Will Fly for Food

Windows Closing

October always marks a time of transition for aviators in the north. It is the beginning of increased weather uncertainty, a time when icing becomes a greater threat to instrument rated pilots, and when engine preheaters begin standing ready for the next flight. Days well suited to flying in October represent opportunities that may be limited from November to February.

A unique 2020 twist on autumn aviating came courtesy of the COVID-19 pandemic as infection rates began to spike, even in areas with previously favorable statistics like Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 

When I was presented with opportunities to fly to both Pennsylvania and New Jersey with good weather on the same weekend, I took them. I have been fortunate in that, because of where I live, I have been able to fly to destinations in Maine (Sanford, Bar Harbor, Wiscasset), Massachusetts (Martha's Vineyard), New Jersey (Greenwood Lake), and Pennsylvania (Cherry Ridge - multiple times) without running afoul of anyone's quarantine rules. But that window was closing, too. Sure enough, on October 20 and right after the flights described in this post, New York state revised their guidelines to discourage non-essential travel to both PA and NJ.

Northeast Flyers

 

Northeast Flyers is a Facebook group started by my friend Bob. Bob and I first met at the now-defunct Cloud 9 restaurant at the Williamsport Regional Airport in 2014 when he arrived with fellow blogger Gary (Gary's Flight Journal). Bob arranges monthly fly-ins at different destinations for members of the group. Because I am located significantly north of the group's geographic center of gravity, many of the destinations are practically out of my reach. But on October 17, the group was scheduled to descend on Cherry Ridge, one of my regular destinations. I was looking forward to seeing Bob and Gary again.

 

Date	Aircraft	Route of Flight	Time (hrs)	Total (hrs)
17 Oct 2020	N21481	SDC (Sodus, NY) - N30 (Honesdale, PA) - SDC	2.8	2172.1

Arriving at Sodus about 8:30 that morning with a planned 9:30 launch, I realized that I had driven all the way from home without a mask. There was a chance that I left one in the pocket of a jacket in the back seat of the Warrior. Nope. 

It was decision time. Did I really want to meet these guys? Because, if so, I needed to make the round trip back home to get a mask. And the car would need gas before I could return to Sodus. And the Warrior still required a fuel top-off. I groaned, but got it done and was in the air by 10:00 am.

Before departing to the southeast from the downwind leg of the pattern, I realized that I had not taken an aerial photo of the Williamson-Sodus Airport since the new hangar building was completed. 

The new hangar incorporates into the airport aesthetic so well that it's almost as if it was there all along.

Departing the pattern, I requested flight following from Rochester and climbed to 7,500 feet where a tailwind moved me along at groundspeeds exceeding 130 knots (150 mph). With that kind of groundspeed, I would arrive only two minutes late to meet the rest of the Northeast Flyers.

It was a beautiful, smooth ride over a landscape accented with autumn color and mist.

Still 25 minutes out, I panned the ForeFlight display south to Cherry Ridge to see if inbound traffic was using the anticipated runway 36. Not only did I confirm the runway in use by watching traffic, I also spotted Gary in Three Tango Charlie already descending for the field. 

On short final, the first detail that I noticed at Cherry Ridge that morning was a familiar red and white Citabria parked on the ramp. Despite my late start, I was the second pilot to arrive. I greeted Gary and Vince on the ramp and, after introductions were over, pointed at Mark's airplane. 

"I had my first airplane ride in that plane in Dowagiac, Michigan twenty years ago."

"What are the odds?" Gary exclaimed. Actually, better than you'd think. It was a nice day to fly and I half-expected to encounter Mark at Cherry Ridge. It would not be the first time this year. 

I found Mark, Joel, and their other friends from South Jersey Regional sitting outside the restaurant finishing their breakfast. Mark chided me for being uncharacteristically late to breakfast and I explained that I was actually early for lunch.

I was excited to check out Three Tango Charlie. For many years, Gary flew the red and white Beech Sundowner that brought him to Williamsport the last time we met in 2014. In 2018, Gary and his wife Mary stepped up to a Beechcraft Debonair for faster, more comfortable travel. But the airplane let them down later that year when an engine failure on take-off led to a forced landing and serious injuries for both of them. After their recovery, the couple debated their return to aviation. I can only imagine the psychological machinations involved in making such a decision. To me, Three Tango Charlie symbolizes a triumphant return to form.

I asked Gary to pose with his 1976 Commander 112A and, unlike our last meeting, had time to climb aboard and check out the cockpit. Comfortable and well-appointed, I think Gary has a winner. And she has ramp appeal, too.

Having come from the south, Gary was impressed by the fall color surrounding Cherry Ridge, but commented that it was cold. I chuckled and mentioned that it was 36°F at my hangar that morning when I cranked the Warrior. I normally preheat below 40°C, but the Warrior is still missing her oil sump heater from the overhaul. Fortunately, the hotter spark output from the SureFly meant that she fired up quickly in spite of the cold.

Over the next half hour, the other participants filtered in. Rob arrived by motorcycle, Bob and CFI Bret landed in Bob's Cessna 172 (the flight to Cherry Ridge also included a Flight Review for Bob), and retired airline pilot Dale and his wife Lori flew in at the controls of a backcountry-ready Cessna 180.

Gary, Rob, Bob, Bret, Lori, Dale, me, and Vince.

