Flyin Phil's Flight 'B'log

Flight 'B'log now CLOSED as of August 21, 2009...

2009-08-21T15:14:00.005-04:00

Yup, I found that writing an entire novel about each of my flying adventures was becoming to time consuming, and even though I began adding photos to my later posts, the amount of text was too great compared to the number of photos, and photos are what my site is all about.

This is why my NEW blog, Highlights from my most recent Flight, will feature ONLY Aerial Photos from my flights, along with a line of text describing what the photo is depicting. I hope you enjoy the selection of photos that I select from these flights, and if you want to comment on anything, feel free to do so at the bottom of each post.

Thanks for your continued support, and as always, I hope you enjoy the flight !!!

My NEW blog, Highlights from my most recent Flight, can be found HERE....

Surf & Turf....A Feast for the Eyes

2008-08-18T08:18:00.039-04:00

Well folks, here we go once again on yet another fascinating journey throughout the lovely Garden State, namely New Jersey. Dad and I enjoyed this flight on Sunday, August 17, 2008 as the weather was picture perfect with partly cloudy skies and "as far as the eye can see" visibility. The flight featured many different sights we had not previously witnessed, and I shot an array of new photos I had not captured before. So, without further ado, let's fly....

We arrived at the airport around 10:30AM to bright blue skies with little wind. After a thorough pre-flight we were airborne and on course to Fallston, Maryland. One problem, though, after leveling off at about 2,000 feet we decided to nix that flight due to the bumpy conditions we were experiencing and the fact that we would be bouncing like that for about an hour. Ok, so where to next? I suggested Cross Keys airport in southern New Jersey, just opposite Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sounded good, so I began to fly that course but then realized that I wanted to fill-up the gas tanks before beginning our long day of flying. This and the fact that Cross Keys may or may not have fuel available led me to suggest altering our course yet again, and this time we were destined for Miller Air Park in Toms River, New Jersey. This way, we could get fueled-up for the "Surf & Turf" flight we had planned, and also could enjoy the airport's park-like grounds for our picnic lunch that we always pack along with us.

So now as we passed just south of Trenton, New Jersey, we were now flying east and fast approaching McGuire AFB and Fort Dix Army base. I knew there was a restricted area on the horizon which belonged to this military complex, so I altered the course yet again with a bit of a southern deviation. With this slight detour, though, we were now treated to a view of the Jersey Pine Barrens with Route 72 cutting straight through this vast scrub pine wilderness just like a knife. Deviating once again back to the left we could just about make out the clearing which we know oh so well as Miller Air Park. I entered the traffic pattern and commenced landing, achieving a smooth touchdown on the 6,000 foot runway. The taxi to the operations area was long, as usual, due to the enormity of this airfield, smack dab in the middle of the northern most area of the Jersey pine barrens and just south of the sprawling retirement community known as Holiday City.

After shutting down the engine and securing the plane, we noticed a rather odd looking helicopter that we had both seen previously at other airports, though not the same bird, and most of these were not airworthy. This one, though, was airworthy and was fueling-up, complete with a crew of four. The helicopter was a Sikorsky S-34 (also known as the S-58), painted to look like an authentic Marine chopper of the Vietnam War era. Excited to hopefully get to see this rare bird take to the air, we checked-in at the airport office, used the facilities and headed to a nearby picnic table to partake in some vittles. Next to our table was a nicely restored Stearman painted bright yellow with the nose art "Cannibal Queen" painted on the side, and sitting directly behind that, the S-58 poised ready for flight.

Just then, we heard the helicopter's engine starting and we hustled over to the fence to watch, photograph and shoot video. The helicopter is powered not by a turbine engine like today's modern helicopters, but rather a nine cylinder Wright R-1820 radial piston engine. The pilot engaged the main rotor, began taxiing and rolled into position for take-off. The engine was then powered-up, and after the rotors were spinning at full speed the chopper lifted-off ever so gently. And boy howdy was this contraption ever so slow. It then made a pass of the airport and I shot a picture of it with the blue sky as a backdrop:

Dad and I then finished eating our lunch, had the plane's fuel tanks topped-off and soon we were airborne once again, this time heading southeast towards the Atlantic ocean. Our route towards the Jersey Shore took us over some vast stretches of pines and finally the Garden State Parkway as it snaked its way along the edges of this pine filled wilderness. Ahead of us was the Barnegat bay, but directly in front was a housing development that I thought looked interesting due to the fact that each and every home had bay access, complete with a dock to moor a boat. Directly next to this conglomeration of bay shore dwellings was a marsh area that looked really pretty. The two of them together provided quite a contrast:

Just past this area we traversed a shallow area of the Barnegat bay where one could see clear to the bottom. On the horizon we could see the Barnegat Inlet along with the Barnegat Lighthouse as well. Ah, the "Surf" portion of our flight has commenced. And just like on the last flight which took us near Brigantine, New Jersey, there existed another huge sandbar that was exposed as low tide was in full effect. Lucky boaters had their own private island playground which they docked at while this sandbar was exposed:

I then asked Dad to fly east just a bit further as I snapped a few nice pictures of the white, sandy beaches of the Jersey Shore, looking north at Island Beach State Park:

I then turned the plane south as we grazed the shoreline at about 1,500 feet with Dad taking in the views of Long Beach Island. In the distance I had my mind set on shooting my second photo set (my first can be found HERE) of Fantasy Island amusement area in Beach Haven. I skirted over Long Beach Island so that now I was looking left at the ocean and clicked away, capturing many nice shots of the park. Here is one of the best shots of this children's amusement area and one that looks like lot of fun if you are visiting this area:

Skirting back over the island, we were now over the ocean once again with the Atlantic City skyline in the distance. What was also in the distance was a dark spot at about our altitude and near the city. We couldn't make out just what this was but figured it to be a blimp. Past Brigantine we flew and quickly approached the city. We could see two new casinos being built at the northern tip of the city, directly between the shore line and the lighthouse, and can be seen here:

Fast approaching was indeed a blimp, just as we thought, so we decided to pass to the left and above it, meaning I had to climb just a bit and fly a little further out over the ocean. The "Direct TV" blimp was now photographed by yours truly for a bit of FREE promotion for their company:

And all with a backdrop of Atlantic City and the now closed Bader airfield. Within a few seconds we were past it but Dad leaned forward and took the controls which allowed me to shoot some more photos of the blimp with the awe-inspiring Atlantic City again as a backdrop. Really neat to see a blimp from that perspective !!!

Continuing, Lucy the Elephant was ahead of us and if you are driving, can be found just south of Atlantic City in a town known as Margate. Then our final shore point was in the distance and where after passing this area were going to turn back northwest towards home. Ocean City boardwalk and amusement area could now be seen, as well as their general aviation airport. We saw a packed parking area full of planes and remembered back to when we would park there in the summer months and either walk or ride our folding bikes to the boardwalk and around the area. After passing the airport and still over the ocean, I checked for other aircraft that might have been around me, then made a hard right turn over the town and towards the bay/marsh area just to the west. I figured right about now it was time for a photograph of the shoreline of Sea Isle City, Avalon and Stone Harbor:

And soon thereafter, I figured another picture was in order where the Atlantic Ocean, shoreline, marsh/bay area and the Garden State Parkway bordering the vast expanse of pine trees can be seen:

Dad then commented about a coal-fired electric generation station to the right. Beesleys Point is what this plant is called, and I figured I would circle CCW and snap a few pictures of this behemoth of a generating plant before they tear it down in favor of windmills or a solar farm. It is complete with a cooling tower and resides on the shore the Great Egg Harbor river. Flying further to the northwest and along the river's marshy area....

....I had to stay below 1,500 feet to clear Atlantic City international airport's airspace just to the north of our course. This put us at a point where all we saw ahead of us was an awe inspiring expanse of pine and deciduous vegetation. Hmmm, not many emergency landing spots to note, but when we finally cleared the airspace I climbed to over 2,000 feet, a multitude of small clearings emerged, all embedded in the thick tree covered land below.

Veering away from the river and more to the west, we began noticing many farm fields ahead. I then spotted what looked like a small town festival in the midst of an arbor nursery:

Looking back up to the horizon, I could see a vast array of farmland including the town of Landisville, with a backdrop of pines in the distance:

Next up on the "Turf" portion of our flight this afternoon was Vineland-Downstown airport, which in fact we never landed at, nor did we land here that day:

By the looks of the two crop dusting planes seen parked on them, we could pretty much tell what this field was mainly used for. Still though, a nice airfield with a beautiful field of flowers as its closest neighbor:

Moving right along and still getting slammed a bit by the westerly winds, our ground speed was about 130 mph. Our next destination was Cross Keys airport in Williamstown, New Jersey for some parachuting excitement. That is, as spectators mind you, as I cannot see the point in jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. Just the same, I am glad there are folks who enjoy this sport because it makes for some great entertainment. Not only watching them plummet to earth, but also gazing at the turbo-prop aircraft that shoot off of the airport's small runway with 25 plus jumpers aboard. Ok, I'm getting a head of myself here.

Next on the horizon was Southern Cross airport, and though I shot a picture of this before, I captured yet another so you can see the slightly "S" shaped runway that exists at this grass strip airfield just south of Cross Keys. A few miles north is a Verterans Memorial that was built only a few years back, though I never snapped a picture of this tribute to our nations heroes before. The actual name slips my mind at the moment, and I cannot seem to find it on Google. If anyone can identify this memorial then by all means leave me a comment. That day, I finally captured a nice picture of this memorial:

Ok, Cross Keys airport is just ahead and we can already hear a flurry of calls on the radio from the parachute jump plane saying "Jumpers Away" as he gets ready to release his load of humans with a collapsed wing strapped to their back. Upon landing, Dad and I noticed that one of the parachute jump planes was parked very close to the runway, which was kind of strange. Anyway, after a nice and uneventful landing, which is the best you can hope for, we parked near the operations building and stopped in to use the facilities. The man behind the desk looked depressed due to the lack of general aviation at the airport due in part to the excessive fuel prices. We talked for a moment, and was then told that the plane near the runway just experienced a flat tire upon landing so it was quickly rolled off of the runway. Ok, that explains that. We then walked around the aircraft parking area a bit and noticed, as we have in the past, that this airport features the most "dregs" of any of them, meaning the planes parked here have either been abandoned by their owners or they are simply left in disrepair. See what I mean:

And this is just one of m any. On some planes, paint was stripped down to the aluminum by the sun, tires were flat with the airframe now resting on the wheel covers themselves. Others like the picture above had ripped fabric and the like. Kind of depressing that in this age of airliners and space travel, and with folks having the ability and the means to fly themselves, this is what some let happen to their flying machines.

Next we walked along the runway and crossed it near where the jump plane with the flat tire, known as a Skyvan, was parked and is seen here:

This was the Parachute Jumping operation is known as FreeFallAdventures and features many types of jump planes, and most of them are turbo-props. On this day, though, only two jump planes were flying, and when we arrived, only one due to the Skyvan's flat tire. We stopped by the operations area and bought an ice cream at the snack bar, then took in the views that were transpiring right before our eyes. A Super Twin Otter jump plane had just landed and taxied into position for a new load of jumpers, and most of them had brightly colored gear as they prepared to board the plane for the ride of a lifetime (I presume):

Then within another fifteen or so minutes there were jumpers diving towards the ground at breathtaking speed, parachutes a popping, and all followed by single and tandem jumpers with brightly colored nylon wings gently carrying them back to terra-firma. All great entertainment and completely free. Heck, the majority of folks watching drove in for the afternoon.

Dad and I then heard a distinctive whine from above, and one we had both heard before. Yes, it was a Piaggio Avanti making a high pass over the airport from northwest to the southeast. We thought it was a Starship produced by the Beechcraft company, but this was indeed an Avanti, identified by the T-tail and non-swept wings and forward canard. This craft is a turbo-prop business transport aircraft with propellers that push instead of pull like most if not all of the turbo-props you see today. Here is what we saw when looking up, and you can distinctly see the canard in front (right side of the photo):

It was now getting to be late afternoon, and since we still have to fly about an hour back north and Dad having to drive over an hour back home, we figured it was time to depart. So, without further ado, we boarded for the flight home. We climbed out and to the right, turning on northerly course which would take us just east of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Crossing the Delaware river, I shot a picture of the Tacony-Palmyra bridge with the sun glistening water as a backdrop:

Our route would then take us directly over Northeast Philadelphia (Philly) airport for which I called and asked for permission to over-fly the field at 1,500, directly through their airspace. Of course we were given permission, and then we began to enjoy some sights we had not seen before. The most impressive sight was the conglomeration of row houses that existed on street after street after street on the outskirts of northern Philadelphia as seen here:

What an impressive sight this was and it looked almost surreal. Zooming in a bit closer, most all of them looked like this:

Now that is what I call getting to "know thy neighbor". I then noticed a helicopter on final approach for Northeast Philly and quickly prepped the camera to shoot a few pictures of it as it made its way over a housing development below. The tops of the blades were painted red and while which made the chopper itself very photogenic:

I was then asked by the control tower if I was clear of their airspace, and with my reply of yes, we were back on our way over the rural areas of lower Bucks county in Pennsylvania and Hunterdon county in New Jersey. The weather was a bit hazier than when we began our flight, but the air was becoming more stable with less "bouncing". This was truly another of our epic journeys that was enjoyed immensely, and I look forward to your comments.

Thanks once again for reading and flying along with Dad and I !!!

Along the "Jersey Shore", and More....

2008-08-05T21:00:00.036-04:00

This astounding flight took place on Sunday, August 3, 2008, and this entry features the most pictures I've ever posted...24 in all.

The day was predicted to be a bit cooler than the previous sweltering days, drier and also a bit breezy with winds around 10 & gusting to about 18 mph. Dad and I arrived at the airport and yes, the winds were blowing from the north, though not as strong as predicted since it was still early in the morning. I departed runway 31 which is the airport's crosswind runway for just such times when the wind is blowing as it was today.

Upon climbing I turned left and proceeded on a course which took us south, just west of Trenton-Mercer airport and along the Delaware river. We over-flew a closed airport once known as "3M". It was a company airport, though public at one time, but I did not shoot any updated photos on this flight. The air was somewhat choppy, and I knew this would hinder my ability to shoot nearly still aerial photos, yet the majority of the ones I shot turned out just fine. It was at this point where we intersected the Delaware river, then turned southwest and headed directly towards the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We had always wanted to shoot pictures of the Adventure Aquarium located in Camden, New Jersey....

....along with the Battleship "New Jersey" which is only a hop, skip and a jump south of this attraction:

To do this, though, meant I would be flying very close by to Philadelphia International airport's airspace, and it was suggested by some friendly folks at our home-base airport that I call approach control. I did just that, but when I made the call I was instructed to contact the tower instead. Wow, I thought, that's a fairly important call to make to a busy tower that is already talking to the airliners and such. Anyway, I made the call, told them what my intentions were and was given a code to enter in my transponder which allowed them to see exactly where I was at all times. Perfect, I thought, and Dad flew a few circles around these two attractions as I snapped away, acquiring many photos of the Philadelphia skyline:

After our photo flight of this area, I called the tower once again to tell them we were exiting the area. A pleasant "Thank You" was exchanged, and we were now on our way to destinations southeast of this area. Around the Clementon, New Jersey area, there is a large train depot where the majority of the trains coming out of Philadelpia turn-around for the journey back to the city....

....just like the New Jersey Transit trains do in Bay Head, NJ. And just south of this depot, still in Clementon, there exists a small but bustling amusement park called Clementon Park. This park has a rich history, and new for 2008 is an addition to their their water park Splash World, which is rather colorful:

After Dad flew one circle around the park so I could snap some pictures, we continued southeast bound and headed directly to Millville, which could eventually be seen in the distance thanks to a large lake that exists northwest of the town. We wanted to check on the progress of the New Jersey Motorsports Park that I previously photographed. Some landscaping was complete, as well as the paving of the multitude of tracks present, but not much action except a handful of cars making laps. Below is the southern most track with the airport and large lake north of Millville in the distance:

Continuing, we made a bee-line towards the southern peninsula of New Jersey, where Cape May resides at the tip. The Cape May county airport is just north of town and we landed there for fuel and our standard fare, namely, our picnic lunch. Fuel was EXPENSIVE @ $5.95 per gallon, though many other airports in the area are in the low 5's. Anyway, a nice stop though the wind was strong but steady from the west at about 15 mph.

After about an hour, we departed to the west then turned 180 degrees and flew directly towards the "Jersey Shore". The Wildwoods was our point of entry as we began flying north along Jersey's "Gold Coast". We were commenting how Wildwood's beach is wider than any other beach along the Jersey Shore. Take a look at the picture below, then imagine you wanting to grab a hot dog and soda. Then think how long and how much walking it would take you. Yup, the beach is THAT wide, and note in the picture how tiny the people are compared to the distance you have to walk from beach to boardwalk:

Flying north, we flew along the beaches of Stone Harbor, Avalon and Sea Isle City, then I shot a picture of a packed beach at Ocean City:

Ocean City has the distinct advantage (as far as pilots are concerned) of having its own airport only a few blocks from the beach. Atlantic City used to have a small airport called Bader, but this was recently closed. Upon approaching this gambling mecca, we decided to fly just west of the city and over the marshes. Below is a picture of a solar/wind power generating station and is used solely for powering some of Atlantic City, or so I've read:

Brigantine was now to our east, and was once home to a very distinct Haunted Castle that stood prominently on the beach back in the 1970's. We were now approaching the ruins of a decrepit and abandoned fertilizer factory (or so we were told) in the middle of a river inlet:

This factory was just west of a rather large sandbar that acted like an island resort for a select few boats. Smack dab in the middle of an inlet, boats would pull up to this sandbar and enjoy their private island, as seen below:

Further to the north and still over the marshes, we crossed the boundaries of lower Barnegat Bay with Long Beach Island to the east. Crossing Route 72, I shot a picture a little further of the Barnegat Inlet with the Lighthouse in view at the lower right of the photo:

Now, talk about a private dwelling on your very own, mosquito and black fly infested marsh island in the middle of Barnegat Bay. Well, this is what we have here:

Further along we come to Island Beach State Park and Tice's shoal, where boats gather to anchor and ride their dingies to the beach access road. But today was unlike any summer day that we've experienced in the past, because Tice's shoal looked like a mall parking lot at Christmas. From a distance, the shoreline looks impressive, but the gathering of boats, though, is nothing to write home about:

But, get a bit closer and look what we have here. "Hey, watch that anchor". "Hey, watch my wake". "Hey, steer clear of those jet skiers and don't run over those folks in their dingy"....You get the idea. Look how packed this area really was:

Below you can see the beach access road, and another view of the madness that day at Tice's shoal:

It was at Seaside Park that we traversed the shoreline and were now flying over the Atlantic Ocean and along the shoreline at about 1,000 feet. To our left was Seaside Heights and their two amusement areas; Funtown Pier and Casino Pier. It was still a bit bumpy up there so that's what all the shaking is about. Further north once again and around the Point Pleasant area, there was a gathering of boats that was actually more impressive than Tice's shoal. It was an area we had not noticed previously, and the boats were packed tighter than a can of sardines, with only one entrance/exit to this area:

See what I mean....Now this is a party area if I ever saw one:

Passing the larger shore towns of Asbury Park and Long Branch, we could now see Sandy Hook in the distance. Below are some folks enjoying their Sunday on the beach at this norther peninsula of the "Jersey Shore", though not many folks were actually in the water:

Flying along the beach, I was now about to turn left as we flew around the tip of Sandy Hook, as seen here:

Looking back, we could now see the entire peninsula (Sandy Hook) and the shoreline where we just came from. It was a very pretty sight, especially with the rich, blue ocean, the blue sky and the puffy clouds that stopped abruptly once they reached the Atlantic Ocean:

Flying back south now along Sandy Hook, I shot a picture of one of many concrete military installations that are present:

Turning to the west, the Atlantic Highlands were now to our left (south) and we could see Keansburg Amusement Park ahead with its yellow, dirt-looking beach:

After passing this area, we climbed to about 2,500 feet and proceeded on course to our home-base airport, over-flying the Raritan river and towns such as New Brunswick, Manville and Somerville. Just crossing into Hunterdon county, we noticed an interesting Corn Maze and decided to shoot a picture of it:

Yup, CORNFUSION (though in the maze, the "R" is backwards - Get it...."CONFUSION"). Try following the maze when you enlarge the picture. It actually works and looks like a lot of fun. Hey, no printing this picture and cheating :)

Finally, a landing was made back home with another stop for fuel before we parked for the day. I hope you have enjoyed this pictorial journey throughout southern New Jersey and along our fascinating shoreline that we are blessed with.

