SoarCNY

Mid-winter flight to Lake Ontario

2018-01-28T17:59:00.002-05:00

A beautiful mid-winter day. After an unseasonably cold first half of the winter, things have moderated quite a bit. Our snow melted with heavy rain and 60+ degree weather a couple weeks back and since then there hasn't been too much on the ground. So, with a bit of a thaw we are able to fly!

Originally I was planning to fly to Watertown, NY to check out the ice on Lake Ontario, but as I approached the lake skies were hazy to the north along the eastern shore. Not very good for photography. Also, I discovered the ice was gone! So instead of going north along the lake, I flew west to Fair Haven then south to Skaneateles where I made a fuel stop.

Phoenix, NY

Nine Mile Point on Lake Ontario

Oswego, NY

Sterling Creek to Fair Haven

Fair Haven

Weedsport

Ice Fisherman on the north end of Otisco Lake

East Hill School and ski hill in Camillus

Flight to Old Forge

2017-08-18T12:12:00.001-04:00

With some beautiful weather after a very wet spring and summer I wanted to take a little adventure in the plane. In the next couple weeks the plane will go in for its annual, I will be finishing up work and retiring, then we will be headed to Logan UT for David and Kelli's wedding. At least through the middle of September, life will be busy.

I considered Rutland, VT or Mt Washington, NH but decided to save those for a later date to camp and do some hiking during the fall foliage season.

With my planes' leisurely 100 mph cruise it is under 45 minutes to Old Forge. From start-up to shutdown about an hour, plus any sightseeing added to that.

The air was cool and perfectly smooth both directions however, haze increasing to the north and east made photography difficult from cruising altitudes of 5,500 going out and 6,500 on the return. It wasn't worth opening the window to take many photos.

There was some fog along the route and on the Fulton Chain of Lakes that I could see in the distance but it was burning off quickly with the morning sun.

This is Middle Settlement Lake. On my birthday a couple weeks back I hiked from Route 28 near the Onieko Lakes to here.

Approaching Old Forge airport. It is visible from quite a distance back as it is the only clearing in the unending forest of the Adirondack Park. Just to the right of this image is the village of Old Forge only a 20 minute walk away.

Turning downwind I spotted a group of kayakers working their way up the Middle Branch Moose River. With all its meandering, it appears you will paddle at least 2 miles for each 1 mile made good!

Parked at Old Forge. There were 5 other planes tied down as well as several in hangars around this developing fly-in community. All the properties around the field have been sold to pilots who will build homes and be able to taxi from the runway to their house.

A short walk into town brings you to Main Street (Rt 28) on the west side of Enchanted Forest/Water Safari. I continued through the town for breakfast at Keyes Pancake house, then to Mountainman Outdoor Supply and onto Thendara.

Kayakers on the Middle Branch Moose River from Rt 28 bridge.

I returned along the Tobie Trail, a paved walking/biking path which follows Rt 28, then turns south to avoid the downtown section and turns back north to cross the bottom of First Lake and back along the road to the airport before heading off to Eagle Bay and Inlet on Fourth Lake.

So often I've said that the flying was the best part of any trip. Now after 45+ years in the air I've finally gotten to the point where, while I love the air time, I really enjoy exploring new places and talking with all the interesting people I meet.

Mountain Air Painters

https://www.viewarts.org/clubs/mountain-air-painters/

Route 28 looking NE from the Middle Branch Moose River towards town

First Lake, park with beach area and Enchanted Forest

Along the way back I just relaxed. Again haze made photography towards the south impossible.

Drivers village, Rts 81 and 481 Syracuse Hancock Airport

Hancock Internation Airport and the Post Office

A couple shots of Onondaga lake and Syracuse

Olympia, Washington to Logan, Utah

2017-07-25T17:30:00.001-04:00

A few shots from the three days I was with Kirk. Ignition and fuel system issues grounded us in Logan Utah and by the 3rd day I had to leave for home.

With problems solved Kirk is once again headed east and making good progress.

Fueling up for the first leg down to the Columbia River

Mount Rainier

Mount St Helens

Kirk

Columbia River east of the mountains

Taxiing

Following iFly 700

High desert of eastern Oregon

Snake River at Twin Falls, ID

Landing Logan, UT

Glider landing at Logan

Kirk and Logan's Leading Edge Aviation mechanic Kim evaluating ignition system

Kirk modifying fuel system to reduce exposure to high temperatures in the engine compartment

Flight to OK Slip Falls near Indian Lake

2016-11-19T16:14:00.000-05:00

It's mid November and we have been blessed with warmer than normal fall weather. This pattern is about to be broken by a cold front arriving Saturday that already has snow warnings posted for the area.

Friday however, was a beautiful day. Heading to the airport late morning there were warm temperatures, clear skies, light surface winds and a very stable atmosphere. Planes were flying and the radio full of traffic. I think everyone realized we should make the most of this day.

Where to go? I considered heading down to the lower Hudson over the Catskill Mountains, but headwinds on the return would make for a long ride back and the days are now getting quite short. Winds of 15 kts aloft were forecast to be out of the west over western and central NY but turning sharply to blow from the north over the eastern half of the state.

I decided to go northeast towards the High Peaks to take a look at OK Slip Falls. CNY Hiking - OK Slip Falls. Previously located on private land this waterfall has only recently opened up to the public. It is one of the highest falls in the Adirondack park and has been on my list of places to hike, but haven't had a chance yet.

With the GPS coordinates of the falls entered into ForeFlight and after topping off the tanks I was in the air making a circling climb over the airport before heading east over the Syracuse Class C airspaces' 4,400 foot upper bounds. Until a couple months ago my transponder was out of service, so flying through or even over the Class C airspace was not permitted. I would always go under its upper layers or all the way around.

This gave me a rare look at Onondaga Lake and Hancock Airport. Even my workplace at the Syracuse GMF...

Onondaga Lake from the south at 5,500'

Carousel Mall

Syracuse Hancock International Airport

For all my Postal friends, the Syracuse GMF.

(Sorry you guys had to work today...)

Oneida Lake

Cruising along in perfectly smooth, though not perfectly clear air, I settled back to relax for the hour or so it would take to reach my destination.

The engine rumbled alone happily until about 10 minutes later. Somewhere over the eastern portion of Oneida Lake while scanning the sky for traffic and enjoying the view, I was pulled out of my relaxed state of mind by a sudden and rapid decrease of engine RPM. Quickly looking at oil pressure, which was normal, I advanced the mixture to "full rich", turned on carburetor heat and turned towards the farmland south of the lake.

The engine returned to normal almost instantly. I continued in a gradual turn back towards home base while checking to insure that it was simply carburetor icing. Eventually I turned back on course except now adding carburetor heat at regular intervals and there were no further problems. Engine issues over the farmland of Central New York is one thing, there are many, many fields to choose from. In the Adirondack Park there is only a choice of forest, wetlands or lakes.

Griffiss

I thought this was interesting with both the old Griffiss airbase and the Erie canal in one view. Then I realized that the thruway and NY Central rail line was in the picture as well!

Hinkley Reservoir

A few years back I kayaked around this lake with the CNY Kayak club.

Indian Lake and the High Peaks beyond

Village of Indian Lake with Blue Mountain beyond. Blue Mountain is a great hike. At the top there is a fire tower that gives great views for many miles around.

