Seventh Time is the Charm: The Skyline Route

Reservations about Reservations

"Hangars Cafe, how can I help you?"

"Do you take reservations?"

"It depends. How many people are in your party?"

"Ten."

"Oh, you will definitely need reservations!" She promptly created a lunch reservation for my party of ten at noon on July 21, 2024.

To put it mildly, I had reservations about making reservations. July 21 was to be a seventh attempt at a club fly-out to the Manhattan skyline. Over the previous twelve months, I cancelled that trip six consecutive times. The last thing that I wanted to do was waste anyone's time and my confidence in a successful outcome for this excursion was shaken by the cancellation streak.

Flying the Skyline

South of Manhattan in 2019.

In 2019, the Williamson Flying Club Activities Committee organized a Manhattan skyline flight as a club event. It was a huge success and a popular enough request in subsequent years that planning a trip down the Hudson River became an annual occurrence. Normally, we fly the charted Skyline Route that puts aircraft in the lowest elevations of the New York Bravo airspace (rather than the uncontrolled Hudson River Exclusion below). We fly south down the Hudson River along the west side of Manhattan, turn 180° after passing the Statue of Liberty, and request the East River northbound with a transition back to the Hudson River northbound over Central Park. Transient fixed wing pilots cannot fly the East River Exclusion at all, so this course must be flown in the airspace with explicit ATC consent. While being able to fly the East River and truly circumnavigate the island of Manhattan is the main advantage of the Skyline Route procedure, the reduced chaos of being under positive control is another. Not only is it a spectacular flight to make, but I think there is instructional value in having our pilots fly in Bravo airspace while interacting with New York area ATC.

Example ForeFlight ground track of my route around Manhattan in 2020.

This grand sightseeing adventure never happened in 2023 due to a combination of terrible weather and lousy visibility from Canadian wildfires. I scheduled and canceled this flight five times in 2023, which was exhausting for me and exhausting for everyone who signed up to join. Unclear on whether wildfire smoke would be a problem in 2024, I scheduled the flight to NYC early in the season in hopes of getting it done before wildfires really got going. Unfortunately, June 9 was a total washout and we logged our sixth consecutive cancellation in the span of a year. 

The seventh time must have been the charm. On July 21, 2024 we departed the Rochester area in three airplanes carrying a total of ten people for an incredible view of Manhattan with lunch afterward at Hangars Cafe on the field at the Sky Acres Airport (44N).

The Intrepid Bravo Busters

We had three aircraft slated to go that morning.

In my airplane, I was accompanied by Alyssa and Mark. Alyssa is a recently-soloed student pilot who has not only been plowing through her training, but taking great advantage of this year's Activities Committee excursions including our recent trips to Washington DC and Block Island. My friend Mark is not a pilot, but has accompanied me on multiple flights, starting with a trip from Hilton Head, SC to Tuskegee, AL and most recently on an aerial city tour of Boston. NYC would provide an interesting contrast from the experience over Boston.

Also departing Sodus that morning were Scott and Kim in Cherokee Eight One Six. Scott flew this route with me as a right seater in 2019 and again with Barry in his Seneca in 2020, but all attempts to pilot himself around Manhattan were scuttled by bad weather or, in one memorable case, a failed club plane alternator. Manhattan was his white whale and it was finally going to happen for him on July 21. I think he was anxious about the air traffic control communications, but he planned to follow me in trail so that he could see how the radio work went.

Club member Barry owns a beautiful 1946 vintage Grumman Widgeon amphibian that he bases at Greater Rochester International. He launched that morning with a friend (Wellington) and a cohort of WFC post-solo student pilots: Dan, Eric, and Jerry. For Barry, who has flown this route many times in a Piper Seneca, flying the Widgeon at skyscraper height around Manhattan was a bucket list item.

