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Regarding your article "APA Uses Continental 61 to Support Age 60 Rule": Scott Shankland's comments are biased and not founded in fact or reality. The referenced pilot could have just as easily been under age 60 and died of a heart attack. Many do. The causes related to heart attacks are tied to genetics and physical fitness, not age. Depending on the individual, one may live a very long life without any
heart condition. It is not related to age.
In your article, you stated the FAA had changed the age 60 limit to age 65. Not true. Congress made the change after we lobbied them for more than a decade.
Also, I'd like to know why you interviewed a pro-age 60 pilot but failed to give equal coverage to pro-age 65 pilots?
Actually, we did not ask for age 65 as the new retirement age for airline pilots in the legislation. In fact, we asked for, and got written into the legislation, that pilots could retire at their individual social security retirement age. Thus, there would have been no fixed age for retirement — we believe a fixed age is wrong. However, Sen. Stevens came out of conference one day about four years ago and said he could not get consensus so he was changing the age limit to match the ICAO's standard of age 65. That's how we ended up with age 65 — not because we asked for it.
Stan Sutterfield
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Has anyone suggested that transient pilots be offered a national pass so they may use all of the airports listed to alleviate this bottleneck to pilots and airport officials? By "national pass," I mean the individual pilot would be submitted to a background check, including fingerprinting, and if the pilot passed, he or she would be issued a document to come and go at will. I am a corporate pilot who has to go to many different airports, and to be required to get the ID badges they mention seems ridiculous.
I did the procedure to gain access to the "DC 3" airports, and it seems like the right idea to solve this act.
James Galbraith
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We at Flying were pleased to see AVweb report that our magazine has joined the Bonnier Corp. team. With nearly 50 special interest titles, Bonnier is in a unique position to understand Flying's mission and its audience — readers who, simply stated, are passionate about flying. Indeed, Bonnier, with its long and keen experience in enthusiast titles, and Flying, the world's foremost newsstand aviation magazine, are nothing short of a perfect fit.
While it has not been previously announced, we are happy to report that Bonnier has retained the entire staff at Flying, including our lineup of popular columnists. So the September issue of the magazine, the first that will be published under Bonnier's stewardship, will represent not a fresh start but a continuation of an 82-year legacy of excellence. We expect that tradition to flourish under Bonnier.
Despite tough times for the industry, we at Flying are confident in our shared future. And we are confident that our new place as a part of an impressive media team at Bonnier will allow us opportunities to grow the magazine and its online component while remaining faithful to our mission, to provide pilots with the kind of incisive and insightful content that keeps us all in the know.
Robert Goyer
Senior Editor, Flying
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Two pilots find themselves in icing conditions and they begin discussing "their prior experience with icing." How is that "extraneous conversation"? To me, that sounds quite relevant, "operationally pertinent," and far from extraneous. Sharing experience could have saved the day. Unfortunately, in this case, according to the NTSB findings, there was little to no experience to share, things happened very quickly, and, together, the two pilots did not have enough experience to handle the situation successfully.
Jim Oeffinger
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Letter of the Week: Tucker's Lesson One for Us All
First, congratulations to Sean Tucker for a successful forced landing. His candid interview and willingess to tell his story about running short of fuel has done aviation a great safety service. Wide publicity by such a famous pilot will make everyone more aware of the consequences of running out of fuel.
I will add a personal footnote to this story. According to my log, it was October 18, 1962, during an ovenight stop in Fernie, in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, on my way to Comox, B.C. in my Luscombe 8E: I filled the tank immediately upon landing to be ready for an early-morning take-off.
I developed the habit of sticking a finger in the tank before every flight, thanks to advice from my wonderful long-departed flight instructor, Charlie Graffo. Imagine my surprise when I stuck my finger into the Luscombe's tank that October morning and found no evidence of gas. It took another check with a stick of wood to convince me the gas was gone. Someone had drained my tank during the night. Imagine my predicament had I proceeded into the mountains with a couple of gallons or less of fuel. In this day of high-priced gas, this is a point to consider.
