Letters: From our July 2018 issue

I really enjoyed Ian J. Twombly’s article “Snapped Up” in July’s AOPA Pilot. I recently was “snapped up” as well. I was a sheriff’s deputy in Southern California and felt I needed a change. Even though I took a pay cut to make the transition, I have never been happier. The stress of police work could sometimes follow me home, but since flying professionally that’s all behind me.

The job satisfaction I have getting my passengers to their destinations safely is fulfilling. The quality of life I have with family is more than we all expected.

Thanks for putting out a great article. Nice to know I am not the only one out there who took the leap of faith. Don’t regret it for second.

Mike Ramaha
AOPA 4340459
Temecula, California

As a captain for a major U.S. airline I read with interest Ian J. Twombly’s article about the effects of the airline pilot shortage. I have enjoyed a wonderful flying career but people starting out in aviation need to do so with open eyes.

The first issue is cost. I have carried regional airline pilots on my jump seat who owe nearly a quarter of a million dollars in aviation-related student loans. If you are not going to be trained by the U.S. military (as I was), plan accordingly.

The second is technology. Pilots starting now will see the single-piloted commercial transport during their flying careers. The U.S. military, Airbus, and Boeing are all hard at work at this with artificial intelligence and remote monitoring. It will happen—be prepared for far slower career progression than you may have been led to believe.

The third is that the demand for pilots works like a light switch. When the economy turns down it will not matter how qualified you are—there will simply be no airline jobs available. Airlines are businesses; some thrive, some go bankrupt, and others vanish.

This does not mean young people should abandon the dream of a career as an airline pilot. There is no better office view in the world. Just realize that, like all careers, there are risks over which you will have no control. The important thing is that if you decide to become an airline pilot do so because you love to fly.

Guy Wroble
AOPA 3510812
Denver, Colorado

Tuning out

Thank you for the July “Dogfight” discussion on music in the cockpit. I particularly enjoyed Dave Hirschman’s article because it is the view contrary to my own and therefore motivated me to think more about the topic.

In my airplane, I operate in a mode where nothing mutes the music. However, I prioritize ATC communications by way of volume control.

I keep the music at a relatively low volume, and I keep the com radios at a relatively high volume. I can’t recall ever missing a call from ATC because my music was playing. On the other hand, I can remember missing radio calls due to being involved in deep conversation with enthusiastic passengers.

I also treat the music as low-priority in other ways. I don’t turn it on until the departure workload decreases. I also turn the music off at least 10 minutes prior to arrival (usually 20 prior) so that there is no risk of distraction in the terminal or pattern environment.

In terms of being sensitive to the musical tastes of my guests, there was the time I had an “experienced gentleman” in the right seat. Out of respect, I tuned up some majestic ’40s music for him. Only to learn that shortly after takeoff he had unplugged his headset to enjoy the quiet. I listened to his music the whole flight for nothing.

David Bunin
AOPA 1363854
Rockwall, Texas

Up the ranks

To Barry Schiff’s first question about military pilots who rose from private to general (“Test Pilot”), let me add one more.

In late 1947 and early 1948 I was a two-striper assigned to Kearny Field, Nebraska, as a weather observer. A young chap I chummed around with was a fellow by the name of James P. Mullins. We both had very rare Class-A passes, which meant we could leave and re-enter the base at our own volition. All we needed was an OK from our immediate commanding officer.

In July 1948, I went into pilot class 49-B at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. I was unaware that Jim followed me the next month. For some inexplicable reason I never ran into him and had no idea what ever happened to him.

Fast forward to 2012. I was idly looking online at retired Air Force generals, checking on some friends from the ’60s. I ran across this biography on four-star General James P. Mullins. I thought, No, this can’t be my old buddy Jim, but I forged ahead and sent this gentleman a Christmas card. His reply to me was, “65 years is a long, long time.” He sent a photo of when we were yardbirds at Kearney Air Force Base and a photo of how he looks now. We stay in touch now at Christmas time.

Lloyd Herman
AOPA 466160
Sarasota, Florida

Ice pilots

I was so pleased that Mike Collins wrote an article about the Rusts’ skiplanes landing on the Kahiltna Glacier. I was a FAR Part 135 pilot operating out of Lake Hood on floats. I must have made 100 or so trips by that ice strip, but never had the privilege of landing there. We floatplanes would turn around just beyond the approach end of the strip, and fly down the glacier, and cross a relatively low ridge of mountains to the southwest of (then)Mount McKinley and land at alarge lake. We would beach our airplanes there, have a small snack, stretch our legs, and head back to Lake Hood.

I never met Todd or Suzanne, but I knew of them. Sounds like they are doing everything right. Upgrading to Turbine Otters was a great decision.

Keep up the great work. Your magazine’s arrival in the mail each month is an absolute highlight for me.

Walter H. Stevenson
AOPA 825147
Pottstown, Pennsylvania

As both a climber and pilot I enjoyed Mike Collins article “Landing Uphill on Ice.”And as a geology enthusiast I completely agree with Chip Sonn’s comment on the mountains being alive—pushed up by plate tectonics and ripped down by the glaciers he lands on. However, the geologic dates he references need to be adjusted, mightily! The Alaska Range is underlain by large granitic intrusions into Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks with the youngest sedimentary sequences of Cenozoic age. These sediments were undoubtedly laid flat. So, whereas the rocks of the Alaska Range may be up to 541 million years old (early Paleozoic), the mountains themselves can’t be more than 66 million years old (early Cenozoic). That’s millions of years, not billions!

Mike Koerner
AOPA 728635
Ranchos Palos Verdes, California

Several readers wrote to call our attention to the incorrect geological time reference. AOPA Pilot regrets the error.