Yellow Peril

Date	Aircraft	Route of Flight	Time (hrs)	Total (hrs)
21 Jul 2024	N21481	SDC (Sodus, NY) - MGJ (Montgomery, NY) - 44N (Lagrangeville, NY) - SDC	5.3	2866.2

Our first stop of the morning was the Orange County Airport (KMGJ). It served as a fuel and/or restroom stop for anyone who needed it prior to flying the skyline. It was also a convenient location north of the Skyline Route where we could pick up flight following with New York Approach, thus streamlining entry into the procedure. However, a lot of flight training occurs at Orange County and I have seen some questionable airmanship from some of the novices orbiting the field in the past.

The New York Approach controller responsible for radar services to Orange County did not really want to talk to any of us that morning and seemed pleased to drop us once we were close enough to our destination. I worried that it did not bode well for our next leg to the Skyline Route. 

While we were approaching the Orange County Airport, a student launched in a Cessna from runway 22. I turned due south well outside the pattern as a delay vector to allow the student to fly a normal pattern with intentions of following him to a landing. Instead, the student flew a grossly extended departure leg, then turned directly toward us, and ultimately passed beneath on a west heading.

"What do you think he's doing?" I asked Alyssa.

"I have no idea!" she exclaimed as we watched him scoot underneath.

I concluded with a shrug that the student was departing the area to the west and proceeded to enter the traffic pattern while making the appropriate advisory radio calls.

We were established on a right downwind for runway 22 when the student made his next radio call indicating that he was also on a right downwind for the same runway. I could see him flying parallel to our course at least 2-3 miles off my left wingtip.

WTF?! He was too far away from the airport to be considered in the pattern and I confess that my impatience got the better of me. "You're on downwind all the way out there?" I queried.

"Well, you were flying in so..." His answer did not make a lot of sense and I was annoyed that he chose to blame me for the non-standard pattern he was flying because I intentionally gave him space to fly a normal pattern. I chalked it up to inexperience. Maybe he was a recent solo student and did not know how to handle another aircraft joining the pattern. On reflection, I should have explicitly told him that I was letting him go first, though in the moment, it seemed obvious and unnecessary.

In the WWII days, Naval primary training airplanes were painted yellow and called “yellow peril” due to the unpredictable things students pilots sometimes do. Peril, indeed.

Flagship

Barry was already on the ground when we arrived, having landed early to refuel the thirsty Widgeon.

Photo by an anonymous fellow aviator at Orange Country Airport.

We assembled the entire group and persuaded another recent arrival to take our picture with the Widgeon, the unofficial WFC flagship for the day. From left to right are Wellington, Alyssa, Jerry, Eric, Dan, Mark, me, Kim, Scott, and Barry.

Warriors Four Eight One and Eight One Six parked side by side at Orange County.

During the pit stop, Scott, Barry and I discussed next steps for flying the Skyline Route. None of us were confident that the New York Approach controller from our inbound flight to Orange County would be particularly helpful in arranging flight following or a Bravo clearance. However, I proposed that we try anyway and, if the controller shunned us, we could revert to the previous practice of contacting LaGuardia Tower at the Alpine Tower, the visual landmark that marks the beginning of the Skyline Route.

Barry about to take runway 22 for departure from Orange County in the Widgeon.

Barry departed first and turned eastbound off the departure end of runway 22. To my surprise, we did not hear him on the radio again until we were over the East River. We departed on a more southeast heading to ensure clearance with Stewart International's class Delta airspace. Scott followed in Eight One Six.

"November Two One Four Eight One, what can I do for you?" answered New York Approach brightly. A shift change! Our new controller was only too happy to put us in for flight following to the Skyline Route. Near the banks of the Hudson River, he pushed us to a different New York Approach sector and that controller cleared us into the Bravo. Scott followed our lead and soon possessed both a squawk code and a Bravo clearance himself.

Alyssa, Mark, and me about to fly the Skyline Route.

We had a brief moment of low workload before arriving over the Hudson River and turning southbound for NYC.

Skyline

To my mind, each adventure in the sky over New York City begins with the Tappan Zee Bridge. Known to New Yorkers as the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, FAA materials still call it the Tappan Zee and, as a result, so do I.

