Letters

Looking at pictures

In my heyday of attempts at professional photography, I studied the great sports photography of guys like Sports Illustrated's Walter Iooss, Jr. He captured the essence of his subjects. My professional life has replaced my photographic endeavors over the last 20 years, and looking at pictures was, well, just looking at pictures — until I laid eyes on Mike Fizer's picture of the Extra 200 on the cover of the January Pilot. Fizer's pics of aircraft are always well done. He has taken the art to a new level — real action photography in and from the cockpit.

What a dilemma. Not only do I want to be the guy taking that picture, I can feel the pull of that 76-inch prop and the Gs forcing me into the seat. I want to grunt, just looking at that shot. Kudos to Fizer and the pilots who make his photographs possible. This is one time when I can't decide whether I'd rather be behind the lens or behind the stick.

Guy R. Levy AOPA 914330
Clinton Corners, New York

Reid-Hillview reprieve

I am writing to congratulate all involved in the victory that general aviation can now enjoy regarding the reversal of the closure resolution that would have meant the end of San Jose, California's Reid-Hillview Airport (" President's Position: Anatomy of a Win," January Pilot), truly a Northern California aviation landmark.

Especially to be thanked has to be AOPA itself, a truly focused and vital organization if there ever was one. As a visitor to Expo '96 in San Jose, I was completely impressed with the professionalism and dedication that all AOPA staffers and members have towards the common goal of joining together to further the revitalization that general aviation is now experiencing.

Dan Pimentel AOPA 1245639
Wonder Valley, California

Medical matters

Congratulations to AOPA (especially Gary Crump, director of medical certification), the American Diabetes Association, and others (including former Federal Air Surgeon Frank Austin) who have pressed to bring about the individualized FAA medical certification of persons who take insulin for diabetes mellitus (" Sweet Victory," January Pilot). Federal Air Surgeon Jon Jordan deserves recognition for this adoption of methods of late twentieth century scientific and medical progress. He and the FAA also deserve recognition for updating and simplifying FAR Part 67 and for updating Part 61 on the duration of Class III medical certificates to 3 years for those who are under 40.

I have already had pilots call and schedule visits who are, or will be, beneficiaries of these enlightened regulatory advances.

Stanley R. Mohler, M.D. AOPA 167639
Dayton, Ohio

Mohler is the director of aerospace medicine at the Wright State University School of Medicine — Ed.

Column kudos

Your January issue contained two of the most thoughtful articles I have seen in the magazine — Barry Schiff's " Proficient Pilot: Looking for Trouble" and Mark R. Twombly's " Pilotage: My Most Exciting …." Both involve a higher level of learning, understanding, and control which, unfortunately, many pilots never know.

Aerobatic training, regardless of the training accident arguments, is necessary to learn the full function of the controls of the aircraft, and to recover from surprise extreme attitudes. Many certificated pilots have never fully deflected the controls of their aircraft. Few understand that the rudder can lift the nose when, for example, a surprise gust rolls the airplane near the ground on landing. Fewer are trained adequately to resist the temptation to pull when inverted. These should be instinctive reactions, especially in pilots who carry people for hire.

Hubert Tolson AOPA 854553
New Bern, North Carolina

Time to talk

After the crash involving the commuter airliner and the Beech King Air at Quincy (" Safety Pilot: Ground Encounters," January Pilot), I have been thinking a lot about what could be done to make things safer besides having everyone being more alert.

I think that the time has come for the requirement that all aircraft be equipped with a radio. Handheld radios have come down in cost, so they really are not an expensive item anymore. It would be hard to believe that anyone who could afford to fly or own an airplane would not be able to afford a handheld radio.

I know there would be an outcry that this requirement would encroach on pilots' rights, but if it saved only one life, it would be well worth it. I also believe that flying is becoming what driving has become. Aggressiveness has no place in the cockpit.

George E. Hotaling AOPA 1132844
Syracuse, New York

Two perspectives on Cuba

In " Pilot Counsel: Cuban Shootdown" (January Pilot), John S. Yodice documents the action that the FAA took against the one Skymaster pilot who survived the Cuban shootdown incident, namely, certificate revocation. Yodice notes that the NTSB "was heavily influenced by its conclusions that the violations [of Cuban airspace] were intentional." Yodice does not note, but as a practicing attorney must be aware, that all levels of our legal and regulatory enforcement process have become heavily politicized. It is no longer possible to read a law, or a regulation, and be certain how it will or will not be applied to a specific incident, whether real or hypothetical.

