Thank you for very good advice on making my training experience better.
Jon Ralston
Cincinnati, Ohio
Stalls Can Happen At Any Speed
I feel that Budd Davisson erroneously described the elements of a spin entry in his article "A Checklist for Learning" (May 2000). He stated, "An airplane won't spin unless it's slow and yawed." The two prerequisites for a spin are stall and yaw. Since a stall can occur at any speed, a spin can be entered from any speed. The assumption that the airplane must be slow for a stall to occur is dangerous.
Bruce Chase, CFI
Via the Internet
Keeping Pilots On The Lookout
Your article on parachute drop zones ("Jumpers Away: Now what do you do?" April 2000) was interesting, informative, and much needed. Because of it I hope pilots will become more aware about skydiving activity and more informed about what to expect near the little parachute symbol on their charts.
As the jump pilot for SkyDive Oceanside, located within the drop zone depicted in the article, I can tell you that it's not unusual to see at least 10 overflights through our drop zone during posted activity times on jumping days, with no unicom inquiries as to the status of jumpers! Skydivers land on the field at Oceanside, and all activity is at our own risk after searching for any traffic. (Thankfully local air traffic controllers help us by calling VFR targets as well as sequencing us between IFR traffic.) If a VFR target changes course and proceeds into the drop zone, all that we can do is hold the jump. Hopefully they don't change course after the jumpers are in the air without unicom radio contact, or it could be a close call!
Your article could very well save lives one day. Thanks for informing pilots and covering this subject.
Dorothy Norkus
Oceanside, California
The Value Of Checklists
As a recent instructor but longtime flyer, I have adopted checklists with a vengeance. Aviation is not a group of random acts; it is a group of sequential acts. As such, using checklists is a no-brainer.
First, they allow students to do most of the work in the airplane without being constantly coached by the instructor. Second, they introduce and continually reinforce "patterning" in the student's piloting behavior. Third, no one - no one - remembers everything all the time.
Those pilots who don't use checklists, or who don't use them consistently, are constantly forgetting things and have very little logic in their in-airplane actions. Airline pilots use written checklists as a matter of course and the airlines have a much better safety record than general aviation does. Do you think there might be a connection? I certainly do.
Checklists should be mandated by the FAA to be mounted right on the pilot's yoke and should be nonremovable. I know that some people are going to say, "But then where do I put my yoke-mount GPS?" to which I reply, "Somewhere else!" The yoke is where I put the checklist in my Piper Colt. Because it is there, I, a pilot for 30 years, have finally trained myself to use it religiously. And that's the way I train my students. A checklist on the yoke is worth a dozen in a pocket or stuffed between the seats.
Don Hedeman
Dubuque, Iowa
Fulfilling The Dream
Thank you, AOPA and Flight Training, for your help and support to aviation enthusiasts. I recently began my training for my private pilot certificate and am glad to announce that just today I soloed for the second time. Flying has been a dream of mine for the majority of my life, and it is good to know that your organization, of which I am a proud new member, is there to protect aviation interests. Keep up the good work! You've definitely got my support.
Duane Petty
Tyler, Texas
Training That Guarantees Survival?
Since I live in and fly over a coastal area, I was immediately drawn to the article on "Ditching Dangers" featured in the June issue. It was very reassuring to read on page 27 that "according to the NTSB, the chances of surviving a ditching without training" were 69 percent. On the other hand, the author states that "with the proper training" according to U.S. Navy data, "the odds of survival double!" I can't imagine how that is possible, but that's definitely the kind of training I want! Tell me, where can I get it?
Joel Berman
Lynnfield, Massachusetts
We welcome your comments. Address your letters to Editor, AOPA Flight Training, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701. Send e-mail to [email protected]. Please include your full name and mailing address on all correspondence, including e-mail. Letters selected for publication will be edited for length and style.
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