Letters

Stearman fever

Galesburg loves to watch Stearman-filled skies ("Nearly a Full House," February Pilot). Amazing how they hang there like overgrown honeybees, each buzzing loudly, painted bright, and insect-like, too. So irresistible, the town looks up for seven days. Fact is, a local chiropractor claims a five-fold increase in business the week after the fly-in.

Some of us catch a ride that's guaranteed to leave any tin can owner hot and feverish for trading up to the open skies. Fortunately, by first snowfall the fever gets a little better and cabin heat once again feels tolerable.

Thanks to the late Jim Leahy and all for spreading the Stearman bug.

Brent King
Galesburg, Illinois

What a tremendous surprise to see "Nearly a Full House." There are a number of items in this story that are very personal to my wife and me. I have flown freight in a Cessna Caravan out of Galesburg Municipal Airport and made my first-ever emergency landing there, in an Agusta 109 helicopter. During layovers, I often read the memorial to the late Jim Leahy's son that is located on the airport near the terminal building; I once hand-cranked a Stearman for Leahy at an airshow in Bloomington, Illinois.

Although they received second place, The Big Tree Squadron pilots are champions in our book. My wife, Kellie, arranged for Ray Coker, Jim and John Rettick, and David Burroughs to overfly the tail end of our outdoor wedding as a surprise to me. Unfortunately, they accidentally flew over during the middle of the ceremony, practicing a missing-man formation. We still get a lot of laughs over that one. It is a pleasure to pick up your magazine and see that people really do still have fun with aviation.

Kenie AOPA 1007126 and Kellie Rittenhouse
Clarkston, Michigan

First and last Cessna 150s

I noted with a good deal of interest your feature on the first and last Cessna 150s (" Buck-Fifty and Change," February Pilot). N714SV was based at Sky Harbor (Eagle Creek Airpark) on the west side of Indianapolis when I was a student there in the late 1970s. My logbook shows 13 entries for that aircraft from September 1978 to September 1979.

Sky Harbor placed 4SV up for sale when I was concluding my flight training, and I did consider purchasing it, but opted for something bigger with four seats. If I had known that it was a piece of aviation history, I would have grabbed it up myself. Nevertheless, thanks for the memories.

Donald Bennett AOPA 678218
Shelbyville, Indiana

The article on the early Cessna 150s brought back a lot of memories of that fine airplane and a vague recollection of a similar registration number.

In checking my logbook, I noticed that my first primary instruction flight was on March 5, 1961, in N5529E, which I believe was the twenty-ninth 150 off the line, as they were still issuing consecutive numbers at that time.

Three-and-a-half months later, I took my private pilot checkride in N5650E. My big recollection of that flight was that after calculating the required weight and balance numbers, I advised the examiner that with both of us over 200 pounds, we would have to drain out a couple of gallons of gas to stay under the max gross weight.

I do believe, however, that author Marc Cook made one minor error on the VHT-3 Superhomer. I believe that it had nine transmit channels, not six. In today's world of dual navs and GPS, I remember the VHT-3 well, as that was my only VHF radio for my instrument checkride. Maintaining a holding pattern on an intersection was a real challenge with only a VHT-3.

Ron Chandler AOPA 214193
Rolling Hills Estates, California

Marc Cook replies: According to the delivery papers with the first-production Cessna 150, the radio was a six-channel Superhomer. However, the faceplate in Sury's airplaneócovering the racks for modern equipmentóis that of a nine-channel Narco.

Celebrating Meigs

My heartfelt congratulations on your success in keeping Meigs Field open, at least for 5 years. Well done. I certainly hope that GA pilots the nation over will frequent the field even more now, for business and pleasure both. I can assure you that it is a great place to fly into, with just a short cab ride to downtown. Thanks again for a great job. It seems that it's a constant fight. We U.S. pilots surely are glad to have AOPA. If you were not around, the United States would be like Europe, with nothing but little birdcages and no-fly zones, together with shelling out big, big bucks for services. Thanks to all from, I am sure, all of us.

Michael Reisinger AOPA 1160697
Littleton, Colorado

"Meigs saved"? What are you talking about? Meigs has been given a 5-year reprieve, after which Chicago can close the airport permanently, and there is no legal recourse permitted by the agreement. If everyone breathes a sigh of relief and forgets the matter, in 5 years the airport will be closed. Your headline should have read "Meigs in dangeróonly 5 years to save the airport."