OK Slip Falls

ForeFlight and my Bad Elf Pro GPS put me right over the falls! A few turns around for some pictures before heading back to Piseco 30 miles back to the southwest. Because of the unforgiving terrain below I stayed at a reasonable altitude. For a closer look I will hike in someday.

Mountains and haze

Heading back into the sun all the shades of blue as the mountains fade away into the hazy air looked worthy of a picture.

45U on the ramp at Piseco

That is a house in the background with a built-in hangar on the airport side

Piseco Airport

All the way back to Marcellus the sun and haze made picture taking near to impossible. The mostly clear air over the mountains where winds aloft were from the north contrasted sharply with the hazy air in the valleys brought in by western winds.

Great late season flight. Three hours round trip.

As I write this Saturday afternoon the cold front is already entering the area dropping temperatures from the 70's a few hours ago to 50 degrees at 4:00 pm. Rain and snow are following right behind.

Sunday Flight to Hamilton, Beck's Grove and Airlane Enterprise Airports

2016-07-18T12:09:00.002-04:00

With only light and variable winds forecast for Sunday's sailboat race I decided instead of sailing to fly over to Hamilton and see what my old soaring club was up to. Of course, looking forward to taking a few pictures of the activity while there.

It's been about 5 years since I sold my Libelle 201B, so I'm out of the loop with Iroquois Soaring. With a BLIPMAP forecast for very good soaring, there should be a good chance that someone will be out to soar.

While readying the plane I turned on my Ham radio tuned to Unicom just in time to hear John Kellogg turning base for 33 at Marcellus. Of course, I have to get him a few new screen savers for his computer...

Skirting the edge of Syracuse Class C airspace to the south I fly from Marcellus to just north of Lafayette before heading direct to Hamilton.

To the north of my route I pass Cazenovia. Here is where I started my Monday walks along the North Country Scenic Trail. Walking out and back, I've worked my way almost to Rome passing the east end of Oneida Lake seen here in the distance.

Entering the pattern on the downwind leg I can already see there isn't any soaring going on at Hamilton today.

Israel Galaxy

I stayed at Hamilton for about 20 minutes wandering around.

This is where both my Pilatus B4 and my Glasflugel Libelle 201B were based when flying with Iroquois Soaring Association

Cirrus SR-20 on take-off

Heading north towards Beck's Grove I passed just to the west of the Turning Stone Casino

The North Country Trail crosses the Erie Canal at this lock. My most recent walk covered this section of the trail!

On Final to Beck's Grove (K16)

Not very pretty or fast. the high lift slotted wings, tundra tires and horsepower will get this 'off-road' Zenith homebuilt in and out of practically anywhere

These trees were intimidating! For take-off, I began my run in the grass about 200' before the end of the runway to make use of all the available space. With only me and 1/2 tanks there was no problem and plenty of room over those tall trees at the end of this 3,000' runway.

Sylvan Beach

Cleveland

Oneida Lake looking east

Airlane Enterprise Airport (1H1)

Circling the field I could see Ray Florczyk, the airport owner, waving so I stopped in for a visit. Ray keeps an Aeronca Champ in his back yard airfield.

I landed to the south and took off downhill to the north. The N-S runway on the left is about 2,200 feet long. The Cessna was off in just over 1/3 the runway and was able to easily turn and stay within the airport boundary while climbing with 10º flaps

Heading back home I can see it was a pretty quiet day on the lake...

Onondaga Lake from the north

Onondaga Yacht Club on left with Syracuse in the background

Lakeview Amphitheater on Lakeview Point.

Onondaga Yacht Club and marina

Syracuse with Solvay in the foreground

Warbird Airshow at Geneseo

2016-07-11T12:57:00.000-04:00

Low clouds, and light rain kept us from flying to Geneseo. MVFR and even IFR near Rochester left me with little choice but driving. Better weather was on the way, but wouldn't arrive in time for us.

If we flew, we needed to be on the ground by 9:00 so a 7:30 departure time was planned. Since we were driving we had plenty of time to stop for a breakfast in Waterloo and still arrive with time to spare before the show started at 11:00. This gave us the opportunity to wander around the museum and hangar then make it to the out to the show line for the start of the show.

Dad with Memphis Belle

F-4U Corsair "Korean War Hero"

P-51 Mustang

Dad with T-6 Texan

Watching approach of C-47 Whiskey 7

Jumpers from Whiskey 7

(W-7 took part in the Normandy invasion)

Show start!

P-51 and B-25 "Panchito"

L-39 Albatross

Aichi D3A Japanese Dive Bomber

Shortly after the start of the show, veterans were called to the Veterans Tent. There was a special viewing area reserved for us with snacks and drinks provided. We were all brought out onto the flight line to honor us for service to our country.

P-51 Mustang

Rob Holland in his MXS-RH

F-4U Corsair "Korean War Hero"

Russian AN-2

C-46 "Tinker Belle"

Mig-17 pulling up to 11,000 feet

A very nice day...

2016 Fathers Day Breakfast pictures

2016-06-20T08:17:00.001-04:00

A warm sunny day and light winds was perfect for our annual Father's Day fly-in/drive-in pancake breakfast!

Flight to Slatington PA and short hike on A.T.

2016-05-02T09:26:00.000-04:00

A couple months back I was thinking ahead towards adventures to take when better weather arrived. Looking over topographic maps of the Appalachian Trail I found an airport in Pennsylvania that was about a mile from a trailhead. It was at the Lehigh Water gap at the town of Slatington.

Originally the plan was to fly down then hike along the A.T. to a designated campsite where I would spend the night. The following day I would hike back and either fly home or spend the night in town. However on the dates I had planed for this and taken time off from work, a storm system with rain moved through the northeast.

This time with only the day to do it, this was a scaled back version of the original plan. Fly down, hike, and fly home.

I got an early start and was in the air about 7:30 am. The flight down was smooth in the morning air, but haze made photography difficult from my cruising altitude of 5,500 feet. There was a slight tailwind allowing me to get there in about 1:40.

From the left seat looking east over Binghamton, NY. Sunlight and haze. Returning home in the afternoon the sun would again be on my side looking west. Perhaps I should sit on the other side?

Passing Sky Haven Airport. I would return to this field in the afternoon for fuel.

On the ground at Slatington Airport. The mechanic based on the field gave me a tour of the facilities and a ride across the runway to a campsite along the river.

Walking along a rail-trail to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center (lgnc.org) and the trailhead for the Appalachian Trail several swallows perched on the fence allowed me to get quite close before taking to the air.

From the rail-trail on the way to the Nature Center. The Appalachian Trail crosses the river on this bridge then returns to the ridge top.

This area was once a Super-Fund site. Pollution from a Zinc smelting operation just downwind of the ridge resulted in toxic and acidic byproducts funneling through the gap killing plant life and leaving the area devoid of any life. Through the efforts of a conservation group considerable progress has been made in revegetating the area which will keep toxins from continuing to wash into the river or be ingested by the returning wildlife.

About the Lehigh Gap Clean-up

A view from the top across the gap

The zinc smelting operation in Palmerton

Slatington Airport and the Lehigh Gap

Returning home with 'maybe' enough fuel for the flight back, I stopped in at Sky Haven for about 10 gallons of 100LL. Watching fuel gauges approaching empty seems to take the fun out of flying...

Sky Haven had no fuel, but they did offer a car and gas cans for a ride up the street to a gas station. My other option, which I took, was a 10 minute flight over to Seamons where there was fuel. With a straight out departure I passed over the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct at Nicholson.

