Letters

Life after grounding

After reading " Is There Life After Grounding?" by Ira B. Harkey Jr. (May Pilot) the thought occurred to me — is it time for me to quit? My CFII was renewed just a few days ago. My last birthday, February 21, found me at the tender age of 90. My logs show me with more than 6,000 hours in the right seat. A few days before turning 85, I added commercial glider to my certificate. The good Lord has blessed me with perfect health.

It's fun being 90. Of course, there is the occasional joker with, "Oh, Holly, did Orville and Wilbur really argue a lot?" Are there many instructors my age still active?

Holly K. Robinson AOPA 087719
Eugene, Oregon

Robinson's biography, You Can't Fly by the Seat of Your Pants, was published last year. It is available for $22 including shipping from Robinson at 2835 Taylor Street, Eugene, Oregon 97405 — Ed.

I enjoyed Ira B. Harkey Jr.'s reminiscing. My purpose in writing, however, is to answer his title question. Absolutely, Mr. Harkey. Here's how:

• Flight is flight, PIC or no. Hundreds would welcome you into their cockpit (as peer, mentor, or simply one of the flight-afflicted).
• Redirect those feelings about your loss. Passion is intoxicating. Share yours for flight with kids (National Air and Space Museum, public schools, Civil Air Patrol, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, author children's aviation books, sponsor a worthy youngster, save an airport).
• Join or renew your memberships in aviation associations.
• Learn to do something that flying kept you from in the past.

Flight is truly a gift. I do not mean to be harsh, Mr. Harkey, but you've been blessed with a lifetime of flying's fortune. The "cup" is at least half-full. Lest you think that I couldn't possibly understand — believe me, I do. Twenty years were spent as a teacher and at age 50 I am in the midst of an airline career that could end with the next physical, but for continued good fortune. Flying invokes strong feelings in many of us.

You are to be commended for honestly assessing your flight fitness. Good judgment is the hallmark of the superior aviator. That does not relegate you to a solo seat on an ice floe. There is much left to do. Good luck to you as you search it out.

Brian Davern AOPA 808497
Vancouver, Washington

I just finished reading Ira B. Harkey Jr.'s article in the May issue of AOPA Pilot.

I found the article very interesting, as I am close behind Mr. Harkey in age. However, I am still flying, and I am not yet at the point of making serious flying errors. But in more than 60 years of flying, I note for sure that it's getting more and more to the point where flying is not much fun anymore.

He did mention watching an unusual method of landing P-51s. I don't know what Mr. Harkey saw with his eyes, but I can assure you, do not land a P-51 in that manner; at least I have never seen it done.

Back in those days every pilot I knew who flew taildraggers did full-stall landings. Those who couldn't fly too well did "wheel" landings and were called junior birdmen. Needless to say, there were not many who did wheel landings. It holds true today; those who fly taildraggers and do wheel landings are sissies — the real sharp pilots do full-stall landings.

Ben L. Brown AOPA 019088
Monclova, Ohio

Tiger by the tail

As a former partner in an American Aviation, later Grumman American, dealership, I enjoyed Marc Cook's Grumman Tiger report (" With Claws Still Sharp," May Pilot). Having flown all the various AA-series models produced in Ohio, I can appreciate their idiosyncrasies and limitations, as well as their many fine qualities. They were all fun to fly in their element.

When Grumman acquired American Aviation, I ferried an American Aviation AA-5 Traveler demonstrator from the Portland, Oregon, area to the Ohio factory during a heat wave — at near gross weight. I was very happy to see the flatlands and reasonable density altitudes.At the factory, I was quizzed by the management on the AA-series designs and my suggestions. My response was concise: More horsepower for the four-place Western market.

In the fall of 1974, I was at the Grumman factory to ferry a new GA AA-5 Traveler back to Washington State. The AA-5B/Tiger series was on line but not yet available. I would have liked to take one home, but it was early 1975 before we acquired one. It had all the attributes of the others, plus more horses.

Dick Jenkins AOPA 1055841
Vancouver, Washington

I enjoyed Marc Cook's article on the Grumman Tiger. I would like to add a few comments.

The Tiger has very good visibility. In cruise you can see over and around the cowling for good forward visibility. Also, it has good downward visibility for a low-wing airplane. Another fun thing about the Tiger is the ability to park it. You can turn it (spin it) like a taildragger, allowing you to park the airplane without having to push it back.

IFR pilots may find it sensitive in pitch, because the plane is clean and light on the controls; however, you get used to this. Also, if I add 10 degrees of flaps on approach, its handling reminds me of a Cessna 172, which is a stable IFR platform.

