AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2025 - 16

LETTERS
California, with Mission Aviation Fellowship.
My family and I needed more experience and so
were not accepted at that time. While Jim and
his family were qualified and happily accepted,
they instead chose to go back to Yakima and fix
Super Cubs. And, as they say, " the rest is history. "
Jim called me in the summer of '81 or '82 and
said he had bought a rebuilt Super Cub with floats
north of me at Park Rapids, Minnesota. He asked
if I could fly the airplane here to Clear Lake, haul
the floats down, annual it, put it on the floats, and
ready it for his arrival. I said of course, and he flew
the airlines into Minneapolis where I picked him
up. He stayed with us over night, and early the
next morning we had breakfast, and he told me
he had no float time but plenty of Super Cub time.
He asked if I would give him some float time, so
we flew together. So, it was with great enjoyment
and a happy memory I enjoyed the pictures and
your article covering this great airplane and
thoughts of the man who dreamed of it.
Craig M. Lieberg
Clear Lake, Minnesota
Rudder Shy
I loved Barry Schiff's article on the use of the rudder
( " Rudder Shy, " September 2024 AOPA Pilot).
Often, I watch airplanes taking off with the right
wing hanging down. When I used to give flight
reviews, I would rest my right foot on the rudder
pedal. It rarely moved. I would ask them to
do Dutch rolls, they'd never heard of them. Even
after I demonstrated them, they were unable to
coordinate the rudder. These folks will be in trouble
if they ever encounter a really stiff crosswind
and have to land. Thanks for the stories.
Gary Holden
Upland, California
Barry Schiff's article " Rudder Shy " was quite
interesting. I flew the F-100 Super Sabre, and
adverse yaw was so prevalent that you could
raise the nose a little and push in a little rudder
and the plane would make a very nice aileron
roll with no aileron input. Without use of rudder
in a high angle of attack, slow airspeed
situation, the airplane would roll opposite the
aileron input.
Ken Ramsay
Solon, Ohio
Diminished Value
J. Mac McClellan is right to ask the FAA
to put proficiency back in the 61.58 checks
( " Diminished Value, " October 2024 AOPA
16
AOPA PILOT / January 2025
Hangar Talk /
Author Julie Boatman first saw the Boulder Municipal Airport
(BDU; formerly IV5) in 1991. Having just turned 20, she walked
into Dakota Ridge Aviation to complete her commercial and
instructor certificates. Owner John Weisbart ( " Mountain-High
Aspirations, " on p. 64) started his aviation career as a glider tow
pilot at the Cloud Base at 1V5 back in the 1960s, and served as
" mother hen " and mentor to Boatman, instilling in her a deliberate
approach to flight. Now, 30 years later, Weisbart and Boatman-
with thousands of hours tallied in their collective logbooks since
they last flew together-settle into familiar roles. During the first
photo flight, the V-tail Bonanza fell easily into hand, with familiar
numbers and control feel. They took turns at flying position off Steve
Zimmerman's Diamond DA62, then adjourned to the Parkway Diner
following the first flight to debrief.
Pilot, Turbine Edition). The Part 142 policy
change seems to be nothing more than change
for change's sake. There appears to be no
adverse flight safety trend that the new policy
was designed to counter. There also appears
to be no anecdotal evidence of a safety issue
that justifies the additional day (and resulting
expense) of simulator work or the change in
the objective of the 61.58 to be proficiency, as
McClellan correctly notes. The industry and
the FAA should continue to take cues from
the Part 121 world where, absent a different,
approved training program or AQP:
14 CFR § 121.441 (e) If the pilot being checked
fails any of the required maneuvers, the person
giving the proficiency check may give additional
training to the pilot during the course of
the proficiency check. In addition to repeating
the maneuvers failed, the person giving the
proficiency check may require the pilot being
checked to repeat any other maneuvers he finds
are necessary to determine
the pilot's proficiency. If the
pilot being checked is unable
to demonstrate satisfactory
performance to the person
conducting the check, the
certificate holder may not use
him nor may he serve in operations
under this part until he
has satisfactorily completed a
proficiency check. This proficiency
check standard works
well in the airline industry and
should be the same for Part 91
or Part 142.
J. C. Buehler
Carmel, Indiana
Send your letters to pilot@
aopa.org. Letters may be
edited for length and space.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2025
