Don Morris
Ironton, Missouri
The hills are alive
I enjoyed reading the article "Making Music," on the new OMF Symphony trainer (January AOPA Flight Training). I agree that the time has come for us to welcome a capable new trainer with power to spare. And the overall look is quite impressive.
I wonder, however, about the appropriateness of the name Symphony and its potential effect on sales. The reason given for the name of the aircraft is that it "sounds good in any language." But then I am reminded of the Piper Papoose. Perhaps those at Piper who insisted on naming aircraft around Native American themes felt that pilots would surely embrace a Papoose. But if I recall correctly, the child was not on this earth for long.
Research in the area of naming cars has clearly demonstrated that consumers want their vehicle titled something serious or important-sounding. My hope for the owners and manufacturers of the Symphony is that pilots who live by technology, checklists, and all things serious about the extraordinary experience of flight will find flying a $120,000- to $140,000-plus-tax aircraft named Symphony a good thing.
Pilots tend to be a fairly tight and fortunate bunch of folks who pride themselves on doing what many cannot do - leave the surface of the Earth. A symphony can indeed make one's spirit soar.
Frank Koe
New York, New York
In your recent review of the Symphony, the author reported the landing configuration stall speed for the Cessna 172 as 33 KIAS. I knew it was incorrect but double-checked Cessna's Web site, which gives the flaps-down power-off stall speed as 47 KIAS. I just would not want any new pilots thinking the stall speed in their trainer was 33 KIAS.
Russell Cravey
Via the Internet
Author Julie K. Boatman used the stall speed as listed in the information manual for the 172N in which she used to instruct (see the table titled "Stall Speeds" in Section 5). For that model, the stall speed at the most forward CG (and thus fastest) and 40 degrees of flaps is 33 KIAS at maximum gross weight. At the most rearward CG it's 31 KIAS.-Ed.
Tips for forward slips
Budd Davisson did a great job on the subject of forward slips ("Slippery Slope," January AOPA Flight Training). A couple of things that might be worth noting: Slips shouldn't be done when fuel is on the low side since centrifugal force can move the fuel away from the fuel lines. Some aircraft flight manuals limit the time in the slip, probably for that reason. Also, when maximum slips are performed, pilots should fully retard power, otherwise the thrust will prevent an optimum (steepest) descent profile and make the slip more difficult to perform.
Vince D'Angelo
Naples, Florida
Errata
You did the same thing that made me fail my first attempt on my private pilot checkride. In "Nice Place to Visit" (January AOPA Flight Training) you circled Marine Corps Air Station Pendleton instead of Oceanside Municipal Airport. They look quite the same, but the colors never lie.
Kris Wright
West Bend, Wisconsin
Kris is absolutely correct - Oceanside is just south of MCAS Pendleton, in the magenta indicative of a nontowered airport, and was inadvertently obscured in the illustration. AOPA Flight Training regrets the error.-Ed.
In a response to Larry ("Since You Asked," February AOPA Flight Training), Rod Machado recommended that he never carry a carbon monoxide fire extinguisher. "You won't have any problem with this because there is no such animal," Machado said. "I was thinking carbon dioxide when I wrote carbon monoxide. I think I had too much carbon dioxide in my brain when I wrote that response. My apologies."
