Letters

What's up with WAAS?

Thanks for the great update on the WAAS/GPS technology (" What's Up With WAAS?" December 2004 Pilot). I teach GPS in the classroom, simulator, and airplane and have included WAAS enhancements in classroom discussions since August 2003. But I've not yet flown an LPV approach. Your article proved to be timely and accurate. It added several items of knowledge to my personal memory bank. Of greatest interest was the information on declaring alternate airports with WAAS-capable receivers, identifying the fringe areas for WAAS coverage in the lower 48 states, and the alerting of those fringe areas by W (in negative symbology) on appropriate approach charts.

Jerry Griggs AOPA 409039
Wichita, Kansas

I really enjoyed reading your article about WAAS. I am a pilot for an air ambulance operation that makes frequent use of GPS approaches. I did have a question about alternate airports and GPS. You state, "Without WAAS you need to flight-plan an alternate to an airport with an approach other than GPS available, if your original destination has only GPS approaches." I found this reference in the Aeronautical Information Manual: "Note: Any required alternate airport must have an approved instrument approach procedure other than GPS that is anticipated to be operational and available at the estimated time of arrival, and which the aircraft is equipped to fly." No mention of the original destination airport. The way I am reading this is that an alternate airport must be served by something other than GPS. The need for an alternate is not dependent on the type of approach, e.g., GPS at the original destination.

Julian N. Pridmore-Brown AOPA 762077
La Grande, Oregon

You can find the answer to your question in the section of the AIM on WAAS specifically (see chapter 1-1-20;). It's not the most user-friendly way to present definitive information on alternate airport requirements, but there it is. We can hope that the FAA will eventually smooth out the publication's references to make them easier to follow. — The Editors

All in one

I enjoyed the article about electronic flight bags (EFBs) in the December issue (" All in One," December 2004 Pilot). One thing that wasn't mentioned was the risk of failure for any unit that has a hard drive inside. Hard drives require air for proper operation (they are not sealed; they have heavily filtered air holes), and most have operating limitations of 10,000 feet. Air is used to maintain the separation between the drive head and the drive platter, and as the air gets thinner, the space between the two decreases, until a "head crash" occurs. If this happens in a critical data portion of the drive, all your data can be lost, and this happening in the air could be a real problem if your EFB is your only source of procedures. When operating at higher altitudes, if possible, devices should be used that utilize solid-state memory such as compact flash cards, or read their approach plates from DVD or CD-ROM (which don't use air for head separation).

Vincent Liggio AOPA 1383760
Forest Hills, New York

I read with interest Julie K. Boatman's well-written and informative article "All in One" regarding the ever-growing EFB market. My personal computer is a Motion Computing M1300, which I purchased with the intent of being able to use it on my desktop as well as in the airplane. I am running Jeppesen's FliteMap and JeppView. It is a superb suite of software and hardware that gives me not only flight-planning and in-flight usage, but also gives me the other applications I need. I am a flight test pilot for a major avionics manufacturer that has one of the only Class 3 EFBs on the market. The one area of consideration that all of the recent trade articles about EFBs have been remiss to discuss is how to mount them to make them usable. You can put all the functionality you want into a box and get it approved by the FAA, but if it has to be stowed for taxi, takeoff, and landing it makes it somewhat ineffective. This is the real kink in the system.

Mitchell Oomens AOPA 942765
Tucson, Arizona

Home stretch

As Editor at Large Tom Horne has been the keeper of the Twin Comanche over the past year, I just wanted to thank him for taking such good care of "my" (soon to be) aircraft. I look forward to meeting him when he delivers it to me at Merritt Island Airport in Florida. Hey, it could happen. Seriously, I just wanted to let you know I have enjoyed reading the Win-A-Twin tales (articles) over the past year (" AOPA Win-A-Twin Sweepstakes: Home Stretch," December 2004 Pilot). They have been entertaining, informative, and at times a little scary (those early flights had to create a little anxiety). What a wonderful transition from beater to beauty. I know he learned a lot about TwinCos over the past year, and I have as well through his experiences (I hope the winner has been paying attention). I also learned a lot about restoring an aircraft, technology enhancements, and other things such as safety. A job well done by all, including the generous sponsors.

