AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2017 - 12

LETTERS

FROM OUR JULY 2017 ISSUE

Single seat, single purpose
A "Dogfight" debate over single-seat airplanes and their multiple-seat counterparts
inspired readers to sing the praises of going solo.
As a current Mooney Mite
owner and former singleseat fighter pilot, I agree with
Dave Hirschman that flying a
"purity of purpose" aircraft
provides a feeling of accomplishment, pilot pride, and joy
that is unique to solo-seat aircraft flight.
Yes, of course, there is
also much joy in sharing the
airplane and adventure with
others who can appreciate the
gift of not being Earthbound,
but given a choice on a bright
Saturday afternoon.

Flying in Ukraine
An American pilot learns to fly low, slow, and tranquil
SOMETIMES LIFE seems to be one long series of
chance encounters, spinning you off in a direction you may have only imagined the day before.

BY BEN MOSES
I L LU S T R AT I O N B Y W I L L B A R R A S
P H O TO G R A P H Y B Y T H E AU T H O R

68 | AOPA PILOT July 2017

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 69

We are truly blessed to have the freedom of
flight we enjoy in the United States. Thanks
for shining the light on Ukraine ("Flying in
Ukraine") as a reminder of just how fortunate
we are and the importance of continuing our
legislative initiatives to protect it.

Cliff Tatum
AOPA 942878
Redondo Beach, California

My perspectives are usually somewhat...different.
So, consider aircraft as a sort
of transducer. Microphones
transduce audible sound
into electrical signals. And
speakers transduce electrical
signals into audible sound.
Similarly, aircraft transduce
humans into creatures of
flight.
Consider further that
there are no two-place birds.

Jim Hamilton
AOPA 155576
Columbia, South Carolina

My compliments to Dave
Hirschman's able interlocutor.
He argued ably but I had the

Q: Which technological advance has helped your
navigation the most?
1% 4%
Android device

iPad

28%

iPhone

GPS

64%

Other portable electronics

Aviation eBrief poll

12 | AOPA PILOT September 2017

28%
64%
2%

sense that his heart might not
have been fully in it.
Merel R. O'Rourke
AOPA 5771047
Grangeville, Idaho

Customer service

Interesting subject that hits
home with my recent experience in Lexington, Kentucky
("Waypoints: The Customer
Experience"). Last week
while visiting my young grandbabies who live near the "big"
airport, I noticed a Diamond
aircraft that appeared to be on
a training mission. That looks

interesting, I thought to myself.
Think I'll see if I can fly a couple of hours dual just for fun,
or maybe a flight review. A
couple of clicks on the smartphone and I was chatting with
someone at the FBO. "I'll take
your information and one
of our instructors will call
you right back." Still waiting,
more than 10 days later. Think
I will call them again? Think
they will get the $300-plus I
was anxious to spend at their
facility?
Danny Boster
AOPA 320640
Grayson, Kentucky

If it works

I thoroughly enjoyed
Dave Hirschman's article
"Technique: Preference or
Procedure"-and I loved the
artwork. It reminded me of a
good friend and sort of "mentor" pilot. About 1973 (I was
18), I started flying with him in
his old Bonanza A35. This man
had flown C-47s and C-60s in
World War II, and was a very
capable pilot. My first IFR trip
with him in the left seat was an
eye opener.
We were in hard IFR from
Mena, Arkansas, to Dallas,
planning a quick turnaround.
He took off, and I immediately
became aware of his right index
finger. He had a habit of tapping
the horizon, airspeed, altimeter, et cetera-going back to the
horizon about every other tap.
It nearly drove me nuts-but,
given my limited experience
(and age), and his impressive

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2017