AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2019 - 16

LETTERS
takeoff and he smashed a wing
on landing. Local woodworkers repaired his wing, but on his
second attempted takeoff he hit
a tree with his wing and wrecked
the airplane.
The airplane was returned
to Taylor Field by rail on
August 14, 1918. No mention
was made of injuries, so I
assume Lieutenant Walker and
his passenger were OK and also
returned by rail.
James Walker
AOPA 5565763
Westmorland, California

After touchdown

HANGAR TALK

I am a retired American
Airlines captain. My last seven
years were on the Boeing 767.
Thomas A. Horne's article
about low-visibility approaches
in September 2019 issue ("On
Instruments: How Low Can
You Go?") reminded me of an
ILS to Runway 14 in Zurich.
We were following several
other aircraft that circled for a
while then went to their alternates. After all these years, I don't
remember the runway visual
range, but it was 600 feet or less
in all three reporting stations.
Now it was our turn. We
briefed the CAT 3, LAND 3

approach procedures; set up
the three autopilots, auto throttles, auto brakes, auto speed
brakes, et cetera; and started
the approach.
Everything went well, just
like in the simulator. Callouts
were made at the appropriate
places and we touched down,
barely able to see the runway.
Auto-everything worked like
magic!
Then we rolled out into the
absolute clear.
Oh...There's the turnoff, but
I couldn't turn the airplane.
The autopilot was still on, trying to stay in the middle of the
runway! Then, as I headed to
the turnoff, the airplane came
to a stop. The autobrakes were
still engaged. The tower asked
if we planned to exit the runway because another airplane
was on short final. Very embarrassed, we replied that we
would be moving soon.
In the simulator, the procedure was over after the touch
down. Not so in the real world.
Love your magazine and
have been a member for a
long time.
Herb Dabelow
AOPA 467021
Schaumburg, Illinois

Flying in a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser on
skis and landing on a frozen lake were new
experiences for AOPA Video Producer JOSH
COCHRAN, who traveled to Moosehead Lake
to film pilots enjoying ski flying and camaraderie for "WINTER WONDERLAND," which
begins on p. 74. "It was extremely beautiful
there-stunningly beautiful-but extremely
cold, so I was trying to balance shooting and
keeping my fingers from falling off," Cochran
said. He got to experience a new type of aviation and learned from the pros how to stay
warm in Maine's frigid winter: quality time
around the campfire.

16 | AOPA PILOT November 2019

A different world

"Get Off the Couch" makes a
good point that instructing
can be a valuable and enjoyable
retirement contribution, but it
oversimplifies that transition.
Many airline pilots, especially
those who came up through the
military, have little idea how to
operate in the see-and-avoid
world of most flight instruction. As one senior captain
told me, "Man, we were spoon
fed everything." While a flight
instructor refresher course is
a terrific starting point, transitioning airline pilots should
plan on some one-on-one
instruction with an experienced, current general aviation
CFI before putting themselves
on the market.
Bob Feugate
AOPA 713394
Mesa, Arizona

Just a door

Natalie Bingham Hoover's
column about distractions,
mentioning unlatched doors
("Are You Guilty?"), brought
to mind how it takes an
unexpected event to learn
something important. In my
Piper Arrow, I've had that happen on takeoff. That first rush

of adrenaline was enough to
seal it in my memory (one of
those events you don't get in
primary training). The fact
that it didn't depart the airframe as a big Frisbee made
me mention it in my passenger briefing, although in a
different way. In the event of
an off-field landing, one of us
should unlatch the door in
case the frame jams the door.
I emphasize, from experience,
that the door won't come off
but just make a lot of whooshing noise.
Bruce Bream
AOPA 1308611
Beachwood, Ohio

Erratum

An answer in the "Test Pilot"
quiz in September 2019 AOPA
Pilot incorrectly stated that
presidents George W. and
George H.W. Bush were strictly
military pilots. Both were
granted FAA pilot certificates.
AOPA 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 Magazine - November 2019

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