The flight home was uneventful. The small tailwind on the way down, became a headwind slowing my return. Going down was about 1:40, returning 2:20 for a total flight time of 4:00.

Late Winter / early Spring Flight to Chittenango Falls

2016-03-13T17:38:00.000-04:00

A pleasant day with weak sun shining through thickening clouds. With a forecast of rain all week I thought I should get out for a ride while I can...

I spent a little time close to the airport taking pictures before heading east to Chittenange Falls about 30 miles away. With a layer of cirrostratus softening and scattering the sunlight it was a good opportunity to visit this high contrast scene. In past attempts I haven't had good luck here. Dark gorge walls and bright water made for unsatisfying results. Today should be better.

Knowing there was precipitation to the south of me in PA, I zoomed out ForeFlight to see how radar would be displayed.

Nine mile Creek meandering along Gorge Road just south of Camillus. It drains Otisco lake into Onondaga Lake

The town of Camillus

Our new movie theater under construction in Township 5

Onondaga Community College

Syracuse and Onondaga Lake

Another of Syracuse and Onondaga Lake

Chittenango Falls State Park

Course entered back to Marcellus (yes, I am slightly to the left of course...)

A good afternoon. Now I can survive the rain until the next good weather...

The following day I stopped by the falls for some ground shots

Lake Ontario and ADS-B "in" with Raspberry Pi

2016-01-25T18:05:00.000-05:00

Finally, an opportunity to try out my $100 ADS-B set-up in the air.

I'm using a Raspberry Pi and USB radio receiver to WiFi data to ForeFlight on my iPad. Though I have been able to see traffic while on the ground, weather can only be picked up once in the air.

I'm not sure how high I was when the signal was first received but leaving the pattern at 800' my screen indicated "1 tower". Even though most of the flight was below 3,000 there was always a signal from between 1 and 3 towers.

Originally, the plan was to fly north along the shore of Lake Ontario to the mouth of the St. Lawrence near Cape Vincent and photograph lighthouses and ice. But, skies remained overcast and hazy with the forecasted clearing today not arriving until after I had landed and put the plane away.

In spite of the clouds and haze, flying up to Ontario was worth it. Along the way I played a bit with the weather and traffic displayed on my tablet, and on Lake Ontario there were some interesting patterns in the ice.

My first look at traffic as I headed to the western corner of Oneida Lake. Here two aircraft are displayed to the east of Syracuse Hancock. One 200 feet above my altitude and another 2,100 feet above.

Zooming out a little later in the flight shows aircraft over Rochester and Utica. Touching an aircrafts' icon opens up a box with more information. Though most of the time I had airports displaying ceiling information, here airport temperatures are being displayed.

For now my unit is only receiving from aircraft transmitting on 978 MHz. Later this week I'll complete the picture and add a second receiver that will bring in 1090 MHz on which most airliners broadcast their information.

Oneida Lake with ice as far as I could see into the haze

A meandering creek near Port Ontario

Port Ontario and dark tannin water flowing into Ontario

Nine Mile Point power station

Ice drawn away from the shoreline by the south winds.

I couldn't get over the size of this repeating pattern made by eddies as ice carried by winds and current moved out into the lake from west of Oswego

Oswego

On the way back I found that tapping on an airport brings up its complete weather information

Onondaga Lake ( for my fellow Yacht Club members )

Marcellus airport and the town beyond.

Mike Murphy (who also belongs to OYC) departing in his Piper Tri-Pacer

Flight Over Letchworth State Park

2015-11-17T14:04:00.000-05:00

With only a limited number of flying opportunities remaining this season, I am trying not to let any pass. The lingering clouds and haze over Central NY in the morning surprised me, but forecast was calling for better weather to the west. That would be the direction to head. Plus with winds forecast to be from the NW at 20 knots the return leg would be with a tailwind.

Heading out I stayed low rather than on top to avoid the stronger winds higher up. This paid off by giving me a 10 knot tailwind for the first half of the leg out.

Too much haze for any aerial photos on the way out. Passing Cayuga Lake the sunlight reflecting off the lake as it fades into the haze was interesting.

Beyond Seneca Lake I entered the new airmass moving in from the NW. My tailwind was gone, but so was much of the haze. Passing Canandaigua Lake you can see the difference from the previous shot.

On the ground at Geneseo for a quick stop.

I was greeted by and museum member who had the keys in his pocket for W99 and offered me a look inside this C47 that took part in the Normandy Invasion. I couldn't pass that up.

First class seating! Look at all the legroom...

Beautiful...

If money were no object, this would be the plane I'd like to use for cross-country flights, making round engine music at 150 knots all day

Mount Morris Dam on the northern end of the park. Every time I've been here the water has been this low. Back in the 70's, remnants of a hurricane had the canyon full and this dam at its limit.

Upstream from the dam the meandering Genesee River

Middle Falls and the Glen Iris

Upper Falls and the rail road trestle

On the way back from my 5,500 cruising altitude I spotted at plane in the distance below me. I could'nt quite make it out. At first I thought it was closer and moving about the same as me. Then it made some turns before heading south along Seneca Lake. I used my phone and FlightRadar24 app to get its ADS-B information which indicated it was at 3,100 and 275 knots. None of the other information usually displayed on the aircraft was available.

Note the two domes along the upper fuselage.

I'd been putting off purchasing a Stratus or GDL39 ADS-B "In" for a while, but I'm beginning to think that by next spring it will be time for the upgrade.

Currently I am using a Dual XGPS150 to bluetooth accurate GPS data to my iPad for use with Garmin Pilot. With my phone as a Wifi hotspot weather information is delivered to the iPad as well. I then use an app on the phone to display other aircraft in the vicinity. I would like the other aircraft displayed on the iPad, as well as keeping data flowing when at altitude or over more remote areas where cell signals are out of range.

Passing south of Montezuma Wildlife Refuge on the way home. North-sound scars on the landscape left by the last glacier that gave us the beautiful Finger Lakes are visible below.

Fall Foliage flight to Old Forge, NY (NK26)

2015-10-06T16:46:00.005-04:00

A week ago I was hiking in the High Peaks near Lake Placid. There, the trees were just starting to change. Since then, some cold nights have got the fall colors approaching their peak very fast.

An extra run for fuel put me a little behind getting the plane into the air and cut into my time around Old Forge a little. The flight up in smooth, clear air took just a few minutes over one hour at an easy cruise of 95 mph.

Passing Booneville the green forest began to change to more golden and red. I would guess that peak colors for this area will be within the next week or so.

Approaching Old Forge

Old Forge airport

My 1965 Cessna 150E at Old Forge

Turning from downwind to base leg as I was landing this area of the Moose River filled my windscreen. With the meandering river and cone shaped pine trees it looked like a magical spot for a paddle. After take-off I circled the area hanging out the window with my camera, but couldn't capture the look and feeling that I had when I saw it while landing.

Just beyond Old Forge on the way to Inlet is a great little hike up Bald Mountain to a refurbished fire tower. It is not a long hike with only a couple steep areas to contend with, but the view from the tower of the Fulton Chain of lakes all the way to Blue Mountain is well worth the effort!

A zoomed in shot of hikers

Moss Lake just north of Eagle Bay has about a half dozen hike in primitive campsites scattered around the lake. A few years back I spent the evening watching a super-moon rise over the hills.

