Letters

Short on looks?

The Fairchild 24 that graces the cover of the August issue of AOPA Pilot is stunning. And while Rick Durden wrote a very nice article about it (" Grande Dame of Aviation"), he did tag it as "a tough old bird that's short on looks but long on personality."

Personality? Absolutely! But short on looks? The Fairchild 24 is about as elegant, with either the Warner or the Ranger engine, as any plane of its era and certainly more so than any of the new plastic wonders. What does Durden want anyway? It may not be on a par with the Beech Staggerwing, but then neither is anything else. But it's not far behind.

And Tom Burmeister's restoration appears to be flawless. The color scheme he chose could not be better. It perfectly enhances the airplane's lines. I would have preferred to see gray-beige mohair upholstery, but that is the only nitpicking I can come up with.

Phil Stewart AOPA 1072737
Cupertino, California

Customs encounters

I read Thomas B. Haines' " Waypoints: The Customs Experience" in the August Pilot. I have also had encounters with the Customs Service at various airports, including Brown Field in San Diego; Key West, Florida, after flying over Cuba from the Cayman Islands; and at El Paso, Texas, returning from Los Cabos, Mexico. My most incredible encounter, at New Orleans in March 1999, led me to write my local congressman. I eventually received an apology from the Customs Service, but it took forever and I was a bit calmer by the time I got it.

Nonetheless, I remain convinced that the entire system needs to be overhauled. The total lack of communication evidenced between the FAA and the Customs Service is unconscionable. These people work for "us." They perform much like it's the other way around. Being treated like a returning criminal is not my idea of what they're supposed to do when performing their job duties. Thanks for not writing one of those conciliatory "golly, but this doesn't seem right" type of columns. The process is not functional and needs to be addressed.

Derek Park AOPA 982066
Wichita, Kansas

I enjoyed the article on our beloved Customs Service. I had a very nice holiday in Canada recently (isn't their system marvelous?). I returned to Moses Lake, Washington, to also face a gun and a threat to confiscate my airplane. I had "advise Customs" on the flight plan, and I had spoken to the FBO who called the agent, and he was waiting at the Customs box for me — to tell me I was an "uninformed arrival"! I don't get it. If he knew I was coming, how can he take my airplane for not knowing [of] my arrival? Never again.

Patrick Donovan AOPA 2574431
Boulder City, Nevada

As a part-time skipper I clear into the United States some 15 to 20 times each year aboard various vessels. All my arrivals are from the Bahamas and into the Miami area, and in more than eight years I have yet to actually see a U.S. Customs official come aboard!

When we get ready to head home I crank 'em up, drop the lines, and head back. Change of destination halfway? No problem, just go. Arriving at our home or other dock, I just pick up the phone and call a toll-free number; I usually get a live Customs agent within a couple of minutes. Providing the document number of the vessel; my name and date of birth; and answering a few questions regarding where we are docked, came from, folks aboard, and any purchases made results in a clearance number — and it is all over and done with. No paperwork, no advance notice, no arrival at specific time/place, etc. I have arrived at all hours of the day and night and have yet to be challenged, let alone inspected. (We also pay the annual $25 for the Customs decal.)

You can imagine how many people, or bales and packages, I could stuff aboard the vessel. I never have and never will. The ability to come and go as we do is far too valuable to mess up. This I continue to press upon the owners, guests, and crew on a regular basis.

I thought you would like to know how we do it on the water. I fly back from the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale a couple of times a year and continue to be amazed at the way the officials (mainly Customs) continue to treat the entire entry/arrival process — park here, don't stray from the line, fill out the forms, etc. I am usually treated far better by the officials in the Bahamas, which is not a country known for great customer service.

Name withheld by request
Key Biscayne, Florida

I have been a member of AOPA for 22 years and a U.S. Customs pilot for 12. Throughout my membership it seems AOPA takes great pleasure in pontificating the abuse received from the Customs Service. This is usually a one-sided story with "victims" seemingly unable to assume any responsibility for their own actions. There is usually no byline given to either what Customs really does nor the responsibility it had to protect the citizens of this country.