Kevin N. Smith AOPA 4354616
Cocoa, Florida

Perhaps I am the grumpiest guy in aviation, but is anyone else annoyed by the use of cutesy nicknames for aircraft? I find these names neither descriptive nor witty. They darn near nauseate me: "Bo" for Bonanza, "Deb" or "Debby" for Debonair, "TwinCo" for Twin Comanche, and "T-Bone" for Twin Bonanza. Let's see, shorten aircraft name equals new nickname. Why stop with these? Warrior equals "War," Musketeer equals "Musky," Commander equals "Commando," well, you get the idea. At least "Spruce Goose" (I know it wasn't made out of spruce) and "Gooney Bird" conveyed something about the aircraft they represented. Is there any hope of discouraging this trend among your writers or should I take Dramamine before opening these pages?

P.S. I hope this doesn't hurt my chances of winning the "Twinkie"!

P.S.S. I am working on getting a life.

Jim Muller AOPA 1064860
Little Rock, Arkansas

I was reading the recent article on the status of N204WT, daydreaming about flying around in one of the best new cockpits in GA, when I noticed something terrible. "You goofed, AOPA!" Right smack dab in the center of the panel is this giant black hole, where some sort of instrument should be. I immediately got on my computer and started firing away an e-mail to AOPA, letting you know that you must fill that hole. Put in a standby vertical speed indicator, a backup altimeter, just something! Then it hit me, "Nope, it's perfect the way it is." In February, when Tom Horne flies N204WT into my home field, announces that I am the winner, and hands over the keys, the first thing I'm going to do is climb aboard and place a picture of my three kids in that spot, showing everyone how proud I am of my kids and how proud I am of my "new" airplane. Then, and only then, will the restoration project of N204WT truly be complete.

Patrick Genualdi AOPA 1533891
Rosemont, Illinois

The view from here

Chip Wright has got it right: Ultralight flying is incredibly fun ( " The View From Here," December 2004 Pilot). When I first strapped on an Eipper Quicksilver 20 years ago, my logbook showed about 3,000 hours on various props, jets, and helicopters. Nothing prepared me for the sensation of sitting out in the open in front of a moving collection of wire, tubing, and Dacron without a windshield or a floor. The feeling of not being enclosed in some sort of machine was incredible, but I became instantly and acutely aware of the reality that I needed every bit of airmanship gleaned from those past hours logged to make this operation work: The Quicksilver did have a rudimentary airspeed indicator that consisted of a disk floating on a column of air in a clear plastic tube. However, my eyes were the altimeter and my ears, listening to the hum of the Rotax, were the tachometer. Because of the light weight and low speed, the craft would be affected by the slightest ripple in the atmosphere, and sometimes lacked the control power to overcome an upset. My companions, being nonpilots, were blissfully unaware of how unforgiving this business of defying gravity was. I personally feel that adding fairings, windshields, and instruments would detract from the raw, windy Curtiss Pusher experience. Any pilot who loves flying truly deserves a flight in an ultralight. And those jaded ones, and there are many among us in this day and age, might discover some hidden magic that only the pioneers knew about.

David Tan AOPA 1021296
Atlanta, Georgia

Pilots: Cliff Fleming

How many times have I read the "Pilots" page in AOPA Pilot with respect for the person without knowing them? Well, every time since the first one. It was a pleasant surprise to see Cliff Fleming profiled in the December 2004 issue (" Pilots: Cliff Fleming"). Through all of the years of preparation for the midair recovery of Genesis his focus never dulled. On the morning of September 8, 2004, he led the flight of four directly to the loiter station perfectly synchronized with the flight of the returning sample return capsule. I have no doubt that he would have pulled off the midair snatch and delivery if the SRC would have sensed the reentry and started the drogue deployment as planned.

Bob Axsom AOPA 783915
Farmington, Arkansas

If only

Poor Thomas Haines! If only he had realized that all general aviation pilots have a plan C in their flight bag, and the C doesn't stand for Citation (" Waypoints: If Only," December 2004 Pilot). It stands for car, a potent alternative that should always be considered on the alternative list when flying conditions are dangerous. On the other hand, I'm glad that he didn't drive to Batavia, Ohio; the long trip may have been unsafe while talking on his cell phone.

Mark S. Puscas AOPA 1409841
Salem, Oregon

Errata

In " Airframe & Powerplant: Lights On!" in the December 2004 issue of Pilot, the part numbers of the peanut bulbs are reversed — 327 bulbs are used in 28-volt systems and 330 bulbs are for 14-volt systems. Also, in " Pilot Briefing: Will You Fly a Very Light Jet?" in December Pilot, Jim Anderson should have been identified as the vice president of AIG Aviation. Pilot regrets the errors.

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.