I started training about six months ago. I'm having some difficulty getting the flare down to my instructor's satisfaction. I hope to get my pilot certificate sometime this year and then to purchase a plane. Any suggestions on conquering the flare?
Phil Ferdolage
Santa Maria, California
Greg Brown replies: Perfecting the landing flare is an ongoing project for every pilot. Fortunately they do get easier, and the two most important keys to doing it well actually happen before you get to the runway: Trim for the proper approach speed, and make any major final approach corrections well before getting to the runway so you won't need to do them near the ground.--Ed.
Where's the tow bar?
I want to commend you on both articles by Dan Namowitz in the February issue. Not only are they instructive, but also well written. I would make one very minor suggestion, however: In the article "Unlucky 13" I would make one addition to "12. Tie down, wheel chocks--disconnected?" I would add "Tow bar--removed and stowed." You cannot imagine the engine teardowns and propeller replacements that occur every year because people start the engine with the tow bar still attached to the nosewheel. Excellent articles in a good issue.
Jim Lauerman
Frederick, Maryland
Editor's note: The author is chief underwriting officer of Avemco Insurance Company.--Ed.
Absolutely not an absolute
Ian Blair Fries' article "Top of The Chart" in the February 2006 AOPA Flight Training caught my attention with a bit of disbelief when he said he had found the absolute ceiling for the Cessna 150 at about 5,000 feet.
I also learned to fly in a Cessna 150, and our airport altitude here in Crawford, Colorado, is 6,470 feet. On my long cross-country flight it was necessary to climb above 12,000 feet to get over the Uncompahgre Plateau. Flying around here it is rather common to be over 9,000 feet, and often over 11,000.
Certainly a 150 does not climb to these altitudes very fast, especially on hot days, but it will go higher than 5,000 feet.
If I remember right, the pilot's operating handbook lists the service ceiling for 714CU at 14,000 feet.
James Zimmerle
Crawford, Colorado
"Top Of The Chart" by Ian Blair Fries was very interesting and educational; however, I have a problem with one paragraph. It states: "However, as we continue to climb, engine performance eventually begins to decrease because of the lower volume of air, and the increasing angle of attack necessary in the thin air ultimately increases induced drag--and that overwhelms drag benefits from decreased air density." I think "density" was meant instead of "volume." The "increasing angle of attack" might pertain to the section where he says that VY decreases 1 percent for every 1,000 feet of altitude gained (but I am second-guessing him). I assume Mr. Fries is considering propeller efficiency when he writes about "excess power." Another factor that could affect climb performance would be the airfoil design of the wings (read: high-lift wings).
Richard A. Nowack
San Jose, California
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