Nice job, Capt. Kahn!
James R. Atkinson
Via the Internet
With You
I sure did like Karen Kahn�s treatment in the March 2001 issue on good communications with ATC (�Communicating with ATC,� March 2001). She missed commenting on one of my favorites though�the �with you� in the initial callup to a new controller. Why not just say �level eight thousand� and let the �with you� be implicit?
Fred Anderson
Via the Internet
Give The Kid A Break
In the February 2001 column �Since You Asked,� a young man named Stan asked about funding and aid to start his flight training. Although his statement �If I can�t find a means of obtaining flight training soon, I�ll just throw in the towel,� seems a bit extreme, I find Rod Machado�s response appalling and irresponsible.
I personally am a fifth-year college flight student who is currently averaging 16 credit hours a semester and working more than 40 hours a week to help pay for school. I know that it is hard to start and continue flying, but if it was easy then everyone would be doing it.
Machado stereotypes Stan as a jobless teenager who spends his money on �movies, sodas, CDs, and concert tickets.� How does he know that Stan has not already sacrificed these things in hopes of flying? Maybe Stan does have a job and his parents are in the majority of all American parents who cannot pay for their children�s education.
As pilots it is our duty and responsibility to promote the growth and knowledge of aviation. For those wishing to make aviation a career we must take them under our wings and help. Machado has done a good job of that and even offers the greatest advice that school comes first. But in this one instance I feel that he has failed. Aviation requires time, hard work, and sacrifice, but that is what makes us the close family that we are.
Christopher Loring
Horton, Michigan
You�ve Got To Earn It
It is obvious that we have very different values on the issue regarding Stan. As it appeared from his letter, Stan is a 17-year old who is ready to throw in the towel. You say that his statement �seems a bit extreme.� It�s not. It is extreme.
The thought of a 17-year old (I�m guessing he�s a high school student) who wants to give up at this age is ridiculous. It�s also disturbing. It leads me to believe that Stan is used to getting whatever he wants, when he wants it, without working for it. Why might I assume this? Stan says he wants to �find a means of obtaining flight training soon....� He doesn�t say anything about working to obtain flight training. He�s looking for �special programs� to help him, programs that consist of �scholarships and funding.� Stan�s letter smacks of entitlement.
Christopher, you state, �For those wishing to make aviation a career we must take them under our wings and help.� This is where our values part. You give me the impression that the most important thing to do is to get Stan into aviation, regardless of how he gets there. I can assure you this is very unwise. It�s common knowledge that (as a general rule) people have a greater appreciation for that which they earn rather than that which is given to them. And it�s not a stretch to equate greater appreciation with greater dedication and interest. As I see it, it isn�t good enough to wish for a career in aviation. The person must be willing to earn a career in aviation. (If a student�s parents pay for his flight training, he can still earn it by dedicating himself to his education. There are many ways to earn something.) Then, and only then, should we be willing take this person under our wing. You seem to be earning your education and training and I applaud your efforts.
I do appreciate your letter. You helped me understand how someone with a different viewpoint thinks about this issue. You and I, however, can just agree to disagree on our response to Stan.
Rod Machado
Count All Your Cross-Country
In David Montoya�s January 2001 article �Make Your Planning Count: Preparing for Cross-Country Flying,� the author emphasized not logging cross-country time for flights of less than 50 nautical miles. I would like to offer an alternative. Simply make an entry with each flight leg as to its length in miles. Since all flights from point A to point B qualify as cross-country (per FAR Part 61 definitions), why short yourself on total cross-country time just because a flight doesn�t meet the definition for a specific rating? There are many other situations besides certificate advancement (insurance requirements, job qualifications) for which you would want all of your time documented.
Bob Hansen
Via the Internet
We welcome your comments. Address letters to Editor, AOPA Flight Training, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701. Send e-mail to flighttraining@ aopa.org. Letters will be edited for length and style.