It was beautiful!

Thendra and the Adirondack Scenic Railway station

Almost back home I pass over the end of Oneida Lake as I skirt around and under the SYR Mode C airspace.

Passing Onondaga Lake I see one lone sailboat from the OYC out on the lake. From the red hull I think this must be Tom in his Flying Scot

Back to Marcellus where trees are still mostly green.

I would like to make another flight up to Old Forge and maybe beyond to Placid in the next week or so and spend more time taking more pictures and exploring some different places along the way.

Flight from Lincolnton, NC to Marcellus, NY

2015-06-28T13:13:00.001-04:00

Weather always makes flying more interesting!

After a short but great visit with family in Iron Station, NC that included an afternoon in the pool and watching my nephew Nate play an evening ball game in Charlotte it was time to head back.

Remember that cold front that we flew in behind two days ago? Well, its story didn't end there. After stalling out over South Carolina it backed up a bit and sat with its associated low pressure over Virginia. An area of showers and thunderstorms were waiting patiently for us to make our return flight. It was to the west of our flight path and there was plenty of room to head east if necessary. The Prog charts showed scattered showers in the morning along our route with clearing midday and more numerous showers again later in the day. We had a good window, or so we thought...

After saying 'good day' to Charlotte ATC we climbed a 3,500 foot cruise and relaxed for the 2+ hour flight north to Virginia.

It wasn't too long before it was obvious that this area of storms was moving much faster than forecast. Radar updates every 10 minutes on Garmin Pilot app showed it moving across our planned path from Statesville to Shenandoah. Diverting further to the east it became a race to round the corner ahead of the storms to then turn north again. Going 100 mph would seem fast in a Walmart parking lot, but in the sky with large distances to cover and trying to outrun storms crossing your path that move at 40+ mph it feels like you are just sitting there!

Nope, not flying under that.

Rounding the mark and turning north

Staying to the east of this area of storms that covered more than 100 miles and turning north we still had options to the east and south. However rounding the corner I was feeling like our options were narrowing. We could take a chance of beating this before it cut us off near Washington. Going further east along the Atlantic coast was another option but many of the airports along the way were still socked in and apparently not clearing up as forecast. I wasn't happy with the way things were going. Time to land at Danville Regional about 10 miles to the southeast of me and sort this out from the safety of the pilots lounge.

I immediately turned southeast and began descending. Dipping below a scattered layer at 800' we entered the pattern and I announced downwind on runway 02. As I announced turning base the radio screen went blank and reset to its base frequency. I quickly re-tuned it to unicom just in time to hear a Piper announce he was on a 2-1/2 mile final to land on 02. I rolled back onto a downwind and watched the Piper on final and then turned to follow him in. Hand held radio will be used to broadcast for the rest of the flight...

On the ground we were met by the "Follow me" golf cart which guided us to a tie-down. Before we were out of the plane the attendant had us attached to the earth and as we climbed into the cart it started raining.

The storms stayed to the north of the airfield with only a brief light shower. We waited inside along with other pilots watching the news on one TV and radar on another.

After almost 2 hours the storms seemed to be fizzling out and moving east. Discussing the weather with a third pilot of a TBM, the pilot of the Piper Comanche decided going west around the remaining weather would be the best route to his destination in Canada. I decided to head north towards Shenendoah Regional as the weather was improving there. Once there we had a clear run northeast to home.

We made it as far as Lynchburg, VA about 50 miles to the north where we would stop for fuel giving us full tanks and thus more options as we headed into the questionable weather ahead.

Lynchburg, VA

Falwell Airport

With the aircraft radio only good for listening, I had to plug into the hand-held radio for transmitting. Rather than landing the towered Lynchburg airport I decided to land at Falwell Airport about 5 miles to the northeast. I'm so glad we did! Approaching this airport I could see there was a little rise on the western half of the runway. It wasn't until turning final that it became apparent that it wasn't a little rise, it looked like we were landing on an Olympic Ski Jump.

Runway 28 end elevation is 801 feet while runway 10 end elevation 938!

We fueled up, drank water and ate some grapes. Taxiing uphill to runway 10 for a downhill take-off it took cruise power to do 10 mph up the hill! On take-off we left the ground just as we started downhill.

Leaving Falwell we initially started towards Petersburg, WV.

Flying on top I kept a close eye on the Petersburg weather. When we started it was scattered clouds with a high overcast, when the next update came along the lower layer had changed to broken. Though this probably was only temporary condition I wasn't going to risk being stuck on top of the clouds over mountainous terrain. (Where the mountains were in the clouds)

We headed back 20 miles to Lynchburg with the intention of landing at the larger airport, possibly spending the night in town. But once under the clouds we explored north through the valleys and worked our way to just southeast of Shenandoah Regional which now was partly cloudy. Only one mountain range separated us from sunshine and home. Where route 64 crosses the ridge we could see a gap where there was some space between the clouds and the earth. Cautiously approaching, leaving options to turn back, we could see sunshine through the pass and through it we went.

By this time it was getting late in the afternoon. One of my goals of this trip was to visit my good friend and fellow pilot Jeff who lives in Staunton, VA. It wasn't going to happen. At this point after a short rest we would arrive back home after 7 PM. The next day, Saturday, rain and poor flying conditions was forecasted. Otherwise I would have like to stay the night in Va so we could visit. After calling Jeff, I decided that another trip to VA before the end of the season would have to be made.

Back in the air headed for Mifflin with all the weather behind us now it is just easy cruising.

Garmin Pilot running on my Android phone

Back in familiar territory with Cayuga and Seneca Lakes below.

Next, one of my favorite parts of a flight, a long descent at cruise power to my home field for a landing at 7:41 pm.

Total flight time round trip: 13:36 minutes.

Thank you Diane and Jeff for a great visit!

Dad, I hope you enjoyed our little adventure...

Flight from Marcellus, NY to Lincolnton, NC

2015-06-28T11:17:00.001-04:00

In an earlier post I stated, flying is always fun, but having a destination makes it even better.

Also, if a little is good, then more is better.

More in this case came to me last winter when I thought it would be fun for both of us if I flew my father down to visit my sister Diane and her family at their small farm in Iron Station, NC.

Dad is a pilot too, learning to fly at Camillus Airport back in the 60's and flying from there until it closed down sometime in the late 70's. Other than the X-C required as a student I don't think he ever ventured far from Central NY. I've made a few long flights ferrying airplanes for other owners. As a co-pilot, a coast to coast California-New York and several trips to Florida. This flight would be the longest in an aircraft I owned.

We make the drive to Iron Station about once a year. Taking RT 81 and RT 77 it is about 740 miles and 11 hr 40 min. Flying cuts the mileage to 583 and the time to 6 hours at a cruise speed of about 100 mph.

Originally we planned on leaving on Tuesday but a cold front was forecast to pass that morning. Monday was good as far as sky conditions, but south winds ahead of the front would have slowed our progress significantly. Behind the front, which would be leaving North Carolina as we took off, the winds veered to the northwest adding both a crosswind and a slight tailwind to our southwesterly flight.

With full fuel, two adults and about 25 pounds of luggage we would be heavy departing our little grass strip. This worried me. Leading up to the trip I considered leaving the tanks low and stopping to top off in Ithaca, but I was confident that with our early departure we would be off the ground before the northwest winds reached the surface. At 6 am the winds were calm and allowed us to take off to the southeast on runway 15 which is about 12 feel lower at the departure end and most importantly, with no trees. Loaded on a warm day we spend way too much time waiting to clear the treetops when going the other way.

