Letters

Finding the field

I enjoyed reading the article " Finding the Field" by Dan Namowitz (July Pilot). It's a real pleasure when you locate that small airstrip that is every pilot's dream — having his or her own runway in the backyard. Even though most of these small fields are private, they are good to know about, just in case. I was especially interested in the photo with the article; it shows a small private grass strip named Mills Field, near Hutchinson, Kansas, over which I've flown many times. Runway 3 of Hutchinson Municipal appears in the upper left corner of two of the July photos.

Jerry Daniels AOPA 1160420
Hesston, Kansas

I read with great interest "Finding the Field." I could do nothing more than smile upon reading Namowitz's reference to Portland, Maine, the city in which I was born and raised.

At 36, while living in western Massachusetts, I finally pursued a lifelong dream and obtained my private pilot certificate. The choice for my long cross-country was obvious; the first stop would be to return to the scene of my first flight, Portland International Jetport. It was simple — approach from the south, announce the field in sight, and land on Runway 11. The concept was good, but not so good in application, as I found myself nearly over the field at an altitude that required a quicker descent than I had originally planned on — on a crystal-clear VFR day.

Eighteen months later, I returned to southern Maine, working in my new career as a flight dispatcher with a regional carrier that flew into Portland on a regular basis. Any jumpseating I did was usually out of or into Portland, and this is where I discovered the secrets to finding the jetport. It wasn't to look for the jetport; it was to find the fuel tanks, the hospital on the hill, or any assortment of landmarks — and, of course, at night it was simple: "Look for the black hole."

I couldn't help chuckling at Namowitz's choice of Portland as an example in his article. I have piloted general aviation aircraft to Florida twice from New England, and rarely, if ever, have had a problem locating airfields that I had never been to before; yet the one airport I grew up virtually next to, I had always struggled to see until the pros gave me all the hints of the trade.

Dave DiBiase AOPA 1262004
Florence, Kentucky

A loaded question

I thoroughly enjoyed Marc E. Cook's " Loaded Questions" (July Pilot). His article certainly enlightened me as to the full significance of power and wing loading. Since most of my flying is in rented Cessna 152s and 172s, I next read the article on the new 182, as that would give some figures to compare on three models familiar to me. Then, to make the comparisons complete, I looked up the new 172 (December 1996 Pilot).

In comparing the two new airplanes, I found these interesting facts and figures. Here are two craft flying on essentially the same wing. The higher wing loading for the 182 allows a 21-percent increase in maximum gross weight, a 31-percent increase in payload, and a 16-percent increase in cruise speed.

The big percentages are the ones that really highlight the difference in these craft. To achieve the same endurance, the 182 must carry 64 percent more fuel to feed that 43 percent more horsepower. It brings to mind the old saying, "Give me an engine powerful enough and I'll fly the crate it came in."

Charles N. Cahoon AOPA 954168
North Adams, Massachusetts

In your article on wing loading I was disappointed to see that you listed the Cessna 150, with its 10.9-pounds-per-square-foot wing loading, as being near the lower end of the spectrum. Fly a Taylorcraft, Piper Cub, Aeronca Champ, or my Interstate Cadet, at around 7 pounds per square foot, to experience the effects of a light wing loading. Fly solo and you get down to about 6 pounds, and every little puff of air causes a wing to lift. I was also disappointed to see that you failed to address the effects of span. A Cessna 172 and a Van's RV-6 have about the same wing loading, but the span of the 172 is about 36 feet, while the RV spans only 23 feet. I would expect the greater span on the 172 gives the air more leverage to displace a wing.

Richard Scott AOPA 785566
Estacada, Oregon

Cessna's new 182

As a longtime wing nut, I was very interested in the write-up on the new Cessna 182 (" Cessna Skylane: The New 182," July Pilot). It is encouraging to think that general aviation may be on the way back from the doldrums.

The improvements to the aircraft certainly enhance its value, safety, and utility. I was very disappointed, however, to note that the standard IFR package does not include a horizontal situation indicator (HSI). This instrument has become an invaluable tool, particularly for single-pilot IFR work. Personally, I would rather give up the autopilot than fly hard IFR without an HSI. Given all the benefits provided by the HSI, I am at a loss to understand why it was left out of the IFR package. In the price range of the 182, it would seem that it could have been economically justified.

Werner W. Pfeifer AOPA 365180
Merrimack, New Hampshire

According to Cessna, an HSI will be a Skylane option in 1998 — Ed.

I am pleased that Cessna is back in the business of building piston singles, and your cover story on the 182 was enormously instructive — but not, perhaps, in the way you or Cessna had in mind. Look at the cover. The photograph of the new 182 demo shows a terrible sheet-metal ripple in the top of the 182's left wing — as bad as the ruts in the beach a few hundred feet below.

I can forgive the writer for trying to be a booster of general aviation, and for suffering the romance of a Cessna PR flak. But I cannot forgive Cessna. If this is its showpiece for media review, it speaks volumes about the fit and finish prospective buyers can expect.

