AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - December 2018 - 14

LETTERS

FROM OUR OCTOBER 2018 ISSUE

Full circle
Readers reminisce with Barry Schiff's tale of coming home to the Champ
Just enjoyed "Full Circle"-
nostalgic, poignant, and very
personal. Barry Schiff has a
talent to awaken similar memories in the rest of us. My
memories were Champs also,
and were, without looking,
N2673E and N81513. Those
were the days, my friend, and
in those airplanes I learned
several lessons so important
that they helped to keep me out
of trouble for 50 years (so far!).
Thank you again from one of
many whom you reach out and
touch regularly.
Jeff Randolph
AOPA 846864
Grapevine, Texas

Oshkosh challenges

I just read Natalie Bingham
Hoover's excellent article,
"Flying Life: Three Days with
My Brother," about taking her
younger brother to Oshkosh.
Thank you! I made the trek to
Oshkosh right after receiving
my commercial and instrument tickets. I chickened out
and landed at Fond du Lac, but
still had a wonderful time.
Robert J. Fleenor
AOPA 681238
Sapulpa, Oklahoma

Mentors and friends

I cannot describe my joy at
seeing the wonderful story
"Sailplane Magic" about my
longtime mentor and friend
Bret Willat and his family. It
was the first issue I have seen
on time in a long time, as I am a
long-haul truck driver. Bret and
his brother A.J. helped shape
me and others into the people
14 | AOPA PILOT December 2018

FULL CIRCLE
Around the patch and back in time

Pilots often develop a special relationship with the aircraft in which they receive their
early lessons. Such experiences-especially their ﬁrst solo ﬂights-are in some ways
similar to their ﬁrst kiss or their ﬁrst slow dance, thoughts of which almost always elicit
unforgettable and fond memories.
BY BARRY SCHIFF
P H O TO G R A P H Y B Y M I K E F I Z E R

BARRY SCHIFF FIRST SOLOED Aeronca
N81881 on his sixteenth birthday (right)
and commemorated that flight by soloing
the identical airplane (below) 64 years
later on his eightieth birthday.

66 | AOPA PILOT October
66
PILOT October 2018

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 67

After reading Barry Schiff's article in the
latest AOPA Pilot magazine, I can only say that
he's hit it out of the park again. I've been
reading his stories since back in the 1960s and
like a fine wine, he just keeps getting better.

George Thomas
AOPA 875134
Marietta, Ohio

we are through the Explorer
Scouts and as young "ramp
rat" employees. As a teenager I
worked for Karen and Bret as a
line boy and budding mechanic,
working in the shop with A.J.
(who was also a longtime bush
pilot). I learned a lot more than
how to turn wrenches, hook
sailplanes up, or to safely prop
an engine. I learned about life
and responsibility. The right
way to do things was always
the responsible way, whether it
was the popular way or not. My
coworkers and I had gone on to
be airline pilots, Marine Corps

pilots, Alaska bush pilots, and
mechanical and civil engineers. I was working the day
of the accident and watched
his recovery until I left for the

Army a couple of years later.
Volumes of books can be written about him and his family,
with the prankster Karen
making them all laugh along
the way. I don't live near them
anymore but still keep in touch
with social media, and I am forever grateful to them for the
personal time they have given
me and others over the years.
Thank you for this story sharing my friends with the world.
Craig Daniels
AOPA 2131008
Columbus, Georgia

On autopilot

I thoroughly enjoyed
John Zimmerman's article
"Proficiency: Getting Along
With George." Stick and rudder skills are obviously key to
safe aircraft operation, but I
agree that the advantages of
automation in the cockpit are
underemphasized, especially in
primary training. Flying in the
busy Los Angeles basin, there
were times when a simple HDG
and ALT hold gave me the time
to complete checklists, check
navigation, set up frequencies, manage engine settings,

How many different types of aircraft are in your logbook?
1%

1-5

33%

6-10

27%

11-20

16%

More than 20

24%

None

Aviation eBrief poll

24%
33%
16%
27%

http://www.aopa.org/pilot

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - December 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - December 2018