In the cool morning air we were off in a reasonable distance and climbing steadily though not gaining altitude particularly fast. We probably could have gone the other way.

There was still quite a bit of moisture in Central New York and for the first 15 minutes until just before Cayuga Lake we were held to about 2,500 feet under a layer of stratus. After passing Taughannock Falls we climbed to 4,500 then 6,500 for the first leg to Mifflin, PA a little under 2 hours away.

Cayuga Lake and Ithaca beyond

With the smooth morning air and aircraft trimmed for level flight little input was needed for much of the flight. We could just relax and watch the world move slowly below us.

Everywhere clearings, drilling, waste water ponds for fracking. Thank God New York learned from the environmental disaster Pennsylvania experienced as a result of the unregulated fracking process.

Approaching Mifflin. The ridges which run all the way to Tennessee make this area a popular starting point for sailplanes on long distance flights.

The game: Calculate when to begin the descent to arrive at pattern altitude just as you arrive at the airport. A gentle on the ears, 250 foot per minute descent from 6,500' to a pattern altitude of 1,600' should be started about 20 minutes out. I wanted some extra altitude over these ridges and waited another 5 minutes or so to begin. Five minutes, plus the additional speed from a power on descent cut into 15 minutes thus and I ended up with a little extra altitude.

Fuel 10.1 gallons / 1.77 hrs = 5.7 gallons per hour @ ~2,450 rpm

Up until this point, dumping 5 gallon cans of auto fuel into the wings, I had never gotten an accurate measure on fuel consumption. My best guess was something a little over 6 gph in cruise. We landed with more than half our usable fuel. It was reassuring to know we hold about 4 hours at normal cruise, longer if we reduce power.

After refueling and a phone call to Charlotte ATC for the final OK to enter their Mode C airspace with an inoperative Mode C transponder we were off to our next stop at Shenandoah Regional in VA.

Entering the downwind leg for RWY 05 and Shenandoah Regional.

Another stop for fuel, again still more than half tanks but definitely time to stretch our legs and a snack of coffee cake Mom sent with us. Delicious! We also ran into a friend of mine Michael Godfrey fueling his Maule for a flight to the Delmar peninsula on a birding project. A brief visit and we were on our way.

Fuel 9.4 gal / 1.78 hours = 5.28 gph

(What did I do differently? Maybe tanks not filled to 100%? Maybe better power from 100LL? Warmer, thinner air as we head south?)

Continuing south we cruised along in the smooth air on top of scattered cumulus clouds and increasing haze.

Smith Mountain Reservoir

Shortly after passing Winston-Salem we began our descent towards Statesville, NC. Leaving our cool cruising altitude we arrived at the edge of the Mode C veil at 2,000 feet for the final 20 miles in a hot hazy and bumpy atmosphere to Lincolnton County Airport. I contacted Charlotte Approach about 2 miles south of the Statesville airport but it wasn't until almost 11 miles later that they picked me up as a primary contact on their radar. 2,000 Feet above sea level is less than 1,000 above ground with some hills between us and the radar at Charlotte. As Lincolnton airport came into sight radar service was terminated, frequency change approved and we announced our approach to the pattern.

Lincolnton County

Nate, me, dad, Diane, Evelyn, Grace

Taxiing up to the ramp we could see my sister Diane and family waving from the terminal.

Perfect!

(Next the return flight. Weather always makes things much more interesting!)

Geneseo Fly-In Breakfast

2015-06-07T20:45:00.000-04:00

No excuse or even a specific destination is needed to go flying, but having either of these does make it even more fun! Reviewing the list of upcoming events on upstatelist.org last week I found there was a pancake breakfast this Sunday at the Warbird Museum in Geneseo. This would be a fun place to bring my dad.

The weather was perfect for the flight light south winds at the surface and only a slight headwind for the flight out. Taking off a little after 8, the air was smooth as glass for the cruise west at 4,500 feet.

Auburn and Owasco Lake beyond

Me and Dad

Cayuga Lake

Seneca Falls with Finger Lake Regional Airport beyond

Canandaigua Lake

The breakfast was a bit quieter than I expected. Nowhere near the crowds at Weedsport's every other week breakfast and only a fraction of the attendance at the Marcellus Fathers Day breakfast (coming up in a couple weeks)

Dining area in main hangar

Enjoying breakfast

After eating we walked around the hangar and looked at a half dozen aircraft in various stages of rebuilding. We also toured the Warbird Museum.

Harvard

Scale P-51 (Stewart 51?)

I'll have to check out my reflection when no one with a camera is watching!

Beechcraft Super 18

DC-3 W7

This aircraft took part in the Invasion of Normandy

Pilot...Co-pilot...Hey! Where's mine?

W7 flew back to Europe to take part in the Return to Normandy ceremony last year.

Geneseo from the south

Montezuma Wildlife Refuge

Relaxing and enjoying the view

This guy flew into the window as I was taxiing out just a moment before I closed it for take-off. For the entire return flight it walked back and forth across the windscreen exiting the plane when I got out in Marcellus.

We had a nice flight and I was happy to have my dad along with me.

(This flight was just a warm up for Dad and I when in two weeks we will take the Cessna to Charlotte, NC)

Morning Fog and Apple Blossom Festival Breakfast

2015-05-17T14:04:00.000-04:00

Checking the weather before heading to bed the night before there was morning fog in the forecast. As long as it wasn't too widespread this would make for some interesting scenes as we departed Marcellus for a breakfast at Williamson-Sodus Sunday morning.

I woke to a call from my dad that he wouldn't be able to join me for the flight. At first I considered staying in bed a bit longer, then I remembered the fog and was out the front door within 15 minutes. Coffee from the Express Mart as I pass though the village and I'm good to go...

The skies were mostly sunny but there were clouds to the south and some visible moisture in the lower atmosphere.

Climbing out of Marcellus right off I could see Skaneateles Lake looked different. As I turned southwest and gained altitude I found the lake covered by a thin layer of ground fog.

Skaneateles Lake

Otisco Lake

After circling over the lakes for a bit I start thinking of where to go. Over the radio I could hear almost constant transmissions from pilots landing and taking off at Williamson-Sodus. I'm already in the air and it is only 20 minutes away. I've got to go visit.

Even with all the traffic the timing was right so that I was able to fit right into the downwind leg for landing #3 behind a Bonanza and a Cessna.

Our Cessna at Williamson-Sodus

The sign on the palm tree says:

"Margaritaville, It's 5:00 somewhere"

Cooking for hundreds...

A long, long line on this beautiful morning. I just grabbed some coffee and was happy with that.

Rides were offered in both the departing helicopter and the Piper on the right

A beautifully finished Challenger II owned by John Bailey

Willismson-Sodus Airport. As I was leaving the line still stretched for hundreds of feet.

Nine Mile Point in the distance appears to still be in the fog

The air was smooth as glass all morning and into mid day. Perfect flying weather!

And this is how I like to fly. Arm out the window.

The open window has a speed limit of 100 mph. That's okay, as I am happy cruising along at 85-90.

(rather than spending time in Photoshop correcting my receding hairline, I just cropped off the top of my head!)

