Letters

Four-Oh-Four

I am writing this letter in response to your most informative article on the Martin 404 in the August issue of AOPA Pilot.

Howard Hughes was so enamored with the Martin 404 that he bought 37 of them for TWA. He decided to sell the thirty-seventh to our company, based on our returning his original B-23. Fortunately, I was part of the crew during this time and was able to complete more than 40 round trips from Pittsburgh to the West Coast. The typical seating for airline use allowed for 40 passengers. Our particular aircraft was set up for a total of 12 passengers and a crew of two. While not as fast as today's modern jets, its spacious and elegant interior more than made up for its lackof speed.

When our son was born, it came time to select his full name. Accordingly, it was obvious that he should have Martin for his middle name. On his first day of school, he was called upon to stand and state his full name. He stood and enthusiastically replied, "Jeffrey 'Martin 404' Phillips."

Jim Phillips AOPA 004028
Bethel Park, Pennsylvania

Reading Barry Schiff's article "Four-Oh-Four" (August Pilot) brought back many memories of working on airliners with round engines and propellers. I would just like to comment that before starting one of these beautiful-sounding engines, it would be prudent to turn several blades by hand to check for oil in the lower cylinders. Using the starter first could cause bent rods and damage to the accessory drive and starter. Hand turning would be advised before the first flight of the day and after long periods of downtime.

Howard L. Sparber AOPA 819437
Lake Wylie, South Carolina

Building flight time

I am writing in response to Julie Walker's statements regarding flight instructor certification (" Answers for Pilots: Building Flight Time," August Pilot). Factually, flight instructor candidates do not require second class medicals. More important is the assertion that a flight instructor certificate "requires about 10 to 20 hours of additional training beyond the commercial pilot requirements."

It is almost inconceivable to me that today's applicants could master both the information and the necessary teaching and evaluative skills in such a short time. Such an approach would drag us back to the early 1980s and before, a period perhaps best known as "the bad old days."

Today, the flight test alone for an initial CFI certificate in my district requires five hours' ground and two and a half hours' flight — almost as much time as the minimum training period suggested by Walker. In order to prepare applicants for this test and for the realities of teaching solid flight skills, we often invest more than 100 hours in the training of our CFI students, training that is then followed by a formal internship after the certificate is earned.

One of the best things the FAA has done to improve safety and quality in the past two decades has been to significantly tighten CFI checkride standards. It is misleading and diminishes that accomplishment to suggest that the required skills could be so easily mastered.

Michael Church AOPA 866490
Santa Ana, California

Church manages Sunrise Aviation, which offers flight and aerobatic training at John Wayne Airport-Orange County in Santa Ana, California — Ed.

I saw the title of this article and started to read it with enthusiasm, hoping to find some new ways to build time. I was very disappointed — another ad to become a CFI or other aviation professional. I love flying, but it's not going to be my life. A serious article on the title subject would be great.

I'm sure that many AOPA members are searching for ideas. I have found two good ones so far. AirLifeLine and Angel Flight allow tax-deductible flying. This reduces my cost by about 40 percent (from $68 per hour wet to about $42). The second is the Civil Air Patrol, which keeps me IFR current for only about $27 per hour in a 180-horsepower Cessna 172, incredibly well-maintained and -equipped. I even get to fly a new Cessna 172 for that rate, and a Cessna 182RG is only $45. Try to beat that! And as a mission pilot, I fly regularly for free.

So how about more ideas like these next time? I'm always looking.

Bill Schillhammer AOPA 1147812
Acton, Massachusetts

Ditching data debated

I feel compelled to write to you about Tom Horne's article " In-Flight Emergencies: Ditching" (July Pilot). I think someone fed him a lot of wrong information.

I've flown in Hawaii for nearly 25 years in a variety of single-engine airplanes. I currently own two Piper Lances, one based here and the other on the mainland. I ferried my Hawaii Lance here two years ago. I also serve as safety chairman for two air races that take place annually in the Bahamas. All of these things considered, I give more than passing thought to ditchings.

Everyone who I personally know who has ditched has survived — most without a scratch, including a couple in their seventies who lost the dual magneto in their own Lance in the Bahamas. However, I cannot say the same for those friends who attempted off-airport emergency landings on land — most died, or were seriously injured, and all were experienced pilots.