Stay tuned for many more Pictorial/Video journeys and Thanks once again for flying along with Dad and I !!!

An Island Flight...

2008-07-19T17:57:00.023-04:00

Yes, this is a flight that I hoped would take place one day, and it did on Saturday, July 12, 2008. Summer time, hot and relatively dry, and both my Father and my Wife joining me for the flight. After departing our home-base airport, the air was fairly hazy though rather tranquil. This was not a welcome sight since our flight would encompass at a minimum about 2-1/2 hours, and for this amount of time one wants to see as much as one can. Still though, we stuck with the plan....Ah, the plan, to fly east along the southern coast of Long Island, just south of New York City, then turn northeastward until we reached Fishers Island, smack dab in the middle of the Long Island Sound.

So, back to the flight. As we approached the Raritan Bay bridge which carries the Garden State Parkway and Route 9 over the Raritan river, we still were in the soupy air and could barely see New York City. Ahead of us, we could barely make-out the lines of the Verrazano-Narrows suspension bridge in the distance. This was looking to be a dismal flight with limited visibility and a bumpy ride due to the thermals that were now present. After over-flying The Narrows of the Lower New York Bay with the vast suspension bridge to the left:

....we were now set to over-fly the beach at Coney Island:

and the infamous Parachute ride (now defunct), as seen below:

Next, I had to descend to approx. 300 feet to clear J.F.K. International airport's airspace. Leveling off at an altitude where we could practically take a sample of sand home with us, we were now over Rockaway Beach and at a safe altitude in case the flight path of any large aircraft crossed ours. And just then we glanced to the left at J.F.K. airport to witness the take-off of a commercial jet as seen here:

What we also noticed was that the visibility had just improved and we could now see the surrounding terrain in the distance very clearly. New York City was gleaming, as was all other landmarks in the area. Yes, we now had exceptional visibility despite a soupy beginning. It seemed that all of the haze blowing in from Pennsylvania and New Jersey was blocked by The Big Apple (NYC). Well, whatever the case, we could now enjoy the flight and all that was to be presented to us, both on the ground and in the distance.

Flying along at 300 feet or so is quite an experience in itself as you truly get a feel for how fast you are flying. Like a bird, we continued along the shoreline of Rockaway Beach, shooting pictures and video until we were clear of JFK airport's airspace. Climbing back up to about 1,500 feet, we were soon approaching Jones Beach and the majestic monument that looms over the enormous parking lots:

Continuing along the southern coast of Long Island, I decided to turn northward just a bit and fly over the north shore of the bay, directly over Heckscher State Park. We all noted how deserted this park was compared to the droves of people flocking to the ocean on the Robert Moses Causeway as seen here:

I guess swimming in the bay is not a high priority when the ocean is that close. Looking to the left I pointed out MacArthur airport, and after passing by their airspace, I decided to turn on course. I now climbed even higher to around 2,000 feet, flying directly over Brookhaven airport. The now closed Navy airfield in Calverton could be seen in the distance and to the north:

Two, very long runways are still intact, though there is some construction taking place at the intersection of them. And just to the east of this area at the intersection of Interstate 495 and Route 25, a water park exists and one that we had not seen before. Splish Splash is the name, and of course water slides and rides are the game. I flew two circles around this park as my wife and I shot aerial photos of all that looked interesting. My photo gallery of this water park can be found HERE. There was a rather large shopping area to the east of this and I thought it looked like the number (6) from above....See what you think:

We were now at a point where the north fork of Long Island branches out to the northeast, at the town of Riverhead. Our course took us directly over and along the north fork, and I took note of a small airport up ahead called Mattituck. This airport is home to an aircraft engine shop, one of which the entire world relies on for the rebuilding of small aircraft engines. The runway is short, but nonetheless, a nice field to drop into for a look around. Continuing over the towns of Peconic, Southold and Greenport, the beauty of this area could be seen. This north fork of Long Island is picturesque and full of farm fields that produce an astounding beauty, especially when viewed from above. See what I mean:

Next up was our crossing of Plum Island, then two smaller islands and finally half of the Long Island Sound before we arrived at Fishers Island. The last of the smaller islands has overgrown concrete military installations abound that once was part of a defense mechanism to protect Long Island from the British. But before we reached this point, though, we climbed even higher to about 3,500 feet as we started to over-fly part of the Long Island Sound. We always climb to a higher altitude over large bodies of water just in case we lose engine power and are forced to glide to safety. With this additional altitude, we can glide that much further to an open field or beach. Ok, finally, we reach Fishers Island and can see the airfield's two runways below:

I set-up for a landing to the southeast on the longer of the two runways, though due to a stiff crosswind and a fully loaded plane, it was bit rougher than I'm used to. Nevertheless, we arrived safe and sound then taxied to the airports brand new apron (parking area). This area was filled with planes and is something we were not accustomed to when we visited in the past. Later we were told an aircraft club in Pennsylvania had a fly-out scheduled for this day and Fishers Island was their destination. Ok, that explains all the planes, so we simply parked in the island grass.

After checking-out the newly renovated office which will soon feature a pilots lounge, we paid our nominal $5.00 landing fee, grabbed our beach gear and began our leisurely walk to the beach at the end of the east/west runway. When we arrived, we noticed the beach was not sandy any more, but rather was full of small, round stones, most probably washed up from the stormy seas. Still though, the view was beautiful and there wasn't a soul to be found. This was our beach for the next few hours. Take a look at the view:

We enjoyed the usual fare for our picnic lunch, plopped our feet in the cold waters and explored the tip of the island a bit before walking back to the plane. What we did notice, however, was a large number of sail boats as compared to previous summers, most probably due to the increase in gas prices. Why burn gas in a boat when you can get the wind to propel you for free, though you better know what you are doing.

Back at the plane, I plotted a course to Sikorsky Memorial airport in Bridgeport, Connecticut for a fuel stop. The course, which was really a no-brainer, took us along the southern shore of Connecticut, just south of New Haven. We took-off of Fishers Island on the same runway we landed and circled the western half of the island so everyone could get a nice view. Climbing to about 3,500 feet, we were now over the Long Island Sound and quickly approaching the Connecticut coastline with Groton/New London just to our right. But when we turned on course to follow the coastline, we noticed our ground speed was at a snails pace, so I descended to escape the winds aloft that were hampering our forward progression. Leveling off about about 1,000 feet, it was a tad better so we stayed here and enjoyed a more clearer view of the small islands that dot the coastline. Further along, I called the control tower at Sikorsky Memorial and he cleared me for a straight-in approach to runway 24 (to the southwest). I felt like an airliner on approach to a large, international airport as we slowly descended and over-flew many homes, roads and bodies of water before touching down on the 150 foot wide runway.

After fueling-up and taxiing to the active runway, I was cleared for take-off to the west. Climbing out of this airport is neat because you take-off directly over the beaches and coastal areas, and that makes for some nice, close-up views. Upon leveling-off at about 1,500 feet and flying due west/southwest, we were now looking for Rye Playland Amusement Park so I could shoot some updated aerial photos of the park in general and their newest coaster, Super Flight. The gallery of photos that I shot of this park can be found HERE.

The city of White Plains could now be seen protruding out from the horizon and just to the north of Rye Playland. It was here that I turned more to the right (west bound) to clear New York City's airspace. This also allowed us to climb higher for safety reasons since over-flying the Yonkers area of New York limits us to where we can land if an emergency arises. Leveling off at 2,000 feet, the air was getting a bit soupy once again, and we knew we were in for a hazy flight home. Crossing the Hudson river, I was using the Alpine Tower as a landmark as seen below:

The homes in this area at the base of the tower are literally mansions, and to call them anything else would be an understatement. Continuing further west, I was now able to fly the circumference of New York's airspace which took us over and just to the west of the bustling metropolis of Patterson, Teterboro and all towns in between:

It was after this point that the air became extremely hazy, though still navigable without instruments, of course, otherwise I would not be here to write this entry. The air was still smooth and comfortable for my wife, though we all couldn't see very much. Arriving back at our home-base airport, it was almost unreal what we just experienced, and only an hour or so ago. Yes, this days flight to Fishers Island was a flight to cherish & remember.

Thanks for Reading & See You on The Next Flight !!!

The Jersey Shore...

2008-05-27T14:23:00.034-04:00

Finally, a day with temps in the 70's was on tap for Dad and I on Sunday, May 25, 2008. Upon arriving at the airport, the wind was blowing gently from the north-northwest, just as predicted, with little to no clouds present.

After departing on runway 26 (to the west), I turned southeast on a course that would initially take us over Six Flags Great Adventure. Before we arrived, though, we noticed that traffic was already backed-up on the New Jersey Turnpike heading south. Ahead and on the horizon, we could see the roller-coasters that adorn Great Adventure's skyline, and I set-up the plane for a slow CCW circle of the park and Safari. We noticed that the parking lot was about 1/4 full with only a handful of buses, and the lines for most rides were rather short. The parking lot entrance, on the other hand, was backed-up and the lines were growing, a sign that the park would be packed later on in the day.

Next up was a continuation of our course, this time east-southeast, towards the Jersey Shore. The air was quite choppy and was not as predicted. We arrived parallel to the Manasquan Inlet near Point Pleasant and noticed something we had never seen before. Long streaks of what looked like algae/pollution being churned up by the boats that were in the area. It looked very strange and somewhat eerie, and those streaks parallel to the shoreline were not waves cresting, either, as the tide was out:

Turning to the south and following the shoreline, the air of course became smooth due to the even heating and cooling of the air thanks to the Atlantic Ocean. We were soon passing Seaside Heights and noticed many folks packed on the beach. Most rides on the two amusement piers there were all running as well. Continuing further, we overflew Island Beach State Park and passed just west of Barnegat Lighthouse:

Next up was the bustling, gambling metropolis of Atlantic City. We flew east of the city, then I turned back north and flew west of the city, circling The Borgata, The Water Club, Harrah's and the Trump Marina complex as seen here:

And while circling this giant complex of casinos, I couldn't help but notice an array of what I assumed were light posts on the upper level of one of Harrah's parking decks. It looked like a field of red and blue pinwheels, all laid out flat and parallel to the parking lot....How Interesting:

Finally, I turned back on course over the now closed Bader Airfield. I happened to look down and see Lucy The Elephant in the town of Margate as we were now flying parallel to the shoreline. Ocean City was up ahead, and just as with Atlantic City, we turned back around and flew north past the city and boardwalk areas to get a better look at the packed beaches:

Ocean City airport is only a few blocks southwest of the boardwalk / amusement area and it looked quite busy with folks flying in for the day. Continuing further south, Stone Harbor was up ahead followed by Wildwood. And as we passed each beach community there were droves of people packed onto the beach, but not a soul was in the water except for a few waders since the water temps were only in the low 50's. I was checking-out the amusement piers at Wildwood and was pointing out to Dad that come Summer of 2009, there are rumors of a new roller coaster to be built here that would span two piers. Only time will tell if this project will ever pan out.

Cape May was the last town along the Jersey Shore, and was not as crowded as the previous beach areas, though just as pretty with its Victorian-Style homes and quaint, tree-lined streets. After flying past the Southern tip of New Jersey (picture) and the Cape May Lighthouse (picture) we turned northward and overflew the Lewes Ferry terminal (picture). Cape May County airport was just to the northeast of our course and I called in and announced my position and intention to land. We set down gently and into a direct headwind blowing right off of the Delaware bay.

We parked next to the large hangar on the field and ate our picnic lunch inside the plane due to the cool breeze from the west. After a leisurely stroll to the operations hangar/office, we chatted with a rather interesting individual and looked around a bit. Another leisurely walk back to the large hangar, which also houses the Naval Air Station Aviation Museum, we took a peek inside. I shot some photos and videos around the hangar, then we made our departure to the west, followed by a turn to the north as we flew along the shore of the Delaware Bay. Both wanting to see the progress of the New Jersey Motorsports Park Raceway that was under construction adjacent to Millville airport, we headed in that direction. The air was still "butter smooth" until we made our way past the bay area and over land. Then the choppy air began once again. Upon arriving at Millville, we saw that another track had been constructed along with some buildings, though the complex was still far from accepting paying spectators. The airport itself was not very busy, and only one of the two major runways was open.

The next leg of our flight took us northwest towards Cross Keys airport to enjoy some parachuting entertainment (as spectators; NOT participants). It was at this point that we noticed the wind at the surface was from the south, yet us, while flying to the north, were feeling the effects of a headwind and our ground speed was reduced. Yup, the winds aloft were still from the north, and is why the parachute jump plane was letting it's adventure seekers out north of the field. Winds aloft from the north and surface winds from the south....Ah, Mother Nature !!!!

I landed at Cross Keys airport and parked near the operations building, but there was not a soul in sight. We took a walk along the runway/taxiway to the parachuting operations area and noticed only one of two DeHavilland Twin Otter (picture) aircraft were being used due to the reduced number of parachutists. Nonetheless, we bought some ice cream, took a seat and enjoyed watching them float down. Back at the plane, I manually checked the level of the gas in the tanks and determined that we would need some additional fuel to fly home safely. Unfortunately, Cross Keys does not have a 24/7 fueling station, so I called an airport just north to check availability and hours of operation. Lucky for us, they were open, but we had to get there within a half an hour. Quickly we made our way north to South Jersey Regional airport where we met up with the fueling personnel who filled our tanks with some much needed "liquid gold" (read the first paragraph).

Departing once again, I headed the plane north-northwest on a course that took us northeast of Philadelphila, PA and west of Trenton, NJ. We overflew Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA, then over the lush, green fields of lower Bucks county in Pennsylvania. Traversing the Delaware river for what seemed like the 10th time, beautiful Hunderdon County in New Jersey was now in front. We spotted several private, grass airstrips just as we always do and we wished one was our very own. In addition to these aviation enthusiast havens, there were a plethora of horse and cattle farms, each with their own distinctive scenery.

Our home base airport could now be seen in the distance, and once there, I set up the plane for landing and touched down gently, bringing the nose up for a full stall landing. We topped-off our fuel tanks once again to reduce the likely-hood of condensation forming and taxied back to our parking spot. It was an awesome flight this Memorial Day weekend of 2008, and one that presented us with many interesting and intriguing views....

Thanks for Flying Along with Dad and I !!!

A Flight Around Philly...

2008-05-18T07:11:00.020-04:00

This Spring time flight around the western half of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania took place on Saturday, May 10, 2008. The weather was quite dismal with cloudy skies and only a peek of sun here and there. The temperature was in the 60's and stayed that way for most of the day. The cloud bases were about 3,000 to 4,000 feet, and we did hit just a bit of drizzle as we passed just west of Philadelphia. The wind was generally from the north at about 5-10 mph, which was nothing to complain about. Other than that, the sky became brighter as the day progressed, and we enjoyed a nice flight as you will soon read about....

After first departing our home base airport, I flew in kind of a haphazard direction until we both could figure out just where we wanted to go. It was finally decided that we would be destined for New Garden airport in Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania. This route would take us over the Willow Grove Naval Base and just west of Philadelphia. The first item of interest is the King of Prusssia highway interchange and shopping mall. The large conglomeration of highways there are I-76, I-276, State 202, State 422 & Route 303:

Looking to the right (north) we could see Valley Forge National Historic Park, and after slight turn to the south we were now a short distance from Brandywine airport in the town of West Chester. This airport is home to the American Helicopter Museum, which holds a large airshow and demonstration event each Fall. The next area of interest was Longwood Gardens near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. See my personal photo gallery of this incredible attraction HERE. Also along this route, I noticed a rather small golf course, which looks to have only nine holes:

In the distance, we could finally see New Garden airport. After landing, we briefly walked around and talked to a few folks working on their aircraft. We ate our picnic lunch in the plane, then departed for destinations north of the area. Passing just west of Brandywine airport, I took a photo of an interesting highway interchange; basically two interchanges merged into one:

Further on, I took note of a school with an entirely BLUE roof. I don't know, it just looked neat, so I snapped a picture:

We then flew just east of the Pottstown-Limerick area of Pennsylvania, and could see the power generating cooling towers looming in the distance. We always use these as a reference point and to see the severity of the winds aloft as it blows the steam pouring from these hollow, behemoth cylinders of re-bar and concrete. We were now over Quakertown airport in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, then decided to fly west for a flight over Dorney Park to check on the progress of their newest coaster, Voodoo. On the way there, though, I noticed an outdoor recreation shop along Route 309 near Coopersburg, Pennsylvania. It had a large selection of umbrellas stationed outdoors, and I thought it looked neat from above:

Ahead of us and in the distance, we could see the mountain ridge hiding the view of the city of Allentown and Bethlehem. I overflew Queen City airport and circled Dorney Park for some photos. Here is a picture of one area of the park, complete with a white water rafting and train ride:

After a quick landing and rest at Queen City, we departed and flew back east, destined for home. I noticed, though, a large expanse of blooming foliage on some of the surrounding hills:

We then reached the Delaware river, then turned south at the town of Milford. We both noticed that a new earthen-type dam (or something of this nature) was constructed on the east shore of the river, just south of Milford. My wife and I noticed this too while driving in this area. Take a look and see if you can figure out what this landscaped area is supposed to be:

After shooting a few pictures of this unknown landmark, I turned due northeast for our home base airport. The wind, however, was still out of the north which meant I would be dealing with a direct crosswind if I wanted to land on the main runway. Nah, no fun, so I opted to land on the cross runway which is a lot short and narrower, except that now I would have a direct headwind and be landing at a much slower speed. Needless to say, the landing was uneventful. We headed for the gas pits to drain our wallets with some $5 per gallon liquid gold, then parked the plane in our tie-down spot. It was a nice afternoon flight with rather smooth air, though a bit gloomy in the beginning. But hey, we were flying, and that is something we both cherish that we're still able to do. And to be able to share our flight and sights with all of you, well, that's just icing on the cake :) !!!

Thanks for Flying Along with Dad and I !!!

Spring is in the Air....

2008-04-28T16:35:00.027-04:00

It was Sunday, April 27, 2008 that Dad and I embarked on this journey after a couple of weekends of lousy weather and Spring cleaning around the house that just had to be done. This hour and a half flight was most enjoyable because of the fresh foliage appearing beneath us and how it reminded us of the warmer and prettier summer months:

Our first destination was, as usual, Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in Jackson, New Jersey. I departed on runway 08 (easterly direction) then turned CCW around the airport as I climbed to 2,000 feet. My weather briefing indicated the ceiling (bottom of the lowest deck of clouds) to be no more than 3,000 feet, and as I leveled-off I could see that the forecast was proving to be correct. Flying on a southeast heading, we passed just to the west of Sky Manor airport and towards the bustling country metropolis of Flemington, New Jersey. It looked very pretty to see some color bursting from the tree buds below.

But just as we noticed the town to our left, ahead of us looked quite dismal with a layer of clouds and mist at a lower altitude than what we were flying. I eased back on the throttle and descended to 1,500 feet, just low enough to clear this ominous looking layer of visible moisture in the form of whispy clouds. The visibility was not bad, though, so we pressed on. After circling Great Adventure a few times and acquiring a massive amount of aerial pictures (See the Gallery HERE), we headed west. Queen City airport in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was to be our next destination. For simplicity, we decided to over-fly Trenton airport's airspace rather than call the control tower for permission and be vectored through accordingly. Upon leveling out at about 3,000 feet, the air was calm and smooth, and we overflew a recently closed airport, Twin Pine, located in the town of Pennington, New Jersey. I then shot a picture of this grass field airport with two, large, yellow X's on each end of the runway:

We were nearing the Delaware river. But just then, I noticed that same line of lower clouds as we had seen previously, so I quickly descended to about 2,000 feet, which was a bad altitude to choose as we soon found out. Wanting to return to our home base airport instead of Queen City due to the poor weather conditions, we were now flying northwest, and noticed a slight haze or barely visible moisture in the surrounding air. We couldn't put our finger on just what this phenomena was, though we should have of known better. Just then Dad asked me if I reduced the throttle. Of course I didn't, but he had to increase it just to maintain engine RPM. Then in a few more minutes of flying through this barely visible mist / haze, I had to increase the throttle myself to keep the engine RPM at a constant setting. Weird, I thought. But just as we passed the town of Flemington, the air became clear once again and the mist/haze was nowhere to be found. It was still cloudy, though, and we continued towards our home base airport. The engine RPM was steadier now, too. Upon entering the airport traffic pattern, all was normal so far. On final approach, though, I noticed that when I brought the engine to an idle, I could actually see each blade as it made its rotation, indicating that the engine was near stalling. I brought the power up just a bit to keep it running, and again as I powered down to an idle, the same thing happened. This kept occurring even as we touched down and taxied off the runway.

