AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2013 - 14

LETTERS

Bob Schultz
AOPA 934630
Mountainview, California

What might be forgotten in the
debate is that ADS-B is a surveillance tool and the add-ons are
just to sell the concept to U.S.
general aviation. Ian Twombly
might suggest that the main reason to go ADS-B is weather—I
respectfully disagree. The only
weakness in Hirschman’s argument is that I understand that
one reason for the dual systems
is a national imperative because
of 1090 MHz (radar) congestion
in some of the busy heavymetal airspace corridors. In
Australia, we have gone to only
the international ADS-B standard 1090ES, which has added
a safety benefit that the heaviest
TCAS can see GA aircraft without needing translator stations.
We don’t have radar congestion.
I guess the U.S. has the sheer
GA mass to allow it to go dual
systems, and I also guess it is a
great boon to avionics manufacturers—but for me, dual systems
increases the chance of disaster.
Brian Hannan
AOPA 6265302
Emerald, Australia

Classically modern

Tom Haines might want to
check his info source regarding the IO-520 power output
he refers to in his article about
the Bonanza G36 (“Classically
Modern”).
14 | AOPA PILOT November 2013

I don’t believe any of the normally aspirated IO-520s used
in the A36, V35B, and F33 were
rated at 300 horsepower for
takeoff. They were, I believe,
rated at 285 horsepower both
for takeoff and operation at full
throttle and 2,700 rpm.
I think the two-blade propeller
version did have an rpm limitation. The IO-550 is rated at 300
horsepower for both takeoff and
continuous operation (again,
full throttle and 2,700 rpm). It’s
interesting that a lot of pilots
still treat the full throttle and
2,700 rpm mode as though it
were a power setting restricted
to takeoff, and climb, using the
old “25-squared” setting.
Yes, I’m aware that the POH
recommends 25 squared, but
this is not a limitation, and that
2,700 rpm is noisy. I reduce my
rpm to 2,500 until clear of noise
sensitive areas, and then it’s
back to 2,700 until I reduce rpm
for cruise. The throttle remains
full forward until sometime
during the descent, when I
make a reduction to remain
out of the yellow airspeed arc.
It has served me well, and my
IO-550 enjoys very cool cylinder head temperatures, both in
climb and cruise.
Jim Piper
AOPA 1389506
Palos Verdes, California

‘The Aviators’

The Aviators sounds interesting, and I will have to search
it out on iTunes or Amazon!
However, I am a bit perplexed
on the perspective control lens
used to turn what is a RV–8
(tandem seating) into a quoted
“RV–7” on page 74—applied
tongue in cheek and I enjoyed
the article anyway!
Chuck Larsen
AOPA 875384
Grand Haven, Michigan

Whoops, you’re right, Mr. Larsen. Thanks for keeping us
honest.—Ed.

In “GA on TV,” the sidebar to The Aviators story, you
neglected some earlier TV
series  that were produced
around the period that Sky King
was, and which used GA on a
regular basis: Jungle Jim, who
regularly flew around parts of
Africa using a Republic RC–3
Seabee in the late 1950s; Steve
Canyon, based on the comic
strip character about a colonel
in the United States Air Force
from 1958-1960; Whirlybirds,
late 1950s. Based on two pilots
running a helicopter (Bell 47)
charter operation; The New
Bob Cummings Show. Bob was
an avid pilot in real life and used
his Taylor Aerocar in this 1961
series; 12 O’Clock High aired
1964-1967 about a B–17 bomber
group during WWII.

These shows sparked
the interest in flying for
many a child. They did
for me!

Mike Berlin
AOPA 682815
West Hartford, Connecticut

Erratum

In “Test Pilot,” Question 8:
When making a VFR, straightout departure, a pilot should
not make his first turn “whenever he wants” (erroneously
indicated as the right answer).
Pilot regrets the error.
We welcome your comments.
Editor, AOPA Pilot, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland
21701 or email (pilot@aopa.
org). Letters may be edited
for length and style before
publication.

HANGAR TALK

At EAA AirVenture, I asked
everyone I could find why the
FAA does not broadcast all traffic information. The vendors say
it is not a bandwidth issue, but
a policy issue. The representatives at the FAA ADS-B display
did know about the issue. Can
we get AOPA to advocate for the
FAA stop this data embargo? I
think AOPA should use its organizational influence to help
convince the FAA to broadcast
all traffic information.

Formation flying has
jumped the tracks.
Instead of being the
sole domain of military
pilots, the demanding
art is increasingly being adopted by civilian
fliers who welcome the
learning, dedication,
and teamwork that
that goes into it. Senior
Editor DAVE HIRSCHMAN
recently participated in
a three-day Formation
Flying Inc. clinic
in North Carolina
(“PRESERVING A LOST
ART” page 62), and
says, “The most surprising part was the mental
shift. You have to hand
over critical responsibilities to the people
you’re flying with, and
they have to trust you
absolutely. The new
mindset is essential—
and it can be the
hardest part.”  

Catching up with the
Steve Hintons—father
and son—isn’t easy, and
not just because Steve
the younger keeps
winning Reno races the
way his father, Steve,
did. They literally spread
the word about
aviation history worldwide, making it difficult to trap them for
an interview. Senior
Editor ALTON K. MARSH
interviewed the pair for
“STEVE HINTON2” on
page 74. Steve the elder,
a movie pilot, runs a
museum in Chino,
California, where the
warbirds actually fly
rather than sit behind
velvet ropes. Did we
mention he has a
warbird restoration
factory right outside
that is known as one of
the best in the world?
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2013

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