Hula Girl Co-Pilot

Remember that penguin from the movie Madagascar? You know, Skipper, the one who was in charge. He fell in love with the hula girl on the console of his airplane. I happened to be on a flight from Miami to Aruba the other day and spotted this.

You’re looking into the cockpit of a 757 there. A close examination reveals…

That’s right, the hula girl is ready to assist the co-pilot. By the way, these pilots were a gregarious pair. They walked the aisle before takeoff, chatted with passengers, and led a round of applause for military servicemen and their families. Little touches like that, make a fine trip even better.

“Don’t look doll. This might get hairy!”

Published in: on July 16, 2010 at 1:05 am  Leave a Comment  
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Just Cruising Along

Flying in the trusty Cessna 172 as I frequently do, I pass by Pottstown-Limerick Airport (now Heritage, or for pilots out there KPTW). Anyway, this airport is one of my regular checkpoints on my way cruising to another locale. It’s easy to find because of the huge cooling towers at the nearby power plant. Here’s a shot of the field.

The runway itself is in good condition with ample width for those challenged by the centerline. You have to be mindful of the medevac helicopter that comes and goes. He’s known to depart in a hurry, and rightly so. Always do you checklist.

Published in: on July 12, 2010 at 6:40 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Coastal Flying

Back in February, I took a nice flight to Cape May, NJ, right before a snowstorm. I decided to retrace that flight and add another leg to it along the coast. Therefore, I flew to Cape May then turned north, skirting the New Jersey beaches all the way to Monmouth County Executive Airport. Since we’ve already seen photos of Cape May’s airport. Take a look at Atlantic City International as seen from 3500 feet.

As you can see, there’s plenty of runway over there in the haze. Atlantic City also has approach controllers, which is a handy feature for those of us flying under visual flight rules. We call them on the radio, give them our tail number, and if they have resources available, the approach controller will provide what is known as “flight following.” In this case, they give you a discrete code for your transponder and they keep an eye on your progress through their airspace. They provide traffic advisors which makes it easier to see the other guy, especially in conditions like today, when it was hazy.

Well, looking out the other side of the plane, you can see Atlantic City itself. Check it out.

Poor folks down there dumping money into the casino. Or, maybe they’re on the beach. Moving right along, the next photo shows Barnegate Inlet. The lighthouse stands on the south side. I’ve been in and out of there on boats a few times.

All in all this was a terrific flight. The Cessna 172 performed well, the weather cooperated, and while there were plenty of other planes in the air, none of us got in each other’s way. And how about that view!

Rolling In!

If you remember a few blog posts back I had the pleasure of a ride and some basic training in the Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter. Well, today, I was fortunate enough to enjoy lesson Number 2. What a blast! We took off, headed south, and focused on maintaining course. Then came some climbs and descents, a bit of practice turning while remaining on station, and then a few laps around the pattern. I’m starting to get the feel for the cyclic, which is a fine touch indeed. At any rate, here’s a shot looking straight ahead as we roll in to Runway 9 on final approach.

If your computer is like mine, you can click on that photo and enlarge it. Either way, we rolled a little the other way to line up and it looked like this:

The airspeed indicator shows about 52 knots. I usually come in on final in the Cessna 172 at 65 knots, so this felt a little slow. If I keep going for rides like this, I’ll be hooked on this helicopter flying thing. It’s even more addictive than airplanes. Remember: Always do your checklist!