As we were taxiing back to our tie-down spot for some lunch, this so-called phenomenon hit us like a freight train riding on oiled tracks. Carburetor Ice (Click the link for an explanation of what this really is). I should have been flying at 1,500 feet, an altitude below this cloud / moisture deck, as I did on the flight to Great Adventure and after we passed Flemington. And at the very least, once we saw the moisture / haze, pulling the carburetor heat lever would of been a good idea, just as a precautionary measure. Well, any lesson learned that you can walk away from is a lesson learned well. After a bite to eat, we boarded the plane and departed the traffic patter to the west. It was then that I noticed a large, yellow lightning bolt painted on the border of a soccer field:

We continued westbound for the Allentown, Pennsylvania area. I wanted to shoot aerial photos of Dorney Park's newest coaster, Voodoo, as I had in the past (See this gallery HERE). By this time, the weather was becoming very nice with high clouds and a lot better visibility. We flew a few circles around Dorney as I captured many nice photos of this unique coaster. Then it was a heading northeast as we flew the circumference of Allentown-Bethlehem International airport's airspace up to the few remaining structures of Bethlehem Steel. Again, I shot pictures of this almost haunted looking structure that was part of this famous steel plant many years ago:

We turned further north and overflew the town of Easton, Pennsylvania, then up along the Delaware river to the town of Belvidere, New Jersey, where I shot some photos of where my friend flies giant scale, radio-controlled airplanes. Their flying club is called the North Jersey Jumbo Flyers:

I then wanted to fly further north and land at Blairstown airport in Blairstown, New Jersey. Nothing special there except for some glider activity, so after landing we taxied back to the runway and departed, this time turning southeast. One of my colleagues where I work lives in this area, so I decided to scout out his home near Hope, New Jersey, but to no avail. I just couldn't remember the map he showed me and foolishly I did not have it with me. Next Time !!! Anyway, continuing south we traversed some rather large hills with rock faces protruding over the lake below.

We then noticed that the visibility was dropping a bit, and it looked as if the lower layer of clouds that we saw earlier east of Flemington was moving further west. Up ahead of us was the development where I live, so we flew a few circles around the house and got some nice aerial photos. The best yet that I have shot of the house and surrounding area. Like all good things, though, this flight had to come to an end, and I pointed the nose towards our home base airport. And just as I did this, I noticed some interesting fields just south of Clinton, New Jersey. One looked like green rivers flowing through a wheat field:

And the other like had the shape of a lightning bolt scorched into a dirt field:

Continuing towards the airport, we touched down gently in the mild crosswind. All in all, a nice Spring flight with bits of color here and there, teasing us with what is on the horizon come summer. Looking forward to our next jaunt, and this time hopefully with my wife too.

Thanks for Joining Dad and I on this Flight !!!

A Choice Day with Choppy Air...

2008-03-31T08:32:00.012-04:00

The flight we embarked on after a 5 week hiatus due to nasty, windy and damp March weather, was a complete success and much enjoyment was to be had. The flight took place on Sunday, March 30, 2008. The sky conditions that day were clear with a few, very high wispy-type clouds. The temperature was in the upper 30's to begin with, but warmed to the upper 40's by the end of the day. Wind was predicted to be 5-10 from the east-northeast, but as weather forecasts go nowadays, it was incorrect in that it was more like 10 from the south. All in all, a very nice day for this time of year, and judging by the sky conditions and the age old saying, "The calm before the storm" (rain was predicted for the next day), we figured the air would be smooth and tranquil.

Upon lift-off to the east, all seemed fine as I turned 180 degrees to the west and proceeded on course. Yet as we neared 2,000 feet, the choppy air made its presence. I would've initially climbed higher to try and avoid the bumpy air, but I wanted to shoot some aerial photos of Dorney Park's newest coaster Voodoo, and had to remain below 2,000 feet in order to clear Allentown's airspace. We could see one of the few remaining (almost haunted looking) structures of Bethlehem Steel ahead and to our right, and noticed a wind mill from yesteryear as we flew just north of Milford, NJ. We were getting bounced around quite a bit, but pressed on towards Dorney Park and just to the south of Queen City airport. I could see that Voodoo was now complete, with the exception of some landscaping and such, and shot some pictures as we flew a half circle around the park. Here is a shot of the completed Voodoo coaster:

I now headed west once again and took notice of a newly completed, 4 lane highway that runs between I-78 and State 222. The highway takes travelers to the outskirts of the Allentown area where many large warehouses and various companies are setting up shop, not to mention a plethora of dwellings taking shape as well. We were now clear of the airspace above and I proceeded to climb to hopefully avoid the choppy air we were still experiencing. I leveled off at 3,000 feet and although the air was a bit smoother, it was nothing to write home about. Not a big deal, though, since we are used to this and is actually quite fun sometimes. Kind of like riding an old, wooden roller-coaster, though the ride lasts a lot longer.

Up ahead of us was Kutztown and the university that exists there. We spotted the airport as well to the southwest of town, along with the deep, rock quarry at the end of the runway. We remember so vividly when approaching from the south how you must fly directly over this quarry on final approach. It is quite an impressive sight, and the next time we fly this approach, I will be sure to have Dad snap a picture and share it in my write-up of the flight.

Continuing, we could see the town of Reading in the distance and to the south of our course. There were a few large lakes/reservoirs around this area as well, and I remember how very distinct and beautiful this one area looks in the Spring & Summer months due mostly to the terrace-style farms that populate the area northwest of Reading, PA. I was getting hungry right about now, and since it was already around 1PM, we decided to make Deck airport, just south of Myerstown, our first destination of the day. Deck's is a nice airport to fly into, complete with a long, paved runway in the middle of the Amish farm fields. There is an old farmhouse on the airport which is used for the office, flight school, pilots lounge and rest rooms. An older woman who takes care of the place, keeping the fridge stocked and snacks available, is unfortunately no longer there. Still though, the house is clean and comfy, and we enjoyed eating our lunch in the kitchen...Just like being at home:

Dad and I have been flying into Deck's for over 10 years now, and not much has changed, except for that nice lady not being there any more. I believed she lived upstairs, and used to garden around the house as well. Anyway, after a relaxing recharge, we checked-out some of the aircraft around the apron and took note of an interesting twin engine plane in a nearby hangar. What grabbed our attention was that where standard air intake openings would normally exist to cool the engine, this plane had only two very small openings at the bottom of the engine nacelle, in addition to the oval shaped opening where air fed the carburetor. The location where the air inlet openings exist on other aircraft were occupied on one side by a light, and the other by a streamlined fairing. Very interesting indeed; take a look for yourself:

We were wondering just how these high performance engines get cooled, but they must, of course. The next part of our day was to fly a bit further west to Hershey Park in Hershey, PA. I wanted to shoot some pictures of their newest coaster, Fahrenheit, designed by the Swiss firm Intamin. After taking-off to the south and turning west, we could then see the sprawling town of Lebanon, which is growing by leaps and bounds. And in the distance, covered by a light haze, was Hershey Park.

The coaster Fahrenheit is almost complete, and we noticed a few cranes assembling the last couple of sections of the cobra roll (a specific element of the coaster). This coaster features a true vertical lift hill with a first drop of more than 90 degrees, providing a bit of negative G's before taking on the rest of the course. Looks like fun, huh? :

It was almost 3PM, and I was getting tired due mostly to the long day I spent on Saturday at Bushkill Falls. We decided to fly back home now because air continued to be choppy, and we knew we still had a long flight back. But just to keep things different and not see the same sights as we did flying out here, I headed a bit southeast towards Quakertown, PA. This course would take us directly over the town of Reading, and the rather large Chinese Pagoda that's perched high on a hill overlooking the town:

We could see the large cooling towers near the Pottstown area to the south, and up ahead was an airport you might be interested in, particularly if you enjoy golf. Butter Valley Golf-Port is the name, and features a 2,400 foot runway smack dab in the middle of the course, with 1,500 ft of it paved and the rest grass. Fly in for a round of golf, then partake of lunch in the club house....How COOL is that? :

The air was beginning to smooth out a bit the further east we flew, and we could now see the bustling metropolis of Quakertown. I wanted to shoot some pictures of a rather interesting company due east of town. A company that creates rather large "structures" (for lack of a better word) from rusted steel pipes and places them on their property for reasons unknown. I tell you, from the ground they look like giant, futuristic creatures from outer space. And from the air, well, see for yourself:

See what I mean. Anyway, after getting some shots of this bit of the bizarre, I flew east until we were crossing the shallow but wide, Delaware river. We flew south of Milford and north of Frenchtown, both in NJ, until our home base airport could be seen. I gradually meandered back and entered the traffic pattern to land, and the wind was still from the south. Yes, a great flying day to kick off Spring, and although there was a bit of chop up there, it felt great to once again take in the sights from above.....

Thanks for Reading !!!

A Wintertime Odyssey: Take Two...

2008-02-26T12:19:00.032-05:00

Yes, this is yet another story about a flying adventure that Dad and I enjoyed on Sunday, February 24, 2008. Another Odyssey, if you will, that took place during the winter months, and other than colder temps than on our last major flight, this was as good if not better in every detail....Follow along with me, won't you, as I relay our enthusiasm and sightings from this day with both narrations and photos from the flight.

The day started like most other flying days this time of year; chilly temps requiring an engine pre-heat and a nippy breeze from the northwest. Snow had fallen only two days before, but my wife and I had freed the plane from its icy grips so any sun that crept through the clouds could melt the thin layer of ice and slush that remained:

When Dad and I arrived at the airport, we were greeted with a craft that was clean and free of the wintry byproduct that so many other airplanes kept. After taking-off to the west, I made a turn to the southeast, leveled-off at 2,000 feet and set us up at a nice cruising speed of about 138 mph, due in part to a slight quartering tailwind. It has been quite some time since we had flown when there was a coating of snow on the ground, let alone a bright, sunny day with these conditions. It was truly beautiful, to say the least, as the light reflected off of the snow covered ground and made the plane's white wings really come alive.

The visibility was about 10+ miles initially, but later in the day decreased slightly and the winds were rather light (for now). Our journey to Six Flags Great Adventure took us just south of Flemington and Princeton, NJ, then near Trenton-Robbinsville airport in Robbinsville, NJ. The further south and east that we flew, the less snow we saw. By this time there was barely a few inches as we crossed the New Jersey Turnpike. I signaled to Dad that I had spotted Kingda Ka (a roller-coaster at Great Adventure) and was heading right towards it. Like our last Wintertime Odyssey, I wanted to start the day with an Aerial Photo Update of Great Adventure's newest coaster, Batman: The Dark Knight. Upon arriving at the parks main gate, 2,000 feet above of course, I asked Dad to circle the park CCW as I shot about 30 photos in all. Take a look at the latest construction of this new indoor coaster:

Also check-out the theme park in general, including the super-sized water park adjacent to it called Hurricane Harbor:

Next we wanted to snap some pictures of my home town of Jackson, NJ, and it was quickly revealed to us that this quiet but ever expanding township was becoming a mini-metropolis; Definitely nothing like when I grew up there. After a "trip down memory lane photo session", it was now time for a pit stop at Robert J. Miller Airpark, just east of Whiting, NJ. For this to happen, though, I had to fly the circumference of Lakehurst Naval Base's airspace. Not a problem, since looking down at the sights was like a step back in time. Up ahead and to the southwest, the vastness of pines looked like a giant carpet. And smack dab in the middle of these pines was a swath of cut trees that gave way to the airport with a long, 5,000+ foot runway. We landed uneventfully, of course, because if we hadn't, you wouldn't be reading this entry.

After a brief rest and the use of their facilities, we boarded the plane and departed to the southeast, destined for the Jersey Shore, just north of Brigantine. As we crossed the Garden State Parkway and began traversing the marshland of the Barnegat bay, I commented how the patterns in the marsh were almost alien looking:

The coating of snow in this area was a dusting at best. We then flew further south, directly over the bay and towards Atlantic City. I wanted to see and photograph the new casinos built in the past few years, namely The Borgata, Steve Wynn (I think) and an addition to Harrah's. The Borgata was most impressive, though:

And at the base of Harrah's major addition, there was a huge glass dome which looked rather unique:

On Dad's side of the plane, he could see the Windmill Power Generating farm below and noted only a few were turning very slowly. This was to be expected, because if they were turning fast, then we wouldn't be flying that day. Up ahead was the now defunct Bader Airfield, which is the oldest airfield in the United States:

It figures, the airport has been closed for over a year now and nothing has been done to it. There was such a big push to close Bader to make way for new construction of casinos and such, but nothing as of yet. I also snapped a few pictures of the city skyline looking east, which is something I usually don't have a chance to do since we're usually flying up or down the shoreline, east of the city:

Rolling along, I spotted Lucy the Elephant in Margate, but opted not to shoot any more pictures of her. I already have a nice gallery of this behemoth of a tourist trap, albeit a neat one, and you can find it HERE. Ocean City was up next and I decided to fly directly over the town so Dad could view the bay area and I could snap some pictures of the ever so antiseptic-looking Amusement Area along the boardwalk:

Wintertime has that affect on places that are so vibrant and happy looking during the summer months. As we continued flying south, destined for Cape May County airport, we commented on the passing beach towns of Sea Isle City, Avalon, Stone Harbor and Wildwood. It was here at Wildwood that I once again overflew the town so I could get some pictures of Morey's Piers, the amusement areas adjacent to the distinct mile-wide beach (ok, not a mile wide, but the widest among any along the Jersey Shore). Imagine walking from the ocean to the boardwalk just to get a hot dog, then back to the ocean. Quite a work-out indeed; See for yourself:

In the distance, the inlet to the canal that cuts clean across the southern tip of New Jersey could be seen, as well as the now defunct Coast Guard heliport. There was only one fishing boat on its way in from the ocean as we overflew it and made our way to the town of Cape May:

My wife and I visited this quaint little coastal town last summer, and I wanted to capture some nice pictures of the multi-colored Victorian style homes there, as well as the pedestrian street which is closed to automobiles. We even spotted the old train station and the "end of the line" where trains would carry passengers to and from many years ago:

Next I ventured out over the Atlantic Ocean / Delaware Bay as I flew toward the Cape May lighthouse so Dad could take a look. Around the tip of New Jersey we journeyed as I turned to the right to a heading of north, past Sunset Beach and the infamous half-sunken Concrete Ship called Atlantus. Cape May County airport was just ahead and to the right of us and I soon entered the traffic pattern and landed to the west on runway 28. The landing was very slow due to the 15-20 mph breeze streaking across the bay and washing over the airport. Once we parked, we realized how hard the wind was blowing as our airplane's cockpit (aka temporary lunchroom) was rocking all about. After a relaxing and filling lunch of the usual fare (see previous BLOG entries), we walked inside the office to say hello and used the facilities. I needed some fuel, but at $4.99 for self-serve and $5.09 for full-serve, we opted to try another airport on the flight home. Before boarding the airplane, we noticed something very strange that we had never seen before. Two ultralight aircraft with OPEN cockpits were flying south towards the airport. I cannot imagine what these two pilots were wearing, but it must've been similar to what a motorcyclist would wear in this weather because it was downright cold, and they were traveling at least 80 mph. Definitely not our cup of tea.

We departed the airport on the same runway we landed, of course, due to the continued westerly winds, then turned north-northwest. While flying along the eastern shore of the Delaware bay, I glanced out over the bay and shot the following picture of a never-ending body of water, or so it looks:

Onward we flew to Millville airport and the rather large construction project adjacent to the field. This enormous swath of cleared trees is the future home of the New Jersey Mortorsports Park / Thunderbolt Raceway, and will feature a multifaceted complex with a nearly 4 mile road circuit raceway as its focal point. After snapping some pictures of the progress and noting the circuit was complete and paved, I entered the airport's traffic pattern. The thing that is strange about this raceway is that the final approach to the main runway at this airport is directly over one of the banked turns in the course. Slightly distracting if you ask me, both for the drivers and possibly for the pilots as well. With so much land available in this area, it surprises me that they couldn't shift this course to the south a few hundred feet. Take a look and see for yourself:

Ok, so we land and taxi to the parking ramp. I whip out the cell phone and make a few calls to the two different businesses on the field to check gas prices. OUCH, both are fairly close to what was being charged at Cape May County airport. We opt for Big Sky Aviation and were greeted by a nice man who promptly added 5 gallons of petrol to each of our Cessna 172's fuel tanks. We chatted a bit with him and another friendly individual in the office, then boarded our craft for the flight home. Before pulling out of the parking area, though, a Gulfstream jet taxied by. Not wanting to miss this impressive take-off, I taxied slowly and waited til I saw the jet on the runway. Stopping the plane, we sat there facing the runway with front row seats to his blast-off, um, I mean take-off. Impressive to say the least. So, now we take the runway and off we go, though a tad slower than the Gulfstream. With a turn to the north, we are now on our way home.

Enroute, we can see a hazy Philadelphia, PA to the left (west) and Atlantic City, NJ to the right (east). Cross Keys airport, complete with a Parachuting area, can be seen in the distance, halfway between us and Philadelphia. Further along, we fly over Camden County airport and near Clementon Amusement Park. To the left we spot the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 295. Our course eventually takes us over these two major highways, and it becomes increasingly apparent just how close these two come to each other:

We are now clear to the northeast of the Philadelphia International airport's airspace, and with South Jersey Regional airport in our sights up ahead, I now make a turn to the left and even further to the northwest. I now punch in our home-base airport in the GPS and we are soon looking ahead at the Delaware River as we cross into Pennsylvania over the Levittown / Bensalem area. Trenton is off to our right, and Sesame Place is ahead of us. I fly to the left of it so Dad can take a look at the fantastic array of colors from this children's amusement park. Clearing Trenton-Mercer airport's airspace to the west, we now cross back into New Jersey just east of New Hope and Lambertville, then traverse the rolling hills and picturesque pastures of rural Hunterdon county.

Noting private airstrips, horse race tracks and scenic fields and streams, we can now see the hills that surround the Round Valley Reservoir in the distance. The quaint village of Frenchtown is just to our west as we spot our home-base airport and enter the traffic pattern. After a gentle touchdown and another fuel stop, we park the plane and put an end to yet another Odyssey definitely worth writing home about.

Thanks so Much for Reading and See you After the Next Flight !!!

Flying Fun & The Winds Aloft

2008-02-18T08:39:00.011-05:00

Yes, another fine winter flying day, though you wouldn't get that idea if you "believed" the weather forecast predicted for Sunday, February 17, 2008. It was a chilly morning with thickening clouds as a warm front approached from the southwest. Dad and I gave the engine a pre-heat and this helped it start after only one turn of the propeller.

We departed on runway 08 (80 degrees - to the east) and were airborne very quickly due to the rather dense, chilly air. I turned north and then west to a heading of 270 degrees. I already knew from calling the pilot's weather earlier that the winds aloft were to be blowing at over 35 mph from the south (Here is an example of the Winds Aloft forecast for Atlantic City, NJ). The air was calm on the ground, though, and there was no turbulence whatsoever while climbing out of the traffic pattern. This was until we reached 2,000 feet. At this point, we began to bounce around a bit, but as I continued climbing, the air suddenly became very still at 2,200 feet. We were now in the air mass that was carrying the frontal weather and warmer temps in this direction, all from the south. As I was looking ahead of us, I could see the aircraft moving forward, of course, but it was also drifting to the right at a very fast rate due to the high winds aloft. In order to maintain a heading, I would need to "crab" the aircraft into the wind, meaning we would have to be flying with a 10-15 degree angle with respect to the vertical axis. I leveled off at 2,300 feet and the air was "butter smooth" as I like to call it. I then reduced power and descended a bit back through 2,200 feet as we began feeling the turbulence once again. Leveling-off at 1,800 feet, we were now being bounced around again but were NOT drifting to the side any longer as we were just a few hundred feet above. This is a really neat phenomena and exciting to experience. I descended a bit further and the turbulence subsided until it was as smooth as it was in the air mass above. Basically, the altitude between 1,900 and 2,200 feet was a transition point between the calm air below and the steady stream of air from the south. I then climbed once again back through 2,200 feet and leveled off soon thereafter. Yup, "butter smooth" once again, and we were now drifting to the right at a very fast pace.

