We arrived at the airport around 10:30AM to bright blue skies with little wind. After a thorough pre-flight we were airborne and on course to Fallston, Maryland. One problem, though, after leveling off at about 2,000 feet we decided to nix that flight due to the bumpy conditions we were experiencing and the fact that we would be bouncing like that for about an hour. Ok, so where to next? I suggested Cross Keys airport in southern New Jersey, just opposite Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sounded good, so I began to fly that course but then realized that I wanted to fill-up the gas tanks before beginning our long day of flying. This and the fact that Cross Keys may or may not have fuel available led me to suggest altering our course yet again, and this time we were destined for Miller Air Park in Toms River, New Jersey. This way, we could get fueled-up for the "Surf & Turf" flight we had planned, and also could enjoy the airport's park-like grounds for our picnic lunch that we always pack along with us.
So now as we passed just south of Trenton, New Jersey, we were now flying east and fast approaching McGuire AFB and Fort Dix Army base. I knew there was a restricted area on the horizon which belonged to this military complex, so I altered the course yet again with a bit of a southern deviation. With this slight detour, though, we were now treated to a view of the Jersey Pine Barrens with Route 72 cutting straight through this vast scrub pine wilderness just like a knife. Deviating once again back to the left we could just about make out the clearing which we know oh so well as Miller Air Park. I entered the traffic pattern and commenced landing, achieving a smooth touchdown on the 6,000 foot runway. The taxi to the operations area was long, as usual, due to the enormity of this airfield, smack dab in the middle of the northern most area of the Jersey pine barrens and just south of the sprawling retirement community known as Holiday City.
After shutting down the engine and securing the plane, we noticed a rather odd looking helicopter that we had both seen previously at other airports, though not the same bird, and most of these were not airworthy. This one, though, was airworthy and was fueling-up, complete with a crew of four. The helicopter was a Sikorsky S-34 (also known as the S-58), painted to look like an authentic Marine chopper of the Vietnam War era. Excited to hopefully get to see this rare bird take to the air, we checked-in at the airport office, used the facilities and headed to a nearby picnic table to partake in some vittles. Next to our table was a nicely restored Stearman painted bright yellow with the nose art "Cannibal Queen" painted on the side, and sitting directly behind that, the S-58 poised ready for flight.
Just then, we heard the helicopter's engine starting and we hustled over to the fence to watch, photograph and shoot video. The helicopter is powered not by a turbine engine like today's modern helicopters, but rather a nine cylinder Wright R-1820 radial piston engine. The pilot engaged the main rotor, began taxiing and rolled into position for take-off. The engine was then powered-up, and after the rotors were spinning at full speed the chopper lifted-off ever so gently. And boy howdy was this contraption ever so slow. It then made a pass of the airport and I shot a picture of it with the blue sky as a backdrop:
Dad and I then finished eating our lunch, had the plane's fuel tanks topped-off and soon we were airborne once again, this time heading southeast towards the Atlantic ocean. Our route towards the Jersey Shore took us over some vast stretches of pines and finally the Garden State Parkway as it snaked its way along the edges of this pine filled wilderness. Ahead of us was the Barnegat bay, but directly in front was a housing development that I thought looked interesting due to the fact that each and every home had bay access, complete with a dock to moor a boat. Directly next to this conglomeration of bay shore dwellings was a marsh area that looked really pretty. The two of them together provided quite a contrast:
Just past this area we traversed a shallow area of the Barnegat bay where one could see clear to the bottom. On the horizon we could see the Barnegat Inlet along with the Barnegat Lighthouse as well. Ah, the "Surf" portion of our flight has commenced. And just like on the last flight which took us near Brigantine, New Jersey, there existed another huge sandbar that was exposed as low tide was in full effect. Lucky boaters had their own private island playground which they docked at while this sandbar was exposed:
I then asked Dad to fly east just a bit further as I snapped a few nice pictures of the white, sandy beaches of the Jersey Shore, looking north at Island Beach State Park:
I then turned the plane south as we grazed the shoreline at about 1,500 feet with Dad taking in the views of Long Beach Island. In the distance I had my mind set on shooting my second photo set (my first can be found HERE) of Fantasy Island amusement area in Beach Haven. I skirted over Long Beach Island so that now I was looking left at the ocean and clicked away, capturing many nice shots of the park. Here is one of the best shots of this children's amusement area and one that looks like lot of fun if you are visiting this area:
Skirting back over the island, we were now over the ocean once again with the Atlantic City skyline in the distance. What was also in the distance was a dark spot at about our altitude and near the city. We couldn't make out just what this was but figured it to be a blimp. Past Brigantine we flew and quickly approached the city. We could see two new casinos being built at the northern tip of the city, directly between the shore line and the lighthouse, and can be seen here:
Fast approaching was indeed a blimp, just as we thought, so we decided to pass to the left and above it, meaning I had to climb just a bit and fly a little further out over the ocean. The "Direct TV" blimp was now photographed by yours truly for a bit of FREE promotion for their company:
And all with a backdrop of Atlantic City and the now closed Bader airfield. Within a few seconds we were past it but Dad leaned forward and took the controls which allowed me to shoot some more photos of the blimp with the awe-inspiring Atlantic City again as a backdrop. Really neat to see a blimp from that perspective !!!
