Head spinning

I am very fortunate to divide my time between the Northeast and Costa Rica. Our home is a mere 20-minute drive from the Neierhoffs’ operation. Their operation is top shelf! The flights from Tamarindo head out over the Pacific Ocean toward the small towns of Flamingo, Potrero, and Playa Grande. The scenario is nothing short of spectacular and the gyroplanes are lots of fun.

Andrew Elwood / AOPA 3704378
Playa Potrero, Costa Rica

As an American Ranger 1 gyroplane builder and 500-hour sport pilot I thoroughly enjoyed Ian J. Twombly’s fine article.

One minor technical correction: The statement that takeoff occurs at “5,400 rpm on the propeller” should have said 5,400 rpm on the engine (after gear reduction the prop is spinning at less than half the engine rpm).

I also would have added to the list of kit manufacturers SilverLight Aviation in Zephyrhills, Florida, and it would have been helpful to indicate gyroplane training is readily available in the United States.

John M. Peterson /AOPA 2095022
Chesapeake, Virginia

Stall talk

Thanks to Barry Schiff for his thoughts on the never-ending problems with stalls (“Proficient Pilot: Stall Talk,” January 2022 AOPA Pilot). Seems to me that the biggest problems occur when pilots are turning to base and other “descending” aircraft configurations where we are not thinking about the stall/spin potential. We tend to focus on the runway and forget that we have rudder pedals and enter into uncoordinated skids close to the ground with fatal consequence.

A simple solution might be to couple bank information (anything more than 30 degrees) with the turn and bank indicator (ball outside the box) to come up with a stall/spin warning. On the Garmin G5 this would just be some software that could issue an auditory warning when you are skidding into a turn on final. Or in the case of the older indicators, they could be modified to activate the old stall warning horn anytime the ball is outside the box and the airplane is turning into a skid. Thanks for all the great articles.

Jeff Fitzsimmons / AOPA 1042381
Gainesville, Florida

Gus Grissom

Great article by Dennis K. Johnson in February 2022 AOPA Pilot on the Gus Grissom Airport (BFR) (“Airports: Virgil I. Grissom Municipal Airport, Bedford, Indiana”).

For 20 years I was a Civil Air Patrol search pilot, squadron commander, and cadet orientation pilot. We flew both high school age CAP cadets and college U.S. Air Force ROTC cadets. I expected a bit more of the ROTC cadets and when flying Indiana University cadets that I would pick up at the Bloomington, Indiana, airport, I would test them: Who was the U.S. Air Force veteran who was both from Indiana and was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts? You could have heard pins drop, which in a noisy CAP Cessna 172 is saying something.

I would then fly directly to, and circle over, Gus’ museum that is snuggled in Spring Mill State Park and chide them for their lack of historical awareness of this famous Hoosier. I assigned their learning opportunity follow-up to: 1. Go to their commander and confess their deplorable Indiana Air Force knowledge, and 2. Go on their own, drive to the museum, and spend the required time to be fully versed on the history of Lt. Col. Grissom and the credit he brought to Indiana and the nation—notwithstanding his (and my) Purdue University alma mater.

Mark C. Smith / AOPA 932790
Indianapolis, Indiana

Good old days

Good points, Thomas B. Haines, on pulling circuit breakers to verify what you really have when components fail in integrated glass (“Waypoints: The ‘Good Old Days’ Weren’t So Good,” February 2022 AOPA Pilot). My concern with glass dependency is when the standalone backup is not self-powered, is minimal, and/or not practiced with in conditions similar to normal operations. While glass installs can bring incredible reliability and redundancy, they are still dependent on the engineering/workmanship of the installation and the condition of the aircraft’s electrical system. Redundant alternators/batteries will not help if 40- to 50-year-old aircraft wiring decides today is the day to short or open. I have heard total failures recounted that traced back to items as rudimentary as a single bad ground.

Redundancy is good...but attention must be paid to eliminate single-point failures.

Rich Romaine / AOPA 3704182
Hamilton, Virginia

Plain language

As always, I greatly enjoyed the latest edition of AOPA Pilot. Two articles were especially resonant.

First, Natalie Bingham Hoover’s comment urging use of easily understood geographic references (“Flying Life: Towered versus Nontowered,” February 2022). One of the airline factory schools in the area where I instruct carries it to extremes, concocting their own locations: “Southeast practice area, Superschool 4821 point W.” There is a simple ground reference that is clear to every local pilot that could be used instead that coincides with “point W.”

Second, I was sorry to learn of Jim Richmond’s demise (“Safety Spotlight: A Tribute to Jim Richmond,” February 2022). I was lucky to do a fair amount of CubCrafters transition training a few years ago. They are superb airplanes that went far beyond their Cub legacy. It’s too bad that the FAA’s arbitrary rules about light sport aircraft forced them to indulge in a little bit of deception: “If you built this as a kit, gross weight would be 1,850 pounds, but since it’s a factory airplane, you’ll never exceed 1,320 pounds, right?” Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

Bob Feugate / AOPA 713394
Mesa, Arizona

Giving back

I was Inspired to write after reading President Mark Baker’s “Presidents Position: Giving of Our Time,” (February 2022). I am 78 and the clock is running faster, so I decided to share my thoughts with my fellow pilots. I’ve been blessed and want to give my thanks long overdue to my physics professor who made the following statement just before a final exam: “Anyone who gets an A on this exam, I will take for an airplane ride.”

Never having been a great student, or even a good one for that matter, I was inspired. Study I did, I got my A, and I shared the hour-long ride near the Buffalo Airpark. I sat in the rear seat of a 172 and my head was on a swivel, left, right, panel. Upon landing I scooped up as many “Learn to Fly” brochures as I could. I read and reread these brochures until they fell apart.

I made a promise to myself that after I graduated and got myself a decent job I would learn how to fly. I learned from one of the best in my area of Corning, New York, Joe Costa, bought and helped rebuild a Piper PA–12. I was blessed indeed.

I don’t fly anymore, but looking back I have owned two beautiful Cessna 170Bs, a PA–12, and three sailplanes. I got my CFI-G, flew towplanes, gave rides, and instructed. Thank you, Professor Phil, my physics teacher, for planting the aviation seed.

Joel Flamenbaum / AOPA 412745
Carson City, Nevada