Letters

Short strips

I just finished Alton Marsh's article about JAARS operations and how their pilots fly (" Short Runways: How the Pros Do It," August Pilot). I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's truly amazing how those pilots do what they do.

It's unreal for me to even imagine landing on a 600-foot strip with a 25-degree upslope. It would be nice if all pilots could master those critical techniques.

Joel Boucree AOPA 3704071
Auburn, California

The coverage on the JAARS organization is a classic story — especially the technique taught for using short landing strips. We have a short mountain airstrip near my home. It's found on the San Francisco Sectional chart and is called Manzanita. Should the JAARS organization ever need a practice mountain airstrip in the West, I offer this place to them.

Joseph Carbaugh AOPA 462426
Mariposa, California

Frustration

I wholeheartedly agree and empathize with Phil Boyer regarding "frustration" when it comes to fully understanding current notams and TFRs (temporary flight restrictions) before flying and following them in flight (" President's Position: Frustration," August Pilot).

While most pilots do use common sense and fly well within FAA regulations, it only takes a few careless pilots to provide ammunition to those who would like to place more and more restrictions on general aviation.

When I fly, I take things a step further. Southeast of my home airport are two nuclear power plants, a naval submarine station, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. While there are no current TFRs dealing with these facilities, I give them a wide berth in order not to cause any concern and prevent any phone calls to the authorities by misinformed citizens.

Sure, this adds a few minutes of time to my flight, but what better way to spend the time than helping to retain the privileges of general aviation for my fellow pilots.

Keith T. Hall AOPA 2978901
New Britain, Connecticut

Hand-propping

I fly a Piper J-3 Cub without a passenger and often with a refueling stop. As Barry Schiff writes in " Proficient Pilot: Hand Jive" (August Pilot), I can't depend on finding someone qualified to help me with propping the plane when I'm away from home. So I've developed a few habits that might add to the useful information he presents.

Most important, I prop from behind unless I know the person who is sitting at the controls. I stand in front of the Cub's right tire with my left hand gripping the frame of the windshield. I give the prop a couple of half-bounces with my right hand, then throw it down hard. If the plane should move, the propeller can't catch me and I have a chance of reaching the magneto switch to turn off the engine. I do this even if there's a helper seated at the controls, unless I know that person very well.

I carry chocks with me on a light nylon cord. I tie the cord loosely to the Cub's rear right wing strut with the chocks offset to the inside of the tires. Once in my seat, I give the chocks a gentle tug, reel them in, and stow them in the knapsack that occupies the front seat.

If the airport is staffed and nobody seems qualified to swing the propeller or sit at the controls, I ask for someone to hold the tail. Otherwise, I tie it down. I carry a line for this purpose, but I don't like to use it because the walk from the tail to the cockpit is a very great one when that engine is running.

Daniel Ford AOPA 1417957
Durham, New Hampshire

Barry Schiff covered the subject of hand-propping well. There have been so many warnings never to hand-prop, even though there are times when it is safe, providing that it is preceded by proper instruction. I once failed to properly communicate to a student the difference between "ignition off" and "switch off" and got a real surprise when the engine caught on what I thought was a compression stroke. I have only hand-propped my Cessna 177 and Cessna 152. I always stand behind the prop with my left hand in the oil filler hole and my right hand on the blade. Also, many pilots think that the blade must be moving rapidly, whereas on airplanes with couplers, it only has to be moved past the coupler.

D. Kane AOPA 433154
Alameda, California

I enjoyed Barry Schiff's timely column in the August issue of AOPA Pilot . The blisters are just now subsiding after I had to (safely) hand-prop my Cessna Skyhawk on both Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket last weekend. (The starter was fried.) It's interesting how the trailing edge of the prop is about as rough-surfaced as the leading edge. Ouch!

George Riethof AOPA 1105416
Charlestown, Massachusetts

Running rich

I found Steve Ells' article " Airframe & Powerplant: Fleet Fliers Run Rich — With Good Results" (August Pilot) very interesting. However, I would suggest that it isn't just temperature and rate of temperature changes that should be considered when deciding whether to run lean of peak. The chemistry of the exhaust gases has a very important function in the life of the cylinders and valves.