The most common ditching in Hawaiian waters takes place at least a couple of times a year and appears in our newspapers. It's usually a low-time or visiting pilot who does not allow for our strong trade winds and miscalculates his/her fuel. They frequently ditch about 10 miles short of the Honolulu airport. Invariably, these low-time pilots, none with sea training, survive without a scratch.

I am far more nervous flying over most mainland terrain than I am flying over open ocean. In fact, when flying over land, I keep my eyes open for any body of water — lake, pond, river. Second only to a level farmer's field, water remains a top choice for an off-airport landing. Few roadways are really safe. The biggest blessing of water ditchings: There's never a post-crash fire.

Night water ditchings, as with off-airport landings on land, are more dangerous — but not as ominous as Horne states. Again, even at night, I prefer a water ditching to unknown terrain. Setting up for a "seaplane descent" at 200 fpm, headed into the wind at the lowest safe airspeed, will make survival quite likely. With GPS, every pilot should know wind direction and velocity simply by glancing at the IAS and GPS groundspeed readings and turning accordingly until the differential is maximized.

The closing two paragraphs are disturbingly incorrect. How grim to state, "Unfortunately, most ditchings are unsuccessful." Contrary to what he states, most ditchings are successful. The Cessna P210 cited in the article, if it is the one I am thinking of, was an unusual circumstance: it was a ferry flight across the Pacific, heavily laden with ferry tanks and fuel in the fuselage. Generally, there is limited cockpit space because of the tanks, and it is possible that the ferry tanks broke loose and trapped the pilot's egress. This was not a good example.

Greg Marshall AOPA 635435
Honolulu, Hawaii

A recent search of NTSB records from the period between 1983 and 1999 indicates a total of 143 ditchings, 20 of which resulted in fatalities. Most of these fatalities occurred after ditchings in cold ocean waters. So it's apparent that our statement that "most ditchings are unsuccessful" ("In-Flight Emergencies: Ditching," July Pilot ) was in error. This and other issues raised by readers concerned about ditching information have been addressed in changes to the ditching article on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/pilot/features/inflight9907.html) — Ed.

Praising Project Pilot

I would like to add my voice to those quoted in Michael Collins' recent article on the Project Pilot program (" AOPA Project Pilot: Better than Ever," August Pilot). I am currently mentoring two students. One student has been especially rewarding to work with — my dad.

My father has always had a keen interest in aviation. He passed his love of flying on to me at an early age. Unfortunately, with four kids to raise, Dad didn't have the time or resources to pursue his dream when I was growing up.

I completed my certificate in 1991. Dad shared in my newfound freedom, always eager to take a turn at the controls. In recent years the kids were out on their own and the opportunity to fly was available, but I suspect that the prospect of beginning flying lessons at age 64 seemed daunting.

Last summer we visited my parents and rented an airplane to take in the sights of the mountains near their home. True to form, Dad was ready to schedule another flight as soon as we shut down the engine. I suggested that he schedule an hour with an instructor instead. To my surprise, he agreed. To date, Dad has passed his recreational pilot knowledge test and is currently brushing up on his checkride skills.

We communicate by phone or e-mail after almost every flight. I can see the grin on his face even though I live 500 miles away. It has been fun to share in his experiences and recall my own. I am very proud of my father for stepping out to pursue his dream. He is truly proof positive that you're never too old to have fun.

Richard L. Fiser AOPA 1098871
Kirkwood, Missouri

Thanks for the memories

I just finished reading Thomas B. Haines' " Waypoints: The Best of Times" (August Pilot). I enjoy reading all of the articles in AOPA Pilot, but this one kind of caught me off guard. It brought back memories very close to what you wrote of.

Our experiences differ only in that I soloed in a Piper product and most likely at a different field. I'm sure the chances of two people having almost identical experiences at the same time, although in different places, is probably very likely; it just seemed odd to be reading about it — almost as if one were looking back through a window on his life. I haven't received an invitation to my twentieth reunion yet, and was kind of curious as to how everybody turned out. Oh, well, thanks for the memories.

Scott Pollard AOPA 622367
Kingsport, Tennessee

Haines replies: Everyone else looked old, bald, and fat — Ed.

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.