Continuing, Lucy the Elephant was ahead of us and if you are driving, can be found just south of Atlantic City in a town known as Margate. Then our final shore point was in the distance and where after passing this area were going to turn back northwest towards home. Ocean City boardwalk and amusement area could now be seen, as well as their general aviation airport. We saw a packed parking area full of planes and remembered back to when we would park there in the summer months and either walk or ride our folding bikes to the boardwalk and around the area. After passing the airport and still over the ocean, I checked for other aircraft that might have been around me, then made a hard right turn over the town and towards the bay/marsh area just to the west. I figured right about now it was time for a photograph of the shoreline of Sea Isle City, Avalon and Stone Harbor:
And soon thereafter, I figured another picture was in order where the Atlantic Ocean, shoreline, marsh/bay area and the Garden State Parkway bordering the vast expanse of pine trees can be seen:
Dad then commented about a coal-fired electric generation station to the right. Beesleys Point is what this plant is called, and I figured I would circle CCW and snap a few pictures of this behemoth of a generating plant before they tear it down in favor of windmills or a solar farm. It is complete with a cooling tower and resides on the shore the Great Egg Harbor river. Flying further to the northwest and along the river's marshy area....
....I had to stay below 1,500 feet to clear Atlantic City international airport's airspace just to the north of our course. This put us at a point where all we saw ahead of us was an awe inspiring expanse of pine and deciduous vegetation. Hmmm, not many emergency landing spots to note, but when we finally cleared the airspace I climbed to over 2,000 feet, a multitude of small clearings emerged, all embedded in the thick tree covered land below.
Veering away from the river and more to the west, we began noticing many farm fields ahead. I then spotted what looked like a small town festival in the midst of an arbor nursery:
Looking back up to the horizon, I could see a vast array of farmland including the town of Landisville, with a backdrop of pines in the distance:
Next up on the "Turf" portion of our flight this afternoon was Vineland-Downstown airport, which in fact we never landed at, nor did we land here that day:
By the looks of the two crop dusting planes seen parked on them, we could pretty much tell what this field was mainly used for. Still though, a nice airfield with a beautiful field of flowers as its closest neighbor:
Moving right along and still getting slammed a bit by the westerly winds, our ground speed was about 130 mph. Our next destination was Cross Keys airport in Williamstown, New Jersey for some parachuting excitement. That is, as spectators mind you, as I cannot see the point in jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. Just the same, I am glad there are folks who enjoy this sport because it makes for some great entertainment. Not only watching them plummet to earth, but also gazing at the turbo-prop aircraft that shoot off of the airport's small runway with 25 plus jumpers aboard. Ok, I'm getting a head of myself here.