ForeFlight screen shot taken five miles north of the Alpine Tower.

My traffic display showed our three aircraft at 1,500 feet flying southbound along the west bank of the Hudson River with me in the lead and Scott bringing up the rear.

The Alpine Tower is a rare physical manifestation marking the boundary of Bravo airspace. It cannot be missed by pilots tracking southbound. I explained to Alyssa and Mark that, once abeam the tower, New York Approach would pass us to a dedicated frequency at LaGuardia Tower that would manage us in the Skyline Route until we reached Midtown Manhattan where Newark Tower would take over.

Sure enough, the frequency change was issued as soon as we reached the tower. We were at 1,500 feet when we reached the tower and LaGuardia had us climb to 2,000 feet at the start of the Skyline Route. Past experience indicates that ATC would want us back down at 1,500 feet once we requested the East River.

As is typical at this time of day, the view toward the sun is hazier than desired, but haze does little to take away from the impressive view of Lower Manhattan. Mark and I were in agreement that while Boston was really cool, New York City is much more vast in scope.

Now on with Newark Tower, I made the East River request. This was granted and we were issued a descent to 1,500 feet as expected.

Although we did not circle the Statue of Liberty, we had a beautiful view of her from across New York Harbor once tracking north to the East River.

I love this angle on Lower Manhattan. I have taken a photo at this same position (or as close to it as I can get) every year we have flown the skyline and I never tire of it. Whenever I look upon this part of the city, a tiny voice in the back of my mind asks, "How is that island not sinking under all of that weight?" It looks...impossible.

Me taking a photo of Lower Manhattan. Photo by Alyssa.

What's the secret to good aerial photos? The sun at your back, a camera with decent optics, and an open window. Add to that, in a low wing airplane like the Warrior, shooting at a forward quartering angle to keep airplane bits out of the picture. With one photo, Alyssa had outed all of my tricks!

Barry at the helm of the Widgeon. Photo by Eric.

As we started up the East River, we were switched back to LaGuardia tower. Moments later, we heard Barry on frequency requesting a Bravo clearance to fly the East River. I suspect that Barry was so discouraged by New York Approach that morning that he decided to fly the uncontrolled Exclusion rather than attempt New York Approach again. But if he wanted to tour the east side of Manhattan, he needed the clearance now. LaGuardia cleared him in and Barry climbed out of the Exclusion to 1,500 feet. It was a different path than the one Scott and I took, but it all worked out.

In the morning, the lighting on Manhattan is far more favorable from the East River than the Hudson.

We flew directly over the distinctive and famous Brooklyn Bridge, first opened in 1883.

Moments later, we cleared the Manhattan Bridge. Significantly newer than the Brooklyn Bridge, it was opened in 1909. The fancy, shiny structure on the west end of the Manhattan Bridge is One Manhattan Square, a luxury residential tower completed in 2019. By replacing a neighborhood grocery, the ripple effect of building this skyscraper is that food became more costly at the remaining local markets.

Continuing north, we passed the Williamsburg Bridge connecting the Lower East Side of Manhattan to the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Completed in 1903, it supplanted the Brooklyn Bridge as the longest suspension bridge in the world until it was itself replaced on that list in 1924.

It is easy to discount the "lesser" buildings between Lower Manhattan and Midtown as being of insignificant height, but many of these buildings are tall enough that they would be impressive in a place like Rochester. It just goes to show how truly monstrous the biggest towers actually are.

A rogue cloud cast a shadow on the distinctive buildings in Midtown including the Empire State and the newer steel and glass towers of Hudson Yards on the west side. The golden octagonal pyramid atop the distinctive New York Life building nonetheless shines brightly.

I always admired the Art Deco lines of the 1930 Chrysler Building, but it is surrounded by other taller structures and difficult to locate. This time, I found it among the clutter! Although it was the tallest building in the world when it was built (for not quite a year when it was surpassed by the Empire State Building), it is now only the 12th tallest in New York City.

