Stewart’s Plane

As a retired aerospace engineer, something has been bugging me ever since I read about Payne Stewart’s “ghostly flight” (Oct. 26). The autopilot kept the plane flying at over 40,000 feet for three hours after something happened to the crew and passengers. To any of us who know about computers and the use of information from sensors, this is almost unbelievable! What stupid programming!

With a loss of cabin pressure, any decently programmed autopilot would descend at least to 10,000 feet, where humans have a chance to survive. I just pray that computers in the commercial jets we all fly in have been programmed by sensible people, and it’s such a pity that, with all Payne’s money, he couldn’t have had more expertise in his private plane. I’ll miss you, Payne, as will all us golfers, and I hope you didn’t die in vain.

LEE MADDEN III

Glendora