Flying to a NEW Home....

Yes, today I flew the plane to a new home, or airport I should say. On Saturday, January 27, 2007, Dad and I removed the tie-down ropes and chocks from our pad at Solberg airport, pre-flighted the ole girl and loaded her up for a journey to another airport in northern New Jersey. The move was prompted by both costs and convenience.

While pre-flighting the airplane and checking the oil, I noticed that there was a large amount of visible (frozen) moisture on the oil dipstick, something I have NEVER seen before. And while pre-heating the engine, we noticed visible water droplets dripping from the oil breather tube, again something we have NEVER seen before. Just something to keep our eye on, that's all. So, after a nice and toasty engine pre-heat she started like a champ, and within 15 minutes we were airborne, on our way to the plane's new home. Upon landing, we taxied directly into our new tie-down location on the aircraft ramp, then checked-in with operations to pay our first month's rent. My wife then arrived after having dropped us off at Solberg, waiting for us to start the engine, then driving to this new airport. We all then boarded the plane and headed south, destined for South Jersey Regional airport in Lumberton, NJ.

The weather was overcast over northern NJ with a bright, band of orange (clear skies) to the south, hence one of the reasons we were heading in that direction. We climbed to about 2,000 feet and found the air rather calm, but as we approached the brighter skies, the air became more and more turbulent. Reacting to this, I climbed even higher until it became smooth again. But just as we were again getting used to the calm air, it became turbulent yet again. We put up with it for another few minutes but after crossing the Delaware river just north of Philadelphia, PA, the air became still and the turbulence disappeared. Of course my wife was happy as a clam, and I was relieved I would not have to fight the plane into the traffic pattern at the next airport.

Upon landing, the wind was a light 5-8 mph from the northwest. We taxied to the parking area in front of the restaurant and shut her down. Of course, as always when we visit this airport, we headed in for some coffee and a muffin. After a nice, relaxing warm-up, we boarded the plane once again, this time heading for the Jersey Shore, or so we were hoping.

Before take-off, I asked my wife to shoot some video of each take-off and landing that I did so I could place the clips on my website. And so she filmed away, just until I was clear of the airport at about 800 feet in altitude. Quickly we headed northeast, wanting to fly around McGuire AFB's airspace, then over Six Flags Great Adventure for a check on the latest developments for the 2007 season.

What we noticed while flying due east, just north of McGuire was a really interesting phenomenon, and one that I can't recall ever experiencing, or noticing, before. We had a DIRECT tailwind (wind from behind) and I could tell this because we did not have a crab angle and were cruising a swift 150+ mph over the ground. But when we looked down at a few houses burning their fireplaces, we noticed the wind from the north by observing the smoke below. The wind at our altitude of about 1,500 feet was from the west, yet the wind on the ground was from the north. A direct crosswind effect between the ground and 1,500 feet. Neat !!!

After passing over Great Adventure and shooting a few pictures, we continued on towards the shore. One problem, though, I kept thinking that once I turned more to the north and finally west, we would have a major headwind that would reduce our ground speed significantly. This, and the fact that the weather was becoming gloomy once again, was my reason for avoiding the shoreline and flying a large, gradual 180 degree turn to the left, taking us over Freehold, Monroe township and just south of New Brunswick. And, just like I figured, our ground speed on the return trip was reduced some 50 mph down to about 100 - OUCH !!!

Up ahead, we intended to land at Solberg airport once again. Not for posterity's sake or because we missed the airport already, but because one of our safety flags from the cowl plugs was left behind. I made a landing with my wife filming, then taxied to our old tie-down location. Dad then jumped out and grabbed the forgotten flag, and I took-off once again with my wife making turning me into a film star. We headed west and finally saw our destination. With my wife filming yet again, I entered the traffic pattern of our new, home base airport and set the plane down gently on the runway. Since we were low on fuel, we parked at the fuel farm and had the airport attendant top us off for a "cheap" $3.55 / gallon. Relatively inexpensive.....Compared to automotive fuel, anyway.

My wife and Dad decided to walk back to our new tie-down area while I started the ole girl one last time and taxied her back to her NEW home. Yes, we turned this sort of gloomy, cold, damp day into a great flying day with much comraderie and fun. As always, we look forward to many more days in the near future that will be as rewarding as today turned out to be !!!