Next on the horizon was Southern Cross airport, and though I shot a picture of this before, I captured yet another so you can see the slightly "S" shaped runway that exists at this grass strip airfield just south of Cross Keys. A few miles north is a Verterans Memorial that was built only a few years back, though I never snapped a picture of this tribute to our nations heroes before. The actual name slips my mind at the moment, and I cannot seem to find it on Google. If anyone can identify this memorial then by all means leave me a comment. That day, I finally captured a nice picture of this memorial:
Ok, Cross Keys airport is just ahead and we can already hear a flurry of calls on the radio from the parachute jump plane saying "Jumpers Away" as he gets ready to release his load of humans with a collapsed wing strapped to their back. Upon landing, Dad and I noticed that one of the parachute jump planes was parked very close to the runway, which was kind of strange. Anyway, after a nice and uneventful landing, which is the best you can hope for, we parked near the operations building and stopped in to use the facilities. The man behind the desk looked depressed due to the lack of general aviation at the airport due in part to the excessive fuel prices. We talked for a moment, and was then told that the plane near the runway just experienced a flat tire upon landing so it was quickly rolled off of the runway. Ok, that explains that. We then walked around the aircraft parking area a bit and noticed, as we have in the past, that this airport features the most "dregs" of any of them, meaning the planes parked here have either been abandoned by their owners or they are simply left in disrepair. See what I mean:
And this is just one of m any. On some planes, paint was stripped down to the aluminum by the sun, tires were flat with the airframe now resting on the wheel covers themselves. Others like the picture above had ripped fabric and the like. Kind of depressing that in this age of airliners and space travel, and with folks having the ability and the means to fly themselves, this is what some let happen to their flying machines.
Next we walked along the runway and crossed it near where the jump plane with the flat tire, known as a Skyvan, was parked and is seen here:
This was the Parachute Jumping operation is known as FreeFallAdventures and features many types of jump planes, and most of them are turbo-props. On this day, though, only two jump planes were flying, and when we arrived, only one due to the Skyvan's flat tire. We stopped by the operations area and bought an ice cream at the snack bar, then took in the views that were transpiring right before our eyes. A Super Twin Otter jump plane had just landed and taxied into position for a new load of jumpers, and most of them had brightly colored gear as they prepared to board the plane for the ride of a lifetime (I presume):
Then within another fifteen or so minutes there were jumpers diving towards the ground at breathtaking speed, parachutes a popping, and all followed by single and tandem jumpers with brightly colored nylon wings gently carrying them back to terra-firma. All great entertainment and completely free. Heck, the majority of folks watching drove in for the afternoon.
Dad and I then heard a distinctive whine from above, and one we had both heard before. Yes, it was a Piaggio Avanti making a high pass over the airport from northwest to the southeast. We thought it was a Starship produced by the Beechcraft company, but this was indeed an Avanti, identified by the T-tail and non-swept wings and forward canard. This craft is a turbo-prop business transport aircraft with propellers that push instead of pull like most if not all of the turbo-props you see today. Here is what we saw when looking up, and you can distinctly see the canard in front (right side of the photo):
It was now getting to be late afternoon, and since we still have to fly about an hour back north and Dad having to drive over an hour back home, we figured it was time to depart. So, without further ado, we boarded for the flight home. We climbed out and to the right, turning on northerly course which would take us just east of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Crossing the Delaware river, I shot a picture of the Tacony-Palmyra bridge with the sun glistening water as a backdrop:
Our route would then take us directly over Northeast Philadelphia (Philly) airport for which I called and asked for permission to over-fly the field at 1,500, directly through their airspace. Of course we were given permission, and then we began to enjoy some sights we had not seen before. The most impressive sight was the conglomeration of row houses that existed on street after street after street on the outskirts of northern Philadelphia as seen here:
What an impressive sight this was and it looked almost surreal. Zooming in a bit closer, most all of them looked like this:
Now that is what I call getting to "know thy neighbor". I then noticed a helicopter on final approach for Northeast Philly and quickly prepped the camera to shoot a few pictures of it as it made its way over a housing development below. The tops of the blades were painted red and while which made the chopper itself very photogenic:
I was then asked by the control tower if I was clear of their airspace, and with my reply of yes, we were back on our way over the rural areas of lower Bucks county in Pennsylvania and Hunterdon county in New Jersey. The weather was a bit hazier than when we began our flight, but the air was becoming more stable with less "bouncing". This was truly another of our epic journeys that was enjoyed immensely, and I look forward to your comments.
Thanks once again for reading and flying along with Dad and I !!!