Ok, 'nuff playing around with the winds aloft :) - Onward we flew in a west-southwesterly direction towards the Bear Creek ski area just southwest of Allentown, PA. Lehigh Valley International airport's airspace was ahead of us so I needed to descend back into the bumpy air to stay clear and not have to contact the controlling agency. I could not fly lower than the transitional altitude either, due to the hilly terrain below. So, we bounced around as we made our way to the west. The visibility was rather poor up ahead, but just as we passed the Lehigh Valley/Allentown, PA area it improved. I then pointed out some lower scud (whispy-type clouds far and few between) under the 5,000+ foot overcast sky. The ski area was just ahead, and I flew one full CW circle around the perimeter, enabling Dad to take a good look. The parking lot was packed, as was the overflow lot. I then flew in a northerly direction so I could shoot pictures of the construction progress of Dorney Park's newest coaster, VooDoo. Enroute to that location, we were now getting tossed around like a rag doll, and this was starting to worry me because we were now only at an altitude of about 1,500 feet. It seemed like the transitional altitude was lowering, and quickly. Not something I wanted to experience upon landing, I quickly flew one CCW circle around the park, snapped a few pictures of my target and turned back east towards home.

Queen City airport was just to our north as we overflew the mountain ridge to the east of it and traversed the hilly but picturesque terrain of Bucks county, PA. Again, I had to remain in this transitional altitude and bumpy air due to the airspace above me and the hilly terrain below. But as we flew further and further east, the air became more and more still. Once past the airspace, I quickly climbed to 2,500 feet to reach the "butter smooth" air that awaited our return. Now I wanted to once again "have fun" with the winds aloft, this time by turning to the north with the winds aloft at the plane's backside. Quickly, our ground speed jumped up 30 mph and our ground speed was now about 155 mph. I then commenced a 180 degree turn to the right, directly into the wind at a heading of 180 degrees (south). Quickly I watched the speed drop on the GPS....140, 130, 120, 110, 100...And finally down to about 95 mph as we were now fighting the steady 30 mph flow of air pumping from the south. Way Cool !!! So, turning back on course to the east we now had a crosswind once again and a modest cruising speed of about 120 mph.

Dad then commented that he wanted to take a look at VanSant airport in Erwinna, PA, so I headed south in that direction. Of course, since we were still in the airmass, we inched there ever so slowly. At this grass runway airport, there was a powered glider waiting to take-off, and by the time we commenced a CW pass around the field, the craft had departed. I then needed a restroom break and headed northeast towards Sky Manor airport in Pittstown, NJ. Crossing the Delaware river and the quaint little village of Frenchtown, I descended a bit into the bumpy air, then lower into the smoother air once again and finally into the airport's traffic pattern. The landing was uneventful, and we parked on the airport's rather large parking ramp. The restaurant there was booming as it usually is, though most of its patrons were drive-in customers. Still, though, there were a few others parked next to us; two Beechcraft Bonanza's, an Aeronca, a Skyhawk (like ours) except with a conventional landing gear instead of the standard tricycle gear and a few Piper aircraft as well. There was also a small Robinson R22 helicopter flying, and we watched the instructor jump out and give the controls to his student for a few solo flights. All in all, a fairly active airport and more action than we see on a nice, warm, sunny Spring or Summer day.

After departing, I turned east since we both wanted to check-out some airports around the Somerville, NJ area. We could see Round Valley reservoir ahead and to the left of us, and the northern edge of the Sourland Mountain range ahead and to the right. Central Jersey Regional airport was now approaching quickly and is located to the south of the bustling town of Manville. I flew one CW circle around the field so Dad could take a peep, and we noticed how many aircraft there were based there, both in the old parking areas and the new ones at the northwest side of the field. Overflying Manville, I made my way north towards the Bridgewater Commons Mall where I shot a few pictures, then continued towards Somerset airport. It's been many months since we did a fly-over of this airport to check things out, so we did just that, though nothing special was noted. Looking to the south we spotted Solberg airport, so I decided to take a moment to fly there to take a look. We used to base our airplane there and wanted to see what has changed since leaving the field. Again, nothing out of the ordinary so I pointed the nose in a northwesterly direction and flew back towards Round Valley reservoir and the town of Clinton. Paralleling Route 22 at about 2,000 feet, we were below the transitional layer of bumpy air and were quite enjoying the flight.

By now we had flown close to 90 minutes so I figured I would point the plane towards our home base airport to finish the flight. I landed to the east once again due to the south-southeasterly wind direction on the ground, then taxied to the fuel pumps for some "liquid gold". After fueling, I walked into the office and checked the radar, noticing that the rain and bad weather was just not approaching this area like predicted. It was riding up from southwest to northeast at a 45 degree angle though the center of PA and clipping the northwestern tip of NJ, far from where we were flying. Taxiing back we parked the plane and had lunch in the car, commenting about our journey and the varying winds aloft that we experienced. And as we tied-down the plane, the skies became even brighter, still with little to no wind. It turned out to be a really nice flying day that was surely enjoyed, despite a "botched" forecast....

Thanks for Reading !!!

A Wintertime Odyssey...

2008-02-04T09:11:00.001-05:00

Our flight was on Sunday, February 3, 2008, at the time of year when the weather should be bitterly cold, windy and downright nasty, it was quite warm and tranquil. On this day, though, the sky was a bit hazy, though that didn't stop us from enjoying one of the BEST winter flying days in quite some time, comparable to a summer season flight, and you will soon find out why.

To begin, Dad and I arrived at our home base airport and were greeted with a windsock (this indicates the speed and direction of the wind) that was completely limp, and as far a flying goes, it is a welcome sign. The airport was buzzing for a February weekend; the gas pits were full, aircraft were taking-off and landing in abundance and the air had a Spring-like feel. And since the temps were in the 30's the night before, we decided against an engine pre-heat. Once we wiped the thick layer of frost still remaining on the front windshield, we boarded our craft, cranked her over and in seconds it sprang to life. Soon, we were positioned on Runway 26 (a heading of nearly directly West) as I applied full throttle. The plane lifted-off quickly in the cool, dense, morning air and we quickly were climbing and turning to the southeast, en-route to our first destination. This is where we noticed the hazy conditions, but knew it was still rather early in the day and the haze usually burns off and dissipates as the sun's heat gets cranking later in the afternoon. So I continued climbing and leveled off at 1,500 feet. No sense in climbing to the moon if you can't see the ground due to the haze. Ok, that's an over-statement, but we flew lower than usual today so we could see more ground details and make the flight as enjoyable as possible.

Flying south, we noticed the Sourland mountain just northeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Princeton airport was on our left as we were now approaching Princeton University. I side-stepped to the left so Dad could get a good look at the happenings in this university town on a Spring-like Sunday morning. Continuing, we crossed Route 1, straight as an arrow from left to right, from Edison to Trenton. Up ahead, we spotted Allentown and the Route 33 bypass around this bustling town. It was at this point that I realized I needed to make a correction in my course and turned about 20 degrees to the right. Finally, after crossing the New Jersey Turnpike and the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, we could see Kingda Ka's "spike" protruding into the horizon. Kingda Ka is Great Adventure's tallest coaster at over 400 feet, and can be seen from all directions and for many, many miles away. This is a great landmark in hazy conditions, and I used this to my advantage to locate the park.

Six Flags Great Adventure was now in my sights yet again:

as I wanted to shoot photos of the construction of their newest indoor coaster, Batman: The Dark Knight. The construction site can be seen below:

Upon arriving at the front gate, so to speak, I throttled back and set-up the plane in a nice, slow, CCW turn as Dad was now doing the piloting. The air was "butter smooth" as I like to call it, and allowed me to really zoom-in and focus on what I needed to capture. Dad flew three circles around the park, and on the last circle, I asked him to fly out further, past the boundaries of park property, so I could shoot pictures of the park's Wild Safari. I was finally able to get some good aerials that showed just how vast this area is...Take a peek for yourself at my latest Great Adventure Wild Safari gallery HERE. We then flew one last pass over the parking lot, then climbed and headed due west.

I wanted to continue flying south but did not want to call McGuire AFB's control tower, so we flew the circumference of their airspace until we were past the base and back on course. Just then, I signaled to Dad that I thought we should land at South Jersey Regional Airport near Mount Holly, NJ for a break. We weren't ready to eat yet, but figured we would grab a cup of coffee and a snack from the restaurant on the field. There was no one in the traffic pattern, which was odd, being the weather was so perfect. I set up for a landing and my approach was steep. Altitude was no match, though, for the Cessna 172's fowler flaps. I put in a full 40 degrees as I pointed the nose to the end of the runway and was now descending at 1,500 feet per minute. After a brief flare we touched down gently and were now taxiing to the airports main ramp and parking area, directly in front of the restaurant. Once I shut down the engine, we noticed a bi-plane getting ready to take-off, complete with a shiny, powerful radial engine built in Russia. Of course the propeller turned the opposite direction of an engine built here in the states, which looked rather odd. The take-off performance of this craft was fascinating, and was airborne in no more than 200 feet as it climbed almost out of sight into the hazy sky. We then went inside and had a hot chocolate and a brownie, sat and chewed the fat a bit, then boarded the plane. This time we were destined for yet another amusement park.

After departing the airport, we flew south once again and directly over the Columbus Farmers Market near Bordentown, NJ:

This was an impressive sight indeed, and it was incredible that that many folks had showed up at an open-air event in the beginning of February. The warm weather definitely brings out the crowds in droves. I now had my sights on Clementon Amusement Park, and knew it was just a few miles ahead. I quickly spotted the lake that the park resides on and flew in that direction:

This is a small amusement park just outside of Camden, yet still features a roller coaster and rather long flume water ride. There are other rides as well, plus a well stocked water park called Splash World, complete with slides and pools and such (though no fish of course). An addition to this popular water park is under construction and is called Laguna Kahuna, and is expected to open this Summer:

After circling the park only once, we noted the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and just how hazy it was around this area. We could barely make out the buildings as I then turned to the east to try and find Camden County Airport in Berlin (New Jersey, NOT Germany, of course). It took both of us to scout out the airport since it sits all nestled in the trees. This and the fact that I didn't program the GPS. The final approach to this airport is a sight to be seen, and I'm just sorry I didn't have Dad shoot a few pictures of this while I was landing. Next time we definitely will, though. The runway is over 3,000 feet long, but there are trees on both ends and along the western edge of the runway, and homes are present just behind this line. The end we were landing over had a house that sat smack dab under our landing path. I was noting the home's possible living room, bathroom and kitchen as we zoomed over at about 200 feet, skimming the remaining trees and power lines, and finally the runway as I flared and settled the plane down gently. We taxied to the parking area, shut her down and ate our picnic lunch INSIDE of the cockpit. We knew there was no place inside to eat, so we did like we do many times and transformed our Cessna's cabin into a portable cafeteria. The usual fare was in order; Sandwiches, pickles, olives, chips and Powerade drinks. After a relaxing recharge, we ventured in the office and quickly (and quietly) ventured out due to the sign we saw posted. A whopping $10 is charged for a ramp fee which is unheard of in such a tiny, little airport with no services offered. Needless to say, we were soon zooming down the runway and lifted off not long after, noting the row of homes to the west of the runway. Dad could see one home's deck and chairs in such plain view that it looked as if we were taking off in this persons back yard, and in a sense, we were.

The next part of the journey involved traversing the central part of New Jersey, directly east from the airport which we just departed, which would take us over the vast Pine Barrens. The haze partially obscured the horizon, but it was still solid VFR (visual flight rules), with good visibility north and south of our route of flight. I then noted some cranberry bogs and captured some interesting pictures that resemble a patio made up by pavers. Take a look and see what you think:

After passing this area, we could see a building far, far in the distance and figured it could only be the Oyster Creek power generating facility. It was later revealed to us that it was indeed this structure, and we could see this clear across the state. Before we reached that point, though, we noted Coyle field, which is a private/restricted dirt field in the middle of the scrub pines. Long, grooved, dirt runways make up this field and it is used mainly for military practice by both McGuire AFB and Lakehurst Naval Base. Take a look and see just how vast this field is:

It was now that we could really see just how interesting and different looking the Scrub Pines are. These pine trees, about 4 feet in height, clutter the land from north to south and east to west. From the air it looks like a giant carpet, and I tried to capture this as best I could:

Finally, we could see the Barnegat Bay ahead, and just before that the Garden State Parkway and the generating station we saw many miles back. I readied the camera and shot some pictures of a bay coast housing development, complete with streets in front of the homes and canals behind them, with mooring posts abound. Yes, these boating communities are all over the western shore of the bay, and make for quite a photo op as you can see below:

I then noticed other communities north of our course, then prepped my camera and took a few pictures of the intricate beauty of patterns produced by the grassy marshlands in this area:

Quite a sight indeed. We then flew across the bay and over Island Beach State park, giving us a splendid view of the shoreline to the north:

First up on our flight north towards Sandy Hook was Seaside Heights and their two amusement areas, Funtown Pier and Casino Pier. Following was Lavallette and the multitude of tiny guest houses available for rent come summer:

Next I noticed Bay Head, the town where the NJ Transit trains turn around for their long haul back to Newark, New Jersey and New York City:

Moving right along, literally, Point Pleasant and the Manasquan Inlet was just ahead. There was fishing boat just passing the outermost portion of the jetties on each side of the inlet when I pointed the camera and snapped a few pictures:

Dad pointed out a tour boat as well, or so it looked like one, and maneuvered the plane so I could get a few shots of this too. In the distance we could see the tall(ish) buildings of Asbury Park, then spotted the area where major renovations are taking place, transforming this area into hopefully what it used to be like up until the 1970's. I wanted to shoot some pictures of Ocean Grove and the distinct Victorian-Era homes that populate this area, but Asbury Park came up so quickly that I plain forgot. Next we approached the wealthier areas of the Jersey Shore, namely Monmouth Beach, Sea Bright and Rumson, and I shot some pictures of some of the Resorts that dot this area of coastline:

Sandy Hook was up ahead, and the Twin Lights of Navesink were off to the left perched high on the hill, overlooking the area where the Lower New York Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean:

The entire time we were flying north we were at an altitude of 800 feet, and about 500 feet off-shore, cruising at a spiffy 140 mph. There is usually no turbulence present over the ocean due to the even heating of the water, and today was no exception. Not one bump, blip or jolt was felt the entire way up the coast, from Island Beach State Park to Sandy Hook.

It was at this point where we turned westbound and headed towards home. But first, I wanted to fly along the southern shore of the bay, just north of the Atlantic Highlands and over to Keansburg Amusement Park. The Raritan Bay bridges that carry the Garden State Parkway and Route 9 overhead were in view by now, and after passing them, I noted the twisty, roundabout path that the Raritan River takes as it meanders into the bay. And of course, since we were now over land and away from the tranquil air that existed over the bay and ocean, the heated afternoon air made its presence in the form of light turbulence. Actually, not even turbulence but rather some bumps now and then. Just then, the New Jersey Turnpike was in our path once again, only this time we were over the portion where the car and truck lanes exist. 12 lanes of pavement, complete with shoulders, traversing the Raritan river, just east of New Brunswick. Take a look a this massive span of asphalt:

Passing this behemoth of concrete and asphalt, we crossed Route 1 once again as well, then Dad spotted the Rutgers campus just north of New Brunswick. I then took a gander at this campus' football stadium and shot a few pictures as well:

We could see the Raritan river up ahead as it curved around the town of Bound Brook, crossing under Interstate 287 twice within a few miles. Then I spotted something interesting in the distance. Bright, twinkling lights by the hundreds outside of the town of Manville. Turns out it was a giant automobile holding area, and you can see just how many cars were there at this time:

Of course, not as many as a mall parking lot at Christmas time, but nonetheless, the sun was at a perfect angle to give us a spectacle worth photographing. The Bridgewater Commons Mall was ahead and to the right, and we could see Solberg Airport just beyond this as Route 202 passed underneath. The two mounds surrounding the Round Valley reservoir were now clearly in sight as we passed just south, then noted Route 31 north of Flemington. After passing a small but noticeable plateau to the west, we was Sky Manor airport in the distance. It was after passing this airport that we finally spotted our home base airport, marking the end of a fascinating "winter" journey through central New Jersey. I setup the plane for a landing to the west and plunked her down gently. It's sure nice when there is little wind, and the wind that was present that evening was straight along the runway no less. It's not every flying day that you are treated to weather like this, so we took full advantage of it today and enjoyed EVERY moment !!!

Thanks for Reading, and I hope that the pictures that I am now including in ALL future Flight 'B'log entries makes following our Flying Adventures that much more Entertaining and Informative !!!

An Ever Changing Sky....

2008-01-28T08:33:00.000-05:00

Sunday, January 27, 2008 started out like any other flying day that Dad and I share, though that quickly changed. We arrived at the airport and noted a white colored, twin engine airplane smack dab in the middle of the airport on the shorter of the two runways. It was between the main runway and the taxiway. To make a long story short, it turns out that one of airplane's tires had a blowout and was left there since the night before. The plane had to be jacked by the wings and the tire repaired right there on the spot. Anyway, no one was injured and the field remained open.

Sky conditions that day were clear in the morning, even though a cloudy start was predicted. Soon, though, it became apparent that more clouds than sun would be present for at least the first half of our flying day. And before we even started the engine, many clouds had formed and were moving in. So, after a nice and toasty engine pre-heat we boarded the plane and within one rotation of the propeller, the engine sprang to life. We gave the engine a thorough warm-up and I taxied to runway 08, checked for traffic and off we went.

Almost immediately after breaking ground, we could feel it was going to be a bumpy flying day, due in part to the now apparent formation of clouds and the fact that a front was passing through the area. I wanted to fly east towards Playland amusement park to shoot some winter pictures of the park as a whole, and also their only coaster, Crossbow. As we flew east, though, we noted how the air became more smooth as we flew underneath the dark, gothic-looking clouds that were now ever so present about the entire area. It was only when we entered an area of sunshine that the turbulent air emerged, tossing us around once and a while. En-route, we noted the Bridgewater Commons shopping mall to the north and the town of Somerville to the south. Next we noted the first and second Watchung Mountains ahead and to the north as I was now flying parallel to Route 22 in a northeast direction. The town of Scotch Plains was now visible, and just ahead and to the left, I spotted the park. Just as I remembered it from my Summer 2006 fly-over, it was still very colorful due to the red colored brick walkways that line this child-friendly park. Dad flew a few CCW circles around the park as I snapped away, capturing about 20 shots of both the coaster and the park grounds.

Flying south, Dad mentioned how he wanted to see more of the Casino Riverboat and large Yachts he had seen while driving up to my place before we left for the airport. I then altered our course which took us southeast, directly over the Menlo Park mall:

I seized the opportunity and snapped a few pictures of this shopping mall since I have very little coverage from this location. As we approached the conglomeration of steel and cement traversing the Raritan river, carrying the Garden State Parkway and State Route 9 overhead, I snapped a few pictures, one of which is displayed below:

Finally, we spotted the yachts and the Riverboat moored to the dock on the northern shore of the river:

Again Dad flew a couple of CCW circles so I could shoot some aerials of these vessels, then we flew back west towards the bridges and made a turn to the south.

I said to Dad that I wanted to then fly in a southerly direction to do an aerial photo update of Six Flags Great Adventure and their newest coaster, Batman: The Dark Knight. I pointed the nose south, paralleling Route 9. It was here that the flight became more interesting than we had hoped for. We noted what looked like smoke ahead of us, and very hazy conditions ahead and to the east of our course. The haze was expected as weather system, or front, was predicted to move from northwest to southeast. Just then we realized that this smoky look was in all actuality a snow shower, since the temps at our altitude were well below freezing. Not wanting to experience a head-on collision with a mini-blizzard at 2,000 feet, I turned a bit to the right, now heading southwest. I figured I would just fly around it, then continue southbound once again. But then more snow showers were noted ahead of us once again. The visibility to the north and west was exceptional, however, so we decided to head towards home just in case the weather was deteriorating in that location as well as what we just experienced. So I nixed the Great Adventure fly-over that day. This new route took us just north of the Princeton airport, over the northern edge of the Sourland Moutain and on to the town of Flemington. By this time, the weather had improved immensely, the clouds had thinned out and the sunshine was warm and cheerful.

Not concerned with the weather any longer due to our witnessing the passing of the front with clear, drier weather to the west, we decided to fly to Queen City airport in Allentown, PA for a lunch break. The surface wind in this area was from the northeast, and as I circled around to land, I noticed I was a bit high. Making full use of the Cessna's Fowler Flaps, we descended quickly ending in a smooth touchdown. And since lunch is lunch, and nothing really notable took place while we were there, I'll skip right to our take-off from the airport. The wind had now shifted from the northeast to the northwest with the passing of the front, so we took advantage of the two runways at Queen City and departed runway 33. After departing, I headed directly to Dorney Park to shoot some pictures of their new VooDoo coaster, still in the construction /assembly phase.

