AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2011 - 22

LETTERS
“Greenland Adventure.” The trip to Sondey (as it was known in the 1970s) brought me back to my early Coast Guard flying. Every January we did a preseason ice patrol to check on that year’s crop of icebergs. We crossed the same expanse at 1,000 feet above ice level (albeit with four engines). The second treat was “Drag Your Tail Cheaply” by Ian J. Twombly. In July 1970 (a year after earning my private certificate), I purchased my Cessna 140 for $2,100—my entire life savings.

My 140 had been produced with fabric wings but converted to metal via STC. A $50-a-month stipend from the Coast Guard Academy was sufficient to pay for tiedown and gas. Who says you have to be rich to fly? Chris Burns, AOPA 1083903 Hanover, Pennsylvania Tattoos in the air I have not been so moved by a magazine article for some time, and am grateful for Alton Marsh’s obvious efforts and the gorgeous photography (“Tattoos in the Air,” October 2011 AOPA Pilot). With

In Performance, Capability and Reliability

Leader of the Pack

the passing of Gordon Baxter, no one is writing about flying as food for the soul. There is a small subset of humans for which the act of defying gravity and viewing the world from above transcends simple need or convenience; it is a primal need, a passion. Some know it from an early age, some discover it after they’ve achieved financial success, some convert a casual interest over a lifetime. They all come to the same place. It should not be surprising that, for some, body art reflects this passion. The article should be a gentle reminder to all of us that flying is no ordinary act; that we fight, we learn, we earn, and when we can finally look down at the retreating runway, we have come to a place where “lift” has a deeper meaning. Whatever your place in aviation, I would hope that the joy of your first solo stays with you. “Tattoos” certainly helped me remember. Douglas Smith, AOPA 1168123 Lincoln, Nebraska The article by Alton K. Marsh was disgusting. Marsh wrote the article despite objections from the majority of those responding to his query. Are we to believe that of all the relevant and important subject matter of interest to the membership that an article on tattoos is the best that you can produce? I hope that you reprimand Editor in Chief Tom Haines for his poor decision to publish this article, and instruct him to get control of Mr. Marsh, or invite Mr. Marsh to seek employment elsewhere. Scott E. Hansen, AOPA 947770 Charleston, South Carolina

Photo: Timothy White

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Your last issue has compelled me to cancel my subscription to the magazine. Tattoos? Really? I have seen the quality of this magazine slowly decline for the last few years. Devoting pages to inane topics such as tattoos and topical arguments (“Dogfights”) detracts from the quality content for which this magazine has been respected in the past. I have today changed my subscription from AOPA Pilot to Flight Training. I sincerely hope Flight Training isn’t filled with fashion design and body piercing articles and focuses on relevant topics such as training and safety. I support AOPA and the service that it performs to keep general aviation alive and I understand that AOPA is more than just a magazine. However, I know you are capable of better when it comes to the content of this publication. Michael Crowley, AOPA 1302697 Wake Forest, North Carolina
AOPA PILOT •

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DECEMBER 2011

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2011