Reflection 2019: Antidote

Altitude Therapy

When I began to reflect on 2019, considerations of 2018 invariably came to mind. In many ways, I conducted my flights in 2019 as a reaction to what happened in the prior year. 2018 was personally difficult and those challenges were reflected in the nature of the flying I did. For example, I spent 67 hours of my total flight time in 2018 commuting between New York and Michigan, often alone, while managing both the technical demands of making those flights and the gravity of the reason underlying them. Though I logged a high number of hours in 2018, the flying did little to satisfy my love of visiting new places. I only explored three new airports in 2018.

I wanted 2019 to be the antidote to 2018. My goal was to visit new places and spend more time flying with others, either with passengers in my airplane or flying as one of several airplanes bound for a shared destination.

I think I succeeded in that goal.

Milestones

I crossed a few milestones in 2019:

• 50 hours in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC)
• 200 airports visited
• 2000 flight hours flown, completing a second kilohour

The Numbers

166.1: Number of hours flown in 2019, my highest accumulated in a single year ever.

2070.1: Accumulated total number of flight hours since my first introductory flight out of Duncan Aviation in Kalamazoo, MI.

39: Number of different airports visited in 2019 for a cumulative total of 201.

14: Number of new airports visited in 2019:

• Benton Airport, Benton, PA (PA40 - private)
• Central Jersey Regional, Manville, NJ (47N)
• Coleman A Young Municipal Airport, Detroit, MI (KDET)
• Essex County Airport, Caldwell, NJ (KCDW)
• Greenbier Valley Airport, Lewisburg, WV (KLWB)
• Hancock County - Bar Harbor Airport, Bar Harbor, ME (KBHB)
• Lansing Municipal, Chicago, IL (KIGQ)
• London-Corbin Airport - Magee Field, London, KY (KLOZ)
• Massena International Airport - Richards Field, Massena, NY (KMSS)
• Orange County Airport, Mongomery, NY (KMGJ)
• Re-Dun Field, Reading Center, NY (17NK - private)
• Sussex Airport, Sussex, NJ (KFWN)
• Western Carolina Regional Airport, Andrews, NC (KRHP)
• WK Kellogg Airport, Battle Creek, MI (KBTL)

33: Number of flights conducted with members of the Williamson Flying Club, mostly including excursions organized by the Activities Committee that I chair. This included about 26 flights for breakfast, lunch, or dinner plus 7 destination flights (we had some great destination flights this year including Manhattan, Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, and the Lycoming engine factory).

12: Number of states visited in 2019. Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia. To my disappointment, this did not include any new states or provinces. Delaware remains elusive.

42: Number of people who flew with me in 2019. Thanks to Kristy, The Bear, Tom C, Ed C (safety pilot), Tom M, Armelle and Madalenn F, Joe P, Bogdan U, Dave P (safety pilot), Scott L, Kim O, Jamie O, Tony A, Eric M, Mike M, Mike H, Pam B, Nate V, Fiona E, Terry B, Brad R, Natalie R, Dave H, Paula S, Dan A (CFI for flight review), and the sixteen people who flew with me in N9855W at the Williamson Apple Blossom Festival Pancake Breakfast (one of whom was Sadie E, a friend's daughter).

42.4: Number of mostly wonderful hours flown with The Bear and/or Kristy in Warrior 481. I say "mostly" because there was that moment when The Bear got cranky with me and there was much scowling and pummeling of my seat. Using the Warrior for family vacation trips accounted for 26.2% of my total flying time in 2019.