A Cold, Winter Flight with a Six Flags Great Adventure Aerial Photo Tour

Yes, today started out COLD. On this Sunday, the 21st of January 2007, the temperature read 18F on the thermometer in the wee hours of the morning. What I thought was definitely a No-Fly day due to the breeze combined with the frigid temps turned out to be one of the better days to fly. With that said, it was Dad and I taking to the skies today, as my wife unfortunately could not be with us.

Since it was so cold in the morning combined with the fact that the engine had not run in 2 weeks, we decided to pre-heat our trusty Lycoming. After a 10 minute pre-heat and a thorough pre-flight, I pumped the throttle 5 times, but to no avail.....She didn't start. With 3 more pumps, the ol' girl came to life, and within 15 more minutes after a warm-up we were airborne, climbing at over 1,000 feet/minute at 100 mph.

I pointed the nose southeast and headed directly towards Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. I didn't expect much to be changed since my last park fly-over two weeks ago, but I was quickly proved incorrect in my assumptions. Much work had been done to the park in preparation for opening day in late March. The NEW kids area, Wiggles World, is cleared and construction is ready to commence. One of the larger coasters, Chiller, is having one section of its track modified/replaced and other areas are receiving minor but necessary improvements.

After two CCW circles of the park, I headed west for a bit, then south.....All this to clear McGuire AFB's controlled airspace. While traversing the outer boundaries of this airspace, we spotted something we'd never seen hadn't noticed before in almost 12 years of flying....A massive flock of white geese flying low over the corn fields. I snapped a bunch of pictures of this neat sight and one that I will eventually post to my website in a future update.

South Jersey Regional airport was our next destination for some HOT coffee and a banana nut muffin. The restaurant was packed as usual, though we grabbed our grub and headed for the airport's FBO (fixed base operator) lounge. After a nice rest and a warm-up, we were back in the air, this time heading northwest towards Queen City airport in Allentown, PA. This route took us north of Philadelphia, over the Delaware river, just north of Northeast Philadelphia airport and on toward the now defunct Warminster Navy base in the town of Warminster. Continuing, we spotted Doylestown to the right and an intriguing highway intersection that I just couldn't pass up snapping a picture of for a future update. Next was Lake Nockamixon on the right with Pennridge airport on the left. Further on was the bustling town of Quakertown, then finally over the mountain ridge to Queen City airport, just south of Allentown.

After landing to the northwest on runway 33 (330 degree heading), we parked at the FBO ramp and had them give us a top-off (fill both gas tanks). We originally planned on going there for not only fuel, but to eat our picnic lunch in the cafeteria, though when we arrived we weren't that hungry on account of that muffin we ate earlier. So, we paid for the fuel, cranked up the engine and commenced taxiing back to runway 33. This time, though, I wanted Dad to shoot a video of the take-off for posting in a future website video update. Turns out, the video came out great and I look forward to sharing it with everyone soon.

With a quick CCW circle around Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom after take-off to shoot some pictures of a few of their coasters, we were headed back east, enroute to Alexandria airport in Pittstown, NJ. Soon we were crossing the Delaware river once again, just north of Milford. Quickly after, I set-up the plane for a landing on runway 26 while checking for traffic. We wanted to visit this airport because we are thinking of moving the plane here from Solberg. The tie-down is less expensive and it is a freshly paved area as well. I met the airport owner ??/manager Linda and we had nice, albeit brief, chat about the tie-down issues. Satisfied with that, we were soon heading northeast toward the Spruce Run and Round Valley reservoirs to shoot more aerial photos of this pristine area. The engine oil temperature was once again back to where it should be so as to vaporize all of the water from the oil, so we then decided to head back to Solberg and finish our day of flying.

As we entered the traffic pattern, the wind was non-existent so we decided to land on runway 04 (40 degree heading). After gently touching down and a quick taxi back to the tie-down spot, we pushed the old girl back to her resting place until the next time she comes to life and carries us on yet another memorable flying adventure !!!

Calm Between Two Storms...

