By PETER M. BOWERS. One of the most memorable airplanes in the U.S. Navy inventory is the little Curtiss F9C “Sparrowhawk” of 1931-36. Aside from its distinctive gull-winged configuration and small size for a contemporary fighter, the F9Cs are best remembered for their unique role as auxiliaries to large rigid airships. They were actually carried […]
Opinion
Don’t blame Bush
The Nov. 26th edition of GAN is the second containing a comment/complaint about President Bush shutting down airspace by imposing a TFR. FYI: It is the Secret Service’s job to inform the TSA of the president’s movements and also their job by law to protect him. TFRs are imposed by the TSA, not the White […]
When hurricanes blow, fly your plane out!
I agree with Michael Gleason’s letter (How Stupid!) in a previous issue. I lived on the Gulf Coast four years, in Key West, Fla., for about two years, and in the Jacksonville, Fla., area more than 15 years. Due to the “possibility” of a hurricane hitting the area, I flew our airplane out of Key […]
Don’t forget common sense and good judgment
My reaction to the letter from Brian Sheets in the Dec. 10 issue (Sport Pilot: A disaster waiting to happen): Before anyone can take the knowledge test or the practical test for a sport class pilot certificate, they must receive logbook endorsements from an authorized instructor. No authorized instructor is required to make that logbook […]
Chill Out
In response to Mr. Sheets’ concerns for “under trained” fixed wing pilots operating in the Sport Pilot category flooding the sky, I must reply, “Chill Out!” The Sport Pilot program is a nice reprieve from an already overregulated industry. Mr. Sheets has already noted how “pilots with many hours” end up NTSB statistics. I recall reading insurance […]
Each aircraft has its own skill level
I would like to respond to Brian Sheets’ comments on sport pilot flight time. If you take out the flight time required for a private license, which includes three hours instrument, three hours night time and the cross-country requirements, you are back to the flight time for sport pilot. The aircraft, such as Cubs and […]
A convoluted mess
I must agree with Brian Sheets of Beaverton, Ore., with regard to a “Disaster waiting to happen” (Letters to the Editor, Dec 10, 2004). I believe that creating two new pilot designations with lower standards and less training, “sport” and “recreational” pilots, was a mistake. In order to make flying available to persons who don’t […]
To restart or idle the engine: Which means more wear and tear?
QUESTION: I’m fortunate in that, in addition to giving glider rides, I’m able to fly the tow planes for a couple of glider operations. The tow planes are CallAir A-9s and Pawnees. All are equipped with O-540s. One of the organizations requires that the tow plane be shut down if the wait for the next […]
Avoiding GPS traps
I just finished reading “Avoiding GPS traps,” in Mark Grady’s December column. I thought that your article and advice were right on the money. In my opinion, the greatest danger with GPS navigation is that most pilots don’t read the manuals that come with their GPS systems. I have several friends and acquaintances who are […]