Reader Mail

Cell Phones in Airplanes After a recent AVweb article that recommended readers review the material on the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), I followed the recommendation and read the report on Passenger Electronic Devices (PED). The prospect of cell phones on airplanes (now) scares me to death! I hope the PIC exercises his authority […]

Civil Air Patrol I received word from a gossipy type, but one in a position to know, that the CAP has had three very recent C-182 crashes and lost seven or nine members. Also, many pilots are quitting due to their new liability rules. I did not re-up in January ’04 after 30+ years.This is […]

A Few Comments Regarding recent aviation news …1. I have not seen the obvious big plus in the light sport aircraft (LSA) program mentioned anywhere. That is for the new young upcoming pilots. Renting solo a tailwheel or float airplane is just not practical (or available) to the low-time pilot. The LSA program allows a […]

Why Not Evacuate for Hurricane? Thanks for saying this (ATIS, Aug. 19). I was one of the very, very few who moved our plane out of Clearwater (CLW), to Asheville, by the way. Why so few?What really bothered me was the lack of concern by owners about the environment they’d created. Despite us “getting the […]

Where is “Southern Canada”? In reference to the Canadian ballooning accident reported this in this week’s AVweb (NewsWire, Aug. 9) …Being as Canada is just about exactly the same width as the U.S. (“Sea to Shining Sea” about covers it), would American readers accept a news story that said a balloon accident occurred this week […]

AirVenture Cup Race Correction Correction to your article about the AirVenture Cup Race (NewsWire, Jul. 28). Please note that all the speeds are knots, not mph. Someone in the race staff messed up, and there was confusion about it all week.Sam HoskinsRace #22, 1st Place, Sprint Class Oshkosh Pictures I have long wanted to attend […]

Question Of The Week: Are CFI’s Overpaid? Regarding the recent QOTW (July 21)…When one must take into consideration the fact that to be properly insured just for liability, the insurance premium is equal to 125% of the CFI’s salary, they are not at all overpaid to fly with dummies. Then comes life insurance, food, etc.Gary […]

Sport Pilot Praise and Problems This is just a quick note to say thanks for your prompt and positive coverage of the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft rule (NewsWire, July 22).We appreciate your even-handed, yet entertaining style. I check your page daily (or oftener) for the latest and greatest.Stop by for a visit to the Sport Pilot […]

DC ADIZ and the NCRCC I stayed up well past my bedtime to watch the House Aviation Subcommittee hearing investigating the June 9 incident in the Washington Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on CSPAN. The subject of this hearing was the incident involving the governor of Kentucky’s aircraft, which was the target of a scramble […]

Hawaiian Captain That Captain needs to be honored for what he did (NewsWire, June 28). I’m surprised it went over. When Lorenzo was destroying Eastern Air Lines (I flew for Eastern 24 years until the strike), some of the guys said they felt he created an unsafe atmosphere, but the crews were ordered to fly […]