Final at Smoketown

Last week an interesting flight came up. The Cessna 172 airplane that I normally fly had just completed its 100 hour inspection and needed to be transferred from the field where the mechanics are located to its home base. It was my lucky day to make the run. Teaming up with Rick (a highly competent flight instructor and all around decent follow), we headed west to Smoketown Airport, which is located near those famous outlets in Lancaster County, PA, USA. Rick flew the outbound leg, giving me the opportunity to snap a few photos. Here we are on final approach at Smoketown.

The runway is a little narrow and not very long, but plenty of room for a 172 to land and take off. Sure enough the other plane was ready and waiting. I preflighted, warmed up, and headed east through the haze. It was a short hop but those flights are good for polishing basic skills. Never enough practice is a good motto. In the last couple of days the haze has lightened, only to be replaced by thundershowers. Still, there’s plenty of good weather to fly. Make the most of it.

Published in: on June 12, 2011 at 1:12 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Hazy Summer Flying

My cousin and I took a flight to Danbury, CT last week. The air was smooth but hardly clear. Hazy was the operative word, making visibility a challenge. This is typical summer flying. As we crossed the Hudson River, I attempted to snap a photo of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Here’s how it looked from 3,500 feet.

That cluster of white buildings nestled against the river in the center/right of the photo is the USMA. Furthermore, you can see how mighty a river the Hudson is. Look at its breadth and depth between the cliffs there. Lots of water flows to the sea via this route. Plus, the Hudson makes a good checkpoint as even in the haze you can see it down there. Follow it one way and you’ll end up in New York City. Go the other and you’ll eventually come to Albany. Either way, I’m looking forward to more summer flying, visiting friends, exploring other locales, and stopping by the friendly, small airports that dot this country.

Published in: on June 8, 2011 at 11:47 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Go No Farther

There are those pilots who will press on despite deteriorating weather conditions. Many tragic aviation stories start with, “I thought I’d go a litter farther and see if things got better.” Rarely do things get better. And when they get worse, they get a lot worse. Thus, when I was flying recently, this was the view ahead.

If you look just below the cowling, visibility is fairly good. However, over the nose, there’s plenty of mist and fog in those valleys and some of the mountain tops are most likely hidden. Now, the height of the mountains may be known and the altimeter will give the altitude of the aircraft. Someone might press on. Okay, what if something else goes wrong? Engine trouble or the like. Eh? What then? Put it down in the fog and hope for the best. Nah, I don’t think so. Here’s a view off the starboard side.

It looked dicey over there, too. Time to change the plan. Whenever I fly, I always have a few alternate airports pegged along the way. During this flight, only one was optimal and it was well short of my intended destination. Sad, but true. I turned for it and made it safely. Then, because I had plenty of time left until the plane needed to be returned, I swung out to York, PA. Here’s a shabby picture of that fine airport, looking back after getting on course.

The runway is that strip of asphalt above the quarry. The quarry itself helps to make this place easy to find. Landmarks like that are a blessing for pilots, especially when the weather is dodgy. All in all, this flight was a good one. The Cirrus performed beautifully, the diversion was good practice, and the traffic was light until I returned to home base, where there were two helicopters and three other planes going in or out. Looking forward to another cross country with better weather. Photos and commentary will be posted here.

Published in: on May 27, 2011 at 5:36 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Diversion Flying

No, I wasn’t flying to divert my attention from a writing project. My flying was diverted because the weather at the intended destination deteriorated and the wise thing to do was return to home base. As you can see from the photo above, the Susquehanna River has some ice and nearby Penn Valley Airport (Selinsgrove, PA) is surrounded by snow.

The airport is the dark strip of asphalt in the left side of the frame. Here’s a closer shot.

I landed there for a little break then took off, heading west for State College, but the ceiling got low. Hence, the diversion. I turned around and headed to Schuylkill County’s Joe Zerby Field. There I took another break before flying further south. On the way, I passed Reading’s Airport. It’s plenty big to accommodate all manner of flying machines. Take a look.

Reading is a controlled field, which means they have a tower with controllers directing traffic. I had no need to trouble them as I had plenty of fuel, knew where I was and where I was going. Hence, back to home base. Better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air then in the air wishing you were on the ground.

Published in: on January 18, 2011 at 3:42 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »