Flight Forum

Budd Davisson's article "The Art of the Touchdown" (August 2007 AOPA Flight Training) was interesting and useful, but I thought it contained a gaping omission if my own experience has any validity.

He did not say a word about adding a touch of power if, just before touchdown, you find yourself either beginning to balloon, a bit too high and dropping fast to the runway, or floating too long and inviting a hard plop-down. I was in one or the other of those situations several times during my pilot training, and I remember being complimented by my CFI more than once for "recovering nicely" from what threatened to be a bad landing or the need for a go-around.

I've had my private pilot certificate almost two years now and resort to a power input to stave off embarrassment or worse much less frequently. But knowing that I have that option gives me a sense of security, especially when I have plenty of runway to play with (Bremerton and Tacoma near Seattle are both more than 5,000 feet). Admittedly, extending the flare with a power addition on a 2,000-foot runway could pose a problem.

I think Mr. Davisson's article would have been more realistic and complete had he at least mentioned this option.
Dean Claussen
Bellevue, Washington

Great weather articles appreciated

I just wanted to thank Jack Williams for many great articles on weather. "The Weather Never Sleeps: Heat Exchange" (August 2007 AOPA Flight Training) was also great. Williams defines all his terms, such as latent heat, and explains how supercooled droplets can exist as liquid (none of the other aviation material I've read ever explained this).
Sevim Ablay
Dundee, Illinois

Ammeter not a load meter

For too many pilots, the ammeter or load meter is one of the gauges that are ignored during flight until it is too late. How many times have the radios gone silent before a glance at the ammeter indicated that the battery was no longer being charged?

In "What It Looks Like: Electrical Load" (August 2007 AOPA Flight Training), Mark Twombly states that "If, for example, a total of 10 lights, radios, and instruments are on and working and each draws one amp, the load on the alternator should be 10 amps. That should be the reading on the ammeter or load meter." Yes, the load meter should read 10 amps, but the ammeter should not. The ammeter reads the current that is either charging or discharging from the battery. If the electrical system is working properly, and the battery is near full charge, the ammeter will read slightly above zero. If the battery is less than fully charged and the alternator or generator is functioning properly, the ammeter will indicate the charging amps. If the generating system is not charging the battery, the ammeter will indicate the rate of discharge of the battery.
Walter Kaminski
Mayhill, New Mexico

Mr. Kaminski and several other readers are correct. Ammeters and load meters do not display the same information. An ammeter shows the discharge from the battery. A load meter shows actual current being used or consumed, or the total number of amps being drawn off the alternator. AOPA Flight Training regrets the error.--Ed.

Communication resources

I've been teaching myself ground school while saving up for flight lessons. After reading a few books on VFR communication, I've gotten the impression this is a topic that's often neglected by instructors. Knowing its importance in taking full advantage of a private pilot certificate, I've been looking for as much real-world exposure to tower talk as possible.

I tune in to my local airport with a radio scanner, but traffic there is light. Recently, I've stumbled upon two fantastic Web sites that are exactly what I need. Liveatc.net provides live Internet streaming (and archives) of communication at more than 100 airports around the world. Vatsim.net is a global virtual ATC network that lets you use your personal computer, flight simulator software, and a microphone to actually speak with real people who act as controllers. (You can even become a controller yourself.) These sites are wonderful resources for anyone trying to improve their communication skills.
Yevgeny Binder
Buffalo Grove, Illinois

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