Next up was a short flight to the south with the ski slopes of Bear Creek in our sights. This ski area was packed, had all man-made snow and the contrast between this snow and the bare, rocky & tree covered land surrounding the slopes, made for a nice photo-op:

Dad flew a few CCW circles around the perimeter so I could capture some photos. We had never flown over this particular ski area before during the winter months, so this was rather unique. After getting all the aerial photos that I could, I took the controls and circled CW so now Dad could check-out the action below. The plane was getting hammered by the winds riding along the valley, then shooting up the mountain slope. Ok, it was time to start heading back, but I had a slight detour in mind.

I wanted to get some more pictures of the Bethlehem Steel Company near Allentown. The problem was that this facility lies on the border of the Lehigh Valley International Airport's inner limits of their Class C airspace, and I did not want to have to call approach control and the tower for permission to shoot only a handful of photos. Instead, I used my GPS to navigate as close and as safely possible, then zoom in to get my photos. As always, the plant looked as frightening and haunted as can be, and in total disrepair:

Rumors say it will be demolished very soon to make way for a Casino in 2009. Only time will tell, though. Breaking away and climbing out of this area, I pointed the plane in a northeasterly direction, heading for the towns of Clinton & High Bridge, NJ. This part of the flight took us just south of Phillipsburg as we crossed over Interstate 78, then north of Spruce Run Reservoir as we approached High Bridge. I flew some circles of the Ken Lockwood Gorge, then headed south towards Clinton, destined for our home base airport.

As we spotted the airport up ahead, we noted the wind at this location was from the north-northeast, which was again a different direction than what we experienced at Queen City airport. This meant that I had a direct crosswind to deal with, though it was only blowing at about 10 mph. On final approach, I crabbed the airplane to the left, and as I began to flare I already had the left wing down to compensate for the crosswind. After a smooth touchdown, I taxied to the gas pumps for some much needed liquid gold. Avgas at our home base airport is still only $4.25 / gallon, whereas others are charging upwards of $5.00. The gas attendant, who incidentally is one of the owners of the airport, was hunting as he usually does each Sunday during the winter months. This meant we had to gas the plane ourselves. This is not a problem with two of us, but by oneself on a cold, breezy afternoon with a high wing airplane like ours, this is not a fun job.

Anyway, after paying the bill, starting the engine once again and taxiing back to our tie-down spot, I do what I always do before I shut her down for the day. I run the engine to 1700 RPM and check the magnetos in case the plugs loaded up on our landing descent. I then bring the throttle back to a full idle and turn off, then quickly on again the ignition switch to ensure that this switch indeed kills the engine. Finally, bringing the engine back to a nice idle I pull out the mixture control, starving the engine of fuel and bringing it to a standstill. This was a flying day full of excitement and variety, and the sky conditions added this this. Definitely a memorable one, and as always we hope our next flight will be just as memorable...

Thanks for Reading !!!

Amusement Parks, Ski Areas & Choppy Air...

2008-01-14T09:12:00.000-05:00

Sunday, January 13, 2008, was labeled as a day to prepare for what could be our first major winter storm, predicted for the day after. And one would usually expect that with increasing high clouds, a rather tranquil day with calm winds would prevail, generally preached as "the calm before the storm". Though today was different. There was a rather stiff breeze from the east, and the air was a bit choppy as we soon found out.

Dad and I decided not to pre-heat the engine today because the temps were already approaching 40 degrees by the time we were ready to fly at 11AM. Of course, the engine sprang to life after only one revolution of the propeller, and within 5 minutes we were airborne and climbing to the north, en-route to our first destination. I had originally wanted to fly east towards a small amusement park in Scotch Plains, NJ called Playland, but because of the hazy conditions in that direction, I decided against this route.

So, next on my aerial photo list was Wild West City in Netcong, NJ. This attraction features a town just like you would find in the wild west, complete with a dirt main street, wooden poles to tie your horse to and many shops like a General Store, Blacksmith, Emporium, etc. In this one of a kind attraction in northern, NJ, there is also a real Stagecoach and train ride, and both get stopped by bandits on horses as part of the show. Dad flew two CCW circles of the attraction as I snapped away, capturing about 20 pictures to my trusty Canon S2. And though it was bumpy, most pictures came out rather clear, with only minor blurriness. I wanted to shoot photos of this attraction in the winter because of the lack of foliage. The train ride and other areas run right through the trees, and the winter season is the best time to capture these hidden areas. Summer, though, is much more cheerful with park visitors present, and I will do another photo flight during this season as well, which makes for a nice comparison.

Next on my list was the Land of Make Believe in Hope, NJ. I spotted Interstate 80 just to the south of Wild West City, and headed southwest, crossing the interstate just east of the town of Hope. I could already see this small children's park to the south, and proceeded to shoot distant pictures as I approached and decreased the plane's airspeed for a closer look. Dad flew only one circle around the park since I already had a number of photos from this place, and I only wanted some update shots and to show what this park looks like in the winter months.

Ok, on to Blairstown and directly over the small, general aviation airport that exists just south of the town. We then spotted Yards Creek, a hydro-electric generating station built into the eastern slope of the Appalachian ridge. This area features a large, aqua colored pipe which diverts water from the reservoir perched high upon the ridge, through the hydro-electric generators to the pond below. I shot some nice, clear photos of this unique power generating station in northern NJ, then headed west over the Appalachian ridge.

We then noticed Shawnee Mountain ski area just ahead of us. The contrast between the man-made snow and the rugged, rocky terrain was a sight to behold, and we flew one complete circle of the maze of trails below, capturing several pictures. I also noted a small area containing water slides for use in the summer months. We continued flying southwest, noting East Stroudsburg airport just ahead. Then I remembered that a few of my colleagues stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge, a giant resort and indoor water park in the heart of the Poconos. I had always said I would get some aerials of this attraction, and so I did. We flew one complete circle of the complex, and found it amusing to see some of the water slides make their way OUTSIDE of the building, though each slide was completely enclosed. They then returned inside of the building at the end of their run. Colleagues of mine said that the water and air temperature suddenly dropped when you exited the building which was a unique feeling indeed. Dad said these slides, or tubes, looked like spaghetti, which I thought was comical.

We then noted a plethora of ski trails ahead, and this could only be Camelback in Tannersville, PA. I also noticed a small, snow covered incline at the base of the mountain, and this was used for tubing. The parking lot was packed, as it was at Shawnee as well. The chalet-type buildings at the base of the trails were booming, and many skiers were out and about either taking in the view, waiting in line for the lift or simply on their way down the trails. It was incredible to see that much man-made snow, and it looked as if each and every trail was open. Again, the contrast between the snow and rocky terrain proved to be exceptional, and I snapped many pictures of this area as we flew one complete circle.

We then notice the clouds getting rather dark to the west, as well as the air becoming very hazy. We knew that a storm was approaching for the day after, but figured it was arriving sooner than expected. This proved false, because as we flew south, the skies opened up with abundant sunshine. The air, though, was still a bit choppy, which made shooting aerial photos that much more difficult. The next area of interest we noted was Blue Mountain ski area in Palmerton, PA. The slopes here are similar to Camelback, from the air at least, and I shot some pictures of this place as well. What's different here, though, is that there exists a large, additional parking lot atop of the mountain with a lodge and all, instead of typically at the base of the ski trails.

With the passing of Blue Mountain and the Appalachian ridge once again, we were soon approaching the Lehigh Valley and Allentown, PA. I wanted to shoot some update pictures of Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom to check on the progress of their newest coaster, Voodoo. On the way, though, we noticed it was a bit hazy, though nothing terrible. I am not used to entering this area from the north, plus the fact that I had to circumvent Lehigh Valley International airport's airspace, meant I was kind of zig-zagging as I descended and approached the Allentown area. We then spotted Dorney Park ahead and to the east, so I pointed the plane in that direction and prepared the camera yet again. I didn't even need to circle the park because there was virtually no progress since the last time we checked on things two weeks ago. I continued on to Queen City airport, entered the traffic pattern on a downwind leg for runway 15 and landed uneventfully, which incidentally is the best landing one can make.

As noted in my last blog entry, this is our favorite stop. We taxied and parked the plane, grabbed our lunch bag and headed toward the operations building. On the way in, we noticed a rather large twin engine aircraft made by the Beechcraft company. Known as the Duke, this is a "HOT" piston engine plane that seats six, in luxurious comfort. Its sleek lines and large engines give it a look of pure speed and wickedness. I have always been fascinated by this plane, and if it was't for a wallet 100 sizes to small, I would own one (well, maybe). Anyway, we entered the office and took a seat in their cafeteria. Let's see, what's on the menu today. Smoked Turkey and Bacon sandwiches with all the fixins, including pickles and olives, and some Powerade to wash it all down. Oh, there's cookies too, well I'll be. After chewing the fat some and enjoying our lunches, we heard what sounded like a large aircraft running, and I immediately went to check. It was in fact the Duke, so we both grabbed our gear and headed outside. While walking towards our plane, the Duke was taxiing to runway 7, and I wanted to see this beast take-off before we boarded our Cessna for home.

Within a few minutes, I heard the Duke's engines come to life as full throttle was applied. The prop tips went supersonic and a low pitch whine could be heard, followed by a roar as this wicked craft made its way down the 4,000 foot runway. Within a few seconds, the Duke was literally "flying" down the runway at incredible speeds that must've been close to 150 mph, yet the wheels were still in contact with terra firma. Then it basically flew off the ground with a minimal angle of climb, maintaining the impressive speed it had gained on its take-off roll. Damn, that was impressive. But the show wasn't over yet. We were just about to board our plane for home when we heard the whine of the engines once again as the Duke was now climbing for the stars and heading southeast, directly over the airport. It was extremely exhilarating to witness the performance of this machine, all without being equipped with turbo-props.

We were soon ready to take-off of runway 7, the same as the Duke had done only a few minutes prior. Needless to say that with a rather strong headwind, we were airborne within a few hundred feet and climbing rapidly. Certainly, the Duke could NOT accomplish this ! I turned to the east upon departure and climbed over the ridge that lines the Lehigh Valley area. Our ground speed was reduced due to the headwind from the east. We noted the Delaware river ahead, with the small town of Milford to our south. I shot a few more pictures of a local park nearby the airport, then entered the traffic pattern. The wind was blowing about 10 mph and was a direct crosswind, or at least it was when I landed. Uneventfully I landed, then taxied to the fuel pumps for gas. Finally, upon securing the plane for the possibility of a winter storm, we commented of the hopes that our next trip would prove to be as rewarding and exciting as today's was.

Thanks so Much for Reading !!!

Last Photo Flight of 2007 !!!

2008-01-07T16:06:00.001-05:00

So, like my last post, this flight took place last year. On Sunday, December 30, 2007 to be exact. It was a nice flying day with high clouds, ultra-smooth air and relatively warm temps for this time of year. I always compare flying on these days as flying through butter - Yup, that's how smooth it was, and this was perfect for shooting aerial photos.

Our first destination was Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. I particularly wanted to shoot photos of their newest coaster, The Dark Knight, and its construction progress. Our flight took us just to the west of Princeton airport and the town of Princeton. We could see Princeton University and their football stadium in the distance, with Trenton-Mercer airport off to our right (looking soutwest). We crossed Route 1 and continued over the New Jersey Turnpike, noting the rather heavy holiday traffic. Continuing, Dad and I could see Great Adventure ahead, with Kindga Ka's spike protruding into the horizon. I set-up the plane and Dad flew slow, CCW circles while I panned, zoomed and shot many photos of the new coaster, and the park in general. You can check-out my Dark Knight photos HERE, as well as my photos of the park in general HERE. After circling about four times, I figured I had enough pictures. I resumed flying the airplane and headed northwest towards our second amusement park destination, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, PA.

It was there that I wanted to shoot pictures of the construction progress of their newest coaster for 2008 called VooDoo. You can view my pictures of this HERE. On the way, though, our course took us directly over Trenton-Mercer airport. And because this is a tower controlled field, I decided to climb to 3,000 feet, well over their airspace, and not bother calling-in. We were now just north of the city of Trenton (our state's capital) and heading over the Delaware river and into Pennsylvania. Soon we were traversing the scenic terrain just southwest of New Hope, then just ahead we over-flew the beautiful Lake Nockamixon. Within a few more minutes, we could see the mountainous ridge-line blocking the view of much of Allentown, PA, with Dorney Park just past this ridge line.

Once reaching Allentown, we flew low enough to clear Lehigh Valley International airports airspace, and continued towards Dorney. Once there, I asked Dad to fly a few CCW circles of the park while I did what I love to do - Shoot Aerial Photos. There isn't much to report as far as construction goes. Some track lies in the parking lot, the coaster footprint is defined and some concrete piling are in place. Still a LOT of work to do. After this, we decided to land at Queen City airport just south of Allentown. This is our usual stop because the staff is nice and friendly and the fuel is cheap (relatively speaking), though we did not purchase fuel there that day. We did, however, bring our lunch with us and made full use of their cafeteria as we enjoyed sandwiches, chips, pickles, olives, drinks and even cookies for dessert. Always lots of jealous faces as we eat, while they buy junk food at the candy machine :) - Hey, we ALWAYS plan ahead and bring our lunch with us, unless we've made prior plans.

After departing Queen City, I wanted to shoot a few photos of one more amusement park nearby. This one, called Bushkill Amusement Park in Easton, PA, was just northeast, though I had to fly there by circumventing Lehigh Valley's airspace. Upon arriving at the park, Dad again flew one CCW circle while I snapped away. The park looked a bit depressing, though not only because it was winter, but due to the latest flood that has damaged this classic park that first opened in 1902. You can see my latest pictures of this children's park HERE. The park now sits smack dab in the middle of a house development, and adjacent to a shopping center.

Ok, enough picture taking, and we were now flying east, back to New Jersey. Soon we were crossing the Delaware river once again, passing just north of Easton, PA. I could see the Merrill Creek Reservoir up ahead, perched high above the valley floor, and enjoyed once again seeing this pristine area of Warren County from above. Next we headed south over the valleys and were treated to a magnificent show of white birds (most likely Seaguls) over these fields. I filmed a short video of this and shot some pictures as well, and will post these to my website in the near future.

We were now nearing our home-base airport and I entered the traffic pattern, setting up for a landing. Of course in this ultra-smooth air, the landing was uneventful. We purchased some fuel and taxied back to our tie-down, ending a day to remember, at the end of 2007.

Thanks for Reading...

Chilly & Hazy in Early December...

2008-01-07T15:48:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm procrastinating once again in that it has taken me almost a month to post my last two flights, both of them in December 2007. The first one took place on Sunday, December 10, 2007. Dad and I had to wait in our car for the haze and low clouds to burn away enough where the weather turned VFR (Visual Flight Rules). Of course our pre-flight was completed, so we just chewed the fat in the car, sipped our coffees and kept our hopes up that the haze would burn-off.

Finally, around noon, the weather began to clear. Other pilots at the airport were now taking to the skies and I figured it looked good enough for us to go flying. Once off the ground, all I kept thinking was, "I'll just keep it in close and land in a few minutes". Yeah, it looked that bad. But as I kept climbing out as I circled the airport, I saw the visibility was not all that bad, even though the clouds were still low and hazy as can be. The distance we could see in front of us must've been about 5 miles or so.

As we flew east, though, it began improving. We decided to land at Central Jersey Regional airport since we spent many, many years there when Dad shared ownership of an airplane with his brother. Of course by this time, the weather was now beginning to clear, and this meant the wind was from the northwest - Yup, a direct crosswind, though nothing I couldn't handle. After landing, we parked and looked around the field, noting the new construction of aircraft tie-downs and a new fuel farm in the works. The newly renovated office wasn't even complete yet, so we had to use the port-o-potty parked outside. Ok, enough of taking a trip down memory lane. We cranked up the engine and within five minutes, we were airborne once again.

Now I headed back west and noted the low clouds were all but gone, yet it was still very hazy and we could only see about 7 or so miles ahead of us. Regardless, it was a nice and relatively smooth flight, and we flew just south of the Round Valley Reservoir and over the many picturesque farms of Hunterdon County. Finally, we agreed not to burn any more fuel for no reason, and decided to land. It was a day you really could not go anywhere far, and by this time, it was already getting late. All in all, we brought the engine to life and enjoyed about an hour of airtime that day which we were very happy about, seeing how only a few hours before we were grounded by haze and low clouds and confined to the car.

Thanks for Reading, and Happy New Year !!!

A Day of Amusement Park Photo Shoots...

2007-11-29T09:27:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, November 25, 2007, Dad and I took to the air for a late Fall flight which would take us over two amusement parks, one of which is now defunct. We flew southeast to begin with, heading directly to Six Flags Great Adventure. I prepped the camera, descended to an altitude of about 1,500 feet and flew a few counter-clockwise circles around the park. I distinctly wanted to photograph the dismantling of one of the park's larger coasters, Batman & Robin: The Chiller, and what I noted that day was that it had almost been completely cleared from the site, minus the station and queue. I also noted that a large water ride that resided next to this dismantled coaster had also been removed. All of this to make way for the new arrival in Spring 2008; Batman: The Dark Knight indoor coaster.

After shooting pictures from other areas of the park as well, I climbed to 2,000 feet and headed southwest, destined for South Jersey Regional airport in Lumberton, NJ. I decided that I would transition McGuire Air Force Base's airspace rather than fly around the perimeter of it, so I contacted the control tower for permission. Of course, permission was granted, and I was asked to SQUAWK a specific code on my transponder. Once this was done, I proceeded to over-fly the base, heading directly over the aircraft apron and mid-point of the airfield itself. Quite a stunning sight indeed, and in the interest of National Security, that is all I will say.

Moving on, I was cleared by the base's controlling agency to SQUWK VFR, and radar contact was terminated. I was now on my own, which is just the way I like it assuming the weather is as nice as it was this past Sunday. We landed at South Jersey Regional airport for a stretch, to use the facilities and to take a look around. Not wanting to grab a snack in the over-crowded but very pleasant and friendly restaurant there, we boarded the plane and flew back to our home base airport in northwestern New Jersey. Once back home, we parked and ate our picnic lunch in the car, which was a lot more comfortable than in the rather cramped cockpit of our Cessna.

The weather was really turning beautiful and the little wind in the morning dropping off even more so. We then took off and this time headed north, destined for a small children's park, which is now defunct, located in Oak Ridge, New Jersey. Fairy Tale Forest is its name, and now has a storage facility built directly on a portion of its property. I was told there might still be signs of the park's existence, but I needed to wait until the majority of the leaves fell from the trees since this park was nestled in the woods. I remained at a rather high altitude, about 2,500 feet, due to the rather limited emergency landing sites that existed in this hilly, tree-covered area of far northern New Jersey. I flew a few circles of the park's property, and was pleasantly surprised that much of the structures still existed. Several buildings from the Fairy Tales were present, the large Shoe from "the was an old woman who lived in a shoe" and the castle-like front entrance. Even the road sign and parking lot was still intact.

After shooting quite a few pictures, Dad and I noticed a fire burning on a hill just east of where we were, so we flew there next to take a closer look. It turned out to be only some small brush or flare fires that were set, though we had no idea why. We did not see any flames, but there was a LOT of smoke. We then headed northwest towards Vernon Valley Great Gorge and McAfee ski areas. Some snow was made, but very little since it was still too warm outside. Continuing west, we spotted Sussex airport in Sussex, New Jersey, and setup for a landing. After parking, we used the facilities there, and noted the fuel price wasn't too bad ($2.45/gal). It was rather depressing there with little to no activity except for some kids on a quad running around the aircraft apron. There was some construction equipment on site as well, working on adding a NEW taxiway to the southern portion of the field. It was getting late now, the temperature was dropping and the sun would be setting very soon. It was time to leave, and that we did, heading directly for our home-base airport.

On the way, though, we spotted a rather large Corn Maze in Hackettstown, New Jersey, and I decided to circle it once to snap a few pictures of this truly impressive corn field masterpiece. Finally reaching the airport, I set up the plane and landed with a "grease job", which in pilot terms means the landing was so smooth, the tires barely make a sound as the plane ever so gently makes contact with the runway.

Take a look at my Six Flags Great Adventure photos from today, as well as my Fairy Tale Forest coverage as well. It was a great flying day with exceptional weather....Weather we hope will again be with us well into the winter months of 2007/2008....Thanks for reading !!!

