I enjoyed and agreed with Budd Davisson’s well-written article “Own-to-Learn Club” (January 2014 Flight Training). It parallels my own experience of joining three others in forming an LLC and purchasing a Cessna 152 (two were CFIIs and two of us were student pilots). Ultimately the other student and I received our private certificates and have now sold the airplane for the same price we paid, some 12 years ago.
Granted we had expense of ownership, but we also had a great experience, with great flexibility. Flying weather for small airplanes can be hit or miss, so flight scheduling can be tough for larger member clubs.
Davisson mentioned accounting and maintenance scheduling duties required in flying club aircraft ownership as well flight scheduling. We found a free online flight schedule calendar, which worked very well for us, but were never able to find a software package that covered the operation of aircraft ownership (i.e., maintenance schedule and member/owner accounting).
Over the past few years, I’ve called and talked with AOPA, requesting the association consider developing such a package for its members—not as a membership freebie but for sale, such as the medical and legal packages are marketed. (I told them it could be another profit point for AOPA!) I’ve been told several times that they were working on it, but so far, nothing seems to materialize. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait much longer.
David L. Becker
Vicksburg. Mississippi
Editor's note: No more waiting, David! AOPA’s Flying Club initiative is based on extensive research the association conducted over the past several years. It is an ongoing initiative with a mission to grow and maintain a nationwide network of flying clubs. See the website (www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resorces/Flying-Clubs.aspx) for more information and resources for flying clubs.
Mastering the slip
I was wondering why the slip was described as only using full rudder in “Mastering the Forward Slip” (January 2014 Flight Training). Of course to get maximum effect, yes, full rudder would be used. But let’s say a guy is somewhat high (all white lights and then a little more) and would like to get down to at least three whites and one red, but is already at full flaps, engine idle, target airspeed, and things not improving. A forward slip can allow a steeper descent angle by adding drag and allowing the pilot to lower the nose to get the three whites/one red with no change in airspeed and then stabilize from there with a little power. In many cases, there’s plenty of time to accomplish this without having to resort to maximum effort and full rudder—maybe half rudder or less, with coordinated aileron. This would reduce the chances of overdoing it and getting too low from an unnecessarily high rate of descent or steep angle, be easier to control the airplane, and maybe not even be noticed by passengers.
Warren WebbCromwell
Connecticut
Go large, go long
I have continued to receive Flight Training over the years as I enjoy the articles and believe learning is a continuous process regardless of hours in the logbook. I have never considered myself unnecessarily risk-averse, however I do question Heather Baldwin’s analysis in “Around the Patch: Go Large, Go Long” (February 2014 Flight Training).
This is merely my opinion, but her words “loaded his wife and two children,” “entered clouds about 700 feet off the ground,” and “pushing outside comfort zones within the bounds of safety” don’t add up for a 7.5 hour, non-instrument-rated private pilot. The trip to the reunion (landing short and driving) was a good lesson, but to categorize the return in the same light is questionable—especially for a student pilot audience who maybe developing his aeronautical decision making process. Good luck does not equal good ADM.
Jon Hartman
Savannah, Georgia
How it Works
The article “How It Works: Airspeed Indicator” (February 2014 Flight Training) gets an F. Were there lots of blanks from severe editing? Why the same two pictures? This is a lost teaching opportunity—to state the same indicated observed airspeed on different days produces near the same aerodynamic characteristics and same stick feel. That amazing mechanism that duplicates the equation of air flow to calculate true velocity at sea level based on the pressure difference between total and static pressure. There are other things; but, what I see in this article is the reason we rank about last in the world on education.
Byron Miller
Fort Worth, Texas
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