Completed in 1952, the headquarters of the United Nations stands on the East River in the Turtle Bay neighborhood. Sadly, we were on the wrong side of the building to see all the flags.

The Midtown towers immediately south of Central Park seem to include multiple particularly slender designs.

We reached Roosevelt Island (out of frame) and the 1909 Ed Koch Queensborough bridge that passes over the island and connects the Upper East Side of Manhattan with the borough of Queens. 

On days with a westerly wind, crossing over this portion of the city east of Central Park often results in an abrupt updraft where wind is deflected skyward by the line of buildings along the park's edge. They act exactly like a ridgeline and, as a case in point, there was enough wind that day to give us a bump as we overflew the park.

If Manhattan Island were a petri dish and New York's skyscrapers bacteria, Central Park would correspond to a portion of the dish smeared with antibiotic. It is striking to see such a vast (843 acre) forested area so crisply defined within a city.

Merging back into northbound traffic over the Hudson River, we spotted Yankee Stadium. The stadium put us on a clock to be out of the area by 12:30 before a temporary flight restriction (TFR) went into effect for the Yankees vs Rays game that afternoon. When I first pursued a pilot certificate, I never imagined that researching major league baseball schedules would be a component of flight planning. Then again, when I started training, these so-called "stadium TFRs" did not exist.

Passage north over the Tappan Zee marked the end of our New York City adventure. By pure coincidence, Mark learned that Dena and Izzy were on the bridge as we passed over, but were driving westbound where they probably could not see us cross over the east end of the bridge.

Through Complex Airspace

I think it is difficult for non-pilots to visualize (or make sense of) the complex superposition of airspace overlying the New York City area.

ForeFlight GPS ground track overlaid on the New York Terminal Area Chart.

The light blue track shows our course through the New York Bravo airspace complex. We passed relatively close to busy airports like Teterboro, Newark, John F. Kennedy, and LaGuardia.

ForeFlight GPS ground track overlaid on an aerial map of the New York City area.

Above is the same ground track overlaid on an aerial photo and map of the New York City area.

Lunch and a Show

We were late for our noon reservation by several minutes. As the first aircraft to land at Sky Acres, I brought the Warrior to a stop on the ramp and sent Alyssa inside to inform Hangars Cafe that we had not reneged on our reservation.

While Alyssa attended to the restaurant, Mark and I pushed the Warrior back into a parking space at the unique general aviation airport occupying a terraced hillside.

I waited on one of the ramps for Barry's arrival. Watching the stalwart amphibian on final approach, I was reminded of how solid the aircraft felt in the air when I got to fly her.

On clearing the runway, Barry was faced with a heavy airplane and an upsloping taxiway. Even in Warrior 481, I need about 1500 rpm just to climb the hill, over 50% more power than I would generally need for taxi. In the heavy Widgeon, it sounded like Barry was closer to take-off power. Announced with such sound and fury, arrival of the Widgeon on the ramp captured the attention of every patron at Hangars Cafe.

We might have been late for our reservation, but at least we compensated with a show!

Mark, Jerry, Wellington, Dan, Barry, me, Kim (hiding), Scott, Eric, and Alyssa. Photo by Alyssa.

The restaurant gave our table away moments before Alyssa got to them, but they flexed things around and accommodated us right away. The food and service were as excellent as anticipated!

After lunch, we fueled all three airplanes for the flight back to Sodus / Rochester. Here, Barry demonstrated that he is truly king of the mountain.

We pulled the Warriors up to the pump while Eric and Dan served as line crew for Eight One Six.

Warrior 481 and Warrior 816 ("Williamson One").

Snotty

Three airplanes set off from Sky Acres for home. Each used very different strategies to manage the clouds encountered en route.

Barry launched first and essentially stayed below the clouds all the way home. Scott was next and attempted to outclimb the build ups, but they topped out higher than his engine could carry him. After a long initial climb that helped him clear the Catskill Mountains northwest of Sky Acres, he descended back below the bases. 

