AVmail: Oct. 22, 2007

Bob Hoover

Just finished watching the short video of Bob Hoover and his Shrike Commander (Video of the Week, Oct. 15). It sure brings back memories of all the times I watched this in person over the years at Oshkosh. It surely is beautiful. I don't know if anyone could ever fill his shoes. Plus he has a personality to match. Thank you for letting us see it again.John Hermann

Cross Border Passenger Manifests

Never heard of such government do-do (AVwebFlash, Oct. 12)! Some pilots do not have computers; or if they do, no access when in Mexico.We as pilots do not need this!!David Worthington

Why didn't the FAA/TSA just add a field to the filed flight plan for a list of passenger names? Then the FAA can automatically transmit the list to TSA, and if there is "hit" from the no-fly list, the pilot will hear about it from ATC before they cross the border.Why not waive the notice requirement from a foreign country if you are returning with the same passenger manifest that you departed with? This is what most of my cross-border trips used to have!Unfortunately, the TSA uses only the name. This is insanity! No wonder three-year-olds have been denied boarding with their parents! Someone should tell the government that it's quite probable for quite a few people to share the same exact name.Ed Brady

Giant Ads Aimed At Passengers Aloft

A friend had this suggestion regarding the ads (AVwebFlash, Oct 10):The signs might be made more fun if they were done in the form of Burma-Shave signs as you approach the airport, perhaps like this:

You were thereAnd now you're hereSafe on the groundSo have a beer(insert beer ad)

Jim Schmidt

Cirrus Bidding for Columbia

Proposal for a Question of the Week:Why do you think Cirrus is bidding for Columbia (AVwebFlash, Oct. 14)?

To eliminate competition;
To get a better nosewheel design;
To acquire a model that has known spin-recovery traits; or
To acquire additional production facilities

Make up your own.Rae Willis

Wake Turbulence -- SportJet

I'd have to disagree with the NTSB when they found that the wake from the Dash 8 was not strong enough to roll the SportJet (AVwebFlash, Oct. 17).I was rolled 90 degrees behind a Dash-7 in 1981. The airplane was behind me on a downwind departure by the time I took off in a Navajo Cheiftan, but I hit the wake just after liftoff.I don't, however, think the SportJet crash was the FAA's fault; it's the PIC's responsibility. The clearance for takeoff can be delayed for separation. That's the pilot's responsibility, not the FAA's.Linda D. Pendleton

Steve Fossett Lost?

Don't you think [Steve Fossett] has skipped the country on purpose for some reason?John Bradberry

Kudos

I have enjoyed your story tremendously and look forward to the next Chapter (A Pilot's History). I talk to the WWII vets regularly at The American Airpower Museum I volunteer at, and I never want the stories to stop.Jeff Ellner