Letters from our January 2021 issue

I write this on Christmas morning before all the commotion of the day begins. I just read Julie Summers Walker’s article “Rubber Band Man.” It stirred up many fond memories. It has been a long-standing tradition in our aviation-centered family to give flying toys to the kids on Christmas morning. Six years ago, my father, on his last Christmas, taught my grandson how to fly a rubber-band airplane (see photo, below right). My family has been heavily involved in aviation since 1928; Dad was a flight instructor much of that time and taught most of us to fly. The family says my grandson is “Dad’s last student.” Thanks again for the article and memories.

Louis Hudgin
AOPA 720500
Gilbert, Arizona

Dogfight

Ditto everything Ian J. Twombly said, except substitute “toddler” for “dog.” My brother darn near crashed his Mooney when he had his 2-year-old son in his car seat strapped into the co-pilot seat. He was having fun giving his little tyke a ride, until his son discovered he could push on the yoke with his feet. He thought the wild ups and downs were great fun.  

Bob Reiff
AOPA 1243090
Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin

Going high

I needed to write after I read about Dave Hirschman’s Florida-to-Maryland trip (“Pilot Products: Going High”); he said, “the last hour of the four-hour trip would take place after dark, and I was tired from a hectic schedule and had just finished a three-hour drive.” Reading that sentence set off all kinds of alarms in my head. I believe it was time for him to head to the closest bedroom, get a good night’s sleep, and fly this flight when he was well-rested.

According to the AIM: “Fatigue continues to be one of the most treacherous hazards to flight safety, as it may not be apparent to a pilot until serious errors are made.” As an international airline pilot, the last part of that sentence was driven into our heads over and over throughout my career. And I saw it in effect in both myself and my colleagues. By the way, an 85 reading on the oximeter is a really low reading. My physical therapist wife won’t even get her patients out of bed for treatment when their reading is that low. Climbing through 5,000 feet, at night, he probably should have already been wearing the cannula.  

Don Hill
AOPA 1442386
Shoreview, Minnesota

Near miss

I just read Richard McSpadden’s “Safety Spotlight: Near Miss.” Great topic, great article. I agree with everything he said, including the odd altitude idea which I also do, especially if I am just out for a leisure flight. My story: I was out in my CH 701 one afternoon. It was a clear day VFR flight with the usual dose of South Carolina upstate warm-weather haze. This was before the airplane was ADS-B equipped. Off to the south a twinkle near the horizon caught my eye. I had no idea what it was at first, but after a few minutes I gradually realized it was an airplane—in fact, a flight of three RVs heading right at me at my altitude. I guess because they were in formation, or maybe just because they were smarter than me, they had decided to fly with their landing lights on. As a result, I had seen them miles away with plenty of time to recognize a potential conflict.

I think a lot of pilots have, like me, grown weary of buying another landing light bulb and have switched to LEDs. LEDs have much less current draw and a much longer expected life. I guess turning them on around airports, where most midairs occur, would be a compromise. I would have to add it to my descent checklist as otherwise I would forget. Thanks for the great article. Hopefully it will make some folks think a bit and maybe even save some lives!

Dane Smith
AOPA 1367378
Saneca, South Carolina

Human ballast

In the January AOPA Pilot yet another article reminded all pilots of the tragic consequences of risk-ignoring flying (“Guest Editorial: Aftermath”). Once again we learn: Do something stupid, you may die and take others with you.

To my disappointment, a few pages later the “Human Ballast” article regales readers with stories of a “mission-oriented” grandfather who repeatedly violated basic safety rules, risking his life and the life of anyone who happened to be with him. Each story could easily have been the opening sentence in an “aftermath” report. “Witness reported an aircraft spiraling at high speed out of the base of a thunderstorm” or “a young woman was killed attempting to ride the tail of a moving aircraft, the distraught pilot reported the woman was his daughter.”

The author is fortunate he wouldn’t have to raise his hand in answer to the question mentioned in “Letters,” “Do you know anyone who killed himself in an airplane?” 

