On Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:36:29 GMT, "JGalban via AviationKB.com"
u32749@uwe wrote:

I remember looking at his logbook and seeing his first solo on the 4th
entry, after 3.5 hrs of instruction in an Ercoupe.

A Piper Cub dealer would fly a plane to some field near a small city
and round up the doctors and lawyers and car dealers, plus one high
school athlete. He would solo the youngster that afternoon. "See how
easy it is?" he would say, and sell the adults the Cub on the spot for
$2600, then take the train home and fetch another Cub from Lock Haven
and repeat the process somewhere else.

That may have been more common before the war than after.

("the war": the unpleasantness between 1941 and 1945)

Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942
new from HarperCollins www.FlyingTigersBook.com