The Highlights

• Flying with friends Scott and Jamie to the Alton Bay Ice Runway on the day of the Winter Carnival, where we became one of 150 aircraft to land on the ice that day and, as reckoned by airport manager Paul LaRochelle, helping set a record for the most aircraft to land there in a single day.
• Fellowship: I flew on 33 trips with other Williamson Flying Club members. In 2019, we truly traveled as a pack.
• A reunion with Thunder Pig.
• Not only did I get to fly in a 1946 Grumman Widgeon amphibious aircraft, I got time on the controls and experienced two water landings. Thanks, Barry!
• Landing on a 20 foot wide sidewalk runway and watching a home-built automatic pancake making machine work its magic (WFC trip).
• My first time making a go-around because of coyotes on a runway. In Detroit, of all places.
• Warrior 481 carried us to the theater twice, first to see Hamilton in Chicago and then to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in New York City.
• I became much more comfortable calling ATC by phone for IFR clearance from uncontrolled airports. In this capacity, I dealt with Chicago Approach, New York Approach, and Cleveland (whose data center relays ground clearance from Rochester Approach for IFR departures out of Sodus).
• My first experience flying behind a constant speed propeller. It was a great way to try something new on a flight review.
• For some reason, I managed to see three different sunsets over the St Lawrence River. I took a lot of "Sunday drives" to the northernmost reaches of New York state.
• Despite IMC conditions and a power failure at the venue, I successfully pulled-off a surprise birthday party for Kristy in Michigan.
• I got burned by a nearly-100 year old freighter for the second time in as many years (WFC trip). Maybe this is actually a lowlight? Maybe 2020 will break the streak?
• A family vacation by airplane that included two outstanding $100 hamburger stops (Nuevo in Cleveland, Landings in Lewisburg), trying mead for the first time (on a non-flying day), finding a vintage Ferris wheel on top of a mountain and perched precariously over our rental house, visiting the birthplace of KFC, managing some challenging weather (both ways), driving the Tail of the Dragon (twice), taking Pam and Nate for an airplane ride, visiting with Dad three different times, figuring out the secret algorithm for naming West Virginia towns with towered airports, participating in a WFC fly-out to Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport, and spending a week with Kristy's family.
• Within three hours of departing the Williamson Sodus Airport, we managed to reach Manhattan's west side, drop our luggage at the hotel, and order lunch. Gotta love that magic carpet of ours. Without flying the airplane there, this trek required up to eight hours.
• Visiting one of the coolest aviation museums ever created, the living, breathing, rotary-engine themed Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome (WFC trip).
• Flying a circuit around Manhattan between 1,500 and 2,000 feet MSL. The views were amazing (WFC trip). Though it was not my first time flying the skyline, this flight was far superior to my previous experience.
• Touring the Lycoming engine factory where Warrior 481's power plant was manufactured (WFC trip).
• I flew myself to work for the first time, saving hours of lost personal time in the process. The homemade Indian food I had for dinner was a definite bonus.
• Landing at a 2200 foot long private grass runway for a terrific pork lunch (along with 104 other aircraft). This might be the shortest turf runway I've ever departed in the Warrior (Aeroflex was shorter).
• I had a wonderful altitude therapy day spent flying solo to Bar Harbor for lobster and establishing a new easternmost point of landing in the process.

I think it is safe to say that it was a full year of flying and very much an antidote to 2018.

The Photographs

My favorite shots of 2019.

Sunset over the St Lawrence River.
("Frozen Heart")

Power house for Boldt Castle surrounded by the frozen St Lawrence River near Alexandria Bay, NY.
 ("Frozen Heart")

Williamson Sodus Airport trapped under clouds, photographed from the Widgeon.
("Welcome to 1946")

Lee's Piper Colt at Whitford's during a breakfast run.
("Field Trip")

I just like this photo of Warrior 481 outside of my hangar.
("An Awe-Ja-Magic Kind of Morning")

Sunset over the east end of Lake Ontario at the mouth of the St Lawrence River.
("Better Living Through Aerodynamics")

Mouth of the St Clair River in Lake St Clair near Detroit.
("The Chicago Bear: Outbound")

Warrior 481 with club planes Eight Five X-Ray and Six Echo Sierra lined up at the fuel farm after a fly-out.
("Social Flying Scrapbook")

A third sunset over the St Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands.
("Life: Unplugged")

WWI-era Curtiss Jenny in flight over Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.
("Jurassic Airpark")

Dodging an unusual cloud formation on departure from the Williamson Sodus Airport for New York City.
("These Vagabond Wings Are Longing To Stray")

Magnificent lower Manhattan. This is my favorite photo of the year.
("These Vagabond Wings Are Longing To Stray")

Twilight over Sodus Bay.
("Sunset over Sodus Bay")

Whiteface Mountain photographed on departure from Lake Placid, NY.
("Olympic Autumn")

The Jersey Halo.
("Jersey Halo")

Valley fog somewhere over southern New York.
("Autumn Aesthetic")

The town of Williamson under the fog.
("Lobstah in Bah Hahbah")

The Williamson Sodus Airport under the fog.
("Lobstah in Bah Hahbah")

Fog in the Green Mountains of Vermont.
("Lobstah in Bah Hahbah")

Morning fog at the Williamson Sodus Airport.
("Fog Delay")

Downtown Rochester, NY at night.
("Silent Night")

The Video

I do not normally take video, but I love this video of our landing at Alton Bay that Jamie recorded and I edited. The annual review would not have been complete without including it. Thanks, Jamie!