Letters

While we were skiing at Boyle Mountain in Michigan, I was reading the latest issue of Pilot magazine and came across the article about Dave Russell’s Wright brothers collection, in Petoskey (“Fall Flying in Northern Michigan,” by Julie Summers Walker, March 2022). We took a drive to Petoskey and found Dave’s Boot Shop. Like the article said, we asked for Dave, and found him a willing and enthusiastic tour guide. We visited one of the windows in his storefront displaying a life-sized mannequin of one of the Wright brothers. Then, Dave led us down to the Cycle Shop. It was filled with Wright brothers memorabilia, including a replica of a wind tunnel they used to learn how to design props. Dave told stories of many of the items on display. His personal connection with a niece of the Wright brothers (not an aunt) made each story more interesting. Dave was a gracious host, and his knowledge of the Wright brothers was more in depth than we could have imagined. He is a treasure to all of us pilots! Would not have come across this gem, if not for the article! 

Mark Confer / AOPA 1022728
Fort Wayne, Indiana

In the March 2022 article “Take a Giant Step,” Jill W. Tallman writes about Marfa, Texas, “Main attractions are the beautiful weather year-round and the quality of the water found here—there’s no oil drilling or fracking.” The inference is that oil drilling and fracking cause water quality to be poor. This would mean that water quality is poor in most of the state of Texas, western North Dakota, Denver, and areas of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New York. I worked over 32 years in the oil industry as a petroleum engineer with my last position being a completions superintendent in North Dakota. I know from personal experience that the author’s general inference is false. In many areas, the geologic layer being fracked is nearly two miles deeper than the deepest fresh water aquifer. I find it interesting that an article about flying around Big Bend in airplanes fueled by gasoline is denigrating oil drilling and fracking. The price of gasoline in this county has been very low in recent years mostly due to the process of fracking horizontal oil wells. I think AOPA Pilot should stick to writing about what we all enjoy—flying.

Howard Gober / AOPA 4839500
Creswell, Oregon

Nix on V_X

I read Barry Schiff’s article (“Proficient Pilot: Nix on V_X,” March 2022 AOPA Pilot) about engine failure, which brings to mind the crash in Point Barrow, Alaska, in 1935 that killed Wiley Post and Will Rogers.

Wiley Post bought an airplane that should not have been certified. It was put together from two different Lockheeds. Post flew the airplane dangerously. He put too much horsepower in it with a three-blade propeller, which made it nose heavy. Trouble was he always climbed very steep after takeoff. After he landed on the arctic coast to ask a fisherman which way to Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), he did his steep climb. The engine quit due to unporting of fuel and the airplane immediately stalled and crashed, causing a great loss of Will Rogers.

Noel Merrill Wien / AOPA 38860
Bonney Lake, Washington

Aircraft for the Mission

While I understand the criteria (“Aircraft for the Mission: Safety Obsessed,” February 2022 AOPA Pilot) for Ian Twombly’s suggested choices for a “safe” aircraft (including a minimum of four seats), the fact that a large percentage of GA flying is done either solo or with only one passenger leads me to suggest a two-place alternative that’s potentially even safer than the Cirrus SR22T.

Scenario: You’re flying above a solid undercast when your single engine quits. In the Cirrus, what do you do? You pull the CAPS parachute and become an out-of-control passenger until reaching the ground at about 1,800 feet per minute. In an Erco Ercoupe, you gradually pull the yoke rearward to the full-up-elevator position and hold it there. The Ercoupe won’t stall but will slow to an airspeed where it trades altitude for airspeed. In this stable condition, you will descend at 700 to 1,000 fpm, while maintaining full directional control. If you later break out below the clouds and see a good landing spot within gliding distance, you can push forward to best glide speed, and go for a normal dead-stick landing. Otherwise, if you maintain the full-aft-yoke condition all the way to the ground, you still have the 700 to 1,000 fpm descent rate with full directional control, and a forward speed of only about 35 to 40 mph. Half the descent rate, very low forward speed, all while maintaining full control. What’s not to like? I believe the Ercoupe is an underappreciated design which was far ahead of its time.

Phil Raker / AOPA 633937
Manning, South Carolina

I just read Thomas B. Haines’s “Flight Deck Tech,” March 2022 article in AOPA Pilot magazine. Using the recent accident in Grove City, Pennsylvania, as the lead in to express the possible life-saving functionality of the new Smart Glide system really set home with me—both pilots who died in the crash were good friends of mine.
I believe Haines is spot on with his assessment—if they had the “Smart Glide” system it could have made all the difference in the world. —James Brookover / AOPA 654084, Hartville, OhioLooking back, looking forward

I enjoyed reading Thomas B. Haines’ article “Looking Back, Looking Forward” in the March issue. About 10 years prior (1994 to ’96), AOPA helped sponsor my Ph.D. dissertation on the decline of the GA industry and associated impact of excessive liability costs. The research was published in my study “The Crash of General Aviation.” As Haines mentioned, the rising liability costs had a major impact on the industry, but so did major changes in tax laws, the GI Bill, pilot training, and a rapidly decreasing student pilot population. While GARA provided some relief to the industry (primarily Cessna) the price of the “new” aircraft that emerged was very disappointing to consumers.

AOPA and industry manufacturers enlisted the help of the pilot community who had the irrational belief that the post-GARA aircraft would be “cheap” and updated with new technology. Neither wish happened. This outcome further encouraged the growth of the experimental kit market and pressure on the used market. The legacy manufacturers could not make a business case of developing new aircraft or updating their own. This opened the door for Cirrus to enter and dominate the market—albeit, at about 10 percent of the peak 1981 GA market. Apollo and Garmin did the same in avionics leaving King, Collins, and others behind.

Bill Stockman / Dayton, Ohio

Are we there yet?

I really loved Catherine Cavagnaro’s article (“Are We There Yet?”) in the March 2022 issue of AOPA Pilot magazine. It helped me see VX and VY in a new light. Aerobatics has been on my bucket list since a friend let me experience the sweet taste of loops and rolls in his Stearman off the coast of Catalina. Having grown up in western New York, training in beautiful Tennessee sounds awesome.

Michael Duke / AOPA 01010745
Salt Lake City, Utah

I enjoy the thoughtful and mathematical approach to stick and rudder issues, or should I say real flying. I’ve had a few “straight and level” airplanes in my life but find my 2013 Super Decathlon (N715U) brings the joy of flying back.

I spend a lot of my flying time either introducing people to flying or taking up commercial pilot friends and reminding them of the skill required to “fly the envelope.” I have taken quite a few normally trained CFIs up and asked them about power curve flying. Most get the concept but don’t know how to demonstrate reverse command in an airplane.

To me, regardless of loading or center of gravity, I am there when the plane will fly level with the least amount of power possible. All energies are in true equilibrium. Any reduction in power causes a descent and any increase in power increases level airspeed and requires a decrease in angle of attack. From there you can continue to increase pitch and power to stay level, or you can increase pitch while reducing power and descend in a falling leaf if you have good feet, or you can push to a vertical downline and listen to your passenger scream or laugh out loud.

Charles S. Davis / AOPA 01205372
Opelika, Alabama

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