Letters

Airshow popularity

I enjoyed reading " People's Choice" (January Pilot) and hope that this type of flying will catch on again.

The last good, fun airshow I saw was at Tullahoma, Tennessee, in 1946. I had just gotten out of the Air Force and was going to aviation school in Memphis. I went with some friends for the weekend to Tullahoma. The show featured Bevo Howard and his stunt flying; I think it was in a clipped-wing Cub. I was talking to him before his flight in a different airplane, as he changed his shoes. He said that he got used to the feel of a certain shoe in a certain plane.

Also featured were some aerobatics in a Stearman, and the skit where a plane was left on the runway with the engine idling, and an old lady in a long skirt ran out and jumped in, being called back by the announcer - but she took off and did some amazing stunts.

The present-day airshows are nothing but loud-sounding booms created by a low-flying jet, so I would like to go to a good "old" airshow again. Here's wishing that Steve Appleton of Diamond Sports Entertainment will succeed in getting one of his shows into our area.

John L. Bachman
Newark, Maryland

Transponder travails

" Safety Pilot: Head to Head" (January Pilot) mentioned the requirement to have an operating transponder while flying within the Mode C veil near Class B airspace. Many pilots, however, are unaware of another requirement stated in FAR 91.215 (c). If an aircraft is equipped with an operable transponder, it must be turned on in all controlled airspace. This includes the Class E airspace that begins at 1,200 ft agl (or lower) over almost all of the eastern United States. So in the case discussed in the article, the Cessna flying at 2,400 ft agl should have had its transponder on even outside of the Mode C veil. The pilot's habit of leaving the transponder off during normal flight would be legal only at very low altitudes, below the floor of Class E airspace.

Barry H. Sullivan AOPA 1008744
Absecon, New Jersey

Recognizing mechanics

I have just finished " Waypoints: Who Will Make it Fly?" (January Pilot). It was a fantastic article. It's nice to read an article that compliments aircraft mechanics in a magazine that caters to pilots. Please continue to write articles about the aviation maintenance field. It helps especially with the newer private pilots who claim to know everything about an airplane by the time they reach 100 hours - and look at mechanics as overcharging, backyard hangar buffoons when you try to explain how an aircraft system works to them.

I come from a family with deep roots in the automotive industry; in fact, I am the only one who left that life and went into aviation. But I must admit that a lot of times I consider leaving aviation and returning to automotive. Thomas B. Haines wrote that only 20 percent of automotive mechanics make more than $40,000 per year. All the mechanics I know do much better - $50,000 to $70,000. I have been an A&P and IA for nearly 13 years now. I am just finally making a decent wage, but only with lots of overtime.

I'll be fair in saying that I don't know of any colleagues that do this for the money. I love airplanes. It's in my blood. It's in the blood of nearly every mechanic - I would say even more so than of most pilots. Pilots get most of the recognition and almost all of the pay. What do the mechanics get? The mechanic gets an incredible amount of responsibility. An IA who performs an annual in one year can be sued some 10 years later, even if another IA performs the annuals in the intervening years.

In automotive, a bad day is when a car you worked on fails, and the car pulls to the side of the road. It goes back into maintenance and the mechanic gets paid again to correct his mistakes, charging the owner obscene hourly rates to work on a car. A bad day for an aircraft mechanic is when somebody dies or an aircraft is destroyed. Along with that a career is destroyed, because mechanics can be fined or possibly imprisoned. That is a heavy, heavy responsibility. But out of love for aviation, we continue to accept this responsibility.

General aviation has to remember that for most pilots, it's a hobby. For mechanics, it's a living. Pilots have no problems dropping off their cars at a dealership and saying, "I don't care, just fix it." When they bring their aircraft in for service, it's the complete opposite.

Paul Perakes AOPA 1407300
Grand Rapids, Michigan

I wanted to compliment Thomas B. Haines on "Waypoints: Who Will Make it Fly?" There doesn't seem to be enough marketing to entice men and women into aviation maintenance. Did Haines invite his barber and his son to a tour of the airport or to introduce him to the dean at your community college? I hope he did. I feel very strongly that as AOPA members we are the ambassadors for general aviation. There is an unwritten covenant whereby we must promote and defend our industry at all times. We may not be the right mentor for someone, but we certainly can lead them to someone who can be.

Paul Thomas AOPA 836168
Valparaiso, Indiana

Haines mentioned that 20 percent of auto mechanics earn more than $40,000 per year and that 70 percent of aviation technicians make more than that. I would like to know where those positions are, and how can I get one?