Cross Lake, Lake Ontario in the distance

Williamson-Sodus and Oswego

2015-04-26T17:01:00.000-04:00

It is late April and the first Sunday fly-in pancake breakfast is still weeks away. Looking for somewhere interesting to fly with my father I decide to head northwest to Williamson-Sodus, an active airport about 25 miles east of Rochester, NY along the shore of Lake Ontario. From there we could follow the shoreline east to Oswego before turning back south toward home.

Even with sunny skies, a northwest flow of Canadian air is keeping mid-day temperatures from rising past the upper 40s. This cool breeze also brought some bumps with good thermal activity south of the lake and a bit of a headwind to keep our groundspeed down on the outbound leg.

Apple's most recent update to iOS for my iPad carried with it a bug that prevents navigational software such as Garmin Pilot (which I use), Foreflight and others from using the GPS information from external sources. Since my new iPad mini 2 does not have a built-in GPS I have had to use my Android phone that contains a GPS and can also communicate with my Dual XGPS150. The plus side to this is that my phone stayed charged, I could see my panel around the smaller phone and weather radar and winds were visible on the map screen of Garmin Pilot through my data plan.

Garmin Pilot on a Samsung S4. Viewing the Navigation page.

One of the great things about flying along at only a couple thousand feet are all the interesting things that you come across. Look close, better yet, click on the image for a larger size.

From a distance the lake seemed to have a foggy look to it, as I got closer I realized it was a reflection of the cloud layer above rather than some low level atmospheric condition over the water. Departing Williamson a little later I found the atmosphere was clear enough to see the Canadian coastline across the lake.

As we returned to the plane after a cup of coffee, a gentleman pulled up in his car with a big smile and saying he has a 1964 Cessna 150. Ours is a '65. Both have 360 windows and a straight tail (the way God intended a 150 tail to be...)

We talked about our planes and he took our picture.

Williamson-Sodus (SDC)

Chimney Bluffs just a few miles to the east.

Living on the edge!

Fair Haven Bay and the State Park on the left

Looking east over Oswego

Fulton

Me and my Dad

(And yes, I am aware I need to work on a better face for the camera!)

Harris Hill

2015-04-20T09:08:00.000-04:00

Saturday in a Iroquois Soaring Assoc. email someone asked if members wanted to assemble the club gliders on Sunday. That didn't happen but it was enough to put thoughts of gliders in my head. Our schedules lined up for a change and my partner in the Cessna, Kate, would be be out for her first flight of the year. She is a glider fan as well so a trip to a glider port would be a fun day for both of us.

Though nothing going on at Hamilton with ISA we still had a few options. Saratoga Springs, Dansville and Harris Hill in Elmira. I decided on Elmira. It has a very active club and there is always something going on there.

Sunday was forecast to be beautiful, with sunny skies, mild temperatures and light winds. By Sunday night things would be changing. The forecast has us heading into a week of clouds, rain and even a bit of snow here in Central New York. In Upstate NY, when the weather is good you have to go. No excuses.

Climbing out of Marcellus under a few cirrus visibility was more than 50 miles. My GPS showed virtually no winds as we climbed to 4,500 for the 59 nm 39 min cruise SW over the Finger Lakes. With the plane trimmed for level flight we settled into an easy cruise and enjoyed the scenery.

Kate and me

Between watching for other aircraft and enjoying the view it was a while until I realized I hadn't touched the controls in quite a long time. Smooth as glass up here. Only a gentle touch on the rudder pedals was needed to keep us on track.

The land is beginning to change from the brown and grey of winter to the green of spring. In protected spots in and along forests or gullies snow remains as a reminder that only a few weeks ago all was white here.

The Cessna is headed to the radio shop for static when transmitting that makes me difficult to understand, so I'm using a handheld. Approaching Elmira I am over their Class D airspace but within the ARSA. Participation in a ARSA is voluntary, but I'm flying directly over the airfield and want to descend into Harris Hill which is within the Class D. From 18 miles out I call only to find the handheld, using its small antenna, is fine for pattern work but doesn't work too well over any distance. With quite a bit of effort the tower instructs me to continue as requested and no other traffic.

Descending over Harris Hill we spot a couple gliders in the air. A Discus circling 1,000' feet above us in lift and an ASK-21 below setting up for the landing pattern. We wait for him, then land.

Harris Hill from the south.

Elmira Regional visible in the valley beyond.

The smooth ride down, while nice for airplanes, means not much lift for gliders.

The airport was pretty quiet. Several rides were given and eventually the Discus pilot landed.

Pawnee towing the ASK-21

ASK landing. Our Cessna parked on the right

Discus on roll-out. He kept his wings level as he came to a stop where he was met out on the runway by ground crew that caught his wing and gently lowered it to the ground.

Harris Hill Club House

Taugannock Falls

South end of Owasco Lake

Frozen Ocean Raceway and Murphy's Airport

Back home to Marcellus Airport

Recent Photos

2015-01-05T20:56:00.000-05:00

As 2014 winds down we have been blessed with mild temperatures and very little snow here in Central New York. Unlike our neighbors to the north in the snow belt to the east of Lake Ontario and also west of Buffalo as of Jan 5th we are still mostly snow free enabling me to get up for some end of season flying in the Cessna.

High pressure on Dec 26th brought us sunny skies though there was some haze in the air.

Syracuse, NY from the south at 5,500'

Looking west across 5 of the 11 Finger Lakes.

A flock of Snow Geese were disturbed as I passed Skaneateles Lake.

As I moved away they settled back down onto the water.

Skaneateles Airport and Skaneateles Lake beyond.

On Dec 30th we had a couple inches of snow. Temperatures were in the low 20's with light NW winds at the surface.

I flew west past Skaneateles towards the next area of clouds and snow moving in from the west.

Auburn, NY with sunlight reflecting off Cayuga Lake and snow showers beyond.

Sun rays reflecting of Owasco Lake south of Auburn.

Looking south over Otisco and Skaneateles Lakes.

Otisco Lake

Marcellus Airport with my airplanes' tracks from the hangar to the sky...

Flight to Cortland and Hamilton

2014-06-29T22:02:00.000-04:00

I flew the Cessna down to Cortland in the morning. There were a few things I wanted to bring to my son David and I also wanted to see for myself the body work he has been doing on his BMW. He is only a mile and a half from the airport so although a car was offered for me to use, I really felt like walking. It was already getting warm, but it turned out to be an easy 30 minute walk.

Cortland Airport (N03)

Leaving Cortland I was feeling a little warm, so with the window open I climbed in a 800 fpm thermal then made a cruise climb to 6,000' putting me over most of the clouds. Here the air was smooth and cool for the ride over to Hamilton.

It was great to visit with everyone and to see all the gliders being flown.

As always if anyone wants the full resolution of any of these images just let me know and I'll send them to you.

Father's Day 2014

2014-06-18T17:41:00.002-04:00

The Central New York weather cooperated with us for our annual Father's Day Pancake Breakfast. There were a few clouds in the morning and from time to time through the day, but otherwise it was an absolutely beautiful day with comfortable temperatures.

The airport was quite busy. If this wasn't a record attendance day then it had to be close!

I wandered around with my camera snapping pictures here and there. I made a few flights in the Challenger some to take aerial photos of the event and other times to give rides.

Out of about 200 pictures I picked 29 that show a variety of the activity around the days' event.

Full resolution images are available. Email me george.m.hernandez@gmail.com

(click on images for larger size)

One of our first arrivals!