And then the Winds Came.....

2007-05-01T13:13:00.000-04:00

This will be a short entry, and the high winds are to blame for that. It was Sunday, April 29, 2007 that we arrived at the airport under mostly cloudy skies with only a peek of sun here and there. The winds were predicted, via the aviation weather that pilots MUST call prior to flying, to be around 10 mph from the west, at most. The general forecast on T.V. and the internet were saying 10-15 and 10-20 mph. Not too bad if the wind is down the runway and you do not have to land in a crosswind. We took-off directly into the wind which was now a good 15 or so mph and climbed to approx. 2,500 feet, staying near the airport to check things out.

After flying a circle around the field, I flew northeast towards the location of my house and snapped a few pictures of my freshly painted home. Needless to say, even with image optical stabilization, the pictures STILL came out a bit fuzzy. We continued northwest towards Washington, NJ, then headed southwest. I suggested we fly to our usual destination of Queen City airport near Allentown, PA. Bumping along, we noticed that the clouds were diminishing and an abundance of blue skies and clear air was ahead of us in eastern PA. We entered the traffic pattern and got slammed as we over-flew the mountain range just east of the airport, then set-up for runway 33, which was directly into the wind. The landing was effortless, so to speak, in that our actual "GROUND SPEED" was about 30 mph or so upon touchdown....Nice and gentle. We parked for about 30 minutes or so, taking a walk along the access road and noting a few eating establishments we might want to check-out in the near future when my wife joins us.

By now it was getting pretty breezy, and we noted the windsock in the middle of the field was straight out, indicating at least a 20 mph wind. We boarded the plane and took-off, again directly into the wind. We were airborne within a few hundred feet. I flew a bit west of the field to take a look at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom amusement park, which I bought a season's pass to and will be enjoying their selection of coasters when the park opens in the beginning of May.

Heading east and in a direct route back to our home-base airport, we were really getting slammed; up, down, left, right....Some moderate turbulence here with some hard gusts making us glad we had our seat belts tightened hard and fast across our laps. The wind now had turned to a more northerly direction and even using the cross runway to land would be a 45 degree crosswind. Doing the best I could, I got the plane down safely, though a bit rougher than I am used to. We fueled the plane and parked soon thereafter. While enjoying our picnic lunch from the back of my car, protected from the onslaught of the wind, I took out our hand-held wind meter and noted that the winds were now 15 - 20 with gusts to 25 and 30, and even one gust read 35....OUCH....Landed just in time. Oh well, still an entertaining flight with some more knowledge gained on how to deal with windy conditions....Thanks for reading !!!

Hershey Park & The Amish Land...

2007-04-23T16:32:00.000-04:00

Ah, a real summer day, this past Saturday, April 21, 2007 was. With temps in the high 70's to low 80's, combined with light wind, it was a real treat. What wasn't a treat, despite these low winds, was the turbulence we experienced throughout the day. Though nothing significant, it became a nuisance by the time we returned home. Still though, we had a great flight as I will try to convey below.

After arriving at the airport, a standard pre-flight was in order, followed by a quick trip to the airport office to check last minute weather and use the facilities. I already knew where I wanted to fly to, and Hershey Park in Hershey, PA was it. Before we could actually fly there, we figured on a quick fuel stop at Queen City airport in Allentown, PA. This is our usual fuel-stop and rest area before, during or after a day of flying, if we are in the area of course.

Upon departing, I headed southwest, paralleling I-78. We overflew Kutztown and the university located there, as well as the small airport with one paved runway and the other turf. Continuing, we flew just north of a rather large, irregular shaped lake due northeast of Reading, PA. Soon after, I could see the town of Lebanon in the distance, and knew that Deck airport was around the area. We were both getting hungry and since it was a little past noon, we decided on a visit to this quaint, farm country airport amongst the cattle and corn fields of PA. After taxing, parking and shutting down the engine, we emerged from the cockpit to utter silence. It's almost spooky to hear nothing at all in the midst of a corn field. If it wasn't for a Piper and a few other planes departing and landing, it would have been too weird. We pulled out our step stool and used it as a make-shift seat and enjoyed our picnic lunch which we always haul around with us. WaWa subs, chips and pickles with Gatorade, plus cookies for dessert.....Delicious and re-energized, ready to photograph the coasters of Hershey Park.

After departing on the same runway we had just landed on, 01 (10 degree heading), we were soon leveled-off at approx. 2,000 feet. It's good we had climbed this high, because I had no idea the park was actually open that day. I was figuring the park to be closed before May like nearby Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, PA is. Anyway, I throttled the engine back just a bit and entered a shallow, left-hand turn. With pops assisting me and helping me check for traffic, I commenced snapping my camera's shutter button on anything resembling a coaster that jumped in front of my lens. Seriously, though, I was there for one purpose, to photograph each and every coaster and add these photos to my website. Click HERE to check-out my Coaster "Aerial Photo" Page if you have not done so already.

Our next stop was Donegal Springs airpark, which lies south of Hershey in Mount Joy/Marietta, PA. Smack dab in the middle of a corn field, the airport features a large Piper Aerostar maintenance facility and parachuting operation. After a brief walk around the airport grounds and watching some dare-devils diving their towards the earth with their chutes strapped to their back, we departed and headed southeast towards Lancaster. This is a large city, and I never realized this until this flight as we flew directly overhead, snapping many pictures of this spread-out gathering of homes and buildings. We noted Lancaster airport to the left (northeast) of our course, and soon found Smoketown airport up ahead. The field is nestled withing the confines of an Amtrak rail line and small roads on its' three other borders. There is an aircraft painting operation there, as well as many tie-downs and hangars available for rent. A short walk away are many fine Amish, country-style restaurants, as well as an amusement park known as Dutch Wonderland. Check it out if you're ever in the area.

While walking towards the office, we noted three Grumman Tiger airplanes flying in formation overhead, then breaking off one by one to land. Something you don't see everyday. We poked around a bit by the operations area, seeing many spectators relaxing on the patio and watching the planes take-off and land. There was much hustle and bustle that day, due mostly to the outstanding weather. After 15 minutes or so, we were taxiing to the runway and were soon climbing away from the traffic pattern, on our way to nearby Strasburg Railroad grounds, including an indoor/outdoor museum and train ride. We flew a few circles around the complex, taking a look at all of the activity there and noting the large, steam locomotive huffing and puffing in anticicpation of its next load of excited families, ready to tour the Lancaster countryside.

Now we were due east of Strasburg and I noticed that a large portion of a field had been mowed down to spell the phrase "Wild West City". Of course I snapped a few pictures of this, then a lot more of the never ending, Amish farm countryside. Quite an amazing site indeed. So, after all of this flying, airport hopping and photographing, it was time to head for home. A direct route from the Strasburg area to western NJ, flying just east of Reading and southeast of Allentown, PA. This was a day that we hope is an example of many more to come....See after the next flight !!!

Rugged Terrain, Endless Fields....Where else, but Pennsylvania !!!

2007-04-02T08:33:00.000-04:00

Finally, a day filled with superb visibility, smooth air and great company since my wife joined Dad and I this time. It was Saturday, March 31, 2007 that we took to the air, first heading north. Our plans were to fly west, but because of the ominous weather in that direction, we decided to head towards lower NY state. As we flew further north, the skies looked brighter towards the west, so I put the plane on course towards Towanda, PA, due west of Scranton. Bradford County airport was our first destination, just south of town.

While flying due west from northern NJ, we took note of the Delaware Water Gap and the large reservoir that is perched high on the ridge, overlooking Blairstown, NJ to the east and East Stroudsburg, PA to the west. East Stroudsburg airport was soon approaching, as was Camelback ski resort in the distance and to the south of our course. Our next major landmark was the populous valley of Wilkes-Barre / Scranton, PA. We flew just to the north of the international airport located in this valley, and I took this opportunity to shoot some photos which I will someday post to Flyin Phil's Photos, as well as many other photos that I shot that day. Continuing, we passed just south of the small town of Tunkhannock, PA and the little airport that sits directly behind the shopping center and adjacent to a mobile home park. The runway is only 2,000 feet, but at least it is paved. Again, I snapped a few pictures of this field as we continued on towards our destination.

The hills, endless fields and rather rugged terrain was phenomenal, and my wife and I recalled our drive last summer along the road towards Towanda as we made our way towards Erie, PA. Soon, in the distance, we could see the Bradford County airport. I was flying at an altitude of about 4,500 feet, so I figured I would shoot some aerial photos of the airport, then circle the town while I descended. This worked-out well, and I set-up the plane in a left-hand traffic pattern for runway 05 (50 degree heading). The approach was scenic, and my wife was shooting video for my website as well. After a smooth and uneventful landing, we taxied to the main ramp, parked and shut down the engine. The office/pilot lounge there was business-like, clean and comfortable. We took a short rest, taxied the plane to the fuel depot, filled the tanks, then took-off, heading south this time.

Danville, PA was our next destination, and the little airport that resides just west of the town. This course took us over terrain we had never flown over before, and was quite the spectacle. Rugged, mountainous terrain interlaced with roads that snaked all around the valleys of these mountains. There was little in the way of population, though that was a good thing. My wife and I took this opportunity to shoot many photos of this naturally beautiful area of eastern PA. Within 15 or so minutes, we were just east of Williamsport, PA, and noticed a thick, greenish smog lying in the valley to the west of our course. Dad and I remember this sight from a previous flight a few years back. Crossing I-80, Danville was soon ahead of us as my wife shot some more video of the pretty views that we were treated to. After landing at the airport here, I taxied to the parking ramp and shutdown the engine. Nothing spectacular here, though rather quaint with a feeling like you've stepped back in time to the early days of flying (aside from the modern aircraft in the large hangar adjacent to the office).

After a restroom break and a stretch, we were back in the air, this time heading for Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg, PA. This would be our second time over-flying this quaint, little park for some photo-ops. I particularly wanted to photograph their three roller-coasters; the Phoenix, Twister and the newest edition to their collection, the Flying Turns (similar to a bobsled track). Continuing further to the east, we took note of 4 radar domes that provided me with a great photo-op. By now we were getting hungry and ready to eat our lunch which we always bring with us. I landed at nearby Hazleton airport and we enjoyed our sandwiches, the friendliness in the pilot lounge and the parachuting activities after lunch at this airport atop a hill, just north of the town. Upon taking-off, I flew a slight turn to the right to avoid over-flying a large Wal-Mart and strip mall just off of the west end of Hazleton's runway. After climbing and levelling out at about 3,000 feet, I suggested flying to Jake Arner Memorial airport, just west of Lehighton, PA. The last time Dad and I were there was with our motorized bikes in the back of the plane, but that's a whole other story which I will someday add to my website.

After a quick landing at this small airport near historic Jim Thorpe, we decided enough was enough. I quickly took-off without shutting down the engine and we headed southeast. I flew through the gap in the Appalacian ridge just north of Slatington and south of Lehighton, where a river runs through and the PA Turnpike Northeast Extension tunnels its way through as well. This course also took us over Nazareth and Bath, PA, and I took note of the now CLOSED Nazareth Speedway which is in the process of being demolished. Large rock quarries, cement plants and other factories were in the nearby Easton area which I photographed as well. Soon, we were crossing the town of Easton and the many auto and rail-road bridges that traverse the Delaware river in this congested area of eastern PA.

Finally, back to NJ and just north of Milford, we could spot our home-base airport up ahead. I entered the pattern and made a downwind landing (usually, not the best choice), though it worked-out well as the gas pumps were at the far end from where I touched down. Fuel prices are still rather inexpensive at $3.30 per gallon, but expected to rise as the next load of fuel arrives. Taxiing into our tie-down spot was our last destination, and we were all reflecting on what a memorable day we were treated to, thanks to Pennsylvania's rugged, mountainous terrain and endless fields. We only hope that our next flight will be this much fun....See you after the next journey !!!

A Tour of Northern & Central NJ (and a bit of PA)

2007-03-27T07:48:00.000-04:00

It's been 2 weeks since the last flight, and I was ready with camera in hand for flying this past Sunday, March 25, 2007. The weather was pleasant; not too warm and not too cool, though in the morning hours while pre-flighting the aircraft with a slight wind from the north, it was a bit chilly. Dad and I boarded, brought the Lycoming engine to life, warmed it up, taxied to runway 08 and took-off. With a 90 degree turn to the southeast, we were now on our way.

Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ was our first aerial photo destination. It had been over a month since my last park fly-over, and since opening day is next weekend, I wanted to shoot some photos of construction and such taking place during this time. And indeed, lots had taken place. The new "Wiggles World" children's area was practically complete, and one of the large coasters there, The Chiller, had some of its track replaced. The park looked good, and many rides were testing as they readied the place for opening day.

After a few CCW circles at over 2,000 feet, we turned north and headed for the Wayne / Patterson area. I initially wanted to shoot pictures of the I-80 / Rt 46 / Rt 23 interchange in Wayne, as well as the Willowbrook mall, and planned on flying in the only altitude slot available (between 2,700 ft and 3,000 ft) without required radio communication. As we flew north past New Brunswick and crossing Rt 22 and the First Mountain, it became apparent that the base of the clouds that day were not going to let me climb to that altitude. The plans were ditched, and we transitioned through Morristown airport's airspace. Soon we were over the Boonton reservoir and the I-80 / I-287 interchange in Parsippany, NJ, headed for Lincoln Park airport. We hadn't been to this airport in quite some time, and this was my original home-base airport. After a little rest, we had our picnic lunch in the cockpit while sitting on the ramp, then decided to depart and head northwest towards Sussex, NJ.

With a quick turn to the northwest after taking-off of runway 01, we began flying over the mountainous terrain of southern Passaic county along Rt 23. This took us north of Ogdensburg and Franklin and to our next aerial photo destination, the now defunct Gingerbread Castle in Hamburg. I had always wanted to shoot aerial coverage of the castle and its grounds, and I did just that. The pictures all came out great, and will post them to my Amusements Page 2 in the near future. After this photo shoot, we turned north towards Vernon ski area and Mountain Creek. The only snow present was on the slopes and this created a neat effect. I shot some pictures here as well, and again will post them to my site in the near future. The main lodge was open for business with many skiers present, though not nearly as many as in the winter months.

We were now ready for a cup of coffee and some dessert, and wanted to try the Sussex diner adjacent to the Sussex county airport. While setting-up the plane for final approach on runway 03, I had to take note, and how could you not, of the home sitting almost directly at the end of this runway. A white house with green trim and a green shingled roof that I felt could almost blend into a green, summer field. My dream has always been to live near an airport, though not this close. Upon landing almost directly over this home and touching down on the runway, we taxied to the ramp and squeezed the plane into a parking spot. We headed down the wet, spongy dirt road to the cute, little diner, which happened to be closing in 20 minutes. Their cheesecake was so "cheesey" (in a GOOD way) and their coffee was most enjoyable. We then decided to depart Sussex and head for Allentown, PA. After starting the engine, we noticed that both taxiways were in very poor condition with potholes and loose rocks / stones present. Since there was no traffic present, we decided to back-taxi down the runway, turn 180 degrees and take-off. Soon we were heading south at about 2,000 feet.

We flew along Rt 206, passing just west of Newton and east of Swartswood lake, then over the quaint town of Blairstown. Because of no leaves on the trees, I could see the defunct Paulinskill railroad line, which is now a bike route, snaking through the hilly countryside. Up ahead and in the distance, we could see the Delaware river and far ahead, the smog from the Allentown area of PA. As we approached Allentown, we noticed the small airport of Easton, then made a shallow turn to the left and flew directly over the town of Easton. This diversion was done to clear the LehighValley International airport's airspace, and gave us more of a scenic flight as well. We than flew along I-78 as it passed just northwest of Hellertown, PA, then through a cut in the mountain ridge into Allentown. Like always, there's Queen City airport just ahead, and we enter a left downwind approach for runway 07. After a sl0000w and smooth landing into the wind with a vertical decent of over 1,000 feet per minute, we taxied to the main ramp for fuel. We always enjoy this airport for it's fuel service, pilot lounge, multi-runway option and the large, open feeling it gives when taking-off / landing here.

Soon, we were on our way, heading back east towards our home-base airport in NJ. Crossing the Delaware, we took note of some impressive mansions in the northern Hunterdon county area, then looked ahead at the mountain ridge surrounding Round Valley reservoir. After landing, we taxied back to our tie-down spot and shut her down, hoping the next flight will be just as memorable....Thanks for Reading - See you after the NEXT flight !!!

A Stiff Breeze & Warm Temps = A Great Day of Flying

2007-03-13T08:59:00.000-04:00

Today (Sunday - March 11, 2007) was a bit different than most, as far as my flying goes, because the winds were predicted to be out of the northwest at 15 mph with peak gusts to 25 mph. Dad and I arrived at the airport and saw that indeed, the windsock was showing a stiff crosswind at about 15 mph with stronger gusts, just as the weather service predicted. Now what makes this day different is that since we are based at a new airport, the field has a cross runway, and one that happens to be northwest/southeast, and will allow us to take-off and land with relative ease. Still, though, we sat in our warm car, sipping coffee and contemplating some more if we wanted to fly in such a strong breeze which we normally would not.

Ok, let's do it. I pre-flighted the aircraft, started the engine and taxied to runway 31. The wind was still kicking from the north-northwest as I positioned the aircraft on the runway and applied full throttle. It seemed as if we were practically standing still, yet we very quickly had an airspeed well over 60 mph, and with a gentle pull of the control yoke, we were airborne in only a few hundred feet. So far, effortless, despite the strong winds and all thanks to an airport having an additional runway for just such breezy days.

While climbing to the west, away from the airport, we were commenting on how relatively smooth the air was. Not "calm wind" smooth, but relatively smooth for the wind that day. Also, the weather did not call for any turbulence at altitude and that held true for much of the day. We leveled out at about 2,000 feet MSL (feet above mean sea level) and over-flew the town of Milford, NJ. Continuing, we saw that areas along the Delaware river still had ice where there was standing water, and homes further west had measurable snow left in the shady areas of their yards. As we approached our first destination, Queen City airport in Allentown, PA, I descended just a bit to clear Lehigh Valley International airport's airspace. We then spotted Hellertown to the north, then the outlet shops at Saucon Valley, just south of I-78. Finally, we traversed the last mountain ridge before the airport at about 500 feet, then circled the field. Of course the wind was still blowing hard, and we chose this airport because it too has an additional runway that runs northwest/southeast, perfect for the wind direction today. I entered the traffic pattern, reduced the throttle and put in 10 degrees of flaps. After a quick base leg turn then another quick turn to final approach, I applied 20 more degrees of flaps and reduced the throttle. What seemed like an eternity due to the headwind, we slowly approached the runway. Reducing the throttle some more, I flared and touched down within a few hundred feet, nice and slowly. If you don't have to land with a cross-wind, flying in a stiff breeze is actually simpler, and is gentler on the airplane's landing gear, too.

We taxied to the general aviation ramp and as the attendant greeted us, we said we were just staying a short time. I needed to use the "facilities" and did so in a hurry. After a brief rest, we decided to fly to Chester County-Carlson airport in Coatesville, PA. We haven't flown there in a while, and wanted to check their restaurant again. We always remember the great coffee and amazing desserts they feature at the Flying Machine Cafe on the field.

After taking-off of Queen City airport, we headed west just a bit toward Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom amusement/water park, then turned south on course. This took us over Bally, then just west of Pottstown. We could see the amish farm country just beginning to appear to our west as Chester county is rather nearby Lancaster county. Entering the traffic pattern at Chester county airport was, let's just say, a nuisance, due to many aircraft landing in front of me, and the fact that one of the aircraft was a corporate jet who was on an extremely long final approach. No problem though, and after a few circles of the airport, I entered the pattern and landed without incident in the 45 degree crosswind. We taxied directly behind the jet that had just landed and used most of the 5,400 foot runway, then parked almost directly in front of the restaurant. Entering the cafe, we were quickly seated in the "solarium like" seating area. We both ordered a cup of coffee and their succulent carrot cake, and just like we remembered from years back, it hadn't changed in quality and taste. Finishing our snack, we exited the cafe to use the facilities and check the weather once again. We knew we needed fuel, but weren't sure that our home-base airport would be open when we returned, so we decided to head back to Queen City airport. After a quick take-off and circling to the left to abide by the noise abatement procedures in effect at Chester county airport, we were soon headed back north towards Allentown.