Joe Scoles
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I own and fly an AMD Zodiac CH601XLi that I bought new last June. I'm also a member of the Zenith Builders Analysis Group, the independent group that the NTSB cited as doing engineering studies of the airplane. I've put over 150 hours on my airplane since I bought it.
Am I concerned? Yes. Am I going to quit flying it? No. I've been taking several actions that I believe minimize the risk: I regularly test my aileron cable tensions, I check that there is tension on every preflight (easy to do), I keep it in the green arc except for absolutely smooth air (and will probably keep it there even then, now), and I slow down to maneuvering speed in more than slight turbulence.
Aviation is all about managing risk. We can't eliminate it, no mater what we do. I believe the measures I take will reduce the risk of aileron flutter well below the risk that I'll do something stupid like run out of fuel or continue VFR into IMC - and I take active measures against those risks, too.
If Zenair and AMD come out with a modification to resolve the problem, I'll do it. Until then, I refuse to worry about it beyond what I've already done.
Jay Maynard
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I am a long-time pilot and co-own a Bellanca Viking. This aircraft, with my partner at the controls, encountered a large bird shortly after departing Montgomery County Airport (GAI) April 5. We are all very fortunate that Jean Yves maintained his composure and managed to bring the aircraft back safely, a very impressive feat, considering the circumstances!
We all are, of course, very aware of the consequences of bird encounters, especially since Capt. Sullenberger's experience. Now the FAA is telling us that birdstrikes are indeed happening more often these days. It's not our imagination!
Now that this has been brought so close to home, the confidence that my family and friends had when flying with me has been badly shaken. I have to admit that it has shaken me as well.
Is there more that we can learn about the migration of these large birds, and is it at all predictable? Also, perhaps it's time to try to convince our government that something has to be done to trim the ever swelling goose population. The TSA is charged with regulating aviation security and does this with ever-broadening strokes. Nobody seems to get that these birds pose as big a threat as a terrorist might. After all, they managed to bring down an Airbus in the middle of a huge city.
Steve Tobias
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I have only one thing to say regarding the ruckus JetBlue's big wig campaign is causing in our industry. General Aviation (and the NBAA in particular) need to get over themselves. The advertisements are pointed at corporate wonks who are having their use of private jets cut back and not general or business aviation. The ads are not likely to affect our sector of this industry. The damage has long been done by the numbskulls from the Big Three automakers. If you want to vent on someone, I suggest you start at the source.
This message has been brought to you by an employee of a full-service FBO whose business depends heavily on the very clientele these ads are geared to. The difference is, I have a sense of humor.
David Auts
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George Wright wrote: "The inoperative radar altimeter was incidental to this crash, which resulted from three trained pilots all failing to note air speed falling below minimums — a minimum need-to-know to be called an aviator."
To which Russ Niles said: "C'mon, George, that's like saying cause of death was heart failure and failing to mention the knife in the patient's chest."
Clever retort, Russ, but bad analogy. I'm with George on this one. A better analogy would be that AVweb reported the cause of death was a cheeseburger, ignoring the fact that the victim knew he had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, weighed 300 lbs., neglected to take his prescriptions, and never exercised. What you reported was simply the proximate cause, the last link in a chain of neglect, but hardly the only or even primary "cause" of the crash. In fairness, you allude to what will probably reveal the real cause: the CVR tapes.
An infected toenail is rarely life-threatening, unless you are ignoring your diabetes.
Chip Davis
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Although AOPA and certain Cessna aircraft owners consider the new FAA interpretation of the definition of "current" as a good thing, I believe that this is not the case. As a NDT inspector at a repair station that performs "invasive" inspections of Cessna 441 and 425 aircraft, I can attest that the "invasive" inspection program has turned up some serious issues. A partial list would include: disbonded horizontal stabilizer structure, cracked main landing gear trunions, cracked main landing gear trailing links, cracked cabin pressure bulkheads, disbonded wing spar webs, cracked nose gear trunions, cracked horizontal stabilizer attachment bulkheads, and corrosion issues that would not normally be detected in the original inspection program.
There is a valid reason for performing the inspection. While a few owners feel that it is worth the risk to save the money that these inspections cost, most should feel that it is a potential saving in the large investment of their safety and finances.
Leonard Lentz
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