New Aircraft Quiz #20.

The late Don Downie back in the day was a noted Southern California pilot and CFI living in Glendora in the Sierra Madre Mountains foothills northeast of the Los Angeles basin. In the mid 1960s and beyond he was a Contributing Editor to AOPA Pilot magazine with a monthly column on primary flight training. I read his writings religiously as I was learning to fly in 1965-'66. (Membership in the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) was predicated on having soloed an aircraft back then).

Don had a pristine Cessna 170B taildragger and taught his daughter Dana Downie to fly. One evening he flew this aircraft to Point Mugu NTD where I worked to speak with the Point Mugu Aero Club on his flying exploits, having prior permission granted to land at the US Naval military installation. He returned to his home airfield the same evening, although late as he was such a great aviation topic speaker asset.

Downie had one absolute "quirk" mandatory prerequisite for teaching any prospective student pilot going for the Private ASEL rating certificate. Name this "quirk" of Don's that served him in good stead, turning out outstandingly well-trained proficient pilots.

Thank you Pete, for your welcome input. It keeps this esoteric quiz in the forefront, so to speak. I did Google Don Downie, CFI after formulating this quiz in my mind and found many references, but not the answer to this quiz. Don was a wonderful advocate of flying, flight training and promoting aviation in general. He wrote many articles, including aircraft test reports.

Pete,

I finally got around to reading your kind link to Don Downie's 1949 flight test of the Mooney M-18 Mite. That was his 18th design and first to use the Mooney name. A PQ-14 military drone of 1943 and the Culver Cadet both mentioned in the illustrated article were similar Al Mooney prior designs. Don's writing style of the flight test was vivid and he wrung out the little aircraft very well; that brought back memories of his other aircraft writings. He was a "Hump" pilot in the Army Air Corps flying heavy transports over the Himalaya mountains in American aid to the Chinese and had a long, varied aviation career.

Thanks again for your input and the quiz is still open for answers.

With now over 500 views, I conclude this puppy won't hunt. So, here is the quiz answer. Don's "quirk" was the following:

Don Downie CFI insisted each of his primary training flight students log instruction up to and including at least solo in a glider BEFORE he would accept them for primary training leading to the rating of Airplane, Single Engine Land, the FAA's ASEL Private Pilot Certification.

Don, who was also a CFI-G, felt primary instruction in a towed to altitude glider was essential to develop and hone the experience and skills also necessary for powered flight mastery. Soloing a glider gave experience in reading the air, working with the wind direction, seeking lift, attitude management, glide angle experience and altitude preservation.

A primary glider student developed these skills in being towed aloft behind a powered tow aircraft, managing the glider's climb behind and possibly somewhat above the tow aircraft, never raising the towing aircraft's tail by the tow line, separation from the towed aircraft with turn to the left, while the towed aircraft always turns right and keeping perspective as to exactly where and how far away was the landing airport runway, heading and wind component. These skills developed over time aloft transfer well to ab initio powered flight instruction.

Don taught his daughter Dana Downie to fly both gliders and powered aircraft, plus a host of other student pilots. He was wonderful pilot and

instructor.