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Higher and HigherApparently, airports in China are popping up like weeds. In September’s Quiz, you correctly reported that Qamdo Bamda Airport in Tibet has the longest paved runway in the world. You also pointed out that it is the highest in elevation. But shortly after you published that, Daocheng Yading Airport trumped Qamdo Bamda as […]

Unable VFR On TopJoe Shelton’s “On Top of the World” article in August and the letters about it since have all missed one important point. VFR on Top is just another altitude assignment while on an IFR flight plan. Like any altitude assignment, ATC may or may not grant it to you. Ian Blair Fries, […]

Confusing Chart NotesMany of us at Faribault, Minn (FBL) are confused by the chart notes on the RNAV (GPS) RWY 30 and RWY 12 approaches. What’s up with the restriction about baro-VNAV? And why can’t we fly these approaches at night? The VOR-A has no such restrictions. Surely that circling approach isn’t the only

Careless EditingI was excited to see my submission in OTA of the February issue but a slight change in wording could lead the reader to think that PALS pilots are paid.To clarify, Patient Airlift Services is a volunteer organization that transports sick patients and their families for medical treatment. I wouldn’t want this charitable organization […]

Fly the SimThanks very much for the October 2013 “Simplified Circling” article by Dog Brenneman. He mentioned that “we just don’t get a lot of circling practice.”I’ve been regularly flying the Redbird FMX motion simulator to practice circle-to-land maneuvers. I set the ceiling so that tight altitude control is required and adjust visibility, rain, day/night […]

It’s Really Time for GPSReading “It’s Time for GPS” in November 2013, reminded me of two approaches I recently made in different areas of the country. I was told to expect vectors to the ILS. In both cases the same runway also had GPS approaches. Fly the vector or VOR radial (TO) to the arc […]

Reference Fred Simonds article Need Datalink? in the May 2014 issue. We first put datalink into our Bonanza about a dozen years ago after being stuck for a few extra days by weather. We had a post-mounted StratoCheetah by Echo Flight that used the Iridium satellite system. It worked reasonably well but was intrusive. Next a panel upgrade included the, then, UPSAT MX-20 with WSI datalink FIS. This is what we still use today in contrast to the XMWX system mentioned as the only available system in the article. There are some differences in the data and presentation, but the WSI receiver provides most of the same information as XM systems I have used.

In Lee Smiths April 2014 article on Visual Area Protection, I think there is an error. The diagram indicates that the 20:1 slope is the same as standard three degree VDA. My memory, Lee Smiths original Danger Below MDA? from March 2013, and my math indicate that 34:1 is the same as a three degree slope.

I just read with great interest your article in the April issue, ATP: Higher Cost Soon.