AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2015 - 12

LETTERS
"Barry Schiff's article
in this month's AOPA
Pilot, 'Flying the
B-52' was outstanding (as usual). It is an
informative, wellwritten military
aviation article."
Mike Banner
AOPA 1281885
Gainesville, Florida

are proud to be the first state to
offer a complimentary Airports
App with links to these SOPs
and other vital flight information. I hope to see many more
articles like this one, highlighting the smaller, less familiar
aviation events in the western
United States.
Santiago Guerricabeitia
AOPA 2590303
Boise, Idaho

Broad shoulders

HANGAR TALK

Really! Is there anything left for
Barry Schiff to fly? I once sat in
the cockpit of a B-47. Talk about
"strapping on wings." Schiff's

12 | AOPA PILOT July 2015

VIDEO ExTrA

View the video.

Boeing B-52H StratofortreSS

Broad shoulders
The Stratofortress continues to serve

When the President of the United states needs to wield a "big
stick" and deliver harsh punishment, he has available the Boeing
B-52H Stratofortress, an intercontinental nuclear bomber that
also can carry 70,000 pounds of conventional bombs. No one
thought when this legendary airplane first flew in 1952-a coincidental date-that this weapon of war would have such longevity.
By Barry schiff
photography By mike f izer

76 | AOPA PILOT May 2015

article reminded me of a conversation I eavesdropped on
between a Cherokee pilot and
air traffic control at Westover
Air Force Base in Chicopee,
Massachusetts. Westover was
a major SAC base back in the
day (it hosts a C-5 wing now).
The Cherokee pilot had flown
B-52s out of the base. ATC
was impressed and asked
which bird he preferred, the
BUFF or the GA aircraft. The
guy answered immediately.
"The Cherokee, the B-52 was
no fun to fly!" Glad Barry had
the chance. Someday, I hope

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 77

someone resuscitates a B-36
for him. P.S. That control panel
could use a good cleaning!
Daniel A. Brown
AOPA 1309660
Taos, New Mexico

Air Force role model

What an outstanding aviation magazine. Somehow you
manage to fill every copy with
relevant and interesting aviation articles that satisfy the
broad range of pilots out there
today, and your May issue is no
different. However, in "Pilot
Briefing," you highlight the
accomplishment of Lt. Col.

Merryl Tengesdal being promoted to colonel.
Merryl is the first black
female U-2 pilot. There have
been other black pilots who
flew the U-2 before Merryl,
and Col. Soren Jones (a black
U-2 pilot many years before
Merryl) was not only promoted
to full colonel after having
already served as a U-2 squadron commander and deputy
operations group commander
of the U-2 Group, but was also
given command of the operations group that supported U-2
operations in the Middle East. I
celebrate Merryl's accomplishment (she deserved it and is a
super person).
Jon Engle
AOPA 1108508
Hollywood, South Carolina

Errata

In "Winnebago On the Water,"
May 2015 AOPA Pilot, we
incorrectly placed Churchill
in Ontario, Canada; it is in
Manitoba. 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.

AOPA Pilot Editor at Large DAVE HIRSCHMAN has
flown many impractical pylon racers and sport
aerobats, and he never considered that experience relevant to someday flying a jet. But when
Sonex Aircraft sought an aviation writer to evaluate its single-seat JSX-2, Hirschman's experience in tiny, quick airplanes turned out to be
a plus. "I've always regarded my enthusiasm
for Pitts biplanes and Cassutt racers as a character flaw," he says. "But this time, it actually
worked in my favor." Hirschman and AOPA Senior Photographer Mike Fizer traveled to Moriarty, New Mexico, for a close look at a unique,
glider-based training program designed for aspiring jet pilots (see "HAVING A BLAST," page
50). Hirschman came away with an LOA and insights into the possibilities brought about by a
new breed of sport jet. "Flying the JSX-2 is a
scream," he says. "It's intoxicating, and it's easy
to imagine flying clubs and partnerships being
formed around this exciting new aircraft."

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2015