There was a raffle for a ride in this beautiful plane.

Bill Volcko gives the thumbs up that we are ready to go.

Jack Burns skillfully flipping blueberry pancakes.

The radio control club comes each year to show off their sport.

So much has changed since I flew a radio control glider in 1990.

The CAP was here to help keep things organized.

Kirk is the new owner of Marcellus Airport, here with part of his family.

Trike on take-off

Helicopter rides were available all morning.

Very affordable prices kept it flying non-stop

All day the tables were packed with people

Some things are worth their weight in gold!

Everything you need for your quad-copter flying in one handy case!

A table full of electric ducted fan jets

A few of the members of EAA1017

The reflections off the windscreen caught my attention.

The next generation...

RV headed home

Mercy Flight crew members talked and gave us a close up look at their operation and equipment.

This was taken mid-morning with a long line and lot full of cars.

Finally! Spring flying weather has arrived...

2014-05-11T15:32:00.000-04:00

Time for a little cross-country flight.

Winter started early last fall and the cold wet weather hung on until the end of April. I've been waiting for some free time to get out on an afternoon flight somewhere.

On this day it I had to find a balance between waiting for the thermometer to show a comfortable cushion above freezing and an afternoon front with showers scheduled to arrive late in the day. As it worked out by the time I had made a fuel run to RaceTrac for premium no ethanol, and prepared for the flight the air was on its way to warming up nicely. This allowed me to remove the doors for an unrestricted view and nothing to degrade the image quality between the camera and scenery below.

Challenger ready to go

The panel as the engine warms

Course entered on my Android Google Nexus 7 running Garmin Pilot. My initial plan was to head west to Canandaigua (D38), north to Lake Ontario, east along the shoreline with a likely stop at Williamson-Sodus on the way to Fair Haven, then back to Marcellus (NK71)

Winds aloft were forecast to be NNW@15, but once in the air I found that it was more out of the ENE in the lower atmosphere.

Less than 10 minutes into the flight I pass the town of Elbridge, NY with Cross Lake beyond. Along the horizon is the southern shore of Lake Ontario.

Looking south over Cayuga Lake. A high thin overcast is sometimes good for aerial photography particularly for zoomed in shots. A layer of cirrus or thin also-strattus diffuses the sunlight and lowers the contrast but still leaves it bright enough for a fast shutter speed. The sky reflects off the lake and the bright sunlight of brings out the colors in the lake much better as shown in the second photo from the day before when I brought my Cessna over to Finger Lakes Airport.

Cayuga Lake on a sunny afternoon

Montezuma Wildlife Refuge

Waterloo outlet stores along I90 in Waterloo, NY

Hopewell Airstrip just a few miles to the east of Canandaigua Airport

Base leg for Rwy 13 at Canandaigua.

I took a break here. A half cup of fresh brewed coffee and a little walk around to stretch my legs. This leg of the flight took about 45 minutes. I was cruising at 2,500 feet with 4,800 rpm yielding just under 60 mph.

I flew over the Canandaigua Pier and Boathouses before turning NE towards Williamson-Sodus.

Afternoon temperatures didn't warm up much more due to the thickening cloud cover. Cruising at 3,500 feet the air was over 10 degrees cooler than on the surface too. I was beginning to feel cold, so decided to head directly for Sodus.

Just a short break at Williamson-Sodus

In under 30 minutes I was on the ground at Sodus. A northeast wind is kind of unusual for our area. Landing on Rwy 10 the wind was rolling pretty good over an area of trees just to the north of the runway. The Challenger handled it quite well but next time I will plan my approach to land much further down this 3,800 foot runway to avoid this area when a north or northeast wind.

Looking east towards Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario.

Fighting a little bit of a headwind and feeling cold I opened the throttle a bit to 5,300 for a cruise speed in the upper 60's

Rose Airport. My EAA chapter 1017 has its annual fly-in here the second weekend in July. Everyone is welcome. Food, primitive camping and good times.

Back to Marcellus.

The entire flight took 2.9 hours and I burned 7.6 gallons for an hourly rate of 2.6 GPH of premium auto fuel. The direct cost of spending an afternoon flying around was about 30 dollars, plus some two-stroke oil. Can't beat it!

I will be sad when the Challenger is gone. Unfortunately it is for sale. Unless the Cessna goes first...

Flight to New Hampshire's Ice Runway

2014-02-19T15:25:00.000-05:00

A couple years back Phil and I attempted a flight to the ice runway in Alton Bay, NH. Approaching the airport we found the early arrival of spring like temperatures had created open water along the shoreline. A low pass was all we dared and then headed over to Laconia for lunch.

Monday, thanks to a warming Arctic, slowing of the polar jet and everyones' favorite "Polar Vortex" keeping us in the cold this season, we were assured of a solidly frozen lake Winnipesaukee.

On this morning the low was -8 in Syracuse and -12 in Hamilton. Even a couple hours later as we were pulling Phil's plane out, the temperature was around zero. While cold weather is great for ice runways, it isn't for airplane engines. Phil's propane pre-heat wasn't enough to overcome the cold. A couple electric heaters placed right in the engine compartment gave just enough warmth to allow a start.

(click on images for full resolution)

Started and taxiing over to the fuel pumps.

Settling into cruise at 5,500 we cross the Mohawk River and Thruway at St. Johnsville.

Lake George in the distance as we approach the Hudson Valley in smooth air.

It is cold in the plane. We can see our breath. At one point Phil's breath landed on his GPS and the screen iced over! I'm glad I decided to wear a sweatshirt under my coat. Four layers on my upper half, long-johns under my pants below, double socks and yet my legs were starting to shake by the end of the flight.

Checking the OAT, Phil said it was -10. Being a wise guy I responded, "and it's probably even colder outside..."

Mountains in VT

Originally, we had planned on making this flight on Sunday to coincide with the Ice Festival in Alton Bay but a storm system moving up the coast would have made crossing the mountains difficult or impossible with mountain tops obscured in clouds. Also, strong winds would have made for an uncomfortable ride as well as gusty difficult conditions on the surface.

Even a day later with this weather system moved off to the northeast there was still significant NNW winds aloft. Forecasts called for 40 kts @ 6,000'. These winds required a significant correction and made our 2.5 hour flight take 3 hours.

Looking out my side window I could see that we were moving towards a point to the right of the nose. It wasn't until we got over the mountains where the terrain gave some real depth to the view that I realized just how much the winds were pushing us. I've seen this before, but looking out the front and seeing the hills moving sideways across the nose was amazing.

Approaching downwind at Laconia, NH

We decided to stop for fuel at Laconia before heading on to Alton Bay. I was looking forward to a rest stop and warming up in inside rather than on a giant ice cube of a lake.

Phil's 140 in a heated hangar

It was a good decision to stop at Laconia first. The engine wouldn't even turn over so we could taxi to the fuel pumps. Fortunately the FBO Emerson Aviation was there to help. Their mechanic guided Phil's plane into a heated hangar, pulled the battery to charge and tested the electrical system while with the use of the airport courtesy car we went for lunch in town.

Phil and mechanic discussing electrical system

The mechanic said we should have turned off the master when we realized there was a problem with charging. This would have reset the alternator charging circuit. With a tester connected the system showed it was charging at near 14V when started.

