AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - 16

LETTERS
earned full standard airworthiness certification. The last
gyroplanes so certified, half
a century ago, all had fully
articulated three-blade rotor
systems, and cannot legally
be flown with only sport pilot
gyroplane privileges. The Air &
Space 18A and McCulloch J-2
are long out of production, but
a few remain in service, and
are the only fully certified
gyroplanes to go into serial
production since the 1930s.

"Filming the Catalina episode of Beyond Proficient was a 'full
circle' moment," says AOPA Air Safety Institute writer ALICIA
HERRON, of the educational video that accompanies "ISLAND
ADVENTURE," which begins on p. 68. "We unintentionally rented
the airplane I flew for my first solo, and introducing a student
pilot, Soyla Flor, to an airport I'd flown with my own instructor was
unique." Despite the notion that it's always sunny in California, the
AOPA crew had to postpone the trip twice because of weather.
"When we finally made it out there, the rainstorms had cleared
the air and made the visibility the best it had been all month. The
aerial tour we gave ourselves around the island was stunning."
When the flight was over, Flor talked about all the places she wanted to go now that she
felt confident in safely operating at more complex fields like the Airport in the Sky.

Jon Stark
AOPA 619553
Castle Pines, Colorado

That's AOPA Senior Photographer MIKE FIZER in the left seat of
Laurence Balter's Cirrus SR22. He's not flying because he's hard
at work shooting the photos and video that accompany JULIE
SUMMERS WALKER'S story "SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW," p.
76. "Neither Fizer nor I are certificated pilots and although in our
combined 60-plus years of flying general aviation aircraft and fits
and starts of lessons over the years we've probably learned and
experienced enough flight to get it done already (I hear you), neither of us took the opportunity to take the controls as offered by
Balter," Walker says. "And it will be something I will regret for the
rest of my life. Why I didn't take advantage of Balter's expertise
and willingness to let me fly over the Hawaiian Islands in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
makes no sense in hindsight." Don't be like me, Walker says. Get yourself to Hawaii and fly
those incredible vistas and landscapes with Balter.

Flock together

I enjoy Barry Schiff's Test Pilot
column each month, but need
to correct this month's column. He obviously has spent
many hours at airports. But,
just as obviously, not very
many in the country. You state
"only the duck can fly" of the
four animals mentioned. Our
free-ranging yard chickens
routinely fly 6 to 12 feet up
into our trees to roost clear
of predators. This is better
than the Wright brothers' first
flight. They also routinely do
scud flying at 2 to 4 feet agl to
beat me to the cat's food dish
when I let them out. Granted,
these are not the factory caged
butterball variety, but do give
credit where credit is due! We
flyers must stand and flock
together.

"It took AOPA Senior Photographer CHRIS ROSE
most of the week, but after we had visited cities, suburbs, small towns, and had flown over
oceans, mountains, and miles of pineapple fields
he declared Costa Rica one of the most beautiful places he'd ever been," said Senior Content
Producer IAN J. TWOMBLY, who traveled with Rose
for "INTO THE WILD," which begins on p. 50. "My
own experience was one of contrasts. The flying
can induce anxiety, but it transports you to places that make Caribbean islands seem
uptight. The animal, plant, and geographic diversity are astounding, and there's no better way to see it than from a small airplane."

Robert Detrich
AOPA 417743
Harrisonburg, Virginia

AOPA Pilot regrets the error.

Send letters by mail to Editor,
AOPA Pilot, 421 Aviation Way,
Frederick, Maryland 21701 or by
email (pilot@aopa.org). Letters
may be edited for length and
style before publication.

16 | AOPA PILOT March 2020

HANGAR TALK

We welcome your comments.

Senior Photographer CHRIS ROSE uses all means of transportation available to him on photo
missions like this ("ORVILLE AND WILBUR WHO?" p. 60). And if his
old AOPA buddies have a pontoon boat he can use as a platform, he takes advantage of it. Former AOPA technical writer
Bob Knill-who stood up for Rose at his wedding-took the marina's 24-foot Crest pontoon boat into the center of Keuka Lake to
set up for fly-bys. Former AOPA aviation specialist Andy Sable
in his and Knill's Cessna 180 and local pilot Rob Kinyoun danced
across the water-Kinyoun on one float-showing off for Rose's
cameras. It was just like old times: old friends flying together
and planning for libations later after the workday was through.

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2020

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