I have met plenty of tired old CFIs who have been around since Lindbergh and who obviously know everything about flying. My experience is that many a CFI with a big reputation is sorely overrated. I have given 1,000 hours of dual instruction myself, and when I am instructing I frequently try to live up to the example not of the old hands with whom I have flown but the beginner who was a real professional.
Chad Wille
Via the Internet
More Ways To Save
I was inspired to write to you after reading your excellent article "Cutting the Cost of Training" (AOPA Flight Training, May 2001).
I'd like to offer some additional tips. The instructor can help his students achieve cost savings by intermingling the requirements of three hours cross-country time, three hours instrument flight, three hours night flight, and three hours preparation for the checkride. With a little skill on the part of the instructor, students can save approximately an additional 10 percent.
George Mejeur, CFI
McAllen, Texas
Thanks For The Solution
I'm a student pilot with about 15 hours of flight time. I was like Margo McCombs, the writer of "That Sinking Feeling" ("Learning Experiences," AOPA Flight Training, May 2001), who was doing well in everything but the final seconds of flight. Like her I would panic and bounce along the runway or slam into it.
Then I read her article. I tried what she said, and God must have waved the green flag because I started to do perfect landings. I haven't soloed yet, but I'm close to it. A special thanks to McCombs and her husband who taught her what she shared with us.
Ricardo Santos
Toronto, Canada
A Paramedic's Perspective On Hypoxia
As a student pilot I found your May 2001 article about hypoxia training interesting ("Going Up: The Elevator to the 2,500th Floor"), but as a paramedic, I would like to correct one statement.
The author writes, "It's worth noting...that the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are the same as those of hypoxia." This is dangerously misleading. High altitude hypoxia leads to a reduction in oxygen saturation in the blood, resulting in pale to blue skin, which can first be detected by looking at the mucous membranes (lips, etc.).
The pilot who is suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning will not appear pale or blue, but will look quite well with red lips and a healthy skin tone. Sometimes the lips are even a little too red.
I agree with the author's subsequent statement that the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning disappear much slower than those of hypoxia.
Markus C. Decker
Via the Internet
Correction
In the "Instructor Report" section of the June 2001 issue of AOPA Flight Training, Ken Medley wrote an article titled "Chandelles in 60 Minutes." An important part of that article, the use of power in the maneuver, was inadvertently deleted. The following paragraph should have been included:
"Step Five: Now that the student has a good idea of the maneuver, it's time to add power. As you start the 180-degree turn and the nose begins to rise, slowly increase the throttle to climb power. Torque will increase, making it necessary to add right rudder. As in Step Four, maximum pitch is reached at the 90-degree point and remains the same for the last 90-degrees of the turn. The pitch should be sufficient to slow the speed to five knots above the flaps-up stall speed. With wings level, hold the nose steady for an instant, then lower the nose to level flight and simultaneously reduce the power to cruise. Adding power in this final step will increase altitude and torque and cause subtle changes in the control actions."
We regret this omission.
Editor
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