Letters

Making a difference

I just finished reading the article on the Aviation Scholarship Foundation (" Aviation Scholarships: Chicago Hope," February Pilot). It was so well written, touching honestly on all the cans and can'ts of such a program, and, as always, accompanied by great photography. What Patrick Carron has put together is really inspirational to me, and I hope to others as well.

Aviation is the perfect vehicle for giving people the self-confidence and desire to do better in life, and it sounds as if the foundation is really making a difference for these kids. A few more of these programs around the country could have a significant social effect. It's great for the kids, which is most important, but it's also great for GA, as we should all be continually reaching out to the countless potential pilots who just don't realize how accessible flying can be.

Christian Wilson AOPA 1297649
San Francisco, California

Thanks very much for the informative and inspiring article, "Chicago Hope."

The article noted that Chicago is the birthplace of African-American aviation. However, the article should have also mentioned that Chicago was home to the first female African-American pilot, Bessie Coleman. Race, gender, and language were all barriers to her pilot's license (she had to travel to France to attend flight school), but she obtained it in 1921, and returned to promote aviation in the United States.

The City of Chicago honored Coleman by naming a road after her. Appropriately, Bessie Coleman Drive is one of the main roads leading into O'Hare International Airport.

Margaret Lee AOPA 1382419
Albany, New York

Finessing forced landings

In " In-Flight Emergencies: Forced Landings" (February Pilot), Peter A. Bedell states that "you can fine-tune the efficiency of your glide based on indicated rate of descent on the vertical speed indicator." If you trim for minimum rate of descent, you will be operating the plane at the minimum horsepower required speed, which will give you the maximum endurance but not the greatest distance covered.

Best-glide speed occurs at minimum drag, maximum lift-over-drag, in which induced drag and parasite drag are equal; minimum power speed is about 75 percent of this value. At minimum power speed, induced drag is 75 percent of total drag and parasite drag is 25 percent. Even though at lighter weights the induced drag is less — which, in turn, will cause the best-glide and best-time speeds to move slightly lower — I would suggest that in an emergency situation, it would be much better for the pilot to trim to the book value of best-glide speed. This will cause very little reduction in glide range and allow the pilot to concentrate on his landing site and wind conditions rather than having his eyes on the VSI.

Paul Lipps AOPA 1261464
Arroyo Grande, California

As a pilot, parachute rigger, and someone who has always had an interest in aircrew survival, I have read your articles relating to surviving aircraft emergencies. However, all these articles fail to mention the most important piece of survival equipment in aviation. That piece of survival equipment is the parachute. Parachutes have been the number one survival item for aviators for 80 years. Many airmen owe their lives to the parachute, and yet, when someone writes an article regarding emergency survival, it is never mentioned as an option.

How many people could have been saved if they had the option to bail out? The parachute is an item of last resort, but that last resort should be available. Nonextinguishable aircraft fires and nonmanageable structural failures are prime bailout situations. Engine-outs over mountainous and forested terrain are much better handled by parachuting into the trees at 10 mph than crashing through 80-foot trees into rocks and ravines. Airplanes crash in spite of our best efforts.

Many will say that you won't be able to get out. Not so. Virtually all high-wing, open-cockpit, or bubble-canopy aircraft allow in-flight egress.

Randy Finelli AOPA 1075446
Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania

Charting the safer course

I am an instrument-rated commercial pilot with almost 5,000 hours. To answer Thomas A. Horne's last question (" Wx Watch: Winter Weather Traps," February Pilot), if I had been in the shoes of the Mooney pilot, I would have spent the night in Red Bluff. I learned a long time ago that late is better than never. I can't begin to count the number of times I have waited for better weather, even when I had airplanes with greater power (jets). If I had been in the shoes of the Bonanza pilot, I would not have departed in the first place. The Donner Pass area in California is always a hazardous route for a lightplane in the winter. If he wanted so much to get to Truckee, he should have gone south to Bakersfield, crossed over the mountains, and flown up the east side of the Sierras. Yes, it is longer, but much safer, especially for a lightplane in the wintertime.

Wilbur R. Wortham Jr. AOPA 1398239
St. George, Utah

The need for speed

Just wanted to tell you what a well-written piece Alton K. Marsh's article was on the Nascar air force (" Nascar Air Force," February Pilot). As a former short track driver, regional racing writer, and current pilot, I enjoyed it from the perspective of racer and pilot. Usually, when someone tries to write a piece that ties two diverse interests together, he or she misses something on one side or the other because of ignorance or lack of interest in doing the proper research.

Thanks for doing this story justice.

