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  
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Flying Over Water

My latest flight took me over some old stomping grounds along the coast of Delaware and over the Delaware Bay. My first stop was Ocean City, Maryland, where there is an excellent airport for small planes like the Cessna 172 that I enjoy flying about. Here’s a look down at the field.

You can see there are two runways, which makes landing easier when the winds shift. You’ll find friendly faces there, too, and fuel if you need it. Nearby, is Ocean City itself as you can see from the next photo.

I followed the coast north to Cape Henlopen, climbed to a higher altitude, then crossed the Delaware Bay. You always want to be high enough to have enough vertical distance to glide to terra firma should your single engine decide to quit. Hopefully, I’ll never have this experience. Looking down at the anchorage you can barely make out a few ships between the strut and the end of the wing. See if you can spot them here among the smudges on the window.

The bay and ocean were flat calm, the kind of day when I used to build reefs in these waters. Now I fly over top wondering what the fish are up to. To complete this trip, I made a stop at Cape May Airport then headed back to my home base.

Published in: on January 25, 2011 at 1:04 pm  Leave a Comment  
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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  
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Winter Flying

Flying small aircraft in the winter presents some challenges. It’s not only the cold that affects performance. With snow on the ground, things appear differently. Familiar terrain can be unrecognizable, at least until you pick out the landmarks such as roads and railroad tracks that carve up the countryside. But take a look at Lancaster County, PA with snow on the fields.

Looks chilly down there. Winging along, I came upon Chester County’s airport, a familiar and welcome sight as you can see here.

Chester County has a long and wide runway which is good for practicing maneuvers. It’s also easy to find whether there’s snow or not. Despite the winter weather, I’m looking forward to a couple more cross country flights. I’ll post the photos and commentary here as always.

Published in: on January 15, 2011 at 12:20 pm  Leave a Comment  
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