Charles Cornett
AOPA 614362
Dayton, Ohio

Astronaut in an AirCam

Loved Dave Hirschman’s article on Story Musgrave; what a guy! He reminded me of my dad, who recently passed away. Like Story, he was incredibly accomplished yet humble. When he was not far from departing this life, he was asked how he was doing and he replied, “I am still learning.” Seems like guys like Story and my dad teach us the important stuff by how they live through learning and giving to others. 

Lee Jampolsky
AOPA 928830  
Carmel Valley, California

Circling in the sim

I really enjoyed Thomas A. Horne’s article (“On Instruments”) on circling approaches. I remember doing circles when I was working on my instrument rating and on the checkride, but taking the Foggles off at the MDA on a beautiful VFR day while side-stepping the runway didn’t quite prepare me for my most recent circling experience. Last month I went to Falcon 900LX recurrent (FlightSafety DFW) to upgrade my SIC type to a PIC type, and one of the requirements on the checkride is flying a circle. All of my training approaches were the VOR 4R to Runway 31R at JFK—all at night with the cloud bases 50 feet above the MDA. Thankfully the autopilot in the 900LX is excellent and we were able to draw a three-mile ring around the approach end of 31R (our tolerance is 3.5 miles) and, as long as we’re within that ring, we’re good to go. It’s more an exercise in management than airmanship.

Elliott Cox
AOPA 7315160
Clover, South Carolina

We welcome your comments. Send letters by mail to Editor, AOPA Pilot, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701 or by email ([email protected]). Letters may be edited for length and style before publication.

Hangar Talk

“Even after having spent a few years living and going to school in Florida, my relationship with the Keys, that chain of islands at the far southern end of the state, was pretty much nonexistent. They seemed a world away, which they are in more ways than one,” says Senior Content Producer Ian J. Twombly. “My first trip there was a quick weekend jaunt for some diving; a second was for a stop at customs flying GA up from Cuba; and finally, to meet an aircraft owner who trailers his Kitfox for a story we ran in our Destinations issue a few years ago. Each time I’ve loved the restaurants, the people, and—most of all—the feeling of being in the islands without needing a passport.” See “No Passport Required”.

“Choosing Chicago as a destination was cheating,” says AOPA Vice President of Publications and Editor Kollin Stagnito. “I’ve lived in Chicago since I was 10 and have eaten thousands of Chicago-style hot dogs and pizzas. My first flight lesson was at Chicago Executive Airport [PWK] when it was still called Palwaukee Airport, and in 1991 I purchased a well-loved Cessna 150 to fly back and forth to work between Palwaukee and DeKalb Airport [DKB]. I still marvel at the Chicago skyline on every flight, but I barely notice the heavy jets flying into O’Hare anymore.” See “City with a View”.

“Several years ago, Dave and I crossed the country in a Waco YMF–5D, ferrying it from Maryland to an AOPA Summit convention in Long Beach, California,” says Senior Photographer Chris Rose (on the ground at right). “Trust me, I remember every detail of that airplane after four days of flying pretty much nonstop.” That biplane is featured in Editor at Large Dave Hirschman’s ode to Moab, Utah (“High Desert Splendor,” on p. 68). And it is also pictured in another Destinations story in this issue on flying Cape Cod. “We walked into the Stick and Rudder Aero Tours’ hangar at Chatham Airport and I said to owner Kyle Takakjian, ‘I know that Waco.’ Sure enough, it was the same one I flew in across the country in 2010 and the one pictured over Moab for this issue.”

“Ever since my husband, two sons, and the cat left Cape Cod in what felt like an Irish goodbye, I’ve wondered what it would have been like had we stayed,” says Julie Summers Walker. “In 1984 we opened a surf shop, Cinnamon Rainbows at the Orleans Rotary. For many successful years we had busy summers and eventually three stores—the original, one near Nauset Beach, and another in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire (which is still there). The reasons for leaving lost in the years. Time flew by and I have been a writer with AOPA for more years than a surf shop owner. Because of COVID-19, Senior Photographer Chris Rose and I drove to Massachusetts, where I expected to be an expert tour guide. Things change. Chris looked at me, exasperated, and said, ‘You really used to live here?’ as I got us lost on small roads to nowhere. On a windswept beach at Wellfleet I burst into tears. Nothing looked the same and it was even more beautiful than I remembered.” See “Natural Wonder”.