I have just finished reading "Waypoints: The Customs Experience." Haines talks about his experiences flying to and from Mexico. Having worked in the San Diego area to include Brown Field, I truly believe that most of what I read is made up and the facts exaggerated. No doubt he probably had a bad experience with an inspector — there are bad apples everywhere — but to go on the offensive by attacking the Customs Service as a whole is very unprofessional.

Haines finishes his diatribe by saying he has traveled all over the world. I doubt his credibility as a world traveler if he thinks the service here is no better than in many Third World countries. Oh, and by the way, the 15-minute window Haines lambastes is not a Customs requirement but a national security issue. You do know what an ADIZ is, don't you? How about a DVFR flight plan? Come on, AOPA, you can do better than that.

Name withheld by request
San Diego, California

The above letter, written by a U.S. Customs Service employee, was the only pro-Customs letter among dozens received by AOPA as a result of Haines' column — Ed.

Watch that grade

I read with much appreciation " Postcards: Wisconsin's Wyoming Valley" (August Pilot) by Mark Huber. I grew up in the Spring Green area (Richland Center), and my wife and I frequently flew to Lone Rock or Sextonville while visiting my parents.

Many years ago we decided to meet several friends at Dodgeville's Don Q motel for a weekend visit. I tried calling the airport, located next to the motel, but got no answer. So I called the folks at Tri-County Regional Airport in Lone Rock to inquire about the Dodgeville airport. When asked what time of day I would be arriving, I said after dark. I was informed the airport had a very severe (and that's an understatement) slope — so severe that you always landed uphill and took off downhill, ignoring the wind!

I was advised to land at Lone Rock and drive to Dodgeville. The next morning we looked at the runway in Dodgeville — don't ever try landing there for the first time in the dark! We took the car back to Lone Rock and returned with our Cessna 172.

There was a documentary film made about the bringing of the Stratofreighter there. They only had one chance to land, and there would be no opportunity for a go-around. The pilot made one initial pass to assess the situation and then circled to set up the landing. His approach was low, over treetops. He settled in and flared out (in an uphill attitude), cutting his power so he wouldn't run out of runway once on the ground. It wasn't quite as simple as stated in Huber's article.

The quick thinking of the attendant in Lone Rock, offering us advice and the use of a loaner car, may have prevented an accident.

Marty Juel AOPA 778203
Goshen, Indiana

Pete Campbell

What a great write-up on Pete Campbell ("License to Learn," August Pilot). I worked closely with Campbell when I had the General Aviation and Commercial Division in FAA headquarters before retiring from the FAA. He sure had a way of getting his point across. We lost one of a kind when we lost Campbell.

Campbell and I, along with Evelyn Bryan Johnson (see "Pilots: Evelyn Johnson," November 1999 Pilot), were installed together at the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame in Oshkosh. I never tried to match wits with Campbell; I always figured I would lose.

Bernard A. Geier AOPA 613311
Burke, Virginia

My kind of pilot

I really enjoyed reading about Peter Bacqué (" Pilots," August Pilot). Bacqué sounds like my kind of pilot. I can relate to him. He started writing and then became a pilot. I began flying and then began writing. I started my flying in 1951 with the Air Force. I began my writing just a few years ago.

I have to disagree with Bacqué on one point. He places too much emphasis on details. "As an instructor, Bacqué demands attention to detail and allows no shortcuts." In 1964 three of us were students learning to fly the RF-101 Voodoo. There was George Howard, me, and a training command pilot. Our instructor would ask the three of us, "Give me engine failure during takeoff."

Our training command pilot would blurt out "Throttles — idle. Speed brakes — Open. Chute — deploy. Brakes — as required. Tanks — jettison if necessary. Hook — down if necessary." Howard and I would look at each other, shrug our shoulders, and admire the memorization.

Our instructor would look at both Howard and me and say, "Why don't you know your emergency procedures like that?" Again shrugs. Not too far into our training, the training command pilot ended up in a thunderstorm, lost control, and plowed himself and the 101 about 40 feet into the ground. I believe he forgot one primary item, which Bacqué mentions: "Fly the airplane first."

I second that — keep flying the airplane, even if it means flying it into the ground. That's a heap better than losing control and going in upside down. After losing our friend, our instructor never chastised Howard and me for not knowing our emergency procedure in a rapid pace and perfect detail.

Tony Weissgarber AOPA 1293295
San Antonio, Texas

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.