I also tried to climb above the clouds, but seeing that it was futile I cheated and played the pop-up IFR card with Boston Center. Trapped in a veritable box canyon of clouds, Boston Center came through with the clearance just in time and we cruised home through the clouds at 8,000 feet.

Snotty weather over the Catskills.

I had a panic moment later in the flight when ATC was unable to contact Barry. I checked ForeFlight and, although I was receiving ADS-B traffic data, the Widgeon was nowhere to be seen. I worried that something had happened to them. Fortunately, Alyssa had adequate cellular service that she was able to track the Widgeon and verify that they were still in the air. Whew...

Of course, it was also due to adequate cell signal that Mark learned Biden had dropped out of the presidential race as we were somewhere over central New York State.

After six cancellations of the New York flight, we were due for a win. And it was a win! I planned an event that actually went forward, Scott triumphed over his white whale and flew the skyline while acquitting himself well on the radio, and Barry checked off a bucket list item of flying his Widgeon to New York City while sharing the experience with multiple student pilots in the process. Another great day in the logbook!

Voyage to the Little Island of the Gods

Block's Island

Following the Pleistocene era, after glaciers -- nature's bulldozers -- pushed rock and debris into the Atlantic Ocean before halting their advances, an archipelago formed from the terminal moraines left behind. Known today as Long Island, Block Island, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket, these islands attract tourists each summer seeking an oceanside respite well removed from the mainland.

Block Island stands above the waves of the Atlantic roughly twelve nautical miles off the Rhode Island coast. It is named for Adrian Block, a Dutch explorer who "discovered" it in 1614 and promptly named it after himself. In reality, Native Americans settled the island long before Europeans and called it "Manisses" or "Little Island of the Gods". (Internet sources disagree on this translation -- I took this interpretation directly from a Block Island Historical Society interview with a woman whose Native American lineage on the island can be traced to a time before the Dutch arrived.)

My first and only prior visit to Block Island was in October 2017. In July 2024, I returned with the Williamson Flying Club, a flock of  thirteen people who made the voyage in five aircraft. Having just returned from Boston four days prior, I was concerned about the weather on Block. While staying in the Boston area, my plans to visit Katama on Martha's Vineyard were thwarted by a pervasive band of coastal fog that obscured the entire archipelago all week. Nonetheless, the forecast showed some promise and we launched as a group for the Little Island of the Gods.

Fly Gaggle Airlines!

Date	Aircraft	Route of Flight	Time (hrs)	Total (hrs)
14 Jul 2024	N21481	SDC (Sodus, NY) - BID (Block Island, RI) - BAF (Westfield, MA) - SDC	6.0	2859.8

Steve, Scott, and I launched third out of the five aircraft to depart the Williamson Sodus Airport around 8:00 am that morning. Steve is a student nearing the end of his Private Pilot training who has flown with me a few times previously. Scott had to slum it in the back seat because all of our club aircraft were booked that morning, leaving him no ability to fly himself. As WFC President, he humbly suggested that I could legitimately use the callsign "Williamson One" with air traffic control. Call me a coward, but I did not put that to a test.

Photo by Alicia.

First off that morning were Tom and Alicia in Two Six Romeo. They came particularly well equipped for this flight by carrying a pair of folding e-bikes in the Cherokee 180's baggage compartment.

Photo by Gilead.

Second to launch were Gilead, Jonathan, and Amy in Eight One Six. Jonathan is a relatively new club member who joined as an experienced pilot looking for access to affordable aircraft. Jonathan and I planned a club trip to the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven, PA in June, but had to cancel (twice!) due to bad weather. Amy is a student on her first group outing with the club.

The rest of our caravan included two other aircraft. Dan, Alyssa, and Jay flew in Eight Five X-Ray. Dan is the current Activities Committee Chair and organizer of the day's Block Island expedition. Alyssa is a post-solo student who regularly seizes every opportunity to fly that she can. Jay is a naval aviator and friend of a friend who joined in when he heard where we were going.

