Going To Extremes

Absolutely excellent article ("Extreme-Altitude Hazards") by Jim Lockridge in the May issue summarizing issues that confront pilots in the high-altitude environment. I cant recall ever seeing a better or more thorough summary of the topic, and Ive been reading aviation publications for a long time. This subject has been of particular interest to me for over 30 years, after I flew a sailplane to 41,000 feet in a mountain wave west of Boulder, Colo.

Key Takeaways:

• A reader praises an article on extreme-altitude hazards, sharing a personal experience of flying a sailplane to 41,000 feet that underscored the critical importance of robust oxygen systems and thorough safety briefings.
• Another reader questions a previous article's explanation of adverse yaw, suggesting it's primarily caused by drag from the downward-deflected aileron.
• The reader describes using this understanding of adverse yaw (aileron drag) as a steering technique for tailwheel aircraft during takeoff.
• The original article's author clarifies that while adverse yaw in flight is due to higher speed on the outer wing, at runway speeds, it results from aileron drag, confirming the reader's practical application of the principle.

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