As always, the folks at Cherry Ridge served up a terrific meal and the lunchtime conversation flowed well. It was nice to meet Rob and Vince, both regular characters from Gary's blog over the years that I had not met previously.

With a throaty roar, Dale fired up the 180 for departure. "He and his wife fly to a lot of grass strips for camping," explained one of the other pilots as the 180 taxied past. That's definitely the airplane for it, I thought, listening to the deep bass rumble of the 180's powerplant. The sound was vaguely reminiscent of something built in Detroit in the late 1960s with a big block V8.

"The new paint looks fantastic," I complimented Bob on Zero Niner Lima's paintjob. Bob pointed out that the Skyhawk was repainted five years ago. 'Doh. Time really does "fly".

We went our separate ways from there, Bob heading west, Gary to the south, and me to the northwest. Reviewing Gary's blog post about our encounter, I was amused to hear my transmissions to Wilke-Barre approach in his video recap. Do I really sound like that? Weird.

Elk Mountain Ski Resort

I paid the wind penalty on the return flight, only averaging 104 knots over the ground on the return. But that was fine. I had the beautiful scenery, music, and ATC to keep me entertained.

The Clyde River between Lyons and Clyde, NY

Second Date with Connie

This Time, I Brought Friends

At the end of August, I made a solo flight to West Milford, NJ and the Greenwood Lake Airport to check out the 1946 Lockheed Constellation on the field. At the time, I swore that I would return with friends to check out the on-field restaurant: Smoke Shack BBQ and Burgers. With a forecast for reasonably calm winds in New Jersey (famous last words), I returned with some of the usual suspects from the WFC.

Date	Aircraft	Route of Flight	Time (hrs)	Total (hrs)
18 Oct 2020	N21481	SDC (Sodus, NY) - 4N1 (West Milford, NJ) - SDC	3.6	2175.7

A high overcast shadowed much of the Finger Lakes region as our five aircraft set off from Sodus.

When he checked on with Syracuse for flight following as the third ship in our flight, Ed offered that there were five airplanes all flying together to Greenwood Lake. "Yep. I see all of you," came the deadpan response from the controller. 

Tom and Alicia launched first in Eight Five X-Ray, followed by me solo in Warrior 481, then Ed solo in Four Four Papa, Dan and his neighbor Ted in Five Five Whiskey, and finally Brad and Melodie in The Cirrus. In a group like that, Five Five Whiskey always ends up last.

Ed overtook me, passing close enough that the dot off my right wingtip was actually airplane-shaped.

At maximum zoom on the camera, Four Four Papa was even more airplane-shaped.

Much like Cherry Ridge the day before, the northern New Jersey foliage was brilliantly colored. The pattern at Greenwood Lake was momentarily quite busy as the five aircraft arrived from Sodus, plus a local student in the pattern, and a helicopter content to zip beneath all the fixed wing traffic. Though the wind was much calmer than my previous visit, the local terrain still served up a handful of bumps in the pattern.

While overflying the field, the Connie was clearly visible below.

Final approach, runway 24, Greenwood Lake Airport

The first thing our hungry group noticed at Greenwood Lake, aside from the huge freaking Lockheed Constellation incongruously docked to the terminal building, was a wonderful aroma wafting across the ramp from the Smoke Shack.

At the entrance to the restaurant, we were greeted with a BBQ-appropriate metric for social distancing. The tantalizing menu challenged everyone to decide which of the many mouth-watering offerings he or she wanted to order. Personally, I went with the "Cattle Hog", a sandwich piled high with BBQ pork, BBQ brisket, coleslaw, and pickled onions. One of more intriguing options was the "Angry Clucker", a chicken sandwich with jalapeños and hot apple salsa (that Alicia confirmed to be hot). Unanimous verdict: the food was outstanding and plentiful. 

As we finished, Dan piped up with, "Obligatory comment about weight and balance for the trip home." Everyone nodded wearily. It was so good, but there was so much food that I really did not need dinner that night. The Smoke Shack at Greenwood Lake is highly recommended.

I took a couple of obligatory photos of the Connie, but my previous set of photos is much better.

We were not the only group visiting that day. A local Corvette club also arrived en masse for BBQ.

Ed and I watched a Cessna 172 wobble significantly on final approach, then go around. It was our first clue that the wind was increasing at Greenwood Lake.

WFC fleet on the ramp. Photo by Dan P.

Group photo courtesy Dan P. Ted, Chris, Alicia, Tom, Dan, Brad, Melodie, and Ed.

A strong southerly wind lofted Warrior 481 skyward on take-off, resulting in a bumpy but sustained 1500 foot per minute climb (two to three times faster than usual). I tuned the nearby Sussex Airport ASOS to hear that the wind there was out of the south at ten knots gusting to seventeen.

While chasing Brad in The Cirrus was a futile excercise, I felt like I was on the run from three other aircraft as we departed to the northwest. Pedal faster! I thought.

The real challenge for the day was the southerly crosswind at Sodus. While on a left base for runway 10, the disparity between air and ground speeds ranged from 25 to 30 knots. That's a lot of wind so close to the surface. Mine was not the prettiest landing, but everyone made it back home safely.

Threshold

It is difficult to predict what the rest of 2020 will hold for flying. Despite a four month hiatus, I crossed the 100 hour mark this weekend. From here on out, I have no additional flying activities planned. Hopefully, some ad hoc opportunities will present themselves when the weather allows. At the very least, I am glad for the fellowship that I enjoyed this weekend.