There is one problem with Mr. Randlett's article. He makes a blanket assertion that when approaching an airport for landing we are operating behind the power curve. This is a gross oversimplification because he does not explain the effect of drag devices utilized in landing configuration. Flaps and landing gear are such drag devices. When these are deployed the effect is to move the thrust and power curves up and to the left.
This is significant because L/DMAX airspeed is reduced, stall speed (VSO) is reduced, and more power is required to maintain these airspeeds. In short, in landing configuration our incursion into the area of reverse command is not as great as Mr. Randlett implies.
Barry M. Rothman
Collegeville, Pennsylvania
I appreciate this topic being covered, since a number of the issues in this flight regime are counter-intuitive and reminders are always needed. However, I must point out two related errors in Mr. Randlett's otherwise fine piece. He states "when you stall, you have no drag; you only have gravity." Stall can be achieved at any speed if the pilot works hard enough at it, and any airspeed in any direction equates to drag. A zero-speed stall is simply a special case of the stall phenomenon.
His Figure 3 appears to show that drag goes to zero at a special speed. If only that were so. The curves shown need to be moved bodily in the y-axis direction to be correct.
Alan K. Gideon
Alexandria, Virginia
Managing Expectations
I still read AOPA Flight Training after all these years, even though I no longer actively instruct. I'm amazed at how flight schools still advertise their services. Many of them even guarantee interviews with airlines.
Many airlines of all sizes slowed or stopped hiring even before September 11 in response to the sluggish economy. Then in the weeks after September 11 airline after airline announced pilot furloughs, including about 20 percent of my coworkers at my airline.
Some regional airlines, including the one I work for, are recalling furloughed pilots and even growing, but there are still a great many pilots on the street. Some of the largest regional airlines still have hundreds of pilots on furlough and have no immediate plans to recall due to flow-down agreements with their mainline parent companies.
The sad reality is that there is no shortage of qualified and highly experienced pilots to fill the very few job openings right now. As an example, most of the new-hire positions that will become available at my airline in the next six months will be filled by former coworkers returning after being furloughed from a major airline.
The industry will turn around and airlines will begin to hire. A person who dreams of becoming an airline pilot should aggressively pursue that dream. There is no reason not to pursue flight training right now. But prospective students should be wary of high-priced accelerated programs that cannot deliver on the deceptive promises made in their print ads.
Robert Choate
Massillon, Ohio
Letters Policy
AOPA Flight Training welcomes your comments. Letters to the editor on issues relating to general aviation flight training will be published as space permits. Letters should be typewritten and no longer than 300 words.
Address your letters to Editor, AOPA Flight Training, 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.
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