Diamond Eclipse
I am a new pilot with about 250 total hours, but did all my cross-country and IFR training in the Diamond. I love the plane and appreciated your article (" Diamond C1 Eclipse: Delivery for the Air Force," August Pilot). Your observations are consistent with mine.
Until recently, I lived in Greenville, South Carolina, where I earned my instrument rating in May in a DA20-C1. I now live in Delaware and continue to fly the Diamond in Wilmington. I appreciated your article and was envious of your ferrying responsibility. My nephew is an Air Force Academy graduate and currently a C-17 pilot.
Thanks again for a good article and one in which I had special interest.
Denver Bartee AOPA 4068336
Middletown, Delaware
The article concerning the United States Air Force requisition of 35 Diamond DA20-C1 Eclipse aircraft for training purposes left me scratching my head.
I live and work in the city where the legendary Piper aircraft are manufactured. Many days, our local newspaper headlines are riddled with stories of layoffs, reductions, and dismal performance figures for the company that started general aviation in the United States.
The Air Force's order constitutes in excess of $5 million worth of airplanes. To award this contract to an Austrian company while U.S. interests falter is to me unconscionable.
Jim Davis AOPA 925077
Vero Beach, Florida
Time machine
Julie K. Boatman's piece on that wonderful little machine (" Classic Aircraft: Time Machine," August Pilot), the Cessna 120, provoked waves of nostalgia, in my case, not for the 120 but for its luxury version, the 140, which my parents bought new in 1947 for $3,600. For its time, it was state of the art in two-place aircraft — starter, lights, heater, and radio. My parents flew that little bird to both coasts from our strip in northern Minnesota on one low-frequency receiver and two transmitting crystals.
I was a senior in high school at the time, and for my graduation present, I and my pal Don Parks were allowed to take a cross-country around Minnesota, visiting friends. Don and I later went through the program at Pensacola and became Navy pilots.
Years later I was on the faculty at "Mankato State" University [Minnesota State University, Mankato] — in southwest Minnesota and owned a 1952 Cessna 170B tied down at the local airport. On a visit to the airport one day, I noticed a rather drab-looking 140 next to my 170. But as I approached, there were powerful nostalgic vibes coming off its skin, and I was sure that it was speaking to me. Sure enough, the numbers checked out when I looked it up in an old logbook — confirmed as my parents' 140, only 25 years, thousands of hours, and three major overhauls later. It now belonged to two brothers attending classes at Mankato State who had bought it from a dealer in Northfield, Minnesota, who had used it as a trainer for 22 years.
I looked up the brothers. They were about to graduate, and one was about to fly the 140 down to Pensacola where he would enter flight training.
I often wonder how many young men that 140 has inspired to pursue careers in aviation or the service. A time machine, indeed.
John W. Otis AOPA 3972981
Cohasset, Minnesota
Philly flying
Just read the great article (" Postcards: GA, Ghosts, and Great Steaks") in August Pilot. Very well done. But I am disappointed there was no mention of Brandywine Airport! Many planes fly in here because it is the most convenient airport to get to downtown Philadelphia. And don't forget the places to visit here in Chester and Delaware counties, including the American Helicopter Museum and QVC located on the field. Other local sites are Valley Forge Battlefield and Chadds Ford's Brandywine Battlefield, and the Brandywine River Museum. There is a lot to see and do in Chadds Ford. Come up and see us on October 18 and 19 when we host the annual Rotorfest Airshow, the largest helicopter airshow in the country.
John Taylor AOPA 1196326
Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
Taylor is the airport manager for Brandywine Airport.
Out of the nest
I just received the August issue of AOPA Pilot in the mail yesterday and I am enjoying it thoroughly. I was touched by Rick and Amelia Durden's article, " Gliding Out of the Nest," which brought back absolutely wonderful memories (and not a few tears) of my flight training.
I was fortunate enough to have been taught to fly by my grandmother, Annabelle Stone, who was an airline transport pilot and FAA safety inspector in the Dallas Flight Standards District Office until her retirement in 1989. My flight lessons were my sixteenth-birthday present and continued a family tradition, which resulted in my becoming a fourth-generation pilot. Hanging in my office is a picture taken of the four generations (great-grandfather, grandfather and grandmother, mother and uncle, and me) on the day of my solo in August 1986. My grandmother has since passed away, but I am always reminded of her in the right seat when I fly. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to my family for the gift of flight, and I hope to one day pass the gift along to my own children.
