AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2013 - 12

LETTERS

FROM OUR NOVEMBER 2012 ISSUE

Mr. Piper and the J–3
A former AOPA vice president of public relations, Charles Spence, celebrated the life of William Piper Sr. on the seventy-fifth anniversary of Piper Aircraft.
As the granddaughter of W.T. Piper Sr., I was delighted to see your “75th Anniversary of Piper Aircraft” cover and to read the accompanying articles about my grandfather, the Cub, and some of its owners. I do want to correct one thing, however: on page 46, that is not William T. Piper Jr.’s uncle Howard sitting next to W.T. Sr., but rather Uncle Bill’s younger brother Howard “Pug” Piper, my father. It was he who, as vice president for research and development, started the Vero Beach plant, now the main production facility for the company, which sadly has been out of family hands for years. In 1955, with Uncle Bill as co-pilot, my dad was the first to fly a light aircraft across the South Atlantic, flying from Lock Haven to Pretoria, South Africa, in 95 hours. Thanks very much for bringing back some wonderful memories with your articles.
Pat Piper-Smyer, AOPA 364005 Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

75th Anniversary of Piper Aircraft
The Voice of General Aviation www.aopa.org | November 2012
November 2012 Piper 75th Anniversary | Reno Air Races | AirCam River Run www.aopa.org

THE STORY OF A LEGEND p. 44

Mr. Piper and the J 3 One Year Later

RENO AIR RACES p. 54

I had the pleasure of being friends with Bill and Beth Piper during the 1980s and ’90s. The Pipers were one of the progenitors of the greatest generation, in the airplanes they provided to the military. Countless thousands of us learned to fly and the lucky ones owned a Piper airplane. In a true Horatio Alger tradition Bill and Beth became investors in my television station and were some of my staunch supporters, even
12 | AOPA PILOT January 2013

“I agree wholeheartedly with Barry Schiff (Proficient Pilot: “J–3 Heresy”). Bill Darling, The Champ is supeAOPA 578120 Cape May, New Jersey rior, a little faster, a great rudder air- J–3 heresy Just wanted to chime in on plane, lands easily, Barry Schiff’s comments on the and handles well in Champ. I couldn’t agree more about the importance of learnthe wind. I expect he ing to fly on the basics. These took a little heat, but early airplanes are true threeaxis airplanes that you have to facts are facts.” learn to hand-fly all of the time,
Steve Whittenberger, AOPA 3519763 Hartwell, Georgia

a Piper Cub in man-hours, material, and an engine from Lycoming, and how they would wait to make sure they had a solid sale before the old man would send them to Lycoming to pick up the engine. Talk about working close to the vest. We had the pleasure of staying with Bill and Beth in Lock Haven and heard many stories and vignettes that I am sure others have never heard. People like the Pipers are few and far between in our hurried society, but I can say it was my pleasure to have known and been a friend to one of the standouts of the last century— Bill Piper.

in all three axis. Newer airplanes spoil students and they don’t get the chance to learn flying by feel. Wow, those really were the great days!
Mike Rhodes, AOPA 497857 Milwaukie, Oregon

When my teenage daughter told me she wanted to be a professional pilot, I told her that I’d support her under certain (my) conditions: The first two years after high school would be in an A&P school, followed by an aviation-related bachelor’s degree; her first flight instruction through solo would be in a taildragger. She did this and more and by the time she had the commercial certificate she had about 200 hours of tailwheel time. Not only does she have an A&P, she also has an IA and maintains her own Cessna Skymaster, and she is now a captain on a major airline. And I never worry about her! While flying is fun, it requires a considerable depth of knowledge and attention to detail. People are not taught in many cases anything more than superficially about the wide scope of things that are going on, from physics to thermodynamics, every time they fly. The scary thing about all of this is that if the kinds of things that Dr. Chien describes continue, it will only lead to unwanted regulatory action.
Bob McGrath, AOPA 357425 Columbus, New Mexico

through the toughest times. Bill was an entrepreneur in the true sense of the word and stood behind those he believed in. He regaled me with many stories, but one that stuck with me most was when he told me how much it took to construct

10 ways to die

What a great summary of pilot wrongdoings (“Technique”). Somewhere along the way I think flying has become too commonplace, if that’s the right word.

I was shocked and disappointed to see your article “10 Ways to Die.” Do you really think that this negative title helps create greater interest in general aviation? It helps contribute to an already high level of fear that most of us pilots

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2013