Top Letters And Comments, May 17, 2019

0

A Hanger By Any Other Name

Paul has encapsulated the private aviation hangar, found almost anywhere in the world, perfectly. Indeed, his descriptions surpass that which pictures could provide. It took me back, from the elderly cylinders to cans of paint and solvents, long-forgotten magnetos, maybe a bent prop in a corner, a box of rusty spark plugs, and the ubiquitous radios long since replaced by modern equipment.

Many thanks indeed.

Roger Lishman

Great hangar story by Paul Berge. Very enjoyable and anybody who has had a hangar for a long time can relate to this. Thank you.

RC

Electric Aircraft

I saw a recent video of your coverage of a beautiful electric powered aircraft at a German aircraft convention. While most of us appreciate new technology that makes sense and makes improvements to flight, the electric power topic is somewhat baffling. I have some questions/comments, and maybe these things can be addressed for future discussions.

1. In flight aircraft fires are one of the most deadly potential scenarios a pilot has to deal with.

2. Tesla has been having problems with vehicles on the GROUND experiencing fires. How can we have confidence in electric powered aircraft, knowing these realities will create a catastrophic situation should a fire happen during flight?

3. The standard, horizontally opposed piston or Radial aircraft engine is tested, refined, efficient and reliable? Why would the industry move away from that?

Thanks.

Jeff Leverence

John Wayne Airport to Get Improved GA Facilities

Please note that every one of the proposals the County is considering for the “Improved GA Facilities” at KSNA involves fewer parking spaces, hangars, covered tie-downs, and open tie-downs for local GA airplanes. The Improved GA Facilities they’re talking about are improved for the FBOs and charter operators both locally-based and itinerant, and are a bad deal for local pilots of small airplanes currently parked at the airport.

At one time, there were over a dozen airports in Orange County, but over the years, we have been whittled down to now only two: SNA and Fullerton (KFUL). For pilots who live in the southern part of the county especially, the drive to Fullerton or other area airports is a really long way to go in our famously lousy traffic on the freeways, and SNA is the most convenient place. The wait list for a hangar at SNA is now measured in decades, and you pretty much have to wait for somebody to die to get one. At Fullerton, the hangars are now full, and there is no room to put more in, so the wait list there is about to start growing.

It seems over the years that the “little guy” has been systematically chased out of the airport, and this program is no exception.

Michael Jesch

Boeing 737 MAX

Are you kidding me! The roller coaster technique to save a plane load of passengers from death in a modern-day airliner all because of Boeing and the FAA’s failures. Give me a break. How about the protest technique…where passengers refuse to fly on Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft.

Jerry Harrington

At the start of my pilot education in 1971 our Beagle Pup had a simple spring-loaded stall-warning flap on the front edge of both ails alerting the pilot to take immediate action to prevent stall.

Boeings fatal decision seems to be seen to the tendency towards autonomous flying planes, like today’s cars like Tesla and others. Unless MCAS is safely safe and fails are to be excluded and the sensors be controlled at any speed and time, any plane builder should stop installing it.

The other point is how Boeing was handling the disaster in responsible manner is so catastrophic that I have lost any confidence in that company forever. Boeings attitude is the MAIN PROBLEM.

Peter W. Rohr

Lots of news is going around about the MAX 737 these days. Does anyone expect its problems reach the history of accidents of the airbus A 320? No, I for one hate to see anyone hurt or to be in an aviation accident, and yes Boeing has a lot of “splaining” to do. I hope this happens soon. BTW, I had 2 flights on a SouthWest 737 MAX A/C. Absolutely loved it. Right after that, had two flights on a A320…never again.

Martin Winger

Retiring Honeywell’s Convair 580

While flying for United Airlines as a Convair 340 registered N73102, the airplane made a forced landing near my home in Saugus, California December 30, 1964 with both engines stopping due to fuel exhaustion. See https://www.westin553.net/ac14.htm#n73102 for the story and some photos of the forced landing. After the excellent “dead stick” landing by Captain William Wade, United Airlines mechanics repaired the airplane and flew it out of the field for full repairs.

If anyone has an image of the takeoff from the field, I’d very much like to add it to my homepage.

Larry Westin

LEAVE A REPLY