Flight Training - July 2024 - 5

LETTERS
FLYING SOLO
I joined AOPA in 1974 and have been an avid reader of all things aviation for 50-plus
years. I particularly enjoy when a piece is written in a manner that speaks to the reader.
A connection is formed through the written word, and when one finishes the article,
they feel as if they've just completed a conversation with the author on that topic.
I've taught aviation " on the side " for a good part of that 50 years just because I
loved it. Sadly, now that I am retired, I no longer teach. It seems that many entering
aviation are driven by what they perceive as an easy way to make a good paycheck,
want to receive that paycheck by next year, and have little interest in what was once
called " The Right Stuff. " Their curiosity is with the panel electronics connecting with
their iPad and phone and have the electronics perform for them the magic of flying,
and they want that experience today. I know that's not representative of everyone currently
entering aviation, but it was too many for me.
That brings me to Sarah Deener's article " Flying Solo " (June 2024 Flight Training).
It spoke to me, connected with me, and left me feeling as if I'd just met a real pilot at the
airport while putting the trainer back in the hangar. You are the generation I trust to
carry forward the silk scarf, goggles, and " The Right Stuff " in aviation. You are a career
student of aviation with drive and desire from within. I know you will still be striving to
be an even better aviator decades from now. I know that because of the last sentence. You
are a pilot, and a pilot with the mindset that will one day have you be counted as among
the best. Blue skies.
Steven M. Romano
Walnutport, Pennsylvania
I just opened my June issue of Flight Training. I received my private pilot certificate a
year ago but still read the magazine because I enjoy all things related to student pilots
and their experiences. I absolutely love Sarah Deener's perspective on solo flight! I look
forward to your articles in every issue, but this one really stood out to me. Well said!
Keith Stone
Washington, Utah
LIFELINES
" Lifelines " in the June 2024 issue of Flight Training is important. During our private pilot
training, most of our flights are in good weather. We learn in our ground school about
pireps, but most students just see them as one of the zillion things we " learned " and
don't realize their true utility. It is only after years of flying in the national airspace,
especially in marginal and IMC conditions, that the importance of pireps becomes real.
Adam Schneider
Hutchinson, Kansas
FLY DC
You have an error in " Fly DC " (May 2024 Flight Training). The PIN is confidential and
should never be included in electronic documents and certainly not a flight plan. It is
only used to file a FRZ flight plan. If your PIN is compromised, you will be in a world of
trouble with any combination of three letter agencies you can imagine.
Bob Thompson
College Park, Maryland
We welcome your comments. Please email flighttraining@aopa.org. Comments will be edited for
style and space.
FLIGHT TRAINING JULY 2024
5

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Flight Training - July 2024

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