$100 HAMBURGER
I JUST READ DAVE MATHENY’S article in the June issue, “The $100
Hamburger.” I own an Ercoupe 415C that is hangared in Frederick,
Maryland. My wife is also a pilot, and we enjoy the short trips to
the various fly-ins in our area. I cruise my ’Coupe around 85 knots,
so I drew a 100-nautical-mile circle around Frederick, and that is
usually our guide for fly-ins.
Living close to the D.C. special flight restrictions area, we have
additional flight restrictions but still manage to get to several fly-ins each year. At the beginning of the flying season, I go to EAA’s
online calendar page ( www.EAA.org/events) and list all of the fly-ins
close to our location, and away we go. We just went to an EAA fly-in last weekend, and another is planned for this coming Sunday in
Pennsylvania.
I have been flying since 1951 in all types of aircraft, and the
’Coupe is giving us the most fun. The sport pilot rating came just
in time for several of us who were tired of the FAA’s demands on
medical issues that, according to our doctors, should be nonissues.
So several of us in this area just went to flying as sport pilots and
hope to fly for many years to come.
Although we thoroughly enjoy the ’Coupe, I am looking forward
to checking out in the new PiperSport to use as a backup and
for longer trips. But so far we cannot locate one in the northern
Virginia, D.C., or Maryland area.
Again, thanks for the great article.
Jim and Sonja Truxel, EAA 873723
Round Hill, Virginia
Clarification on Zaon Traffic Alerts
THE ZAON XRX ARTICLE ( Trends Aloft,
“Flying the Zaon XRX”) in the May edition
of Sport Aviation states that “I generally
consider any aircraft within 500 feet
vertically to be a dire threat that I’ll climb
or descend to avoid if I’m unable to make
visual contact.” Taking evasive action
without making visual contact with the
airplane you are trying to avoid seems like a
bad idea to me.
The Zaon is not a TCAS [traffic collision
avoidance system], and the user manual
specifically states that when a traffic alert
occurs, “An attempt should be made to
visually identify this aircraft as soon as
possible.” At the very least, I feel that
the article should have mentioned the
manufacturer’s recommendations.
Ryan Turner, EAA 878695
Charlottesville, Virginia
Don’t Forget the Turbo 914
YOUR ARTICLE ABOUT the Rotax engines
(Firewall Forward, “LSA Workhorse,”
April issue) was most informative.
However, noticeably lacking was
a mention of the Rotax 914, a 115-
hp turbocharged engine (except in
discouraging using an old drone engine).
I have the privilege of flying a Dimona
motorglider equipped with the 914. It
does need to be treated gently and with
knowledge, but as with the other 912
series, it gives reliable power and sips fuel
at about 4 to 5 gallons/hour.
But in contrast to the 912, as you climb,
it continues to deliver rated power to
quite high altitudes. The motorglider I fly
can climb up to about 20,000 feet! So for
those high-density altitude environments,
the 914 might just be the answer.
Lorenz Müller, EAA 556758
Guntalingen, Switzerland
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