Date | Aircraft | Route of Flight | Time (hrs) | Total (hrs) |
26 Mar 2012 | N21481 | 5G0 (LeRoy, NY) - Local Flight | 1.3 | 1027.4 |
"Across the clouds I see my shadow fly..."
"Learning to Fly"Pink Floyd
Layers.
Onions have them, ogres have them, and so do clouds.
As a VFR-only private pilot, the interstitial spaces between cloud layers are places I do not often go. Getting in and out while maintaining the proper distance from each layer of cotton candy mist can be non-trivial except under fortuitous conditions. But conditions were just right today; layers riddled with holes, separated enough to maintain appropriate clearances, but close enough together to make it interesting. And so, after some exercise in the pattern, I directed the Warrior into a misty realm above the airport.
My first time between layers was on a simulated instrument training flight in a Cessna 150 over a decade ago. While I was blind to the world outside the airplane's window, Bill provided a series of vectors, then suggested I remove the foggles I was wearing. The view outside was something exactly like this. I was simultaneously awestruck and freaked-out.
We topped all the layers approximately one mile above the Earth and cast our glory upon their surfaces.
The one below is my favorite - the prismatic halo of the glory can just barely be perceived on a cloud that is just barely there.
In places, cloud streets hovered silently over the landscape like invading starships in a summer blockbuster.
The twisted appearance of some formations belied the quiescence of the evening air.
Eventually, we left the clouds behind and returned to Le Roy.
I tucked the Warrior back into her hangar bay as the setting sun cast a copper blush across the landscape.
Always a great view between layers. Wait until you can climb through and pop out the top or ride along skimming the tops....its a great feeling.
ReplyDelete481 looks great, oh my kingdom for a hangar.
Gary - after keeping a respectful distance from them for so long, it will feel awfully strange to just go boring through one on purpose!
DeleteAs for the hangar - I feel quite fortunate to live someplace where I can afford one. I have not priced them out in your neck of the woods, but I know the rental rates in north central Jersey were obscene.
Beautiful photos. I don't encounter anything like this very often as VFR-only guy, either - but you sure can't beat the view. Nice little Shrek reference there, too! ;-)
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