Letters

A reflective place

I read Donald Weber's story, " A Reflective Place," (September Pilot) pertaining to Marlboro, and I miss that little airport. I earned my private certificate and instrument ratings from this, my hometown, field. The 2,200-foot field was not a problem for my first airplane, a 1955 Beechcraft F35 Bonanza. The great memories of flying with my father and sons out of 2N8 will last a lifetime.

Yurek Larys AOPA 1106636
Matawan, New Jersey

Don Weber's "A Reflective Place" notes one of the benefits of a pilot certificate: access to airfields. Access is greatest at small airports such as Marlboro. But it is shortsighted to call an airport "his" place and criticize its closing for financial reasons if [pilots] did not support it. Small airports are not charities — they have owners that need our financial support.

Second, while walking on or near a runway at night can be a beautiful experience, it can also distract and harm pilots landing, and seeing such a person can take away another pilot's sense of it being "their" place.

I similarly found Marlboro Airport to be in one of the most beautiful rural settings, but also found it an easy and comfortable place to land.

Seth Washburne AOPA 935932
New York, New York

The Oshkosh experience

In September's " Waypoints: The Oshkosh Experience" it states that "more than 200,000 people attend" EAA AirVenture each year. Is this a typo or a Freudian slip? Every other source I have read states 770,000!

Charles Nicholson AOPA 436275
Concord, North Carolina

EAA AirVenture typically has about 200,000 people attending it, as reported by the Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper just before AirVenture this year and attributed to EAA President Tom Poberezny. In its reporting, EAA counts "attendance" as anyone who walks through the gate and every time they walk through the gate onto the grounds. So a person who attends the show every day for a week counts as seven "attendees." — Editor

Burke Lakefront Airport

First of all, thanks, AOPA, for all the fine communication on regulatory changes and TFRs, and for lobbying on behalf of general aviation. I look forward to renewing my membership again soon.

My family was among the estimated 164,000 spectators at Cleveland, Ohio's Gravity Games on September 10 through 14. Saturday's crowd of nearly 52,000 people was a record, and we witnessed something that was probably once quite normal in downtown Chicago: the peaceful coexistence of people and GA aircraft in reasonably close proximity.

Downtown Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport is just one-quarter mile away from the Gravity Games' venue on the grounds of North Coast Harbor's Great Lakes Science Center and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Just a few hundred feet from the event's multiple grandstands and mingling crowds were Burke's 6L and 6R runway centerlines. It was neat to watch skateboarders, BMXers, and bladers with an occasional low-flying aircraft in the background.

In our post-September 11, 2001, climate, the FAA and Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell should be commended for promoting this fun event in spite of its close proximity to Burke. This shows that common sense can prevail if allowed. Unfortunately, that was apparently not possible for Mayor Richard Daley and the Meigs Field community.

Richard Enty AOPA 1063680
Cleveland, Ohio

Touchdown!

I am a student pilot with approximately 60 hours and more than 160 landings. I have an excellent instructor who teaches power-off landings, but I never could put it all together except by accident. I had, unfortunately, become an expert at carrier-landing plants and a master at gathering up my balloon and smoothing it in on the second flare.

To me it was all one step from short final to touchdown. But every landing is different, so slowly pulling back on the yoke at 15 feet might only work one out of 10 times. Then I read the article " Touchdown!" (September Pilot) and it clicked. It had never dawned on me that there might be an intermediate step (the roundout) between the descent and the flare to touchdown. Now I had a way to break the descent and then stall to a touchdown instead of trying to control a stall starting at 15 feet.

The next day I left work early to try your method. It worked! I greased seven of my eight landings. So thank you, thank you, thank you!

Jeff Bauman AOPA 4547559
Douglasville, Georgia

GPS goes low

Your September article on WAAS (" GPS Goes Low") was very good. As an aside, I have noticed several instances in the last year or so of GPS system degradation with the Bendix/King KLN 90B with which I fly. In one instance the system lost its nav capability in the midst of an approach; the missed approach was also GPS-driven. Fortunately the system quickly returned and I completed the approach. When I got back on the ground I called flight service and reported the problem. I asked the briefer if he had received similar reports to which he responded that he had received none. Either my aircraft has a few bugs in it or the GPS system does — hard to say which. I am concerned that pilots don't adhere to their responsibility to report GPS outages, failures, and hiccups. I can't believe I'm the only pilot who experienced a GPS problem and reported it. I encourage AOPA to bring this issue to light for its members as many are flying with GPS and have come to depend on it.

