I read with interest your response to the question “What causes engines to develop less than rated power?” (June 17 issue). May I add one more component? I once had a 180 hp Lycoming in a Piper Cherokee. No matter what I did, this engine refused to burn more than 10 gph. I always flew […]
Opinion
Memories of a grand lady
There’s a lot of excitement at the local unit of the Commemorative Air Force. After almost two years of hard work, its C-53 Skytrooper is about ready to fly and start touring airshows. “”A C-53! What’s that?”” some of you may ask. At the beginning of World War II, commercial DC-1s, DC-2s and DC-3s were […]
Not by the book
I just read your article on low cruise speed on an O-320 powered 172 (What causes engines to develop less-than-rated power? June 17 issue). I’ve been flying over 30 years (5,000-plus hours) and have rarely found a plane that does book numbers. They will, however, do closer to the book if the power is set […]
Lindbergh’s secret
As an avid champion of Charles Lindbergh, I was quick to notice a serious error in Larry Bledsoe’s very good article in the June 17 issue about my personal hero. His many firsts and revolutionary records in aviation are without a doubt enough to place him in the “inner sanctum” of any aviation enthusiast, but […]
To save our airports
We are losing an average of two airports a month in the United States, according to the most believable numbers, while substantial growth of general aviation is being predicted for the next 10 years. General Aviation News wants you to get involved in stopping — indeed, reversing — that disturbing loss rate. We should be […]
Get your medical back after a heart attack
I was interested in the article on getting your medical back after a heart attack (The Doctor is In, June 17 issue). On Feb. 10,1978, at the age of 44, I had a myocardial infarction. I had triple by-pass surgery on June 1, 1978. In checking with the FAA at that time to get my […]
It is worth it to recover a P-38?
Your article concerning the exploration of the remains of the B-29 on the bottom of the lake (Interest grows in B-29 at bottom of Lake Mead, June 17 issue) was of particular interest to me since back in the summer of 1945 I was involved in RTU gunnery training in P-38s out of Santa Rosa, […]
Flying at 14
Come on Meg! Are you so focused on flying planes that you’ve completely forgotten about gliders, ultralights and lighter-than-air aircraft (Teaching the next generation, June 17 issue)? A 14 year old can solo these. Perhaps you truly believe that if you don’t have a stack of radios to twiddle with, you’re not really flying? The average pilot acquires more […]
More tolerance for human foibles needed
In the June 3, 2005, issue, both Dave Sclair (Lost pilots hurt us all, Page 14) and Charles Spence (How did two Cessna 150 pilots cause worldwide hysteria?, Page 11) apparently don’t know that a Cessna 150 is a single pilot aircraft. Although a “student pilot” was also aboard the aircraft that violated the ADIZ […]