Duty Pilot

The Duty Pilot's job was a responsible one at a station like Richmond where aircraft were constantly landing and taking off. The position from which he controlled the coming and going on the runways was a little wooden hut out beyond the hangers. Flight Lieutenant Cowper (Dennis Lawson Cowper?), RAAF, had many hours up as fighter pilot. But he was now content to allow the younger generation to do all the flying. There were about three steps up to the pilot's "tower" and this, he said, was as high off the ground he intended to go. Extensions were being made to the runways at Richmond at this time and bulldozers were creating a cloud of dust which the Winter westerlies drove across the flying field and into the duty pilot's "tower".