Colin Tawney AOPA 1359183
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Weighing in on useful load

I think that Thomas B. Haines is underestimating what a problem ever-lowering useful loads really is (" Waypoints: A Weighty Compromise," February Pilot). Trading fuel for cargo is not the issue. It should be obvious that an airplane that can fill the tanks, fill every seat with adult passengers, and throw in all their bags, needs bigger fuel tanks for times when range is more important than payload.

The problem emerges when an aircraft, with passengers and luggage, can't carry enough fuel to fly anywhere safely, or maybe it can't carry any fuel at all. The flying club I belong to has a Warrior with a useful load of 790 pounds. Why even bother having back seats? Unless you are flying small children, the plane will be nearly at gross weight with no fuel. The Piper Saratoga I used to rent could haul about 1,300 pounds. Its replacement, which can only haul around 1,100 pounds, is a useless aircraft — too expensive to be rented by fewer than six people and unable to fly legally with six on board.

The personal airplane market might not mind carrying 1.7 people in a four-place aircraft, but for an airplane to earn its keep on the flightline, it should be able to get off the ground with all seats filled and go at least 200 miles with reserves.

Joseph Della Barbra AOPA 904540
Annapolis, Maryland

Certificate action?

I really liked Barry Schiff's recent column (" Proficient Pilot: Artistic License," February Pilot). I have raved about this subject on numerous occasions. I'm a young 34 years old, and for fun I handed my pilot certificate to a bouncer at a bar who asked to see ID to get in. He laughed and said, "You'll have to do better than that." There should really be a picture on it.

My driver's license has holograms, a magnetic strip, and three seals of state on it, all in tamper-proof plastic. To get the license, all I had to do was to show up and drive around the block. I spent years getting my pilot certificate and instrument rating, and I had to laminate it myself to keep it from falling apart.

Paul Canizaro AOPA 1120320
Tougaloo, Mississippi

Barry Schiff's assessment of our pilot certificate is correct. It is about time these documents matched the quality of a driver's license, an AOPA membership card, or a Civil Air Patrol ID card. The only suggestion I would make is that the FAA follow the practice used by AOPA, CAP, and U.S. passports and delete the address. Pilots would have fewer problems with address changes and the FAA would have more room on the certificate for ratings and limitations.

Neal Ellis AOPA 764984
Corona Del Mar, California

The FAA is considering a new pilot certificate along Schiff's line of thought. It is looking at a renewable plastic photo ID (read: costly on a recurring basis). The last time that I renewed my passport, it cost $150 (photos, fee, express mail) and took eight days. I'll stick with my permanent card. Personally I don't like to encourage the growth of the bureaucracy and fund its cash flow. May I suggest that Schiff order a replica wall plaque from Sporty's to carry in his flight bag, possibly avoiding further embarrassment?

Larry Deglandon AOPA 1175621
High Point, North Carolina

Knowing fear

Rod Machado oversimplified the concept of fear ("License to Learn: Mere Fear," February Pilot). When fear becomes panic, the thought processes cease to function properly and disaster sets in. Perhaps trepidation would be a better word.

I admit that I was fearful early in my aviation career, but, after I survived a near-catastrophic accident, my fear decreased to respect and a tinge of trepidation. But then, an 18-year-old kid from the hills probably shouldn't have been flying things like the Bristol Beaufighter, anyway.

I agree that those who have never dealt with even minor emergencies are likely to take that step beyond fear when they are faced with one — and are likely to never face one again. When one of my fellow pilots became fearful of dying, he inevitably did.

A lot of respect for the machine and the elements in which they operate is essential, but I am afraid that the fear can be harmful, even fatal.

George Sutton AOPA 149398
Poland, Ohio

Clearing the air

Barry Schiff has made an all-too-common mistake in " Test Pilot" (February Pilot). Question 12, regarding the first flight across the English Channel, gives the credit to Louis Bléroit in 1909. He made the first flight in a heavier-than-air machine. But the first flight across the channel was made on January 7, 1785. Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries flew from England to France in about two and one-half hours.

Too many people seem to think that manned flight started with the Wright brothers in 1903, but it actually began on November 21, 1783, with a balloon built by the Montgolfier brothers and flown by Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes.

John M. Fitzpatrick AOPA 298533
McLean, Virginia

Errata

The January crash of a Lancair Columbia 300 (" Pilot Briefing," March Pilot) involved prototype aircraft number two only. Our use of the words second prototype led some readers to believe that there have been other accidents. Remaining Columbia 300 prototypes one and three continue to fly.

A photograph of the Lancair IV-P was incorrectly identified as the Lancair Columbia 300 (" Sweet Smell of New: Step-up Singles," March Pilot). The Columbia 300 sells for $189,900 with basic avionics.

The name of Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets, Jr., was misspelled in " Pilot Briefing" (February Pilot).

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.