I hold an A&P along with an IA and recently had to go back into the automotive industry because I could not afford to work in aviation full time any longer. If you look into the Web sites for A&P jobs or read Aviation Maintenance Technology magazine, which recently published a salary survey, those figures are not to be found. I personally miss, tremendously, working at the airport everyday, although I do work at a small airport on the weekends to "keep them flying," along with my own plane. If I could have found a position in my local area that pays what I make at the car dealership, I'd go back in a heartbeat. I would, and do, recommend working as an aircraft mechanic to anyone who asks me, but I do explain my reservations.

Charles Frank AOPA 1067334
Charlotte, North Carolina

DA40's progress

In " Katana Plus Two" (January Pilot), the author discusses the DA40's claimed and actual true airspeeds. He states, "At 6,000 feet, full throttle, and 2,400 rpm, we saw 139 kt, which falls shy of the brochure's claimed 147-kt cruise speed. These numbers place the DA40 in its own class...."

Not so! The pilot's operating handbook for my Grumman Tiger AA5B quotes a maximum speed at sea level of 148 kt, and a cruise speed at 75-percent power and 8,500 feet of 139 kt. My fairly well-equipped Tiger has a payload of about 650 pounds with full fuel.

The full Grumman line is noted for its aerodynamic smoothness, and the numbers prove it. We Tiger owners are proud of the fact that our fixed-gear, fixed-prop aircraft can run circles around most other aircraft in its class, and can compare very favorably with some retractable-gear models. No, they're not the perfect aircraft for every mission, but they sure do excel at giving their owners "bang for the buck" and are lots of fun to fly.

Larry Tatsch AOPA 1377282
Ringoes, New Jersey

The article contained an incorrect summary of the DA40's flight-testing experience. The correct figures at the time of this author's visit were 1,000 hours and 13,000 landings - Ed.

Clarifying flight physicals

Allow me to address a letter to the editor (" Letters," January Pilot). The reader, Ken Graham, reported his informal phone survey of aviation medical examiners in Nebraska, addressing their availability, competence, and fees for Class 3 aviation medical examinations.

Your response to Mr. Graham is correct; the FAA does not set or control the fees physicians charge. However, few of us charge "what the market will bear." Unless an AME does a large number of examinations quickly and economically - this requires a group of dedicated assistants - the fees poorly remunerate a physician for the time and investment necessary to become and remain designated by the FAA. Many of us do examinations as a community service, and because of our love of aviation. Not surprisingly, more than half of AMEs are pilots themselves.

Things are not getting easier for AMEs and pilot applicants. Considering the few accidents with medical causes, this is unjustified. As of October 1, 1999, AMEs were required by the FAA to acquire Internet access, and to obtain software for 128-byte encryption. The FAA now requires all examinations to be electronically transmitted before issuance of the paper certificate. However, there are substantial problems with the new system, and redundant paperwork is still required. It now takes an AME and staff longer to complete an examination, and it is more costly.

The FAA will be displeased that Mr. Graham's examination simply proved he was alive; had no "obvious tendency to pass sugar"; and could see red, yellow, and green. Such an examination is not worth whatever he paid and implies serious AME incompetence. This is a cheap shot at AMEs, most of whom take their designation seriously.

Ian Blair Fries, M.D. AOPA 551497
Mantoloking, New Jersey

AOPA has always recommended that pilots receive a comprehensive annual physical examination and not rely on a flight physical to fulfill that purpose. Dr. Fries is the chairman of AOPA's medical advisory committee - Ed.

No fueling

After reading " Pilot Counsel: VFR Fuel Requirements" (January Pilot), I am amazed at how much time is spent trying to teach pilots how to squeeze every drop of fuel from their tanks - yet we can't figure out why there are so many "fuel starvation" accidents.

Why do so many pilots bet their lives, and the lives of others, when figuring fuel consumption? What's wrong with "figuring high," or is that not macho? When I fly my Cessna 172, as long as that engine is running, I consider that I'm burning 10 gallons per hour. I don't waste time figuring, "Well, let's see here, half a gallon for taxi, one gallon for takeoff...." Just because the book says that's what the engine's going to burn doesn't mean that you will get that performance.

If you figure high when estimating fuel consumption, you will arrive safely, without the stress of wondering whether or not you will arrive at your destination. Perhaps most pilots won't agree with the comfort zone that I have established, but I refuse to become a statistic on an NTSB report about fuel starvation.

Thomas White AOPA 1393727
Lincoln, Nebraska

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 number on all correspondence, including e-mail. Letters will be edited for style and length.