AVmail: Dec. 25, 2006

Editorial Staff

Monday, December 25, 2006 at 12:00 AM

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Readers criticized Latin American ATC systems in the 1970s as corrupt and inadequate, contrasting them with the excellent U.S. system, and noted the irony of receiving costly invoices for poor service.
Concerns were raised that Goldman Sachs' potential acquisition of Raytheon Aircraft could lead to outsourcing manufacturing to low-wage countries, driven purely by investment returns.
The choice of IFR charts for private pilots is often influenced by personal cost, leading many to opt for more affordable options like NACO paper charts.

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It’s A Jungle Down There

Mr. Deakin is too kind (Pelican’s Perch, Dec. 10).My comments regarding the Latin American ATC system during the ’70s would be unprintable. I filed instruments only when I absolutely had to because the system was so corrupt and inadequate it scared the bejesus out of me. There were a lot of wrecks but the only ones that made the news were the ones involving major air carriers.Merv Gragg

Amen, bro! Excellent article! The U.S. has the best ATC system in the world. One thing, though — these countries that have their broken-down and non-existent ATC and communication system always manage to send you an immediate and costly invoice for their services!John Davis

Sale of Raytheon Aircraft

I have a dreadful feeling that if Goldman Sachs buys Raytheon Aircraft (AVwebFlash, Dec. 11) the entire operation will be shipped to China or some other low-wage country. Goldman Sachs isn’t interested in building airplanes; they run investments for wealthy hedge-fund participants whose only interests are large-percentage return on investment.Larry Simmer

IFR Charts

My answer to this week’s Question of the Week (Dec. 21) reflects what I’d prefer to use. What I really use is different; since it’s coming out of my pocket and I’m not independently wealthy, I actually use NACO paper charts.William Mills

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