AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2024 - 16

LETTERS
Rudder Shy
I just finished reading Barry Schiff's article
( " Rudder Shy, " September 2024 AOPA Pilot).
I was a check captain for United on the Boeing
747-400 at the time of the incident. It was
about as close to disaster as you could get.
I was tasked with giving the captain the
required line check after the incident. He was
a very proficient pilot, and I can only guess the
reasons this occurred. I have flown three fourengine
aircraft in my 37 years at United-never
have I had an inboard engine fail during any
training or checkrides.
I believe this incident occurred for two reasons:
The insidious lack of awareness that they
actually had an engine failure. They thought
they had a gear problem. The other was the
lack of skill on the part of the co-pilot flying.
Prior to this incident, there was great emphasis
on using automation, to the detriment of stick
and rudder skills.
George W. Johnson
Seattle, Washington
Brass Tacks
I wanted to write a note of thanks for Brent
Blue's article ( " Brass Tacks, " August 2024
AOPA Pilot). Thanks in particular for being
candid about question 18x, the " other illness,
disability, or surgery " section. As a (sometimes
obnoxious) legal stickler, this section
is the one I swallow hard about every six
months-as in, I agonize over whether I really
have to document something as little as the
congestion that I had five months ago. Blue's
bluntly stated clarification that " this is not
what the FAA needs " does help me out on
a conscientious level. That said, I have
reported plenty on my 8500-8 throughout the
years, most recently being a broken arm and
related surgeries.
Jonathan Tack
Linden, North Carolina
Living With Your Airplane
I am really enjoying the " Living With Your
Airplane " series-I hope this becomes a regular
feature. Residential airparks so uniquely
contribute to the American culture, and your
articles highlight this nicely. I hope you can
illustrate some of the interesting ways pilots
integrate hangars into their residences. There
must be some incredible homes out there.
Patrick Carron
Wilton Manors, Florida
16
AOPA PILOT / November 2024
Hangar Talk /
Director of Photography Chris Rose (left) took two trips to
Alaska this year for two of this month's feature stories ( " Wings
of the Iditarod, " p. 50 and " Disneyland for Pilots, " p. 66) and
had the pleasure of seeing the world's busiest seaplane base,
Lake Hood, in its two extremes. In March for the famous sled dog
race, the seaplane base was covered with ice and snow, shrouding
the aircraft and runways in an other-worldly ice kingdom. But even
so, unlike other airports that in the winter seem to sleep, the base
was a hive of activity, especially because of the Iditarod. Then in
June, with mosquitos swarming and the sun staying out for 20
hours a day, the base presented itself differently. With videographer
Josh Cochran, Rose explored the seaplane base and its gravel
runway, remarking that the pace here doesn't change even though
the weather does. " This place just never slows down, " he said (see
" Postcards: Lake Hood Seaplane Base, " p. 46).
The Air That I Breathe
I'm so glad to see Bruce Landsberg write
about oxygen ( " The Air That I Breathe, " May
2024 AOPA Pilot). I agree with his comments
that different folks need it at different altitudes.
I've been using a medical system since
the 1980s. When it became a controlled substance,
it was just an annoyance to get tanks
refilled or exchanged, but not enough to keep
me from continuing the use of it. My primary
care physician wrote a prescription that
reads, " OK to use O2
at high elevations " -as
though I'm going to walk up Pikes Peak. My
Comanche loves cruising at 15,500 feet where
it sips fuel, the air is smooth, and ground
speed varies with the winds aloft. Oxygen
levels are so often above most of the weather.
Mike Dolin
Gardner, Kansas
Erratum
The image used to depict
Kawaihāpai Airfield, formerly
known as Dillingham
Airfield, in the " Action " section
of October's AOPA Pilot
was inaccurate. The image
shows Ford Island, formerly
Ford Island Naval Air Station.
We regret the error.
Send your letters to pilot@
aopa.org. Letters may be
edited for length and space.
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2024
