AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2020 - 14

LETTERS

LETTERS FROM OUR JULY 2020 ISSUE

Kudos
Reflecting on a summer read
The July issue of AOPA Pilot
was one of AOPA's best issues
in a long time. The articles were
all thought provoking, recalled
the romance and utility of aviating, and provided information
that is sometimes uncommon
or difficult to gather.
Dave Hirschman's article
and Chris Rose's photography
on "Magnificent Brutes" complemented the video posted
by AOPA very nicely. We
don't have EAA AirVenture
in Oshkosh this year, but the
compilation of your staff 's
memories brought back some
of my own.
Mike Busch nailed the
article on morning sickness;
although the ability to burn
unleaded mogas wasn't mentioned, it was clear from the
article that doing so would
at least mitigate some valve
issues. I was thrilled with Long
Bach Nguyen's photos, and
Julie Summers Walker's ability
to turn his quotes and those of
Ken Schmitt into profiles worth
reading. Catherine Cavagnaro
made me want to do unusual
attitudes with a PuRPoSe.
Finally, due to COVID19, my annual trip to North
Carolina for the annual is not
in the cards. I plan to do one
myself after assisting on the
previous ones, with the help
of a local IA and A&Ps here at
the airport. The Kollin Stagnito
article on aircraft condition is
a nice reminder and will help a
lot of people.
David Braun
AOPA 699109
Webster, Minnesota

14 | AOPA PILOT September 2020

I just read Barry
Schiff's article,
"What's in a Name"
in AOPA Pilot. My
grandson told me that
my Bonanza needed a
nickname. I asked him
for a suggestion.
He said "Barney...
Barney Bonanza!" And
so it is.
Don Abbott
AOPA 261323
Sanibel, Florida

It can happen to anyone

Just wanted to tell you I think
it is awesome that Richard
McSpadden wrote his story
about forgetting to put the fuel
caps back on the Cub ("Safety
Spotlight: Bruised Ego").

I am a retired airline captain and an active flight
instructor, and if there is one
thing we all need to believe, it
is that it can happen to any one
of us at any time. Making mistakes, that is. And it is the mark
of both a professional and a safe
pilot who will admit to their
mistakes, learn from them, and
share them with others.
McSpadden is at the top
of the pyramid with his background and experience and
exposure to our community.
Sharing this lesson with all of
us makes us all that much wiser.

See below nose art on
my 1946 7AC Champ.
I think it adds that
special something to
make it personal.
Richard Landis
AOPA 630464
Stuart, Virginia

Ray Phelan
AOPA 1422089
Vancouver, Washington

I just read Richard McSpadden's
column "Bruised Ego" detailing
his experience with failing to
check and reposition fuel caps.
I had a similar experience with
my Piper Comanche a few years
ago. On a cross-country flight
from South Florida to my home
in southern Indiana I stopped
for fuel in Albany, Georgia. I
was in a rush to beat afternoon
summer thunderstorms, so I
trusted the lineman to fuel while
I checked weather, used the
restroom, and paid my bill. As I
taxied out from the FBO I was
proud that my stop only took
20 minutes. On climbout, while
changing from tower to departure frequency, I looked over my
left shoulder to see fuel rushing
out of the left main tank. The
cap was gone. I did a one-eighty
and was cleared for the airport.
Seventeen gallons of fuel in less
than 5 minutes. Everything

turned out great. I found the
fuel cap on the runway, but more
important re-learned a lesson. I
never get in the airplane without
hand-tightening the fuel caps.
Thanks to guardian angels.
James Vandeventer
AOPA 4963358
Bloomfield, Indiana

Predawn complete darkness, no
lights on the ramp-I cranked
up-normal start until I heard
a thump. I applied the brakes,
shut down, and located the
orange traffic cone that the propeller had macerated.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2020

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