Sunday, January 7, 2007 was a spectacular flying day. It was a day surrounded by high winds and extreme temps. Saturday was unseasonably warm in the 70's with high winds and Monday was seasonably cool as the winds slowly delivered temps in the 30's by late afternoon. But in between on Sunday, there were relatively calm winds and moderate temps in the 50's, perfect for flying and shooting aerial photos. Dad and I were flying today as my wife was otherwise pre-occupied. We arrived at the airport and all was uneventful as we applied full throttle and left the tarmac on runway 04. With a quick 180 degree turn to the left, we were soon headed southeast to our first destination.

This morning I had Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in mind for my first aerial photo shoot as I wanted to see what was happening as the park readies itself for the 2007 season. I flew a couple of CCW circles around the park, shooting over 30 pictures before leaving the area to the southwest. As practice, I decided to call the control tower at McGuire Air Force Base and ask for clearance to transition their airspace to the southwest. After a few calls and having me enter a certain code on my transponder (gives an aircraft's position to the controller) I was cleared at or below 1,000 feet. Descending from 2,000 feet to the assigned altitude range, we transitioned over Fort Dix and McGuire AFB. After leaving their airspace and getting the ok to switch radio frequencies, we headed to South Jersey Regional airport for a coffee and muffin at their airport restaurant.

While at the airport, we sat in the pilot's lounge and had our snack, then took a stroll on the general aviation tarmac to check-out some military aircraft that were re-located there from the Air Victory Museum that is on the field. If you're ever in the Lumberton, NJ area then by all means check-out this fascinating museum located at South Jersey Regional airport. At this time, we did not visit the museum, though we have been through it previously and will definitely visit again in the future.

After a take-off to the east, we decided to fly southeast toward the vast pine barrens of Ocean County. We wanted to test our VOR instrument and confirm if it worked properly or not, so we tuned-in the Coyle VOR which happens to reside along Route 72 just west of Manahawkin. After making some minor corrections and noting that the VOR was never directly ahead of us as it should've been according to the instrument, we realized that the instrument was for decoration only. The VOR instrument is based on out-dated technology, though many folks still rely on it, assuming the instrument in the aircraft is working properly. Ok, back to the trusty GPS receiver and a left turn towards Robert J. Miller Airpark in Toms River, NJ. While flying nearby the airport, I spotted the Popcorn Park Zoo that I once attended as a child. We then entered the traffic pattern and landed on runway 06, stopped in at the fixed base operator (FBO) there and used the facilities. The plane's fuel tanks were both about 3/4 full so we decided to wait until we landed back at our home field to fill-up.

Soon we were off once again and climbing to the east, just south of Holiday City in Toms River. Shooting pictures of this vast complex of senior citizen homes, we continued over the town of Toms River, then turned northeast towards Asbury Park. On we flew, shooting pictures of all familiar landmarks that are in that area such as the Ocean County Mall, College and other landmarks and buildings that offered an interesting view. Since I grew up in Ocean County, all of this terrain is very familiar to me. Continuing, we flew further north, just east of the Earle Ammunition Depot in Colts Neck, then over the Monmouth Mall at the intersection of Routes 35 and 36. Finally, a turn to the west as we over-flew the now defunct Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital, the city of New Brunswick and then the Bridgewater Mall, shooting pictures of each of these places.

In the distance to the west, just before the mountains surrounding the Round Valley Reservoir, we could see our final destination; Solberg airport. Upon landing, we taxied to the gas pit area and fueled-up for what we hope will be a day just like today, only this time with my wife joining us !!!

A "Christmas Break" Holiday Flight

Ah, 10 days off of work, yet only ONE day I was able to "stretch my wings", so to speak. Friday, the 29th of December 2006 was the day, and my wife and father were joining me for a flight to who knows where ??? Arriving at the airport, we were greeted with calm winds and fair skies. The temperature was already in the 40's at 10:30AM, and we were looking forward to a day of interesting destinations.

After pumping the engine throttle 6 times, the old girl came to life. Soon after our standard warm-up and short taxi to runway 04 (40 degree heading) we leaped off the tarmac and climbed out to the west. Reading, PA was our destination and the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum that is based on the field. Soon we were on course and cruising at a modest 140 mph due to the fact that the wind that day was from the east, and we were enjoying what little tailwind there was. Crossing the Delaware river, I noticed that there was much haze to the west-southwest, the direction we were heading. The haze/smoke is always prevalent in this Lancaster-Reading, PA area, most likely due to folks burning wood I would assume. Upon our descent into Reading we all could see the visible clouds of smoke boiling up over the mountains as we made our final approach to the airport.

