Reader Mail

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 […]

No New Technician Ratings Your headline in today’s edition, “New Aircraft Technician Ratings Proposed” is incorrect (AVwebFlash, Dec. 4). The NPRM is proposing a revision to repair station ratings under FAR Part 145, not to technician ratings under FAR Part 65.Robert Holdridge James Bond’s Airstrip Regarding the air strip in Courchevel, France (Video of the […]

Shorter Runways Are Safer … Michigan Proves It! I read today’s AVwebFlash with great interest. The article about the Martin Co., Fla., airport that wanted to shorten the runway to accommodate noise complaints (On The Fly, Nov. 27) could have been written about our local airport in Canton, Mich., (1D2). This state-owned airport now sports […]

Single-Engine Piston IMC Solid IMC in a single-engine piston is considered a risk (Question of the Week, Nov. 16)? What is the message? Avoid IMC? Fly low, below clouds and hit the ground? Need a twin to fly IMC? If you cannot handle single-engine IMC (including usual failures), then you should not, never, even think […]

PATCO Remarks After reading this week’s AVwebFlash (Nov. 6), it left me wondering if the former PATCO controller has a clue.Coming from someone who hasn’t worked at a non-contract facility for over 25 years, I find his perspective speculative at best.When was the last time he, or any other contract controller worked a midnight shift? […]

100LL Any pilot that wants to continue flying piston GA aircraft should take exception to David Zizmor’s petition to the EPA to remove all lead from avgas (AVmail, Oct. 23). His argument for unleaded and ethanol conversions sounds good on paper but fails the test of real-world operations. Unleaded auto fuel does a super job […]

New York Cirrus Accident Analysis Regarding the Lidle accident, the Oct. 16 AVwebFlash stated that, “Some analysts suggested gusty winds blowing between the Manhattan skyscrapers contributed to the accident, but winds were out of the east and Manhattan’s skyscrapers were to the aircraft’s west.”Wind certainly did have a lot to do with the Lidle accident, […]

Solar Flares Your story says, “Right now that’s not a problem because the sun is in a quiet phase, but it’s expected to get active again in 2011,” (AVwebFlash, Oct. 2).I believe that, if you check sources, you will find that we are now in a period when activity is increasing and will continue to […]

Crash at Lexington The tragedy at Lexington offers insight to a couple of areas (NewsWire, Sep. 11). The FAA can make rules in a knee-jerk reaction, but has a hard time spending the money to follow them. The FAA wants to staff to traffic, whatever that means. It should staff to safety. Which is what […]

Cockpit Security No matter what technology may be employed to bar unauthorized entry to the “front office,” rest assured that it will be challenged by innovation on the part of the terrorists (AVwebFlash, Sep. 14). I wouldn’t be surprised to see contacts that can foil retinal scanners and gloves that can do likewise to fingerprint […]