Now is the time to immediately embark on a prolonged effort to save the airport. For starters, general aviation pilots in the region should begin to use the airport again. The declining use was cited as the major reason for closing it. In case anyone in the area has forgotten, there's an incredible array of things to see and do (all of downtown Chicago) within walking distance of the airport.

A. Robert Spitzer AOPA 1290698
Southfield, Michigan

AOPA has called for a regional working group to study and offer recommendations for the enhancement and marketing of Meigs to build both more utilization and greater community support. Also, although the agreement gives the State of Illinois no legal recourse after 5 years, other parties are free to pursue legal action should it be necessary — Ed.

Tomahawk

I read " Safety Pilot: Tomahawk Safety Review" (February Pilot) with interest. As a flight instructor without PA-38 time, I take pains to stay abreast of new data, products, and opinions — the better to serve clients. My verbal introduction to the Tomahawk 10 years ago came with admonishments regarding its stall/spin characteristics. These performance traits have been discussed roundly in aviation safety literature, and Bruce Landsberg's review added little.

Within the last year I read a report and a follow-up regarding Tomahawk design versus construction. This caused me great concern. Stall/spin recoveries merely involve applying approved procedures; no problem. Fleetwide construction shortcuts responsible for structural failure is another matter. I presume the Air Safety Foundation has access to all pertinent literature.

How about a revisit to help readers develop a clear, more complete picture on this subject?

Brian Davern AOPA 808497
Vancouver, Washington

The AOPA Air Safety Foundation found no evidence that the production prototype aircraft differed from the actual production aircraft, as has been claimed in some other publications. The FAA confirmed in August 1996 that the certification aircraft's wings were identical to those in current Piper drawings. ASF's Safety Review goes into considerably more detail than Landsberg did in his column — Ed.

I found Landsberg's article interesting because I used to own a 1979 Tomahawk during my college years (1981 to 1985). At the time I bought the airplane, it was already being called the "Traumahawk" by people who didn't know what they were talking about. I flew mine on long trips across the country, from Texas to Washington, D.C., to Florida and New Mexico. It always surprised people that I would fly so far in such a small airplane, and when I would check in with controllers at 8,500 feet, I was always asked to repeat my altitude.

I found the Tomahawk to be a nice-handling airplane and had no trouble with it, including stalls, although I never spun it. It required a lighter touch than a Cessna and the T-tail did make takeoffs a little different, but I could never understand what people were complaining about. It flew great; it was also quieter, more comfortable, and slightly faster than a Cessna 150. Its bad reputation is totally undeserved, in my opinion.

Geoff Douglas AOPA 1312509
Lubbock, Texas

The 'Mercury 13'

I enjoyed Amy Laboda's article, " The 'Mercury 13'" (February Pilot). As a recent high school graduate in 1962, I had the privilege of having Irene Leverton as my primary instructor, and I still have the picture of Irene clipping my shirttail. She was instructing for the Dee Thurmond Flight Service in San Jose, California. Starting my aviation career at this woman-owned and -operated FBO brought an early understanding of women's rights to equal standing in our industry.

Bill Burgner AOPA 1244572
Orlando, Florida

Success not so sweet

I applaud your effort on the approval to allow diabetics to operate an airplane (" Sweet Victory," January Pilot). However, I do not applaud your trying to make us crash. When I test my blood sugar, it can take from 1 to 2 minutes to complete, in which time I will have to take both of my hands off the yoke of the airplane and my eyes away from looking at what I am supposed to and look at what I am doing while I test my blood. As it said in your article, only about 1 percent of all airplane crashes are caused by medical problems. On the other hand, it said that quite a few are caused by people fixating on the instruments and not looking out the window, especially within 5 miles of the airport. So you are going to require us diabetics to test our blood every hour and half an hour before landing?

I think that it would be far better to have us test our blood sugar a half hour or so before taking off and to have with us everything we need to take for low blood sugar while flying. I know that I can recognize when I am going low, and I can take care of it fairly quickly without much hassle. We could also have to have a doctor's statement saying that we are in enough control of our diabetes to recognize when we are going low and that we can take care of it. I believe that this will cause fewer crashes than doing it the other way.

I still think that you are doing a great job in getting diabetics into flying. I also hope that you will continue to find more improved regulations for the program.

Karen Bodily
Dugway, Utah

We welcome your comments. Address your letters to: Editor, AOPA Pilot, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701. Send e-mail to [email protected]. Include your full name, address, and AOPA member number on all correspondence, including e-mail. Letters will be edited for style and length.