Pete Gutmann AOPA 1102911
Tooele, Utah

See " How to Be a RAIM-Maker," page 135, for one possible reason for a GPS outage. — Editor

HSI glass

I found Thomas Haines' article " Bendix/King KI 825: An HSI Goes Glass" (September Pilot) interesting. I did, however, want to comment on some things I noticed; he stated that all HSIs [horizontal situation indicators] require remote systems. Century Flight Systems produces five different HSI models, none of which uses a remote gyro and only four use flux gates. Century Flight Systems is currently the only HSI that puts the gyro in the same package as the display to reduce weight and space requirements.

Martin Oswald
Mineral Wells, Texas

Oswald is marketing director for Century Flight Systems.

The flying boat

The story about the Sikorsky S-38 Amphibion (" The Flying Boat," September Pilot) is the most exciting story about a restored aircraft I have ever read. However, I would like to point out an error of omission. There are no pictures of the aircraft with the landing gear extended. You make several references in the article to the landing gear, and I had to study the pictures to see how the gear was arranged.

Helen Holbird AOPA 630522
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Close call

The "Never Again" story (" Close Call") got my attention as I perused the September Pilot. In February of this year two friends of mine were killed in a Yak-52 when they failed to recover from the back side of a loop. Both pilots were experienced and had both flown the F-4 in the Navy, so everyone was aghast that they could have lost control of the Yak in such a benign maneuver.

Alan Cockrell's account should be quite instructive for other pilots.

David Gorrell AOPA 1348624
Park City, Utah

A true survivor

I want to thank this wonderful magazine for assisting me throughout what has been the most trying time of my life.

You see, a couple of months ago I was sitting on the dock of my vacation home in Maine reading Lance Armstrong's recent book. Armstrong is not only a successful athlete, but also a cancer survivor. Later, upon a quick self-exam, I noticed a lump in my right testicle. Since that date my life has spiraled out of control with countless doctor's appointments, surgery, and aggressive chemotherapy.

Last November, I took the first step in becoming a pilot with my subscription to your magazine. I quickly absorbed article after article. I decided, even before my first lesson, that aircraft ownership was the way to go for me. I found a wonderful 1973 Cessna 182, with 100 hours on a new engine and a sexy McCauley three-blade prop. I was in love.

I interviewed many instructors and found that I was a much sought-after student as my new craft was considered a gem. I was referred to Harry Bradley, who has well over 9,000 hours and is a Vietnam veteran. I met with him three times a week. I learned and learned well.

I was just about done with my training when I was diagnosed with stage three cancer: It had spread to my kidneys and chest area. I was pissed off! Life took a major 90-degree turn. Flying and earning my pilot certificate seemed like a dream that was going to go unfulfilled. After surgery I started chemotherapy and was thrust into another world altogether. The cure was killing me and racked my body with nausea and pain. Too weak to work, too weak to even walk, I could read. AOPA was here for me. I now have a changed attitude about my flying — it's something to look forward to for me. I dream of my Cessna 182 soaring through the skies, killing my cancer. I imagine a gun scope and I'm dogfighting with these cancer cells, and I'm kicking butt!

Today is a Saturday in August. The Boston area skies are beautiful, but I'm weak and between chemo treatments and unable to fly. My goal today is a simple one: Just visit the plane...and finish the September Pilot.

I will beat this cancer, but not anytime soon, and not without having to deal with much discomfort. I'm lucky to have a beautiful wife and two great boys. Also, I have a goal that needs completing and I'm looking forward to seeing that to a conclusion. I want to thank you and all my friends who have made this process a little bit easier.

Robert Nason AOPA 4704744
Reading, Massachusetts

Erratum

The Beech Duchess featured in " The Duchess of Cleveland," September Pilot, now rents for $180 an hour, rather than $205. Pilot regrets the error.

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 number on all correspondence, including e-mail. Letters will be edited for length and style.