Finally, brothers Aron and Ryan flew at the helm of One Delta Tango. Aron has been a member for several years, but this was his first time joining an Activities Committee fly-out. His younger brother Ryan soloed back in 2023 before earning his driver's license!

ForeFlight screen shot of our gaggle tracking south of Syracuse.

On departure from Sodus, I deviated south before picking up a course to Block Island in an effort to deconflict with the rest of the WFC aircraft. After listening to Tom and Gilead pick up flight following with Syracuse, I chimed in with my own request, identifying myself as "part of the gaggle headed to Block Island". This elicited a brief, well-controlled snort from the controller. Unlike past experiences with Syracuse, no one was going to compliment us for flying the same line while spaced a comfortable five miles apart that day.

Clearing as Forecast

The direct flight to Block Island required two hours and fifteen minutes. Uplinked weather conditions showed fog and low IFR conditions at Block Island during most of the flight, but the weather improved as forecast during the last hour. Monitoring ADS-B traffic in the area, Scott noted that several aircraft launched from Westerly, RI for Block Island as soon as the weather cleared. Remembering that the ramp at Block Island was not enormous, I worried that there would be nowhere to park by the time we arrived, but we continued on regardless.

Sectional chart depiction of Block Island.

Overflying the twelve mile wide expanse of Block Island Sound presents little risk if altitude is managed properly. We remained within gliding distance of the eastern seaboard or the island at all times. We reached the island shortly after numerous other arrivals, our five airplanes creating a small arrival push at the uncontrolled general aviation airport.

 Maneuvering for the traffic pattern south of Block Island. Photo by Steve.

We overflew the airport at 1,000 feet above the pattern from north to south, then made an arcing, descending turn to the 45° entry for the downwind leg to runway 28. The runway is 108 feet above sea level.

Final approach, runway 28, Block Island State Airport. Photo by Alicia.

At 2,500 feet long, the runway is adequate, but not expansive and single engine aircraft pilots are wise to consider the effects of weight and heat in their takeoff performance. To eyeball the 100 foot wide runway, the unusual aspect ratio creates an illusion of a runway that is even shorter than it actually is.

Follow Me!

My concerns about parking were completely unfounded. Each arrival was greeted on radio and met by a "follow me" truck that led them to parking in the grass on the east end of the airport. Parking spaces were delineated by cones set in the grass where the truck would pause, instruct the taxiing aircraft to "park here", then return to the ramp to escort the next arrival to parking. I was impressed by the practical efficiency of it all.

A TBM that arrived shortly before we did was directed to park on the west side of airport. "Any chance we could get a ride to the terminal?" queried the TBM pilot of the "follow me" truck.

"Uh...we're kind of busy," the driver responded with a heavily implied "no". Clearly someone arrived at modest Block Island with high falutin Martha's Vineyard expectations.

Dan standing guard over the WFC fleet parked at Block Island.

Tom's Cherokee, with e-bikes unpacked and unfolded, was parked next to the club's Bold Warrior, Eight One Six.

There seems to be an unwritten rule that every mass arrival must immediately be followed by some unfocussed milling around behavior. This is so pervasive that I often plan a little buffer time into every post-arrival schedule to ensure that we keep on time.

Warrior 481, Tom's Two Six Romeo, and Eight One Six.

Eight Five X-Ray, the club hauler.

Photo by Dan.

We lined up for our obligatory group photo: Dan, Jay, Alyssa, Jonathan, Amy, Gilead, Steve, Ryan, Aron, Scott, me, Alicia, and Tom.

People Fuel

There is no avgas for sale on Block Island (just imagine those delivery fees), but people fuel can be obtained from "Ellen's at the Airport", a small diner in the terminal building that opened in late 2023. The diner includes both indoor and outdoor shaded seating.

In case anyone is wondering where they've just landed.

We paid our $10 landing fees at the FBO counter, then somehow managed to secure seating for eleven people (Tom and Alicia rode their bikes into town for fancier fare) in the very busy diner, though some of us had a table and the rest were at the bar. The food was good and the staff were friendly.

