Silvaire spark
I got a chuckle out of Julie Boatman's challenge in keeping warm in the Luscombe (" Budget Buys: Silvaire Spark," February Pilot). I used a 100-horsepower Silvaire in the early 1990s to commute between my two offices on the Burlington, Vermont, and St. Hubert (Montreal), Quebec, airports. After work one Friday in October I left St. Hubert for Rimouski, Quebec, to see a girlfriend. I left straight from my office thoughtlessly wearing a business suit, wingtips, a topcoat, and thin gloves. To make a long story short, the winds were much stronger than forecast, and the temperature was significantly lower too.
I found myself realizing that I was losing the feeling in my feet and hands. It was taking two hands to depress the microphone key on the stick, and I couldn't make my mouth move to talk. Further, I was past the point of no return and was faced with a no-moon night landing on a wide runway with low-intensity perimeter lighting with a 15- to 20-kt direct crosswind, no landing light, and by the time I got there, no feeling in my feet or hands.
The landing was simply setting up a near full cross-control nose-high descent with power, taking whatever hit I got, and closing the throttle. Not creaming the airplane was just stupid dumb luck, but it does show that it can be a very forgiving airplane. I'm an accident investigator and failure analyst by profession. That situation was a pretty sobering experience.
Thomas A. Berthe AOPA 1880658
Burlington, Vermont
As a Luscombe owner for 25 years, I liked Julie Boatman's article in the February issue of AOPA Pilot. (Neat cover photo, too!) But I found one glaring error — the airplane pictured does not have Silflex gear. Silflex gear has no extra struts to it, only the single gear leg, which is quite a bit heavier construction than the "standard" gear.
My airplane, a 1947 model, has Silflex gear. It also has a split cowling — very handy — and a round rudder. Thanks for writing the article. Maybe it'll generate some more enthusiasm for a great airplane.
Karyl Ludwig AOPA 544782
Hayward, California
In 1971, I traded an annual inspection (I am an A&P mechanic) for some Luscombe 8A flying time. It was a 1940 model with the fuel tank behind the cabin and had a Continental A-65 engine. I got perhaps 20 hours of flying time in return for the labor on the annual. I also owned a 1940 J-5 Piper Cub then. I was a flight instructor in Oklahoma instructing my way through college. I was about 20 years old. I am 52 years old now and own a 1937 Aeronca K, but the article brought back memories of that old Luscombe and the college days.
Jerry Griggs AOPA 409039
Goddard, Kansas
Spinning in
Bruce Landsberg's article in the February issue of AOPA Pilot (" Safety Pilot: Spinning In") brings up a major safety issue for general aviation. Maybe instead of trying to make the planes more spin resistant, we should start using angle-of-attack indicators so pilots will know when they are in danger of stalling their aircraft. I believe that stall/ spin accidents could be reduced if pilots had an instrument that warned them when they were approaching the critical angle of attack.
My father, a retired captain from American Airlines, taught me how to fly and instilled the importance of angle of attack. Airliners use angle of attack. Navy pilots use an angle-of-attack indicator when they land their jets on aircraft carriers. Now, thanks to the computer chip, there are angle-of-attack systems available for experimental aircraft for a reasonable price. Using an indicator gives the pilot a correct reading regardless of weight and other changing factors. This may be the best way to "spin proof" an airplane without significantly raising costs and complexity.
I hope that AOPA continues to have articles like this; it only helps to raise pilot awareness, and hopefully that will translate into fewer fatal stall accidents.
Todd Mendenhall AOPA 1115375
O'Fallon, Missouri
Getting down
Thanks for the interesting article in the latest AOPA magazine on getting down (" Get Down!" February Pilot).
Here is another technique I have found easy and useful. Since many of us fly with some sort of a GPS navigational aid, and all of them display a time to destination, you can easily use this information to figure out when you should be descending — even without mastering the VNAV profile calculator. Simply use time to destination.
