Ballast

The Saturday morning breakfast crew was heading to Whitford's Airport in Weedsport, NY to sample more of John Whitford's cooking. My challenge was that Warrior 481 was in pieces and lacking both an alternator and a left magneto. Because he was helping with the annual inspection on my airplane, Mike was well aware of this and offered to let me ride back seat in the Champ.

This is something I can do well: serve as ballast. And take pictures.

Taxi for departure at Williamson Sodus.

Alan launched ahead of us.

At 7:30 am, the Williamson Sodus Airport ramp was incredibly quiet.

On final approach to Whitford's.

There is no surer sign that spring has finally arrived than two Champs parked on the grass at Whitford's for breakfast.

Breakfast was good - eggs, sausage, and home fries. The room was full of area pilots and the cacophony of multiple conversations filled the space with life. Eventually, it was time to return to the real world. For me, there was mulch to spread and grass to cut.

Alan preflights his Champ for the return flight.

Formation runup?

Our Champ was faster than Alan's and we caught up to him near Sodus Bay over a gradually greening landscape.

Downwind at the Williams Sodus Airport, where the later hour brought with it more activity than we saw on departure.

Final, runway 28, Williamson Sodus.

On the way to the fuel farm, we passed my friend Scott readying Five Five Whiskey for flight.

Our steed that morning was a 1947 Aeronca 7BCM. Aeronca was the king of inscrutable aircraft designations.

Although this airplane formally belongs to Jack, Mike helped with its restoration and keeps the airplane very well exercised with Jack's encouragement.

After fueling, Alan propped Mike's Champ and the airplanes taxied back to bed until the next trip out. As much as I love flying, sometimes it's nice to just ride along.