In the case at hand, Hermanos al Rescate were inarguably guilty of an act of malum prohibitum, something made "bad" solely by statute, yet were equally inarguably not guilty of any act of malum in se, something "bad" by its very nature. As a practical matter, in the absence of an administration and dominant media that find the Cuban dictator and his system worthy more of sympathy than contempt, it is unlikely that the leaflet dropping of Hermanos al Rescate would have provoked the ultimate NTSB sanction that it did.

Hermanos al Rescate are heroes, and a grand jury would have voted accordingly. It is precisely the absence of a grand jury in regulatory administrative environments that leads to miscarriages of the present type. Quoting Yodice, "the Board's thinking is important for pilots to understand."

Frank J. Natoli AOPA 636853
Newton, New Jersey

I was extremely pleased to read that the NTSB upheld the ruling by the FAA on the appeal made by the Brothers to the Rescue pilot who escaped the Cuban MiGs. The FAA is remiss in that it didn't stop these antics by the Cuban "refugees" when they first surfaced in 1991.

Jack G. Fisher AOPA 404585
Meridian, Idaho

Building the Ultimate Arrow

I just read with much pleasure and anticipation that you are going to restore a Piper Arrow, much as you did with the Better Than New 172 (" Ultimate Arrow: Sharpening an Arrow," January Pilot).

My friend owns an Arrow II that he rents out (and makes a fair amount of money at it) and uses it for his own pleasure. I've been doing the 100-hour inspections and making steady improvements as we go, while trying to keep the operation in the black. As can be imagined, the very age of the airplane and the fact that it's being rented has kept it looking like a used airplane. We've updated it mechanically and kept it looking relatively decent, but we're really looking forward to see where you're going to get your aftermarket stuff — instrument panel, seats, interior, and other mods.

I believe that there are many other owners of middle-aged Arrows who are thinking similarly. Thanks in advance for the great job.

Fred M. von Zabern AOPA 1004009
Yorba Linda, California

Picking Peppler

Congratulations on snaring Bill Peppler as our Canadian representative. As a western Canadian pilot and Canadian Owners and Pilots Association member for 15 years, I met Peppler only twice, but I admired him as a pilot and considered him a friend, always helpful on the telephone; I know that he did a great job for general aviation in another country where freedom is often threatened by big government.

I've been learning to fly for 50 years and need another 30, if my airplane hangs in. With family and friends in Alberta, I cross the border a couple of times a month; it's always a friendly experience, and western North America is the world's greatest flight environment. I hear the unleaded-gas news pinging away, but with guys like Peppler on our AOPA team, over-the-nose conditions look CAVOK.

Sherm Ewing AOPA 791792
Great Falls, Montana

Sticks in the mud

Of all the letters to print about the Cirrus SR20 (" Letters," January Pilot), you chose two from pilots complaining about the side stick. General aviation is in trouble, with old airplanes, overpriced new lead sleds, ancient regulations, and poor overall pilot training. The Cirrus SR20 has a chance to help GA with new technology and innovations, and all that the GA public has to say about it is, "I can't write and fly at the same time." You gotta be kidding me. I currently instruct in a Lancair IV. I sit in the right seat, fly with the side stick on the right, and write with my right hand. By using the basic of all basics — setting power, then attitude, and then trimming for hands off — I can write whenever I wish, VMC or IMC.

The SR20 will help to bring GA into the next century. Let's not let poor piloting skills be an excuse to keep us in the 1950s.

Russ LaMar AOPA 1290401
San Diego, California

Case of the missing copy

OK, I give up. The Cessna 150 article ("Buck-Fifty and Change," February Pilot) ends in mid-sentence on the bottom of page 52. Where do I go from there — the March issue?

Dick Anderson AOPA 941798
East Longmeadow, Massachusetts

Because of a production error, the last five words of the article were inadvertently omitted. The last sentence should have read, "But with that pair, he's shown no intention of folding" — Ed.

Erratum

Toyota has received a production certificate for a 4-liter V-8 aircraft engine derived from the Lexus automobile engine, not for a four-place airplane as reported in " Pilot Briefing" (February Pilot).

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