Banner Towing!

There’s never a shortage of excitement at the local airport. Recently, there was a golf tournament at a nearby course and a couple of banner towing planes arrived. One in particular caught my eye, a modified Piper Cub. Take a look at this old bird.

Doesn’t look like much, but this is a very capable aircraft. As you can see from the next photo, it is outfitted with only the most basic instruments, the essentials for safe flight.

The pilot sits in there with no door on the starboard side in order to allow him to deploy the tow hook to catch the banner.

Imagine sitting in there for three or four hours a day, towing a banner in circles around a golf course or up and down the local beach. It takes a fair amount of practice be to competent at this job. The next photo shows the plane coming in at the end of the day, getting ready to drop the banner. Click on the photo to see it full scale.

He’s right on course for a safe drop. The banner landed perfectly in the grass between the runway and the taxiway. Then the pilot came around and landed the plane itself. I talked to this fellow for a while after he secured his plane. He’s traveled 2/3’s of the United States doing this kind of work. He’s been over everything from NASCAR races to horse tracks and more. Plus, flying that Piper Cub harkens back to the days when flying was basic and fun.

Published in: on July 3, 2011 at 12:17 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Blackhawk in Town

A U.S. Navy Blackhawk visited one of my local airports the other day. Take a look.

You may have heard about these helicopters recently, and the crew they delivered to a select spot in Pakistan. Anyway, this one was decked out in a nice paint job for an official affair. The crew took special care of it, wiping it down as soon as they parked.

Small, fixed wing pilots are wise to keep well clear of such beasts. Those rotors throw a tremendous downwash that can create interesting effects near a small plane, especially taking off or landing. Plus, these guys have important work to do. I’d rather not be in the way.

Published in: on May 28, 2011 at 1:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Flight Before the Storm

There’s a major winter storm forecast to hit the mid-Atlantic. Taking advantage of the calm before the storm, I took a nice flight to Cape May Airport. Winds were calm, visibility decent, and the venerable Cessna 172 running fine. I headed south to Wilmington, DE then turned south east, basically following the Delaware Bay. Here’s a look at the finger of Cape May sticking out:

From this point, Cape May is more than 20 miles away. Notice all that snow on the ground from the last storm. But no worries. I headed into KWWD, also known at Cape May Airport. It looked like this:

Plenty of runway there to land and take off. Looking a little closer now.

A friendly sight if you need to land. Anyway, I came in, landed, taxied back, and took a few minutes to reset all my instruments and such. Then it was back up in the air. On the way back, I snapped this shot of KILG, also known as Wilmington, Delaware.

Again, those are big runways designed for heavy planes. I have landed there many times but only for practice with the tower. Normally, I stay clear of the bigger airports and aircraft. No need to mix with them.

All in all it was a great flight. Of course, probably won’t be able to go for another two weeks given the horrendous weather on the way.

Published in: on February 5, 2010 at 6:36 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Flying Friends

One of my friends here in Aruba is a member of the Aruba Flying Club. Late this afternoon, he invited me to meet some other members of the club and have a look at their plane. Here’s a photo of us, hanging out beside the Cessna 172 that was just back from a lesson.

aruba_flyingclubThe guy on the left is the one who re-started the club after it had ceased operation many years ago. The next fellow is a resident instructor. Then there’s my pal, and I’m last.

Thanks to the many commercial flights that come to Aruba every day, there is plenty runway. There’s also a tower to keep an eye on the traffic. This all makes it safer for new pilots. One challenge to flying in Aruba is the constant and gusty trade winds that buffet the island. You may not notice it in a jetliner, but it takes plenty of skill and quick reflexes in a 172. Training in these conditions provides valuable experience.

I’m grateful to my friends for the introduction to their club. I look forward to flying with them in the future.

Bon dia from Aruba.

Published in: on August 22, 2009 at 12:26 am  Leave a Comment  
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