WWII PILOT TRAINING FILM "LEARN AND LIVE" JOE INSTRUCTOR T6 TEXAN 57174.webm

Learn And Live with Joe Instructor is an early 1940s War Department training film (no. 1-3300) produced by the First Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Forces that presents reenactments of fatal accidents caused by common pilot errors. The film’s story is based on “Joe Instructor” going to “Pilot Heaven” where he talks with Saint Peter about the loss of a number of good pilots to unnecessary mistakes. The film incorporates humor despite attempting to stress the severe consequences of not following protocol or staying focused while flying. The film opens with Joe Instructor walking up a staircase through clouds on his way to the gates of “Pilot Heaven.” He greets Saint Peter and observes a group of “angel” pilots milling around and engaging in day-to-day activities: getting a haircut, painting, playing pool. The film then recaps the stories of how some of the pilots died. A pilot, “Mr. Nonchalant,” lands a North American T-6 Texan on a runway and unfastens his safety belt before stopping the plane. He doesn’t pay attention to the final moments of his landing and crashes into a barrier at the end of the runway (4:33). Another pilot flies a T-6 and waits too long to clear his engine