0f Bachs & Ganns& FabulousWordsOver the years, I've followed and enjoyedBudd Davisson's articles but have neverbeen compelled to write and say, "Finejob!" until now. As a pilot, both privatelyand professionally, I've enjoyed the writ-ings of all the people mentioned in "Grass-roots" lDecember 2008] (along withRichard Drury and Len Morgan), andhave been dismayed at many a crew mem-ber who responded to mention of theseauthors-on those quiet nights across thePacific-with blank stares. How can any-one rise to any level in aviation whenthey've no concept of its roots? I leaveyou with two quotes:

A master in the art of living draws nosharp distinction betw een his w orh and hisplay; his labor and his leisure; his mindand his body: his education and his recre-ation. He hardly hnows which is which.He simply pursues his vision of excellencethrough whatever he is doing, andleavesothers to determine whether he is worh-ing or playing. To himself, he alwaysapp e ar s to b e doing b oth.-Frangois-Ren€de Chateaubriand

I fly because it releases my mind fromthe tyranny of petty things.-Antoine deSaint-Exupery

Don't give up, someone had to pointthe way for us, we should do the same.

Jimmy RollisonVacaville, CaliJ.

I couldn't agree more with the musingsof Mr. Davisson, but I submit that hemissed a name: Gordon Baxter.

David B. SirotaVia e-mail

I'd like to recommend a book that willacquaint the uninitiated to a variety ofsuperlative aviation stories: The GreatestFlying Stoies Ever Told: Nineteen Amaz-ing Tales from the Shy . It's a great way todiscover some terrific aviation authors.

Chns M. FrontOt'Jice oJ Aerospace Medicine, FM

Washington, D.C.

Backcountry SafetyI was overcome with emotion when Iread laurel Hilde Lippert's "Doglegs 6lDirt" [December 2008] and remembered

the great joy I experienced while flyingwith Laurel that week. Each time shementioned her thoughts and daily expe-riences, I felt a breath ofstrength to helpme through another year of teaching inthis wonderful environment, helping pilosexpand their wings over the backcoun-try. I work so hard to touch pilos in away that will save their lives, Each year,every one of my instructors expresses thesame sentiment...this is the philosophyfor the school and has become my goal.You've done a wonderful job expressingthis goal: aviation safety, saving lives andreally caring about every person we ridewith! You've truly lifted me up!

Lori MacNicholOwner. McCalI Mountainl

Canyon Flying SeminarsMcCall,Idaho

Down&WeldedI enjoy reading your magazine and try tolearn something new every month. I havea bone to pick, however, with a columnin your December 2008 issue. In "NTSBDebriefer: Glass-Cockpit Blackout," PeterKatz writes of a Cherokee Six pilot whoexperienced an electrical failure. Aftermaking his way back to the airport, herequested a flyby of the tower to checkwhether his gear had extended. As aCherokee Six owner, one o[ my greatestreliefs at the end of each flight is know-ing that my gear is "down and welded"and that I don't have to wait for "threegreens." Maybe it wasn't really a Six?

Marh RiordanSanford, Fla.

Editor's Note: Marh Riordan is correct, oJcourse, about the Cherohee Sabeingfaed-gear. The model number gven in the ASRSdatqbase report was t'or a PA32, ond theLance and Saratoga models with retractablegear are designated PA32R. A w arninghomshouldhave sounded.

il,;;;;;il i;;;;;.,;i;;; 6. ;i;;;''';;-azine', Athr: I.etters, 12.121 Wilshirc Blvrl.,Sr.tite 1200, Lo.s Arrgelcs. CA 90025; ore- moil e ditot@pl ane.antlpil ot ntds. corr t.

In addition to letters and e-mail, you can alsocomment on PdParticles at planeandpilotmag.tlogspot.com.

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INSTRUCTORS

. Hold your altitude in the patternuntil you're ready to descend. This wasone of the most common misukes citedby the check pilot instructors. Too manypilos become distracted with other dutiesand forget what Captain Kirk would callthe "Prime Directive": Fly the airplane.In this case, that means maintain altitudeand airspeed. Any pilot, student or ATP,who fails to maintain the proper airspeedand attitude on approach will have a toughtime taming the ultimate monster, thelanding. Similarly, from a pure safetyview-point, don't get in the habit of descend-ing while headrng away from the airport.That qualifies as a definite "duh!"

. Similarly, don't automatically reducepower and begin descent when you tumbase. At busy terminals, the downwindleg may sometimes extend two to threemiles from the runway. It hardly makessense to reduce power three miles outjust as you would from the key positionabeam your touchdown point.

. When you're ready for the powerreduction, power back to the appropri-ate setting and immediately trim. Don'tlock your gaze or: the uch or manifoldpressure during power changes. Scanthem quickly until you see what youwant. Use more trim than you think you'llneed and shoot for the exact approachspeed, not a rough approximation.

. Think ahead at all times in the pat-tern. Plan what you'll need to do nextso you won't feel rushed, Deploy flapsas necessary. Most instructors favor athird on downwind. the second third onbase and full flaps on final, and trim outany elevator pressures immediately uponflap deployment. When you reach forthe flap handle, don't fixate on it. Putyour hand on it and put your eyes backin the sky or attend to other business,

. It may sound like an oversimplifi-cation, but remember that there are onlythree things to remember on final-

wings level, fly the proper airspeed andpower settings, and hold the centerline.(Again, we're assuming no crosswinds.)If you begin to drift left or right, makeyour corrections early while you stillhave enough altitude to bank the air-plane as necessary. Begin to break theglide at 15 to 20 feet, and don't initiatethe flare until five to l0 feet.

. No matter how well you can landyour airplane, don't relax after touch-down. The flight isn't over just becausethe wheels are on the ground. Taildraggerpilos know this lesson well. Stay tighton the rudder pedals during the rollout,and correct any directional problem earlyafter touchdown before you drift intothe runway lighs. If you need to usehard braking, simultaneously use fullback stick or yoke after speed dropsthrough about 30 knos. This puts moreweight on the main gear and offers max-imum aerodynamic drag to the relativewind to help slow the airplane.

. Always brake in a straight line. Don'ttry to brake and turn at the same time.It's true that most airplanes have no brakeon the nosewheel or tailwheel, but nei-ther tricyde- nor conventional-gear designstake kindly to such abuse. In the worstcase, inertia may cause a trike to wheel-barrow away from the direction of tum.

. Finally, virtually all the check pilossuggested that pilots should be moreassertive with the airplane. Make the air-plane do what you want it to do, anddon't be afraid to use all conuols avail-able to guarantee the desired result. Thatdoesn't mean abusing power or slam-ming controls to the stop. It does meanmanipulating power, ailerons, elevators,rudder and flaps to achieve the desiredresult and make the airplane do whatvou need it to do. P&P

To read pilot reports, review airplane specs andsharpen up your flying skills, vislt planeandpilotmag.com.