StellaStar wrote:

As a private pilot, I fly a grand total of about 150 hours per year, in a
plane that cruises approximately 135 miles per hour, covering a grand
total of about 20,000 miles per year.

I write this letter, sitting in the coach cabin of a 757 flight from New
York to Seattle, flying 180 people 2500 miles at 500 miles per hour in
about 5 hours.



Absolutely excellent letter! Packed with clear facts, logical comparisons,
reasonable arguments. Send it to a local paper or two (at each end of your
flight) and help educate some folks directly, too.

I agree that this was an excellent letter, but I will be surprised if
it is ever published in
its entirety. Space in a paper is a premium commodity, and editors are
always trying
to compress articles, columns, and the like into a minimal volume.

In an effort to maximize the effect of any "letter to the editor" that
you write, you should
use the same techniques reporters use when they file their stories. Put
the most important
items at the start of the letter, and sprinkle the supporting
information throughout. Your
goal should be to have your letter written so that if the editor deletes
all but the first 25%,
you've still made your point.

Rich Lemert