When you operate the engine with excessively rich mixtures, you waste fuel, reduce power, and cause unnecessary oil contamination — to say nothing of wasted money and air pollution. But running lean of peak changes the exhaust to a reducing atmosphere with lots of free, very hot oxygen looking to combine with any metal such as the exhaust valves, manifolds, or turbo components. Engines need special components to resist the oxygen-rich exhaust gases.

James Macklin AOPA 349801
Wichita, Kansas

Steve Ells' leaning article in the August Pilot is really about temperature management. All too often, lean-of-peak and rich-of-peak advocates chatter about horsepower and efficiency arguments focused on the combustion process, without regard to the overlying concern of temperature management. Lacking cylinder head temperature and exhaust gas temperature information for each cylinder, conservative practice is to run very rich of peak, especially in hot climates as in some of Ells' examples. Before I installed a graphical engine monitor in my Cessna 172, I leaned by the operating manual. The monitor revealed appallingly hot cylinder head temperatures. Now I fly by the monitor's indications. Without cylinder head or exhaust gas temperature information on all cylinders, you are guessing, no matter how technically sound any argument between lean of peak and rich of peak may be. I fearlessly use lean of peak with great success in cruise, but the engine is awash in gas during summertime climbs.

John Siebold AOPA 1137241
Boise, Idaho

All about antennas

Paul Novacek's article "Catch a Wave" in the August Pilot leaves out a very important component — the coaxial cable that connects the antenna with the radio.

In 25-plus years of aviation experience, I've found that many instances of bad or broken radios were actually caused by bad coax cable. In most cases, either the cable connectors were broken (or were never attached correctly) or the coax had deteriorated to the point where it was absorbing, rather than transmitting, radio frequency energy. Coax will become waterlogged over time, if given a chance. A poor antenna installation will certainly allow water to run inside the cable. Also, I've seen instances when mechanics have used incredibly poor-quality coax or connectors. The use of the correct type of coax cable is essential for proper performance and is specified by the equipment manufacturer and the FAA.

I personally believe that coax should be replaced after a finite time in service — at the very least it should be given a detailed visual and electrical inspection every five years. Unfortunately, most owners think that a shop suggesting that is padding its bills, and most A&Ps don't seem to think of it at all.

Richard A. De Castro AOPA 4445018
Santa Clarita, California

War hero

Although I am not usually given to writing letters to the editor, the August AOPA Pilot magazine had an article (" AOPA Centennial of Flight Sweepstakes: War Hero") that really brought back fond memories and I decided to set them down in writing. In the article Alton Marsh described the Waco UPF-7 by saying that it is built "like a brick structure of high utilitarian value." These words could also describe my aerobatics instructor in the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP). His name was H. Clare Wheaton, and he, too, could fly aerobatics hour after hour without showing the usual signs of fatigue.

The maneuvers that bothered me were those that involved weightlessness or zero G. When I was flying solo in the UPF-7, the thing that gave me relief from that queasy feeling was to roll over and fly inverted for a few minutes.

One experience with that airplane that sticks in my memory was a day that I chose to land on Runway 27 at my home field in Pontiac, Michigan, instead of on our usual Runway 36. It was in the early winter and there were a few puddles on the runway, which had frozen with thin sheets of ice on the surface. When my wheels touched the ground, a lot of little pieces of ice went flying and hit the bottom of the lower wing and the fuselage. My punishment was to lie on my back under that airplane and to patch an uncounted number of little tears in the fabric from those pieces of flying ice.

Joseph Pickl AOPA 191859
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Errata

In the article " Budget Buys: An Ambush of Cats" (August Pilot) photo flights were referred to as "AYA-sanctioned." The American Yankee Association does not sanction formation photo flights as an organization activity. Formation flying interests will be met by a separate, independent organization being developed.

In " A Place to Land" (August Pilot), it was implied that the Spitfire has a radial engine when in fact it has an inline Merlin engine.

In the September issue of Pilot, Mark Schaible shot the photography for " Turbine Pilot: Super-Size It!" not Mike Fizer.

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.