AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 14

LETTERS

FROM OUR APRIL 2013 ISSUE

Training the Best for the Worst
Alton K. Marsh’s story on Coast Guard helicopter rescue training on the Oregon coast
brought out the patriotism of our members.
As a former United States Coast
Guard aviator (1971-1975), it
touched me personally to read
and re-live (if only in print) the
article Al Marsh wrote about
the branch of military service that is oft forgotten, but
has always been there (since
1917)—the USCG Aviation
Branch (“Training the Best for
the Worst”). Marsh captured
my memories—and the true
essence of Coast Guard aviation—of being stationed with
some of the most giving, unselfish, can-do, and distinguished,
yet usually unheralded men in
the world. We were always told,
“You have to go out, but you
don’t have to come back,” and
in the days of being young and
dumb and full of piss and vinegar, we did!
You honored those of us
who flew, who are now flying—
and, most honorably, those of
my brothers who died doing
what they loved “so that others
may live.” Nothing in my life of
60-plus years was more satisfying than seeing that reassured,
thankful look in a person’s eyes
when the huge white, orange,
and blue helicopter with
“USCG” on it swooped out of
the sky and rescued them from
what usually would have been
certain injury or death.
I’m glad you got to see a
tiny slice of what life on the
edge is really like for the brave,
bold, and courageous men and
women now a generation away
from my time doing the same
thing—only better!
Greg Dufresne
AOPA 1326561
Bakersfield, California

14 | AOPA PILOT June 2013

B Y A LT O N K . M A R S H | P H OT O G R A P H Y B Y C H R I S R O S E

DIGITAL EXTRA View

a video of the rescue
training in Astoria,
Oregon.

54 | AOPA PILOT April 2013

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 55

“Thanks for a great article on the USCG
advanced swimmer school. I am good friends
with Senior Chief Biehn and served with him
in the Guard from 1997 to 2001. He is an amazing rescue swimmer; a great friend, father, and
husband; and a great asset to the U.S. Coast
Guard. I am sure the short time you spent with
those guys, you learned a lot about what type
of person it takes to do that job.”
Phil Hartman
AOPA 3962940
Greencastle, Pennsylvania

It is no wonder Survival
Technician Biehn had a difficult
time performing a rescue on
the Yaquina River Jetty when
he was in North Bend, Oregon.
The Yaquina River flows into
the Pacific Ocean at Newport,
Oregon, approximately 90 miles
north of North Bend.

Rationalizing retracts

I n Dave H i r s c h m a n ’s
“Rationalizing Retracts,” he
says one owner said the only
compelling reason to own a
retract is “it looks better than
a fixed gear.” I must be getting old; you see, when I was
a young pilot one tried to conPaul Redhead stantly advance flight skills and
AOPA 7392808
Eugene, Oregon experience. You started flying
Whoops, thanks Mr. Redhead. low-powered fixed gear and
We missed that.—Ed. worked toward a jet.

So I think the most compelling reason to fly a retract is to
gain experience to meet FAA
regulations and be insurable
as you move up the ladder to
more complex aircraft. Indeed,
one of the main reasons the
twin market is so weak is
because those who could
afford to move up do not have
enough retract experience to
be insurable. Another unstated
advantage of retracts is they
are much safer in an off-field
landing, especially over water
or soft ground, where fixedgear craft almost always flip.
Paul Walter
AOPA 856831
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Hav i n g ow n e d my 1 9 7 7
Cardinal RG for 27 fun-loving years, I felt compelled to
paint a more positive picture
of retracts, and the Cardinal
RG in particular. As I love to
fly, I throttle back to about 55
percent power, best economy.
Solid as a rock, less noise, less
vibration, engine appreciates
it, and I burn about 7.5 gallons per hour to boot (as per
the manual). Maintenance can
occasionally be more costly
with the gear, but often a gear
swing is the only additional
labor expense. Insurance this
year will cost me exactly $889.
Bottom line: retracts forever!
John Tillison
AOPA 573954
Sacramento, California

Going pilotless
When I read “Proficient Pilot:
Going Pilotless,” I thought I
was going to have a heart attack.
At some point, the phasing out

http://www.aopa.org/pilot

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2013

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