1942: Date With a Cloud

Dad sent photographs to his mother as well as to MaryJane. He usually wrote on the picture or the back. this one has:
Momsy: Got a date with a cloud - Ralph
June 29, 42
Hawthorne
(photo by J.P.Dean)
Momsy??? And did the Wright brothers build that plane?
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added later.......
further investigation reveals that this is a
Boeing Stearman PT-17

The wings were of wood with fabric covering while the fuselage had a tough, welded steel framework, also fabric covered. Either a Lycoming R-680 (PT-13) or Continental R-670 (PT-17) engine powered most models, at a top speed of 124 mph with a 505-mile range. An engine shortage in 1940-41 led to the installation of 225-hp Jacobs R-755 engines on some 150 airframes, and the new designation PT-18.

The plane was easy to fly, and relatively forgiving of new pilots. It gained a reputation as a rugged airplane and a good teacher. Officially named the Boeing Model 75, the plane was (and still is) persistently known as the "Stearman" by many who flew them. It was called the "PT" by the Army, "N2S" by the Navy and "Kaydet" by Canadian forces. By whatever name, more than 10,000 were built by the end of 1945 and at least 1,000 are still flying today worldwide. http://www.warbirdalley.com/pt17.htm

We also know, now, that he was at the Hawthorne School of Aeronautics in Orangeburg, South Carolina.