Gary L. Saxton AOPA 1352088
Manhattan Beach, California

Flight-school dilemma

I've always said that if a flight school would offer committed flight instruction — i.e., instruction commitments before charters — it could succeed (" Waypoints: The Flight-School Dilemma," May Pilot). I see that most of the frustration of many new students is not the money, but the fact that they're unable to continue at a pace that keeps their excitement level where it was when they started. Usually it's because of postponements caused by weather (not controllable), a charter or other conflict in scheduling, only one instructor is available, or an airplane is not available. In the past year I have referred three people to the Project Pilot program, and two of them have pretty much put things on hold because of these reasons.

At one time, I was preparing to get my instructor certificate and had gone through the oral test, but I decided not to continue for many of the reasons stated in Thomas Haines' article. But I really feel that I might go for it in the near future and, as an instructor, provide some key things that I think the industry needs. I would make a commitment to the students that I would take on only so many students at one time, so as to provide uninterrupted service to each student. I would also provide a commitment to that student that his instruction comes first over other flying activities — charters, checkouts, etc. I believe that even if I charge a premium for my services, given the commitment I would sell to my prospective clients, they would pay the extra charge.

We have to sell the fun that learning to fly offers and the benefits that having your certificate can add to your life.

Kipling Glass AOPA 800890
Bois D'arc, Missouri

I just read "Waypoints: The Flight-School Dilemma" and had to write. The article was terrific. I'm 48 and just took my checkride in late April — a year to the day after I met my CFI and logged hour one in a Cessna 150. What my CFI experienced from me was above and beyond the call of duty. I put a 30-year, full-time CFI through every conceivable configuration — physical, emotional, and mental. I tried to kill him daily for the first two to three weeks. And that was just the beginning of what was to come. He became the shrink I never knewI needed until I started flying. We dropped each other at least once, but found an affinity and deep challenge to see this project through together.

The other day, when I returned from my checkride, he was almost afraid to look up. When I gave him the thumbs-up, we both flushed with an emotion that I'll never share with another man. He is truly grossly underpaid in dollars for the talent and knowledge that he possesses. He transformed a middle-aged, too-comfortable, neurotic, apprehensive man into a good pilot and allowed me to fulfill a lifelong dream — and dollars could never repay him.

Ross Petitto AOPA 1390128
Wadsworth, Ohio

Visiting Puerto Rico

The excellent article by Chris Hawley, " Postcards: Isle of Enchantment" (April Pilot), makes Puerto Rico a future destination for me. I did find one twice-reported fact to be in error, however. Fajardo is mentioned as the only rain forest in the U.S. national forest system. I, along with other Washington State pilots, take exception and invite Mr. Hawley to the spectacular Hoh Rain Forest on the western slopes of the equally spectacular Olympic Mountains in northwest Washington. The Hoh is a highlight of the Olympic National Forest, and, like Fajardo, must be hiked to be appreciated.

The closest airport with services is Port Angeles, Washington, at the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula.

John Horngren AOPA 920398
Seattle, Washington

The lowdown on slowing down

Thomas A. Horne mentioned slowing down to VA (maneuvering speed) as published in the pilot operating handbook (" In-Flight Emergencies: Flying in Storm Central," May Pilot). The quickest way to bend, or, even worse, to fail an airframe is to fly at published VA for maximum gross weight when you are not at maximum weight.

Maneuvering speed in the normal category is about 1.95 times the current stall speed, not stall speed at max weight. Stall speed is a function of your wing loading (pounds per square foot), and as your wing loading decreases, your stall speed decreases. If you were flying in turbulent air at 1.949358868 (basically 195 percent) of your stall speed, the aircraft would stall at a loading of 3.8 Gs and not more. Anything more than 195 percent of stall speed means that you will bend the airframe before stalling. Even worse, if you are flying at 239 percent of stall speed, you will have structural failure before stalling.

VA (maneuvering speed) is a safety speed at which the aircraft will deliberately stall — unloading the G forces — before damage occurs. Before starting a flight, a pilot should know the weight of the aircraft and what speed adjustment from the VA for max gross weight that he or she should use. Speed adjustment is the square root of percentage of gross weight. As an example, if you are at 70 percent of max weight, your speed adjustment for just about all V speeds is 83.66 percent. I agree that very few instructors have taught this concept to their clients and probably even fewer could explain the relationship between VS1 and VA.

Paul K. Sanchez AOPA 1153031
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Erratum

The name of Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico, was misspelled in " The Other Side of Airshow Life" (April Pilot).

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