Unicom

Thank you for Aviation Safety magazine. It’s exceptional. But I do have an issue with April’s Accident Probe entry, “Exceeding Capabilities.” As you know, aircraft certified for flight into known icing conditions, both single pilot and crew-­piloted, have succumbed to in-flight icing. More recently, as you also know, an aeromedical operation flying single- and crew-piloted […]

Thanks for your editorial, “Airline Pilot Shortage?” in the February 2023 issue. As a career aviator with over 50 years in the “Wild Blue,” both a corporate and airline kinda guy, I have some insight I’d like to share. You are right that the road up to the Bigs through the commuters is or was […]

Note: The following letter was originally sent to James R. Warmkessel, the author of November’s article, Seeing And Avoiding, and is used here with the writer’s permission. I just finish rereading your November 2022 article, “Seeing And Avoiding,” and want to thank you for your perspective and sending the message of “avoidance.” The occupants in […]

As an old naval aviator with many night carrier landings—the ultimate black hole—I could not help but notice there was no reference to using the PAPI on glideslope in Jim Wolper’s February 2023 article, “The Black-Hole Approach.” On the carrier, we had the meatball for a glideslope. Our scan was, meatball, centerline, angle of attack. […]

I enjoy your very good magazine quite a lot, but…I just read your editorial in November’s issue, “Bravo Foxtrot Delta,” as well as your reply in December’s UNICOM. You discuss in both cases the added weight’s effects on unusable fuel for empty weight only. Clearly the bigger issue is the added weight’s effects on full-fuel takeoff […]

Good article on props (“Propeller Theory 101,” November). Many years ago, I had an old airplane that when you applied power rapidly on takeoff, you would get a surge in rpm that I think was caused by the prop first being stalled, and then “unstalled.” The airplane was a North American P-51 with a 1490-hp […]

In your September 2022 issue, in response to Scott Burkhart’s email, you unnecessarily scare him by stating that VNE is a true airspeed (for his Mooney). In fact, for him, and the vast majority of people who fly certified planes, VNE is an indicated airspeed that is safe to fly (flutter-wise) up to the aircraft’s […]

I just want to correct something in your “IFR Rules, VFR Tools” article (August 2022). On page 10 in the blue box, it says, “Of course, you must fly no lower than the published MEA or MOCA.” Actually, one of the advantages of VFR on top is to be able to fly lower than the MEA […]

In your Editor’s Log in the July 2022 issue, “Gangbusters,” you comment on remarks made by Pete Bunce of GAMA on GA aircraft sales growth this year. You state that “Bunce attributes at least some of his industry’s sales growth to ‘regulatory reforms…that enable new technology and new aircraft and entrants.” You then proceed to […]

In 2006, I was living and working in the Melbourne, Fla., area. On March 23, there was a crash at the Melbourne Orlando International Airport: A Cessna 340A was on final and was asked to slow, and it did. Too much. The result was a stall/crash as described in Tom Turner’s article, “Stalls In The […]