Cessna appears to be living in an echo chamber, banking on pent-up demand and chanting a happy mantra of "if you [simply] build it, they [buyers] will come." I fear that Cessna is in for a rude awakening. It wants $200,000 for an airplane that is no different from what a $100,000 airplane — probably one with sheet metal that fits — can fetch in the used market.

Tom Gibson AOPA 714944
Washington, D.C.

The air loads that raise the outboard portions of the wing cause those deformations. These are just outboard of the wing strut attach points, which ridgidify the wing structure between the fuselage and the attach point. Outboard of that, the wing flexes upward in flight. As far as we know, this is not a dangerous condition. It is very common in high-wing Cessnas and in some other manufacturers' designs — Ed.

Affording the dream

I just finished reading " Waypoints: Dream Machines" (July Pilot). Reading this article brought to mind several of my own experiences of inexpensive flying.

When I first received my private rating, I was paying $17.50 per hour, wet, for a Cessna 150. Of course, that was in 1970 and it was pretty much the going rate. Later in life, I flew with the Civil Air Patrol and paid $25 per hour, wet, for an IFR Cessna 172. These CAP aircraft were some of the last 172s manufactured, in 1985 and 1986. That rate allowed me to expand my ratings to include IFR.

Recently, on a commuter flight into my hometown of Columbus, Georgia (where Cessna manufactures the control surface assemblies), I spoke to a Cessna engineer who was in the process of relocating to the new Cessna facilities. During his conversation, he told me of the $26-per-hour rates for the Cessna employees.

As I finished reading this article, the obvious thought finally hit me. This is what the entire general aviation community has been stressing for years: "Help to keep us alive. Help to keep our costs down." All of these fortunate people at the general aviation manufacturers are getting these fantastic breaks (and I am very glad that they get them and take advantage of them), while the 172s roll off the line at $145,000 a copy.

The FBO here in Columbus received a new 172 and is charging $79 per hour, wet. In most flying clubs and FBOs with older aircraft, that is more like an Arrow or 182RG rate. That rate is impossible for me to justify for a 172.

I realize that we all would like a $26-per-hour rate, which, unfortunately, is unrealistic. But if these low rates significantly increase new pilots in the general aviation manufacturing community, think what a modest reduction in rates (and general cost) for the entire general aviation community would do.

Bruce Nye AOPA 1284221
Fort Worth, Texas

Cessna employees at Independence, Kansas, fly a 1983 172, not a new one — Ed.

Why don't you let Thomas B. Haines review earlier issues of AOPA Pilot? In April, May, June, and July 1990, there was considerable correspondence in regard to early organized flying clubs. The Beech Flying Club is not the oldest. It was incorporated on July 11, 1941, and is still in operation. The July 1990 Pilot listed 16 flying clubs with starting dates, the earliest being the University of Detroit Flying Club, formed in the early 1920s.

Arnold E. Eulert AOPA 043407
Wichita, Kansas

The author is the historian of the Beechcraft Employees Flying Club. — Ed.

Pilots and their toys

Barry Schiff is absolutely correct (" Proficient Pilot: Culture Shock," July Pilot). I come from the electronics age and love to play with all the new toys, but I also know that the basics of cross-country flight come from plotting a course and using pilotage.

I know that my students are taught the "old-fashioned" way; then, once they understand the basics, I will introduce them to GPS and the wonderful things that it does to back up other sources of navigation. GPS is great, but it will never replace the chart, plotter, compass, and clock.

Jared Gowlis AOPA 1161407
Waterbury, Connecticut

The rest of the story

As both an air traffic controller and a pilot, I read with great interest John S. Yodice's " Pilot Counsel: Pilots' Emergency Authority" (July Pilot). I feel that in his review of the subject, Yodice stopped short of a complete discussion of FAR 91.123, which explains a pilot's responsibilities when deviating from an ATC clearance. Specifically, while he paraphrases FAR 91.123(a) and 91.123(b), he fails to continue to 91.123(c). This section states that a pilot who does deviate from a clearance as a result of an emergency or a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) resolution advisory "shall notify ATC of that deviation as soon as possible."

Often, such notification may be made simultaneously with the deviation, such as when a pilot is maneuvering in response to a TCAS alert. At other times the notification may be delayed while a pilot deals with more complex circumstances. In any case, however, the sooner the better. Controllers understand a pilot's authority to act in an emergency situation, but we do need to be advised in order to protect other aircraft operating nearby, and to assist if necessary.

Larry G. Davis AOPA 956118
Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Erratum

The article " Foreign Student Ripoff" (July Pilot) stated that a flight school, Wings Over California, was accused of bribing an FAA official to assist in processing applications for some foreign students. FAA attorneys say that they are continuing an investigation into a possible bribe by an independent coordinator for the school, not the school itself. The FAA has reportedly withdrawn the letters it sent to pilots requiring that they be reexamined. Pilot regrets the error.

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.