Page 4 - Volume 16 Number 10

2 • TWIN & TURBINEOCTOBER 2012editor’sbriefingIt’s a matter of perspective. When I was conducting a flight across the Rockies last month, much of the normally crystal-clear intermountain West was obscured by forest fire smoke. I knew the valleys were down there, I was aware of rivers and settlements, of the winding interstates and smallerfoothills buttressing the peaks sticking up out of the haze, but find them I could not. From my perch, I could only see a plateau of obscurity.During the next week, the remnants of a hurricane were mucking up the Midwest. Same thing – an atmosphere heavy with water vapor and, from on top, a view limited to a flat layer of haze. It’s a familiar scene to occupants of the pilot’s seat. We are accustomed to taking in the broad view and doing our research to learn what lies beneath.Because of the quadrennial political cycle, there’s also a lot of obscurity being pumped into the verbal atmosphere. Spin doctors (a specialty unknown when I began seeing physicians) use cleverly-turned words to turn a liability into an asset, as if the public can’t discern the facts. Perhaps a flight to medium altitudes would provide some perspective for the politically fatigued public. From above the haze, we can appreciate that the world is still there. The action of warm temps aloft and saturated air merely spread a layer of muck over our beautiful land, and we know the same firm pavement is down there at the end of a “visual” approach. Sometimes we must decline the visual, just because the airport isn’t in sight as we squint from the sun.At the risk of sounding parochial, which is certainly not my intent, I do feel that pilots have a clearer view of the big pictureand are better equipped than most to determine safe choices. We have to do our research, choose a path proven by sound policy, and respect the outcome that will result from bad selections. Crass conniving is a harder sell to aviators; we can’t afford to waste fuel searching for a runway up a blind canyon.So, take heart in knowing there’s a top to this murkiness, and a solid country underneath it. What’s worked before will work again, and if we plow through it we can find our way back. We just need more of the pilot’s perspective to guide our decision-makers.This month’s issue contains an inspiring story I came across a few years ago, about a non-veteran aircraft owner who spent an inordinate amount of time and treasure restoring a piece of Vietnam-era hardware as a flying memorial to those who served on our behalf. It’ll soon be Veteran’s Day, and we need a reminder of the price paid by our veterans.Plucky, persevering Piper Aircraft has been building twins since the mid-1950s and we’re featuring its Seneca V as a reminder of the virtue and value of this little twin with the big cabin. Tom Turner gives sage advice about choosing a proper arrival airspeed number, Kevin Dingman puts aviation dichotomies into perspective, and David Miller lets us know how easy it is to win spousal support for a new ride.Above The HazeKeep your perspective, above the haze. LeRoy CookLeRoy Cook, Editor