Readers Write for Tuesday, Oct. 27

FLIGHT 188

Incommunicado pilots should lose their jobs

Northwest Airlines has been my airline of choice for over 30 years. The reason? My perception of its attention to the competence of flight crews, the maintenance of its aircraft and its overall safety record.

In addition to flying NWA frequently, I have, over the years in the "pre-9/11" world, had the chance to visit its maintenance facilities and its pilot and flight-crew training facilities. I was very impressed with its strong emphasis on flight safety. My neighbor is a Northwest A-320 captain, and while I've never flown with him, my impression is that he is highly competent, extremely skilled and 100 percent attentive to the job he does in the cockpit on every flight.

Reading about the two clowns on the flight deck who were apparently "distracted" in their operation of Flight 188 to the point of being out of communication with flight controllers for over an hour would make me seriously question the airline as a choice for future air travel -- except for the fact that I still believe that the overwhelming majority of flight crews at Northwest are like my neighbor.

But make no mistake: If I were running their flight operations, the two individuals in question would never again be flying my aircraft.

JOHN SCREEDEN, EAGAN

ST. PAUL SCHOOL BOARD

Brodrick's experience earns him his seat

Regarding your endorsement of Jean O'Connell over incumbent John Brodrick for St. Paul school board (Oct. 23):

As a former student of John's at Como Park High School, I urge St. Paul voters to reelect him.

DAVID LEITZKE, ST. PAUL

Chief executive

Experience argument swings both ways

I find it interesting that the Star Tribune endorsed Chris Coleman for mayor (Oct. 24) in part because his opponent, Eva Ng, "needs more experience with the city and its people." Too bad this paper didn't take its own advice when endorsing for the highest office in the nation.

MIKE TOUHEY, LESUEUR, MINN.

H1N1 emergency

Where's the president? Pushing panic button

The shortcomings of our previous president are well documented, especially his poor handling of the disaster in New Orleans.

Right now we have another national crisis that is being handled poorly by our current president. Why aren't we hearing about how ineffective President Obama has been while Americans are dying daily from H1N1? He seems to be oblivious. Get to work, Mr. President.

GENE ELFERING, ANNANDALE

•••

President Obama has now declared a national emergency due to the H1N1 flu virus. Of course it is unfortunate that this virus has killed a thousand people across the nation. But the truth is the flu kills tens of thousands of people each year in the United States. So what makes this flu so extraordinary except for the campaign apparently trying to incite us into panic to get a flu shot?

There are many doctors who are telling us to stay away from these flu shots because of the mercury (thimerosal), formaldehyde and other toxins the vaccines contain. So how about spending some of that "flu shot campaign" money on teaching people how to take better care of their immune system, how to eat better -- you know, things that will actually improve their lives?

JIM PAULSON, FARMINGTON

Bike lanes on 1st Avenue

Theory is good, but practice is dangerous

The new bike lanes on 1st Avenue North are designed to buffer the bike lane from moving traffic with the parking lane, but the implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

I passed through downtown on Sunday on my bicycle and chose to check out the new lane configuration. There was little traffic but the parking lane was full. Most of the parked cars were either on or slightly across the line separating the car lane from the bike lane, encroaching upon the bike lane from the left. Cyclists must also leave a buffer when riding next to parked cars to avoid getting "doored," so a good portion of the left side of bike lane is unusable. The right side of the bike lane along much, but not all, of its length has suffered from erosion of the joints between the sections of concrete gutter/curb.

And then there is the uneven joint between the asphalt and the concrete -- another potential riding hazard. The situation is at its worst between Washington and 6th Street. An experienced cyclist will simply choose to ride with traffic to the left of the parked cars -- being parked so far to the right leaves plenty of unused lane for bikes.

So, how can this be improved? The parking lane needs better physical separation from the bike lane. Either a full height curb or perhaps something less severe, similar to a speed bump. The concrete gutter section needs to be repaved so that the entire bike lane has a consistent and smooth surface.

JEFF LARSEN, ST. PAUL