On September 9, 2001, I left New York Harbor aboard a ship. On the way down the Hudson River, I snapped various photos of the skyline, including the one below (reproduced poorly here, but the original is perfectly clear thanks to ideal weather, a Hasselblad camera, Zeiss lens, and Kodak Ektachrome film). Note the structure in the upper right portion of the frame.
This photo taken Sept. 9, 2001.
Never forget this world is a dangerous place.
Lil’ Buster showed up at my home airport yesterday. Quite a nice example of a classic aircraft, in this case a Luscombe. Take a look.
Lil’ Buster, Luscombe Aircraft
It featured that fancy paint job, complete with the name.
Cowling of the Luscombe, Lil’ Buster.
The instrument panel contains only the necessities, those instruments required by law, for safe operation.
Luscombe instrument panel.
A plane like this requires real stick and rudder skills. It’s all you, all the time, and I would venture to say, that’s what makes it fun and interesting. You’re flying under visual flight rules, using a chart and dead reckoning, and what you can see below to find your way. This is my kind of flying.
Very pleasant flight this morning. Took off from home base and headed north by slightly east. After passing over Allentown, the rolling hills of Pennsylvania were filled with rivers of clouds. Here’s the photo:
Rivers of clouds as seen from 5,500 ft.
That photo was taken at 5,500 feet above sea level. Continuing north, I stopped off at Mount Pocono (KMPO). Great airport. Here’s the view from 3,500:
Mount Pocono Airport (KMPO) as seen from 3,500 ft.
It’s nice to have crossing runways because it gives you flexibility depending upon wind direction for landing. So, another couple of hours in the log book. The Diamond DA-40 flew like a dream and Allentown Approach did a great job keeping traffic flowing. Can’t wait for the next flight.
On one of my recent flights, I flew directly over Cape May Airport (KWWD). Didn’t have time to land. Anyway, take a look through the prop wash in this photo and you’ll see the field.
Cape May Airport from 3,500 feet.
It was a great day to go flying. Clear skies, low humidity, and plenty to see along the way. Always do your checklist.
The Bent Page 
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