Upon landing at Queen City airport, we taxied to the exact same place we were parked the first time that day. Fuel prices are relatively inexpensive here @ $3.85/gal, about $1 more per gallon than car gas. We had to wait a while before being fueled due to some paperwork that had to be done, so we took the time to relax and chat a bit. Soon, though, we were fueled and on our way, back to our home-base airport in New Jersey. Upon reaching the airport, we saw the wind was still kicking a bit and of course decided to use the cross runway that we used to take-off from in the morning. It was my first time using this rather short (1,800 feet) runway that was half the width of the standard runway. Of course, no problems were had, and we landed in a few hundred feet, directly into the wind. We commented how it was good that we flew back to Queen City for fuel because our home-base airport's office was shut-down, and they do not offer 24 hour self-serve fuel.

We taxied to the tie-down ramp and into position, shut her down and did most of the post-flight, cockpit cleanup inside of the cabin. Why freeze in the blowing wind when most chores can be done in a nice, warm cabin. Finally, though, we had to exit the plane and tie it down. So what began as a day predicted to be breezy turned out to be a day most memorable, with myself gaining much confidence and knowledge on how to handle these kinds of conditions.....See you after the next flight !!!

Chilly, Bumpy & Beautiful !!!

2007-02-12T11:09:00.000-05:00

On this Sunday, February 11, 2007, the air was cold, crisp and relatively clear, with a 5-10 mph breeze from the west-northwest. There were no AIRMETS predicted for turbulence, yet all day long we experienced light to moderate chop. After a quick stop for a morning cup of java, we continued on to the airport. Dad and I were flying today as my wife had yet another previous engagement. I really miss when she is with us as she adds extra commentary and joy to our flights together. Plus, she takes great videos for me so I can add them to the website.

This morning was our first flight from the new airport, after having relocated the plane here two weekends ago. Because the air was so bitterly cold for the past two weeks, and due to the temps being below freezing the night before, we decided that pre-heating the engine was a good idea. Once my pre-flight was complete and we were loaded on board, I pumped the throttle 6 times and commenced cranking. After only ONE turn of the propeller, the engine sprang to life in the cold, morning air. Within 15 minutes of warming her up and checking the controls, we were airborne and heading southeast.

Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ was our first destination. I wanted to yet again check on the NEW attraction construction at the park as it readies itself for opening day come early April. Not much had changed, though I shot many pics nonetheless for further review. After flying a few circles around the park, we headed east, then south, as we flew along the eastern circumference of Lakehurst Naval Base's airspace. Toms River / Robert J. Miller Airpark was our next stop for a stretch, a restroom break and because we realized our front window indeed needed washing.

Entering the traffic pattern was bumpy, and no other planes were present. My altitude was high when I turned final to runway 24, but after applying full flaps, throttling back and dumping the nose, we were positioned at a steep angle downward, dropping at over 1,000 feet per minute. Within seconds, I touched her down ever so gently and taxied to the general aviation ramp. After shutting down and securing the old girl, I reached into the cargo door for the window cleaner and noticed the cleaner itself in the aerosol can had frozen into a clump, and was banging around the inside of the can. I tucked it in my jacket and while using the restroom, I placed it under the hot water in the sink. It took much shaking and more hot water over the can before the cleaner was in a usable form. Soon, we were out there in the breeze that produced below 10F windchills, cleaning the windows of the plane. I tell you, we couldn't finish quick enough. OUCH - that wind actually hurt. Anyway, after starting the engine, followed by a LONG taxi, we were airborne and heading southwest for a flight over the vast Jersey Pine Barrens.

I needed to locate the defunct rail line that began at Whiting and continued through the Hammonton area because I wanted to view Caranza's Memorial from the air, as well as snap some pics of this monument. During and after photographing this area, we noticed a large fire was burning just to the south and east of our flight path. Flying closer, it appeared that this fire was a controlled burning as it looked as if only the underbrush was burning, and the fires were in long, straight, lines. Still, though, a neat sight to see. Turning more west, we located Cross Keys airport, entered the traffic pattern, landed and parked on the grass. We took out our lunch and ate right there in the warm airplane, not even getting out once. While eating lunch, we noticed that despite the 20 degree temps, folks were parachuting there. Cross Keys airport has a HUGE parachuting business on the field, and in the warmer months, turbo-prop aircraft carry as many as 25-30 jumpers aloft for the time of their lives. But today, we were shocked to see even a few folks jumping. Of course with less jumpers, the aircraft used was the next size up from ours. After an enjoyable sandwich, chips, pickles and a drink, I started the engine, taxied to runway 27 and applied full throttle. Soon, we were climbing and heading west toward Philadelphia.

I chose to head west because I wanted to shoot some more pictures of Clementon Amusement Park in Clementon, NJ. I traversed this area from south to north, west to east, trying to locate the lake that the park resides on. Finally, Dad spotted it to the right of our flight path and I pointed the plane in that direction. I flew a few circles of the park and shot many pics of their two coasters, as well as the park and water park in general.

After this little deviation in our flight, we headed north to the Lumberton area and landed at South Jersey Regional airport for some coffee and dessert. It felt good to drink something HOT, and after a 15 or so minute rest, we were back in the plane, rocketing upward and turning northwest for our flight home. We traversed the Delaware river, just north of Philadelphia, then continued west of Trenton, again joining the Delaware as we flew on the PA side past Lambertville, Stockton, Frenchtown and Milford. I pointed-out the Sand Castle Winery to Dad because my wife and I just visited there yesterday, and it looked quite spectacular from above.

Before long, we were getting tired and felt that was enough flying for the day. We headed back to our home-base airport, taxied to the gas pits, and had her tanks topped-off. With a quick taxi back to our tie-down spot, we secured her in place, readying her for another great day of flying, this time to the north for a change. See you here after the NEXT flight !!! :) - Thanks for Reading....

Flying to a NEW Home....

2007-01-31T07:59:00.000-05:00

Yes, today I flew the plane to a new home, or airport I should say. On Saturday, January 27, 2007, Dad and I removed the tie-down ropes and chocks from our pad at Solberg airport, pre-flighted the ole girl and loaded her up for a journey to another airport in northern New Jersey. The move was prompted by both costs and convenience.

While pre-flighting the airplane and checking the oil, I noticed that there was a large amount of visible (frozen) moisture on the oil dipstick, something I have NEVER seen before. And while pre-heating the engine, we noticed visible water droplets dripping from the oil breather tube, again something we have NEVER seen before. Just something to keep our eye on, that's all. So, after a nice and toasty engine pre-heat she started like a champ, and within 15 minutes we were airborne, on our way to the plane's new home. Upon landing, we taxied directly into our new tie-down location on the aircraft ramp, then checked-in with operations to pay our first month's rent. My wife then arrived after having dropped us off at Solberg, waiting for us to start the engine, then driving to this new airport. We all then boarded the plane and headed south, destined for South Jersey Regional airport in Lumberton, NJ.

The weather was overcast over northern NJ with a bright, band of orange (clear skies) to the south, hence one of the reasons we were heading in that direction. We climbed to about 2,000 feet and found the air rather calm, but as we approached the brighter skies, the air became more and more turbulent. Reacting to this, I climbed even higher until it became smooth again. But just as we were again getting used to the calm air, it became turbulent yet again. We put up with it for another few minutes but after crossing the Delaware river just north of Philadelphia, PA, the air became still and the turbulence disappeared. Of course my wife was happy as a clam, and I was relieved I would not have to fight the plane into the traffic pattern at the next airport.

Upon landing, the wind was a light 5-8 mph from the northwest. We taxied to the parking area in front of the restaurant and shut her down. Of course, as always when we visit this airport, we headed in for some coffee and a muffin. After a nice, relaxing warm-up, we boarded the plane once again, this time heading for the Jersey Shore, or so we were hoping.

Before take-off, I asked my wife to shoot some video of each take-off and landing that I did so I could place the clips on my website. And so she filmed away, just until I was clear of the airport at about 800 feet in altitude. Quickly we headed northeast, wanting to fly around McGuire AFB's airspace, then over Six Flags Great Adventure for a check on the latest developments for the 2007 season.

What we noticed while flying due east, just north of McGuire was a really interesting phenomenon, and one that I can't recall ever experiencing, or noticing, before. We had a DIRECT tailwind (wind from behind) and I could tell this because we did not have a crab angle and were cruising a swift 150+ mph over the ground. But when we looked down at a few houses burning their fireplaces, we noticed the wind from the north by observing the smoke below. The wind at our altitude of about 1,500 feet was from the west, yet the wind on the ground was from the north. A direct crosswind effect between the ground and 1,500 feet. Neat !!!

After passing over Great Adventure and shooting a few pictures, we continued on towards the shore. One problem, though, I kept thinking that once I turned more to the north and finally west, we would have a major headwind that would reduce our ground speed significantly. This, and the fact that the weather was becoming gloomy once again, was my reason for avoiding the shoreline and flying a large, gradual 180 degree turn to the left, taking us over Freehold, Monroe township and just south of New Brunswick. And, just like I figured, our ground speed on the return trip was reduced some 50 mph down to about 100 - OUCH !!!

Up ahead, we intended to land at Solberg airport once again. Not for posterity's sake or because we missed the airport already, but because one of our safety flags from the cowl plugs was left behind. I made a landing with my wife filming, then taxied to our old tie-down location. Dad then jumped out and grabbed the forgotten flag, and I took-off once again with my wife making turning me into a film star. We headed west and finally saw our destination. With my wife filming yet again, I entered the traffic pattern of our new, home base airport and set the plane down gently on the runway. Since we were low on fuel, we parked at the fuel farm and had the airport attendant top us off for a "cheap" $3.55 / gallon. Relatively inexpensive.....Compared to automotive fuel, anyway.

My wife and Dad decided to walk back to our new tie-down area while I started the ole girl one last time and taxied her back to her NEW home. Yes, we turned this sort of gloomy, cold, damp day into a great flying day with much comraderie and fun. As always, we look forward to many more days in the near future that will be as rewarding as today turned out to be !!!

A Cold, Winter Flight with a Six Flags Great Adventure Aerial Photo Tour

2007-01-22T09:21:00.000-05:00

Yes, today started out COLD. On this Sunday, the 21st of January 2007, the temperature read 18F on the thermometer in the wee hours of the morning. What I thought was definitely a No-Fly day due to the breeze combined with the frigid temps turned out to be one of the better days to fly. With that said, it was Dad and I taking to the skies today, as my wife unfortunately could not be with us.

Since it was so cold in the morning combined with the fact that the engine had not run in 2 weeks, we decided to pre-heat our trusty Lycoming. After a 10 minute pre-heat and a thorough pre-flight, I pumped the throttle 5 times, but to no avail.....She didn't start. With 3 more pumps, the ol' girl came to life, and within 15 more minutes after a warm-up we were airborne, climbing at over 1,000 feet/minute at 100 mph.

I pointed the nose southeast and headed directly towards Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. I didn't expect much to be changed since my last park fly-over two weeks ago, but I was quickly proved incorrect in my assumptions. Much work had been done to the park in preparation for opening day in late March. The NEW kids area, Wiggles World, is cleared and construction is ready to commence. One of the larger coasters, Chiller, is having one section of its track modified/replaced and other areas are receiving minor but necessary improvements.

After two CCW circles of the park, I headed west for a bit, then south.....All this to clear McGuire AFB's controlled airspace. While traversing the outer boundaries of this airspace, we spotted something we'd never seen hadn't noticed before in almost 12 years of flying....A massive flock of white geese flying low over the corn fields. I snapped a bunch of pictures of this neat sight and one that I will eventually post to my website in a future update.

South Jersey Regional airport was our next destination for some HOT coffee and a banana nut muffin. The restaurant was packed as usual, though we grabbed our grub and headed for the airport's FBO (fixed base operator) lounge. After a nice rest and a warm-up, we were back in the air, this time heading northwest towards Queen City airport in Allentown, PA. This route took us north of Philadelphia, over the Delaware river, just north of Northeast Philadelphia airport and on toward the now defunct Warminster Navy base in the town of Warminster. Continuing, we spotted Doylestown to the right and an intriguing highway intersection that I just couldn't pass up snapping a picture of for a future update. Next was Lake Nockamixon on the right with Pennridge airport on the left. Further on was the bustling town of Quakertown, then finally over the mountain ridge to Queen City airport, just south of Allentown.

After landing to the northwest on runway 33 (330 degree heading), we parked at the FBO ramp and had them give us a top-off (fill both gas tanks). We originally planned on going there for not only fuel, but to eat our picnic lunch in the cafeteria, though when we arrived we weren't that hungry on account of that muffin we ate earlier. So, we paid for the fuel, cranked up the engine and commenced taxiing back to runway 33. This time, though, I wanted Dad to shoot a video of the take-off for posting in a future website video update. Turns out, the video came out great and I look forward to sharing it with everyone soon.

With a quick CCW circle around Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom after take-off to shoot some pictures of a few of their coasters, we were headed back east, enroute to Alexandria airport in Pittstown, NJ. Soon we were crossing the Delaware river once again, just north of Milford. Quickly after, I set-up the plane for a landing on runway 26 while checking for traffic. We wanted to visit this airport because we are thinking of moving the plane here from Solberg. The tie-down is less expensive and it is a freshly paved area as well. I met the airport owner ??/manager Linda and we had nice, albeit brief, chat about the tie-down issues. Satisfied with that, we were soon heading northeast toward the Spruce Run and Round Valley reservoirs to shoot more aerial photos of this pristine area. The engine oil temperature was once again back to where it should be so as to vaporize all of the water from the oil, so we then decided to head back to Solberg and finish our day of flying.

As we entered the traffic pattern, the wind was non-existent so we decided to land on runway 04 (40 degree heading). After gently touching down and a quick taxi back to the tie-down spot, we pushed the old girl back to her resting place until the next time she comes to life and carries us on yet another memorable flying adventure !!!

Calm Between Two Storms...

2007-01-09T08:02:00.000-05:00

Sunday, January 7, 2007 was a spectacular flying day. It was a day surrounded by high winds and extreme temps. Saturday was unseasonably warm in the 70's with high winds and Monday was seasonably cool as the winds slowly delivered temps in the 30's by late afternoon. But in between on Sunday, there were relatively calm winds and moderate temps in the 50's, perfect for flying and shooting aerial photos. Dad and I were flying today as my wife was otherwise pre-occupied. We arrived at the airport and all was uneventful as we applied full throttle and left the tarmac on runway 04. With a quick 180 degree turn to the left, we were soon headed southeast to our first destination.

This morning I had Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in mind for my first aerial photo shoot as I wanted to see what was happening as the park readies itself for the 2007 season. I flew a couple of CCW circles around the park, shooting over 30 pictures before leaving the area to the southwest. As practice, I decided to call the control tower at McGuire Air Force Base and ask for clearance to transition their airspace to the southwest. After a few calls and having me enter a certain code on my transponder (gives an aircraft's position to the controller) I was cleared at or below 1,000 feet. Descending from 2,000 feet to the assigned altitude range, we transitioned over Fort Dix and McGuire AFB. After leaving their airspace and getting the ok to switch radio frequencies, we headed to South Jersey Regional airport for a coffee and muffin at their airport restaurant.

While at the airport, we sat in the pilot's lounge and had our snack, then took a stroll on the general aviation tarmac to check-out some military aircraft that were re-located there from the Air Victory Museum that is on the field. If you're ever in the Lumberton, NJ area then by all means check-out this fascinating museum located at South Jersey Regional airport. At this time, we did not visit the museum, though we have been through it previously and will definitely visit again in the future.

After a take-off to the east, we decided to fly southeast toward the vast pine barrens of Ocean County. We wanted to test our VOR instrument and confirm if it worked properly or not, so we tuned-in the Coyle VOR which happens to reside along Route 72 just west of Manahawkin. After making some minor corrections and noting that the VOR was never directly ahead of us as it should've been according to the instrument, we realized that the instrument was for decoration only. The VOR instrument is based on out-dated technology, though many folks still rely on it, assuming the instrument in the aircraft is working properly. Ok, back to the trusty GPS receiver and a left turn towards Robert J. Miller Airpark in Toms River, NJ. While flying nearby the airport, I spotted the Popcorn Park Zoo that I once attended as a child. We then entered the traffic pattern and landed on runway 06, stopped in at the fixed base operator (FBO) there and used the facilities. The plane's fuel tanks were both about 3/4 full so we decided to wait until we landed back at our home field to fill-up.

Soon we were off once again and climbing to the east, just south of Holiday City in Toms River. Shooting pictures of this vast complex of senior citizen homes, we continued over the town of Toms River, then turned northeast towards Asbury Park. On we flew, shooting pictures of all familiar landmarks that are in that area such as the Ocean County Mall, College and other landmarks and buildings that offered an interesting view. Since I grew up in Ocean County, all of this terrain is very familiar to me. Continuing, we flew further north, just east of the Earle Ammunition Depot in Colts Neck, then over the Monmouth Mall at the intersection of Routes 35 and 36. Finally, a turn to the west as we over-flew the now defunct Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital, the city of New Brunswick and then the Bridgewater Mall, shooting pictures of each of these places.

In the distance to the west, just before the mountains surrounding the Round Valley Reservoir, we could see our final destination; Solberg airport. Upon landing, we taxied to the gas pit area and fueled-up for what we hope will be a day just like today, only this time with my wife joining us !!!

A "Christmas Break" Holiday Flight

2007-01-02T07:59:00.000-05:00

Ah, 10 days off of work, yet only ONE day I was able to "stretch my wings", so to speak. Friday, the 29th of December 2006 was the day, and my wife and father were joining me for a flight to who knows where ??? Arriving at the airport, we were greeted with calm winds and fair skies. The temperature was already in the 40's at 10:30AM, and we were looking forward to a day of interesting destinations.

After pumping the engine throttle 6 times, the old girl came to life. Soon after our standard warm-up and short taxi to runway 04 (40 degree heading) we leaped off the tarmac and climbed out to the west. Reading, PA was our destination and the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum that is based on the field. Soon we were on course and cruising at a modest 140 mph due to the fact that the wind that day was from the east, and we were enjoying what little tailwind there was. Crossing the Delaware river, I noticed that there was much haze to the west-southwest, the direction we were heading. The haze/smoke is always prevalent in this Lancaster-Reading, PA area, most likely due to folks burning wood I would assume. Upon our descent into Reading we all could see the visible clouds of smoke boiling up over the mountains as we made our final approach to the airport.

After the plane was chocked and secured, we headed on foot to the nearby museum grounds, which are in fact part of the general aviation parking ramp. There, we saw an older model transport aircraft, an early model jet fighter, an experimental aircraft, a WWII bomber and a Coast Guard helicopter. We shot some pictures of these planes and headed over to the museum hangar. Inside, they have the majority of their aircraft, but since we wanted to take advantage of the great flying weather, we opted not to visit them this time. Dad and I were to this museum in the past, and we will visit again, but this day was for venturing the skies of eastern PA.

After a quick stop at the general aviation business on the field (the name slips my mind at the moment), we contacted the control tower, taxied to the runway and took-off, heading north towards Scranton. We quickly noticed that once we left the Reading area, the smoke just disapppeared, leaving us with clear skies and awesome visibility to the north and west. Soon we were over-flying the town of Hamburg, PA and the enormous Cabella's. Then we saw the Appalacian ridge, stretching as far as the eye can see both to the northeast and to the southwest. Crossing this ridge is awesome as the ridge is quite like the blade of a knife, in some areas more than others. Continuing at 3,000+ feet in altitude and cruising a healthy 130+ mph, we were soon over-flying the mining towns of Lansford, Pottsville and the small surrounding towns as well. It's really a treat to see these old towns tucked into every nook and cranny of the mountains in this area. My wife and I drive these roads occasionally and it is rugged and beautiful, but to fly this area is something spectacular.

Just then, Dad suggested we head to Bloomsburg, PA and the small airport near the college town. With a quick turn to the left and a heading of west, we were soon on a course, taking us just south of the bustling metropolis of Hazleton. Soon, we were traversing more mountain ridges, continually search for a sign of the airport, even though we had our trusty GPS locked-in. Passing the last mountain ridge and with the river directly below us, we sawBloomsburg University high on the hill, overlooking the bustling town below. The airport was just south of town, and lies directly on a flood plain. I set-up for a landing to the east and touched down ever so gently. After parking and shutting down the engine, we were happy to see the office was open. A few other times when Dad and I visited the airport late on the weekend, the office was closed. The folks there were pleasant and had no objections to us picnicking in their office lounge with the sandwiches we had brought with us. After talking with an older gentleman, we found out that the office belonged to Columbia Aircraft Services, a business on the field which specializes in aircraft engine overhauls. We were commenting on pictures posted to the bulletin board showing the entire airport flooded, with the exception of the western end of the runway. This only dry part of the airport is where most of the planes were located until the flood waters subsided.