Turning onto a wind blown runway 28

It was late afternoon as we taxied out. With gusty winds that would be a crosswind at Alton Bay and the sun already low in the sky, we agreed that we would try another time.

Looking north with Mt Washington in the distance

Departing Laconia and watching Mt Washington in the distance my camera can't capture the feeling of how imposing this 6,288' mountain looks, even 50 miles away. After completing my 46er here in New York I will have to climb this. Before then, maybe an airplane ride to explore and photograph.

Okemo Mountain Resort Ludlow, VT

(I used Google Earth to identify this ski area)

Hudson Falls, Glens Falls and Lake George

The sun is approaching the horizon for us, but for those on the ground it has already set. Colors from The Belt of Venus, the line separating sunlight and sunset, is visible sloping upwards to the east.

Phil in the setting sun

By evening the winds aloft over New York have subsided. We are now making good speed with our ground speed nearing our airspeed of 107 mph.

Looking west over Herkimer, Mohawk, Illion, Frankfort with Utica and Oneida Lake beyond.

Phil's panel as we descend into Hamilton

Final for runway 17 at Hamilton

Back at the hangar

I have a camera flash version of this image, but I prefer the much closer to real look of natural light.

Thanks again Phil for a great flight. Try again,

maybe the "third times' the charm..."

Flight to Lake Placid and the High Peaks

2013-11-09T14:45:00.002-05:00

I've been wanting to make this flight to see the peaks I've hiked for quite some time but each time weather, usually strong winds has prevented me. On a couple occasions when good weather aligned with my days off I was already in these mountains hiking.

On this day there was high pressure over the northeast and the skies were clear. The only possible problem were winds in the northeast portions of NY, but they were forecast to die off about the time I would arrive.

(click on images for full resolution)

Departing Marcellus just before 10 am I headed NE at 1,600' to remain under the Class C airspace surrounding Syracuse.

My first turn point was Syracuse Suburban Airport (6NK) near Brewerton. A few years back lots of taxpayer money was spent paving and refurbishing this unused field only to have it continue to be unused. Passing 6NK I was out from under the Class C and made an 80 mph cruise climb to 5,500'

Passing north of Camden and Rome marks from the last glacier are visible in the foreground with the large wind farm west of Booneville in the distance.

Mudhole pond and Pine Lakes just SW of Old Forge

Most of the leaves were gone from the trees once I left the lowlands of Central NY, but the endless undeveloped forest of the Adirondack Park was beautiful none the less. Forest broken only by lakes, creeks, swamps and very rarely, a road.

Old Forge and the Fulton chain of lakes. To the left of center the Old Forge Airport is visible. In the distance just to the right of center is Blue Mountain a great afternoon hike with an unrestricted views from the fire tower on the summit.
Heading into the eastern part of the state skies became a little hazy, though visibilities were still 50+ miles

Approaching the High Peaks, Santanoni Peak in the foreground beyond Moose Pond on the right. Algonquin and Marcy white with snow and ice on the horizon beyond.

Marcy on the left, Skylight closer, Haystack behind. In the distance, Giant.

Hikers atop Marcy in this zoomed in shot

Indian, Algonquin and Wright.

My Cessna at Lake Placid. Whiteface in the background.

I was really surprised to find a Challenger tied out at Lake Placid. This is a single seat version of the two-place I own. Some day I want to fly my Challenger up here and spend a couple days photographing the hills and area where I spend so many of my weekends.

Cessna sizing up the next Challenge.

Whiteface Mountain and the Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway. My son David and I hiked Esther and Whiteface again a year ago. We first hiked Whiteface almost 20 years ago when he was 6.

After flying over the KOA I frequent when in Placid, I followed Rt 12 to Upper Jay to pick up Rt 9N to Keene and Keene Valley. Marcy Field in the foreground.

From the right: Lower Wolfjaw, Upper Wolfjaw, Armstrong, and Gothics along the Great Range. (I hiked the latter 3 on one 12 hour hike in 2012.) In the distant center is Marcy. These mountains are even more intimidating when flying down low than they are when hiking. The view flying just above the peaks is breathtaking.

I didn't take too many pictures on the way back as the sun and haze made for very low contrast from cruising altitude.

Bald Mountain (Rondaxe) is just northeast of Old Forge. It is an easy under 1 hour hike to the tower for a great view of the lakes

Enchanted Forest - Water Safari in Old Forge.

Onondaga Lake and Syracuse with under 10 minutes to Marcellus.

Total flight time just over 4 hours. A very satisfying ride as we near the end of the season. A few days later as I write this I am already hearing the mountains calling me. Maybe I'll take another hike in the lower hills, before winter settles in and snowshoes are needed.

International Cessna 120/140 Association

2013-09-22T08:58:00.002-04:00

September 18 at Sky Manor (N40) near Pittstown, NJ

Phil called me Tuesday afternoon as I was readying my Cessna 150 for a local flight. He was online and had just discovered that the Cessna 120/140 Association's fly-in was starting the next day, and rather than some distant location it was only 1:45 from Hamilton where his 140 is based.

At first I said 'no', not wanting to take the time off or the expense of staying out of town for a couple days. But when he said it was just for the day I couldn't pass it up.

I worked the night before and even did some overtime in the morning before making the one hour drive from Syracuse to Hamilton. Phil was already at the airport when I arrived at 8:00 am. A quick change of clothes for me and with camera in hand I was ready to go.

The weather was perfect for the flight. A high pressure ridge over the eastern US kept skies clear and with light winds aloft the ride was smooth as glass.

Departing Hamilton we found fog filling many of the valleys through southern NY and into PA.

(click on images for full size)

Looking south over the nose with a direct path towards Sky Manor 139nm distant

Norwich airport was partially hidden

The skyline of NYC is visible in the distance on this cropped photo

Fog was slowly pouring through the Delaware Water Gap and evaporating.

Sky Manor airport was now only 25 miles distant and we covered this distance quickly in a well timed descent that brought us across the airport and right into the downwind leg.

On final for 29 at Sky Manor

Phil taxied up onto the grass parking area to join about a dozen and a half Cessna 120s & 140s already there.

Phil's teal and white Cessna 140

Phil at the Association tent

Only one person with a question?...

A few of the beautiful planes that flew in for the event.

NC3128N

NC3600V

Panel of NC3600V

This aircraft was so shiny that from certain angles it was almost invisible.

I was surprised to find someone from Baldwinsville, NY was in attendance. B'ville is only about 15 miles from my home.

Not all the aircraft were as well cared for. This Cessna 170 tied out in the elements looks like it hasn't been touched in years

Lichen on the horizontal stabilizer...

and a toad on the wing!

A van carried a half dozen of us into Frenchtown for lunch. In town everyone headed off in different directions. Phil and I sat outside a small cafe for a relaxing lunch.

Arriving back at the airport we reviewed the line of planes one last time and watched a few take-offs and landings before climbing back in his 140 and heading north.

Our course took us across the approach and departure path for aircraft in and out of NYC. Departing aircraft were well above us, but one regional inbound passed directly under us.

Settling into cruise at 9,500'. I began to get drowsy. Phil asked if I was getting hypoxic and wanted to descend to a lower altitude. No the altitude was fine, I'd been up for about 26 hours at that point. The smooth ride and relaxing drone of the engine was putting me to sleep.

We made good time and after about 1:45 flight time we were turning final into Hamilton

Phils Cessna 140 back in Hamilton.

Thanks Phil for a great day of flying!