Let's use the article example. Say that you're at 8,000 feet, and the destination airport's pattern altitude is 1,000 feet. You've got 7,000 feet to lose. I plan for 500 feet per minute. Quickly, we can see that 7,000 feet/500 feet per minute is 14 minutes out. Or easier math: 7 (thousand feet) x 2 (500 feet per 1,000 feet) = 14 minutes.
Simply glance at the GPS time to destination, and know that approximately 14 minutes out you should be heading downhill. Note that this technique has the added advantage of taking your actual groundspeed into account. I use this all the time with excellent results.
John Van Baren AOPA 1417750
Hudsonville, Michigan
Silver screen myths
I am a private pilot with directing and writing credits and loved Barry Schiff's story on Hollywood screen myths (" Proficient Pilot: Silver Screen Myths," February Pilot). But he forgot to mention those 900-square-foot airliner cockpits with eight feet between the captain and first officer. The beautiful flight attendant knocks on the cockpit door and then walks 10 feet to the instrument panel with coffee. AOPA should offer advice to directors and writers.
Tom Daley AOPA 4728614
Honolulu, Hawaii
Starter system woes
Good article in AOPA Pilot on starter systems (" Airframe & Powerplant: Good to Go?" February Pilot). I have just been through the whole nine yards of faultfinding in the starter motor circuit on my Cessna 150 Aerobat. The fault was eventually found to be because of a missing ground strap from engine case to battery ground strap. The strap must have been left off at the last engine change some 1,800 hours back; the current must have found some alternative routes and only recently been subject to increasing resistance. Fortunately no control cables were cooked. Looking for a faulty component that doesn't exist took some head scratching.
Ed Atkins AOPA 1157447
Southampton, United Kingdom
I've been reading Steve Ells' recent article on starters. Last year I had a starter problem on my Piper PA23-235 that turned out to be a bad battery ground strap (cable from battery negative post to airframe ground). The starters wouldn't work on battery power but would work on external power. Once started, the electrical system seemed normal. I thought the article might have made specific mention of checking this important part of the starter power circuit.
Israel Switzer AOPA 3842099
Scottsdale, Arizona
Drinking and flying
I have just finished reading the article by John Yodice " Pilot Counsel: Alcohol and Flying" (February Pilot). Let me start by saying that I am not opposed to drinking; however, I do believe in moderation. As a 23-year veteran law enforcement officer, I have seen firsthand on more than one occasion the devastating effects of drunk driving, not only on the drunk driver and the victim, but also on their families and the community as a whole.
The effects of alcohol vary from person to person. It is because there are so many factors that determine the degree of impairment that a person will experience when consuming alcohol that I believe the FAA is correct in its rule enforcement. I would even go a step further and change the 0.04-percent blood alcohol rule to 0.00.
I would encourage all of my brother and sister pilots to fly safely and partake responsibly only after the engine is shut down and the aircraft is secured for the evening.
Paul Goldasich Jr. AOPA 1305461
Mount Olive, Illinois
Sumping and dumping
Mark Twombly's article in the February issue of Pilot (" Pilotage: Sumping and Dumping") mentioned the difference between the amounts of waste avgas escaping into the environment and the amounts of auto gas and diesel let free.
The avgas has to be a mere drop on the tarmac by comparison, yet authorities are pursuing enforcement. Why don't we see them enforcing at the local gas station?
During recent hearings about pending runway lengthening at our airport (Waterbury-Oxford Airport), I researched and wrote about the difference between pollution from land vehicles and from airplanes on our section of interstate. The difference in the numbers is simply enormous, almost incomprehensible.
It reminds me of the prevailing attitude toward the use of small airplanes for terrorist purposes as opposed to the possibility of trucks being used for the same purposes — for example, the bombing in Oklahoma City. When nonpilots ask me about GA and terrorism, they never seem to think of all the trucks roaring by them every day, or even of their own cars.
We need to do a better job of pointing out the obvious.
Brian Peck AOPA 919304
Middlebury, Connecticut
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.