Kevin Erickson AOPA 3896750
Arlington, Texas
Delivering hope
I would like to commend you on the excellent article " Delivering Hope," in the August Pilot. As a missionary to Haiti from 1968 to 1984 I cannot say enough good about the Missionary Flights International [MFI] service. We rode many flights with them, to say nothing of the tons of supplies and mail that they brought us to keep our ministries and lives going. I still remember their days flying Beech 18s before they had their first DC-3. They have always provided great service coupled with true professionalism. In 1979, MFI's (then) chief pilot, Tom Burk, moved to Haiti for a year. He became my CFI and mentor. He helped me restore a derelict Cessna 170 and taught me to fly it. I used the airplane in Haiti for my own transportation until we left there in 1984. His imparted wisdom has kept me safe through 1,200 hours of flight.
Jerry Miel AOPA 712837
Tucson, Arizona
A little too real
The nifty article by Bruce Landsberg on training for emergencies (" Safety Pilot: A Little Too Real," August Pilot) triggered me into suggesting the following. Training is great, and very necessary; however, you need to realize that emergencies sometimes require careful adherence to training, yet also sometimes require deviation from training.
In about 43 years of flying, I have had two engine-out experiences. The first was on a return flight from Las Vegas to Portland/Hillsboro, Oregon. We were over Salem, Oregon, about 35 nm from home. My wife pointed to the left engine. A sheet of flame was coming out of the left engine vent on the top rear of the nacelle. Proper training said to test the engine with the throttle before killing it. But in this case there was no doubt about which engine it was, so I reached down and shut off the fuel with the fuel selector. The question was, from our position at 8,500 feet, whether we should try for Hillsboro, hoping the remaining engine would not fail. With other airports between we elected to go on and I made my first and only night single-engine landing.
This was good training for the incident about 20 years later. Flying out of Las Vegas again I had the left engine fail on a Cessna 340A. Since this one was not caused by fire, I did the memory items and then got out the checklist. I was about 80 nm north of Las Vegas on an IFR flight plan, but in visual conditions. I asked the controller for a return to Las Vegas, and they gave me vectors to the GA runway. I realized I would have the sun in my face, and I asked if I could have the other runway. A new voice came on and said, "Use any runway you want!" I set up a steep approach, and violating the "stabilized approach" idea I waited until I had the runway made, and then cut the power on the remaining engine and dropped the gear, made a standard power-off landing, and was able to turn off at the first exit.
There are at least three lessons here: First, if you have had thorough training, you know when and how to "violate" procedures if appropriate; second, do not be afraid to tell the controllers what to do; and third, you can always learn something new that wasn't in the lessons.
Norm Winningstad AOPA 223635
Newport, Oregon
Garmin acquisition of UPSAT
I noted with significant dismay your report of Garmin buying UPSAT (" Pilot Briefing," September Pilot). This cannot be good for the customer.
Over the past 10 years we have been enjoying a boom in general aviation avionics. Garmin led the way, beginning with their handheld products, and soon blossomed to the panel-mount market. UPSAT (nee Apollo) countered with increasing features, improved quality, and lower prices, and these two companies have been head-to-head competing for the market. King has always been in the background trying to match these two innovative companies and this has resulted in incredible features at incredible prices to the customer.
With Garmin acquiring UPSAT, that leaves basically two companies in the GA avionics market, Garmin and King. Frankly, they're dealing to two different markets, those customers that appreciate innovation and those that appreciate "the way it's always been." Garmin claims they will be run as completely separate entities, but let's be real here: Is a corporation going to allow two separate divisions to compete to the detriment of both? We have lost a significant competitive advantage in the GA avionics market, and I fully expect this to result in decreased innovation and increased prices.
You noted that the two companies imply a merger of engineering resources. I am confident that this surely cannot happen; the cost involved would be immense. Do not be surprised to find that a significant portion of UPSAT's redundant staff will be released, and that will certainly include engineering resources.
Aren't these two public corporations? If so, how are they getting this past the SEC? Surely the SEC would be interested in the number-one player in the market buying number two outright? This to me stinks of Garmin deciding it's cheaper to buy than fight. It's a good business decision for them, but not a good move for the customer. Hopefully I'm terribly wrong and my cynicism is out of place, but I've got a horrible sinking feeling about our options and prices for avionics over the next two to five years....
Greg Amy AOPA 1140864
Middletown, Connecticut
Errata
The Web site for the Blue Yonder Foundation, noted in " Pilots: Aaron Singer," August Pilot, is www.blueyonder.org. Also, Quicken software is a product of Intuit, not Microsoft, as reported in " Pilotage: Fly and Lie," August Pilot. Pilot regrets these errors.
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