AOPA Project Pilot: Giving back
No one can underestimate the importance of being a Mentor for a young person who shows any interest in aviation (" AOPA Project Pilot: Giving Back," July Pilot). I was one of those young kids who didn't really think about becoming a professional pilot, but imagined how wonderful it would be to learn such a demanding and rewarding skill. I would have never had a flight lesson had it not been for my Mentor, who took me up in his airplane, who showed me around the airport, and whose life encompassed that "magnetic pull" of flying, as Barry Schiff so eloquently put it (" Proficient Pilot: The Wonder of Wings," July Pilot).
My Mentor introduced me to a great flight instructor, for whom I immediately gained a great deal of respect. Other times we would just hang out at the airport — cut the grass around the hangar, listen to the radio, talk to the pilots, or just enjoy seeing the airplanes come and go on a summer evening. Aviation is more than a means of transportation; it's a hobby (or profession) that makes us unique, challenges us, and rewards us beyond compare. I would have never gained an insight into that magical world had it not been for the positive encouragement of my friend and Mentor.
Greenville, South Carolina
Project Pilot is a great idea. But it's not where AOPA needs to focus its efforts initially. AOPA needs to focus effort on improving the flight school experience. Flight training is not inexpensive. At $100 to $120 per hour for primary dual, there are many other activities that compete for a person's time and money. We are losing a good number of students because of low-quality training experiences. From poor scheduling to no-show instructors, to unavailable aircraft, to unreturned phone calls.
I've seen it happen again and again with different flight schools. People, especially ones with the disposable income to spend on flying, give it a shot and get disgusted with the lack of professionalism, and move on to something else — such as scuba diving, golf, tennis, and boating. Flight school owners need to be educated in customer service and trained on how to provide a quality experience. Once a program of flight school improvement is in place, we can concentrate on bringing more people into the doors of the flight schools with programs like Project Pilot. But to do so first is putting the cart before the horse.
North Wales, Pennsylvania
After reading through my July issue of AOPA Pilot (cover to cover as usual), instead of tossing it I'm going to leave it someplace conspicuous. Perhaps in the coffee shop. Next month could be the lunchroom at work. Maybe the dentist's office. Someone will pick it up and read it. And maybe, just maybe, someone will catch the aviation bug.
Louisville, Colorado
The July 2006 issue was well done, and the focus on Project Pilot appropriate. But I must weigh in on this fantasy world AOPA and its contributors live in. The one and only thing that limits the expansion and maintenance of flying is money. It is the constant assault on the pilot's wallet that prohibits even the well-intentioned, well-trained, love-to-fly pilot from continuing, or even starting. First is the cost of an airplane. Then there are the maintenance, insurance, and storage costs. I spend 90 percent of my flying money to just stay current. Where's the fun? Where's the use? Where's the incentive to continue? I try to fly at least once a month. But gentlemen, really, that runs about $400 a month just to stay current.
User fees? Fuel costs? These are small compared with the regular onslaught required to just stay legal. There should be some way of being able to rent an airplane without the repetitive checkride. Make airplanes user-friendly, consistent from brand to brand, from FBO to FBO. I still love to fly. So, for now, you've still got me. But you had better figure it out quick, 'cause there aren't enough of me stupid enough to continue paying the costs. I see student after student get his ticket, and within two years he has stopped altogether. Students have jobs, families, cars, mortgages, and real responsibilities. Check the average age of the aircraft owner. I'll bet these owners are mostly over 50 years old. Not much of a future for GA. Figure it out. Or flying is really doomed.
Orlando, Florida
Make a difference
Thomas B. Haines' editorial in the July issue (" Waypoints: Make a Difference") was very nice. His story sounded a lot like my own except that when my folks figured out that they had a problem child on their hands — to this day I seem to be the only one in an otherwise intelligent family who can even spell the word airplane, let alone know anything about it — they introduced me to a friend who was an Eastern Airlines pilot. I have always referred to Don as my "mentor" so AOPA's choice of this word is, from my perspective, doubly appropriate. My friends used to get quite a chuckle about my mom and dad driving me to the airport so I could fly; I wasn't old enough to do it myself. Don helped me with issues that Haines mentioned and many more; without his help my path surely would have been much rougher and I could have easily made huge mistakes. The flying game, especially for those who aspire to do it for a living, is filled with many obstacles and pitfalls. Don made all the difference for me and I will always be grateful to him for much of the success I have achieved.
Ashburn, Virginia
The glass specialist
" The Glass Specialist" (July Pilot) expresses the frustrations of King Silver Crown-trained pilots throughout the flying community. There was nothing quite as confidence-building as climbing in diverse aircraft knowing that the avionics suite would be as familiar as the back of your hand, and that you could establish situational awareness using standardized training and nav gear. Glass-cockpit aficionados say you'd never want to go back, but a little reminiscing is inevitable.
Seal Beach, California
I thought I'd share some of the observations that we at the aviation studies department of Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, have made to date. First, as you mentioned in your article, a pilot must become very familiar with how the "buttons" or menu functions provide the information the pilot needs. Push the wrong button and off you go into an unexpected menu, causing momentary confusion in the mind of the pilot, and subsequent lack of aircraft control. We've found that a ground school, consisting of several hours of reviewing switchology, is a required activity. Additionally, we're finding that pilots are initially awestruck by the various color representations that occur on the primary flight display (PFD) and multifunction display (MFD), and may fail to perform routine checklist items because they focus on the colors on the displays. For example, when flying instrument approaches in instrument meteorological conditions, more than one of our subjects forgot to put the gear down when intercepting the glideslope because they were enamored with the color changes on the PFD. And the greatest challenge we've seen to date is a lack of pilots looking outside and clearing during climb-outs and approaches. We see too many pilots with their head down, watching the neat things happening on the PFD and MFD and not continuing a scan for traffic conflicts.
We in aviation education need to do a better job of offering a course of study to general aviators who want to learn this technology before they fly it.
Bowling Green, Ohio
A bizarre case
I just read John S. Yodice's article " Pilot Counsel: A Bizarre Case" in the July AOPA Pilot. I am stunned that a pilot several miles from a tragic accident could be found liable. It is like something written by Kafka. Could you possibly indicate how I could learn of the attorney representing the estate that was successful in this action? If I ever have reason to be represented by an aviation attorney, I would clearly like to have him or her on my side rather than representing the opposition.
Thousand Oaks, California
Bizarre indeed. The defendant did nothing wrong or even inappropriate. The Cessna pilot appears to be the main culprit, as he told the controller he was where he wasn't. The "expert opinions" for the plaintiff are a sad joke; they distort the facts for pay, a shameful exercise. The plaintiff's witness who held himself out to be an expert in air traffic control is an embarrassment. The plaintiff's witness who was a fighter pilot with the Air Force is a disgrace. I hope the defendant has the resources to appeal this bizarre and terribly unfortunate miscarriage of justice.
Omaha, Nebraska
Errata
Photos for the article " Control Freaks" (June Pilot) on page 2 and on page 117 should have been credited to Tim Farmer. Pilot regrets the error. — the Editors
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.
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