happy, brown and silver-haired Texan, Reaganesque in character, with extraordinary patience. Born to loving parents from the Greatest Generation, Donald and Janet Hall, he seemed destined for a military career. Along with brother, Steve, and sister, Jeannie, Don grew up as an Air Force brat, experiencing life around the world. He came by his love of flying honestly, following the example set by his father who piloted the C-47 in WWII and later the B-47. For Don, nothing surpassed the thrill of wearing his father’s helmet and dreaming of being a pilot.
Steps to fulfilling that dream began with admission to the Air Force Academy in 1972. Don had the privilege of wearing the gold prop and wings insignia worn years earlier by his father as an aviation cadet. Orientation rides in gliders, helicopters, and T-birds – along with T-41 flight training – all fueled Don’s desire to fly. After graduation and commissioning in 1976, he entered Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance AFB in
Along the way Don earned his AETC Doctorate of Flight Instruction, the Director of Safety Special Achievement Award, USAFA Officer of the Year, the Major General Eugene L. Eubank Instructor Pilot of the Year Award, and his command pilot rating.
Don considers assignments to instruct at the Air Force Academy and operationally test the T-6A to be highlights of a treasured career. “I have been truly blessed with the opportunity to serve my country by doing something I love…flying!”
Currently living in
Don plans to write the great American novel. Don insists that his last published work, The Secret Life of Waldo F. Dumbsquat, is not an autobiography!