After finishing our picnic lunch, talking some more about the flood situations at the field and a quick walk down to the river bank, we took-off and headed southeast towards Queen City airport in Allentown, PA. We headed there because we wanted to take advantage of the full-serve treatment provided by the crew at this airport. This, and the fact that fuel prices are generally lower here as well. Enroute to Queen City and before we once again traversed the Appalacian Ridge, we noticed a new line of Wind Generators perched high on a mountain ridge, just west of Lehighton and Jim Thorpe. There were over 10 of them if I remember correctly, and I snapped a few pictures that I will eventually post to my website. As we approached the Allentown area, we flew near Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, an amusement / water park in the area. I shot a few pictures and will also place them on my website in the near future.

Upon landing, we taxied to the apron and parked next to the gas pumps. An attendant quickly greeted us and asked how much fuel we would like. A "top off" (fill'er up) was in the works for us that afternoon, and we decided to relax a bit in their lounge area and have a cup of coffee/hot cocoa. There were even some pastries left out for all to enjoy, and as we did we chatted a bit about the fabulous day we were having. Paying the fuel bill and cranking the engine was all that remained before we could depart for our home base airport in Readington, NJ. Soon we were climbing out to the east, crossing the Delaware river once again just north of Milford, NJ. We flew near Alexandria and Sky Manor airports, over route 31 in Hunterdon County, then just south of Round Valley Reservoir and on towards Solberg airport, our final destination. After a soft landing, I taxied the ole' girl to our tie-down spot and shut her down. With a final push-back where she will rest until we awaken her once again, we were very pleased with the day we just experienced and hope to relive these fun times in the near future.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Six Flags Great Adventure Park Fly-Over w/ some Interesting Winds Aloft....

2006-12-19T15:13:00.000-05:00

After nearly a month of not flying, I was happy the weather on Sunday, December 17, 2006 cooperated, though the winds aloft were definitely SOMETHING to write home about.

Dad and I arrived at the airport and I did my usual pre-flight, noting that everything was in the "green". We had just filled the fuel tanks before we shutdown the engine after the last flight, so we were good to go. But since the temps that night before Sunday dipped into the lower 30's, and the fact that the engine hadn't run for about a month, we decided to pre-heat the engine. After a quick, 10 minute pre-heat, we stowed our gear and climbed aboard. I pumped the throttle 5 times and commenced cranking. It popped right away, but did not start. I pumped it 2 more times, began cranking and it came to life, ready to carry us thru the skies. Without the pre-heating, it would've been that much more difficult with greater wear and tear on the starter motor.

After a nice warm-up and taxi to the runway, I pointed the nose on Solberg's runway 22 (220 degree heading / Southwest) and applied full throttle. Because of the headwind, we were airborne within a few hundred feet, climbing out at over 1,000 feet/minute. I quickly banked left, did a few clearing turns while climbing to ensure I wasn't going to run into any other aircraft and set the plane on a Southeast heading. We leveled out at over 3,000 feet since I wanted to experience the effects of the high winds aloft (over 3,000 feet) that were forecast that day. As expected, we were taking advantage of a 30 mph tail wind and heading directly toward Great Adventure theme park in Jackson, NJ.

After about 5 minutes flying time, we noticed the oil temperature gauge was reading about 5 degrees higher than normal due to the temperature inversion that day, meaning the temperature at altitude is warmer than temps on the ground, just opposite usually. We decided to land at nearby Trenton-Robbinsville airport to make an adjustment to the plate that controls ram air to the oil cooler so we could get just a bit more cooling effect. Soon, we took-off and were headed directly east along Interstate I-195. Again, with the massive tailwind, I was setting-up the plane for my aerial photo shoot around the park within minutes.

I had a "shoot" list of all attractions at the park in which I wanted to photograph. I began over the entrance to the park, slowed the plane down to about 90 mph and put her into a gentle left bank. Quickly, I began locating landmarks and attractions at the park and snapping away. Dad was my co-pilot that day and of course helped a lot with the flying and checking of traffic while I commenced photographing. Also, because of the weather conditions that day, we were basically IN that fast moving air mass, this time at only 1,500 feet or so. Because of this effect, it was butter smooth, though I had to deal with the massive headwind while flying in one direction and the massive tailwind in the other, making small corrections as needed to keep me near the park. I shot one video as well, as I made my last pass over the parking lot and headed west.

Soon we were climbing to over 3,000 feet once again to clear McGuire AFB's airspace, and this time we were fighting the massive headwind, achieving a dismal 95 mph ground speed. It didn't matter, though, since we weren't in a rush, and within 10 or so minutes, I spotted South Jersey Regional (SJR) airport directly ahead, with a hazy Philadelphia skyline in the distance.

After a neat landing directly into the wind consisting of full flaps and a 1,300 feet per minute descent rate, we taxied to the FBO (fixed base operator)’s apron and shut her down. We like to fly into SJR because the restaurant has great coffee and desserts, and is always booming. I opted for the Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino this time, and Dad simply had a decaf. We both tried their fudge brownies and they were scrumptious as we enjoyed these outside of the restaurant, in the FBO’s lounge.

We then took a short walk around the airport grounds, stopping to look at the Stallion helicopter that the military uses (the one with 2 jet engines – not the behemoth one with 3). Very Impressive. Soon, we were back in the ole girl, cranking the engine and hearing her come to life. Again, after a short take-off roll due to the headwind, we were off like a rocket, so to speak. A right turn toward Philly and then another to the north, we were soon on a bee-line to the Hunterdon County area of New Jersey. This path took us over the Delaware river just south of Trenton, near Levittown, PA, over the mall in Langhorne, PA (near Sesame Place), over the Delaware once again and into NJ.

We then decided to land at Sky Manor airport in Pittstown, NJ, because of the reputation it had with being active and entertaining, plus the fact that the runway was just lengthened to make way for a NEW fly-in/live-in community there. After another gentle landing to the southwest, we parked on the grass this time, right next to the operations/restaurant area. We were treated to an Extra-300 aerobatic airplane that had landed and was waiting to take-off once again. With his missile (aircraft) pointed down the runway and brakes full on, he gunned the engine, the tail lifted and off he went. He pulled back on the stick and was airborne faster than you can say the word “airborne”, climbing near vertical until I assume he was simply bored. Amazing !!!

Well, it was now getting late and I had to be back home for a Christmas concert with my wife that evening. We were soon airborne and heading east once again, this time with a whopping 167 mph ground speed. Needless to say, from take-off at Sky Manor to landing at Solberg airport, it was a FAST 4 minute flight, one that usually takes about 10 minutes. We then taxied to the fuel farm and gassed-up the old girl, getting her ready for the next time we take to the skies in search of a new adventure for the day !!!

CAVU (Ceiling & Visibility Unlimited)

2006-11-27T08:02:00.000-05:00

Saturday, the 25th of November 2006, was truly a spectacular flying day. Not only because we were blessed with truly heaven-like weather, but because I was able to share the day with not only my Dad, but my wife as well.

We began our day like any other, arriving to the airport and giving the plane a thorough pre-flight inspection. I noticed how the heavy rain we had on Thanksgiving had washed any and all bird poop off of the plane, as well as the windshield. Before cranking the engine, I decided to pump the throttle 5 times since this seems to work best when the temps are in the 50's, but dip to the 30's & 40's overnight. No problem was had, and it started within 1-2 flips of the propeller.

After a brief warm-up, taxi and run-up on the taxi-way, we set the nose to the northeast on runway 04, applied full throttle and off we went, climbing briskly at a cool 1000 feet/min, feeling the propeller bite into every molecule of the cool, dense, morning air.

On a side note, my wife and I were driving around the hills of Warren County the day after Thanksgiving when we stumbled across the Merrill Creek reservoir, only wanting to return at a later date when we had more time to walk the path that surrounds this pristine body of water. Anyway, I decided that the next flying day we would circle the reservoir and shoot some pictures for the website, as well as see if we could spot any other trails that would be worth hiking.

So, after take-off that Saturday morning, I headed the plane directly west-northwest to the reservoir, or at least in the general direction. We climbed and leveled out just north of the Round Valley reservoir, then flew a course taking us just north of the Spruce Run reservoir, and finally saw the Merrill Creek reservoir up ahead. I circled once to the right so that my Dad and wife could get a good view, then circled back around to the left so I could shoot some nice photos.

After this, we began heading north and my wife suggested we land at Mount Pocono airport in the Pocono area of PA. So, a quick turn to the left and a heading of west and we were on our way, traversing the Delaware Water Gap, then flying directly over the historic town of East Stroudsburg. Finally, I could see the airport up ahead, but forgot just how high in elevation the location is. I took note and made a comment to everyone that I had to climb in order to enter the traffic pattern and land.....Hmmm, I must climb first in order to land. Anyway, after a very smooth landing, thank you very much, we taxied to the apron as I asked the attendant over the radio what the price of fuel was. I was excited when he said the weekend special was $3.69/gal. After a quick fill-up, I parked the plane, we grabbed our lunch bad and headed into the office, where after paying the bill, we enjoyed some hearty sandwiches, chips, pickles and some juice....the standard fare we always carry along with us for a day of flying.

After departing Mt. Pocono airport, we decided to head to Sullivan County International airport in Monticello, NY. We hadn't been there in over a year and wanted to see what was happening with the restaurant that I remembered as being closed the last time we flew in there. En route, we traversed the wilderness of northeastern PA, around the town of Sky Top where the large resort lies. Combine this with the intricate lakes and winding creeks and you have one magnificent view. The visibility was incredible, and at this point, half way between Mt. Pocono and Sullivan County airport, you could see the Catskill mountain range to the north and the Delaware Water Gap to the southeast.

As far as Sullivan County airport, the grounds and runway are huge, due to the fact that it is classified as an international airport. The fact is it was never used as an international airport. Back when the airport was being built, the idea was to add gambling casinos around the existing race track and to attract more resorts and family destinations to be built, thus producing a need for a large airport capable of handling jets. This never came to be, but the airport was still built with an international classification, which means that now I have a 6,300 foot runway to land my tiny, Cessna 172, 5000+ feet more than I need. Also, there is no control tower there due to the relative quietness of the field & very low usage for an airport this large.

We parked on the main ramp and noticed quite a few planes. A few were leaving, some were still parked and one was even fueling-up. We walked in the terminal, and I call it a terminal because that’s what it was built as. It features international airport style seating, check-in counters and a mini baggage door just like in larger international airports. The restaurant was in fact back in business, though we decided to wait until our next destination to partake in dessert and coffee.

After a brief stay in the terminal and snapping a few pictures, we boarded the plane, started the engine, taxied on the taxi-ways that are larger than my home base airport’s runway and positioned the plane on the large runway. Applying full throttle, the speed of the plane seems to be stationary because of the 150 foot wide runway, but quickly we were airborne and headed east towards Montgomery County, NY. On the way, we flew nearby some abandoned resorts that were left by the wayside, then over some relatively large mountain ridges near Wurtsboro, NY, then on to Orange County airport. After a tricky landing pattern entry, I set-up the plane in-line with runway 03 and commenced landing, but noticed that the plane in front was doing a touch and go, meaning he was landing and immediately after, taking-off again. And because the air was calm, the vortices produced by his propeller as he applied full throttle were just sitting over the runway, invisible to me, and as I was just about to touch down, the plane suddenly lifted, yawed uncontrollably to the left and all I could do to bring her down gently was apply full aileron (wing) control, along with work the rudder and elevator in unison, all to counteract this dilemma that I was in. Touchdown was uneventful, but I learned a lesson regarding the calm air and what can happen when a plane in front applies full throttle for a take-off. Something I should’ve realized before landing, but didn’t think of at the time.

Taxiing to the ramp, we entered the restaurant there, sat ourselves and waited an eternity for a server. I mentioned this in my last report, Rick’s Runway Café, though the service was better last week. Anyway, the wait was worth it, because we were treated to freshly- brewed Guatemalan coffee, a slice of fresh, homemade apple pie with a scoop of gourmet, vanilla ice cream placed nicely on top. Finishing, we took a stroll outside to soak up the warm sun and rather warm air, and then boarded for our flight home.

After taxiing to runway 03, we were soon airborne and turned 180 degrees to a heading of south. Dad then decided that instead of flying directly back to our home base airport, we take the scenic route along the valley where the town of Sussex, Newton and Andover reside. So, southwest we headed, taking us directly over the majestic onion fields around Warwick, Pine Island and Florida, NY. Soon we were over the quaint, little town of Sussex and Sussex airport, and then I could see the twinkling of sun, glistening off the cars around the bustling town of Newton which was ahead. While over Newton, I decided to shoot some pictures of the town for the website. With a slight turn to the left, we were over Jump airport and took notice that the runway was freshly paved…..a much welcomed sight. Again to the left and we noticed Andover airport as it sit snugly between two lakes at Kittatiny State Park. Continuing further, I headed over Wild West City in Byram to snap a few pictures, and even noticed some folks on horseback. The attraction is of course closed for the season, but it was interesting to see two people on horseback in the center of this simulated old west town. Finally, we traversed the towns of Flanders and Chester, then noticed the hills surrounding Round Valley reservoir ahead on the horizon. A quick glance to the left of the reservoir pointed the way to Solberg airport, and I made a bee-line directly to it.

After an uneventful landing to the northeast, I taxied to the fuel farm to gas up before we parked for good. To our surprise, Solberg airport has also reduced their gas prices to $3.69/gal just like Mt. Pocono, which is very welcoming. Finally, one last start-up to taxi the plane to the tie-down spot where we pushed her back into position roped her down and chocked the wheels until the next memorable flight, hopefully the next weekend.

Gloomy but Gleaming Flight

2006-11-20T07:46:00.000-05:00

Saturday, the 18th of November 2006, started out gloomy but soon changed to a mix of shadows, rays of sunshine and interesting cloud formations, and it was nice to shake the water out of the wings after ALL of the rain we've had over the past few weeks. Today it was just Dad and I since my wife had a previous engagement elsewhere.

After a thorough pre-flight inspection, I pumped the throttle 5 times due to the cold weather and the fact that the engine has not been run in over 2 weeks. After 1 rotation of the propeller it started with gusto. As I taxied out to the runway but before I did my run-up, Dad noticed much water spewing from the right wing. We were going to taxi for a while to let it all run out, but after much shaking of the plane using only the brakes, we noticed that MOST of the water had spewed out.

Take-off was powerful but smooth, helped by the fact that the air is cold, dense and allows the propeller to "bite" into it, as I mentioned in my last post. I headed north and climbed to 2,500 feet. The turbulence was light and the visibility was 10+ miles, which was really nice. We could see the Catskill mountains soon after we took-off from about the Morristown area.

Continuing north, I climbed to a little over 3,000 feet since the moutains were higher in this area. We soon crossed Route 10, then Route 46 thru Dover, then Route 80 and the Rockaway Mall. Soon we were over Picatinny Arsenal and Green Pond, commenting how the hills of north Jersey looked so brutal and desolate with no leaves and the sky a gloomy grey. But just as we crossed Route 23 and approached the state border and the onion fields of Florida & Pine Island, NY, the sun was peeking out and with the spotty shadows this created against the backdrop of the hills in the area, the sight was simply astounding.

A quick check of the GPS showed our ground speed was a low 125 mph due to the headwinds from the north. I eyed our destination airport and circled it to shoot some pictures since I knew I had none of Orange County airport in Montgomery, NY. We soon landed and taxied to the Restaurant/Fuel area. The restaurant was newly renovated and opened last year. The new owners turned it into a real, first class joint, calling it "Rick's Runway Cafe", with a Panera Bread type menu, and awesome Dark Roast Guatamalan coffee - YUM !!! Anyway, since it was a bit crowded, we decided to take-off and shoot some pictures of a resort a few miles north. Once I had shot about a dozen or so pictures of this amazing place (I forget the name off hand, but will have these posted on my site sometime in the near future), we headed east across the Hudson river, just north of Poughkeepsi, NY, to Sky Acres airport.

This airport has a coffe shop as well, and usually not too crowded, but when we walked in, we could've swore they were offereing FREE meals as the place was packed. No problem, though, as we decided to simply look around the gift shop, then take-off and head west once again, back to Orange County airport for fuel and food. This flight took us back over the Hudson river, just north of Stewart International airport. Finally, after landing, parking and walking into Rick's Runway Cafe once again, we noticed the place had emptied out. Waiting for us, though, was a nice, warm slice of homemade appple pie and that dark roast coffee I mentioned above. A bit pricy, but then again, so is Starbuck's.

After a nice rest and warm-up with the coffee, we had the maintenance crew fuel us up at a whopping $4.09 per gallon (OUCH !!!) then taxied to runway 26, applied full throttle and we were off in a few hundred feet. Turning left, we headed south, climbing to 2,000 feet and heading towards Greenwood Lake and West Milford, NJ. This route took us over Greenwood Lake airport and once again the hills of northern NJ. I wanted to check-out Morristown airport, so I headed a bit more southeast and flew a course taking us over Boonton Reservoir and the interchange of Route 80 and Route 287. Soon, Morristown airport was dead ahead, and since I didn't want to bother with calling any control towers, I flew in the only slot available where I did NOT have to call anyone. This is 300 foot high gap between the upper boundary of Morristown's airspace and the lower boundary of New York's airspace. It works out quite well.

Finally, I turned a bit southwest now, taking us just east of Bernardsville, then over the Route 78 / Route 287 interchange, which I photographed since it looked so amazing. Again, I will post this and other interchanges I shot that day on my site in the near future. Entering the Solberg (my home base airport) pattern, it was smooth and a bit of sun was poking thru the clouds. I touched down ever so gently and taxied to my tie-down spot, giving the engine a quick run-up to ensure the plugs hadn't loaded up on landing.

So what seemed like a gloomy flying day turned out to be a fun-filled and gleaming day of airport hopping, photographing & otherwise beautiful views......

Six Flags Great Adventure Fly-Over

2006-11-06T09:05:00.000-05:00

The weather on Saturday, the 4th of November 2006, finally cooperated, and I was able to take to the air in the hopes of shooting many aerial photos of Great Adventure's Safari, along with the entire theme park in general. My wife could not join me today, so it was only Dad and I.

I arrived at Solberg airport in Readington, NJ, gave the plane a thorough pre-flight, then started the engine. Because the plane sat for the past 3 weeks, the engine took a bit of throttle pumping to run. In no time, I was preparing for take-off and running-up the engine and checking the guages. Finally, I entered on runway 22 and added full throttle. Soon I was climbing out of the traffic pattern at 1,000 feet per minute & 90 mph. And because the air was cold and dense, the propeller bit into the air like a screw churning through butter, which is a nice feeling to say the least.

I set-up the GPS and punched in the coordinates for Miller Airpark airport; a route that takes me directly directly to Great Adventure. I then set the plane at a cruising altitude of about 2,000 ft and enjoyed the view, shooting some photos of various interesting structures along the way. Soon, I could see the Outlet Mall at the intersection of Routes 195 & 537, and I shot a few pictures of this before heading south.

As I neared the Lakehurst Naval Base airspace, I quickly turned back north and set myself up to shoot many pictures of Great Adventure's safari. I was able to capture the entire theme park and the Safari as well in one of the photos, and the remaining ones were only of the safari and theme park seperately.

In all of my flights over Great Adventure, I had never shot any GOOD photos of the Safari, and thus was my goal today. Also, upgrades for the 2007 season are to be underway in the Safari and I wanted to have something to compare when this finally happens.

After shooting these photos, I flew south towards McGuire AFB, but turned north well before their airspace, climbed to approx. 3,500 feet, and shot a few pictures of the entire property of Great Adventure, from Prospertown Lake to the Safari to Route 195.

After the photos were all shot, Dad and I headed to South Jersey Regional airport near Mount Holly, NJ for some coffee and a muffin. After we landed, the wind seemed to drop to near zero and the temps were waming up. We fueled-up there as well, and Avgas (aviation fuel) was still a whopping $3.89 per gallon. Soon, we were back in the air and heading north, with our course taking us over the NJ Turnpike Extension bridge into PA, just west of Trenton, NJ and then west of Flemington, NJ. I wanted to over-fly my home in High Bridge, NJ, so we made a few circles and I snapped a couple of nice, clear shots of my home from above.

In general, the color of the leaves were mostly brown with only a bit of yellow, and many trees were simply naked and only showing their "sticks". We then entered Solberg's traffic pattern and landed, shut down the engine and pushed the ole' girl back into her tie-down spot, ending an ever so perfect flying day....