After the plane was chocked and secured, we headed on foot to the nearby museum grounds, which are in fact part of the general aviation parking ramp. There, we saw an older model transport aircraft, an early model jet fighter, an experimental aircraft, a WWII bomber and a Coast Guard helicopter. We shot some pictures of these planes and headed over to the museum hangar. Inside, they have the majority of their aircraft, but since we wanted to take advantage of the great flying weather, we opted not to visit them this time. Dad and I were to this museum in the past, and we will visit again, but this day was for venturing the skies of eastern PA.

After a quick stop at the general aviation business on the field (the name slips my mind at the moment), we contacted the control tower, taxied to the runway and took-off, heading north towards Scranton. We quickly noticed that once we left the Reading area, the smoke just disapppeared, leaving us with clear skies and awesome visibility to the north and west. Soon we were over-flying the town of Hamburg, PA and the enormous Cabella's. Then we saw the Appalacian ridge, stretching as far as the eye can see both to the northeast and to the southwest. Crossing this ridge is awesome as the ridge is quite like the blade of a knife, in some areas more than others. Continuing at 3,000+ feet in altitude and cruising a healthy 130+ mph, we were soon over-flying the mining towns of Lansford, Pottsville and the small surrounding towns as well. It's really a treat to see these old towns tucked into every nook and cranny of the mountains in this area. My wife and I drive these roads occasionally and it is rugged and beautiful, but to fly this area is something spectacular.

Just then, Dad suggested we head to Bloomsburg, PA and the small airport near the college town. With a quick turn to the left and a heading of west, we were soon on a course, taking us just south of the bustling metropolis of Hazleton. Soon, we were traversing more mountain ridges, continually search for a sign of the airport, even though we had our trusty GPS locked-in. Passing the last mountain ridge and with the river directly below us, we sawBloomsburg University high on the hill, overlooking the bustling town below. The airport was just south of town, and lies directly on a flood plain. I set-up for a landing to the east and touched down ever so gently. After parking and shutting down the engine, we were happy to see the office was open. A few other times when Dad and I visited the airport late on the weekend, the office was closed. The folks there were pleasant and had no objections to us picnicking in their office lounge with the sandwiches we had brought with us. After talking with an older gentleman, we found out that the office belonged to Columbia Aircraft Services, a business on the field which specializes in aircraft engine overhauls. We were commenting on pictures posted to the bulletin board showing the entire airport flooded, with the exception of the western end of the runway. This only dry part of the airport is where most of the planes were located until the flood waters subsided.

After finishing our picnic lunch, talking some more about the flood situations at the field and a quick walk down to the river bank, we took-off and headed southeast towards Queen City airport in Allentown, PA. We headed there because we wanted to take advantage of the full-serve treatment provided by the crew at this airport. This, and the fact that fuel prices are generally lower here as well. Enroute to Queen City and before we once again traversed the Appalacian Ridge, we noticed a new line of Wind Generators perched high on a mountain ridge, just west of Lehighton and Jim Thorpe. There were over 10 of them if I remember correctly, and I snapped a few pictures that I will eventually post to my website. As we approached the Allentown area, we flew near Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, an amusement / water park in the area. I shot a few pictures and will also place them on my website in the near future.

Upon landing, we taxied to the apron and parked next to the gas pumps. An attendant quickly greeted us and asked how much fuel we would like. A "top off" (fill'er up) was in the works for us that afternoon, and we decided to relax a bit in their lounge area and have a cup of coffee/hot cocoa. There were even some pastries left out for all to enjoy, and as we did we chatted a bit about the fabulous day we were having. Paying the fuel bill and cranking the engine was all that remained before we could depart for our home base airport in Readington, NJ. Soon we were climbing out to the east, crossing the Delaware river once again just north of Milford, NJ. We flew near Alexandria and Sky Manor airports, over route 31 in Hunterdon County, then just south of Round Valley Reservoir and on towards Solberg airport, our final destination. After a soft landing, I taxied the ole' girl to our tie-down spot and shut her down. With a final push-back where she will rest until we awaken her once again, we were very pleased with the day we just experienced and hope to relive these fun times in the near future.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!