Top Letters and Comments, June 1, 2018

I wanted to clarify some apparent misinformation on what I have heard and read:

(1) The .50 caliber machine guns in the wings are FORWARD facing. One in each wing. They were simulated, not real. The gun receivers with ammunition feedways, barrels and barrel jackets were modeled from the real specs, but the internal parts were designed with a complex computerized oxygen and propane mixing firing system. No rounds, no bullets. Only air pressure and noise.

The gun firing to the rear is of the same type, but is mounted in a revolving turret located in the aft position behind the middle seat.

(2) In the news interview, I had indicated that I was "on the instruments." My reference was to my focus was on the "power indication dials," mainly special attention being paid to the oil temperature, oil and fuel pressures, and cylinder head temperature gauges. When in more vulnerable positions, most pilots pay double attention to those instruments in order to get as early a warning as possible if there might be any trouble developing. The instruments were all in the green when the engine malfunctioned.

(3) This airplane was re-registered and re-certified in the "LIMITED" category after we took possession in the United States. One of the limitations was no night flights and no IFR, whether the pilot was rated or not. I am a instrument pilot with heavy practical experience in extreme conditions from my expeditions to the high Arctic and other remote places.

Lastly, it was devastating to lose this aircraft. Of course, now after this event, I have gone over and over and over in my mind if there was anything else I could have done to save this ship. This was sudden and catastrophic, and we had immediately lost most of our thrust, even before pulling the throttle back to try to bring down the smoke and fire.

It would've been suicide to try to land in the trees. Most are 100- to 150-foot-high Ponderosa Pines closely spaced on rugged these mountain slopes. I did consider a right base to final to a possible landing spot in a wet marsh / swamp. With my DeHavilland Beaver, I may not have given it a second thought, with those high wings and large floats under me. I had practiced extensively and had actually successfully executed it once for the wet tundra of the high arctic before. But with heavy increasing smoke coming into the cockpit, and knowing that these wings are low, gear up, there was a good chance of a cartwheel. I had done my "what if's" already, way ahead of time before taking my first flight in this airplane. I had played it out -- where I would land -- and -- where I would NOT land, if I ever had a problem. So I had already preemptively ruled this out.

Putting that all aside, if I had decided to try it in this particular marsh, if I came in short, or came in long, it would be over immediately. There would have been no room for error. And if I may have risked it myself, there was no way that I was not going to risk the life of my friend and crewmate.

That said, the loss of this airplane is devastating not only for myself, but for the world. We had put so much work and passion into her. There was and is a huge connection. She was a flying museum, a marvel to look at. A privilege to fly. I always felt like it was all a privilege, so this is especially tough.

But now reflecting back on what is really important -- I am alive. My friend is alive. -We are not maimed. We still now both get to see our kids finish growing up, getting married, and all the other great things we all hope for. I'm glad I didn't gamble that away.

- Ron Carlson

Airlines, corporations with active flight departments will have to invest in the training market to ensure a steady flow of trained pilots. The trucking industry has learned that lesson well. The most successful trucking companies subsidize or pay for in its entirety, training new drivers in exchange for a contractual, mutual agreement which the driver guarantees several years of service with said company. Pay, benefit packages, sign on bonuses, etc., are mutually worked out so the prospective driver knows what he will be paid during training, knows his pay scale once hired and has a paid experienced mentor who rides with the new driver integrating them into the company's system. The companies who do not want to make that investment are revolving doors of employment with very little, if any, driver retention. The professional pilot world will have to make the same or similar commitment staring with an applicant as a student pilot, not waiting to pick off the next 1500-hour newly minted ATP from Brand X flying school saddled up with $50K-65K in debt. The problem for all of this is the financially precarious positions the airlines operate in with just a hiccup of fuel prices, and said airline is BK or being absorbed by someone else who is only a few steps from bankruptcy themselves. To get and retain properly trained professional pilots will require an airline to invest themselves in the training market from solo to ATP. It will take a Vashon Ranger to a King Air in Delta livery as an example of training from student to ATP ... with the sponsoring airline taking on the responsibility of training and retaining enough qualified piloting help.

- Jim Holdeman

I've said it here many times, that the future of single engine GA aircraft does not lie with Cessna/Textron. The 172 and probably the 182 will meet a similar inglorious end as the TTX in the not too distant future, leaving only the commercial haulers like the 206 and Caravan in production. Textron is only interested in turbine-based equipment because the profit margins are more to their liking. The future of GA lies with smaller companies that are working to innovate designs and engines that will fit an evolving market. AVweb's recent highlighting of the Vashon Ranger seems to make more sense now than ever, except for the engine choice. Convincing the FAA to update the rules for the LSA category is also more important than ever if America plans to remain relevant in small aircraft design. Europe may be in love with electrics and hybrid designs, but the distances involved in North America make those options doubtful until better battery technologies emerge. A 145-HP Rotax engine could easily support an 1800-pound LSA with the added benefit of not needing the EPA's unleaded avgas which may or may not ever appear.

- John McNamee

I think that minority-focused organizations are probably necessary until the minority population reaches a certain critical mass. Maybe 25% of the whole group. Having been to a number of aviation-focused events (Oshkosh, Sun 'n Fun) and working in the industry, I can tell you that I still observe that about 80% (or more) of pilots are white men. I think non-white males have an edge over female pilots in terms of becoming more common. It's worse out in the maintenance hangar. The rate of female A&P technicians hovers around the 1% mark. Definitely plenty of room for growth there. A support group for those brave individuals is (in my opinion) entirely appropriate. I think a clever name for the group helps. Something like "The 99s," which doesn't toss the minority name or designator into the title.

- David Bunin