Victorian Sentinel

Bike Gang. Photo by Gilead.

After lunch, we walked a mile into town, Jonathan and I taking up the rear to ensure that we did not lose anyone. Those of us who did not bring our own rented bikes from Island Moped and Bike. Our first destination was the Southeast Lighthouse, which consistent with my memory of the last visit, stands on a bluff at the end of an uphill slog from town. For his part, Scott swore off bikes for good after making that ride.

The Southeast Lighthouse was constructed in 1873. It was placed atop the Mohegan bluffs close to the edge despite warnings from local farmers of persistent erosion. These warnings became reality decades later when, by the 1980s, only 60 feet of land remained between the lighthouse and the precipice. After a ten year lobbying effort and three acts of Congress, the entire 2,000 ton Victorian brick structure was rescued in 1993 by moving it 250 feet away from the edge. I am certain that it was a white knuckler as the entire intact structure was excised from its original foundation, jacked-up, and rolled to its new foundation.

Alicia, Amy, Tom, Gilead, Dan, Alyssa, and Jay with the Southeast Lighthouse.

Invasion Proofing

In the mid-16th century, the Mohegans tried to conquer Block Island. They failed spectacularly and were forced over the bluffs to their doom by resident Niantic. Centuries later, the bluffs still carry the Mohegan name. It is not a way that I would care for anything to be named after me.

A steep staircase located west of the Southeast Lighthouse provides access to the base of the bluffs.

And it is steep!

Shy of the bottom, the stairway was blockaded and further passage discouraged. Obviously, many people continued on anyway and we did too. It was like the Rockport breakwater all over again.

Tom! Photo by Alicia.

Alicia! Photo by Tom.

Alicia, Tom, and Dan at the base of the Mohegan Bluffs.

Photo by Gilead.

Photo by Dan.

While some of us enjoyed basking in the sun to the hypnotic rhythm of the surf, others (Amy, Alyssa, Gilead, Jay, and Dan) ventured into the ocean.

It was a serene and restful moment for a club flying trip. After a while, my phone buzzed with a text from Jonathan, who had chosen not to brave the stairs. "Are you all still down there?"

I assured him that we were and that he had not missed us, but it inspired me to head back up to the top.

Photo by random tourist.

We scrambled back up the cliffside to where the stairs began. Here, we got one of our better group photos courtesy of another group.

Biker Gang Disbanded

Fortunately, the ride back to town was mostly downhill. Scott threw in the towel and called a taxi to transport both him and his bike to New Shoreham. The rest of us toured around on two wheels for a while before going to Aldo's for ice cream or gelato. I had the blood orange gelato and, after pedaling around on a hot day, I think it was the most refreshing thing I have ever consumed and immediately regretted only getting a small.

Alyssa, Amy, Jay, Jonathan, and Dan at Aldo's.

Tom's shoulder, Gilead, Aron, Ryan, and Scott at Aldo's.

Back at Island Moped and Bike, the eleven of us who did not bring our own bikes to the island were offered a ride to the airport in a pickup truck. Some of us were inside the extended cab while others were in the bed. It was like a throwback to my childhood in the 1970s and '80s.

They certainly seemed to be having fun back there.

Except that it wasn't the '70s or '80s anymore and another Island Moped and Bike employee ran at us waving his arms before we could pull away from the curb. "You're going to get pulled over for sure," he told our driver. "And you cannot be pulled over," he added pointedly.

We headed for the airport after swapping drivers. Our new driver grew up on the island and reputedly knew every officer who worked on the island. Fortunately, it was all moot. No one pulled us over. And we did not have to walk uphill all the way back to the airport. It was a win-win.

Photo by Dan.

Attrition

We discussed next steps in the Block Island State Airport terminal and decided that four of the aircraft would head to Westfield-Barnes in Massachusetts for dinner at Tobiko Sushi. Concerned about an early start the next day, Tom and Alicia flew directly back to Sodus from Block Island.

Warrior 481 waited patiently in the grass for me, Steve, and Scott to return.

Tom and Alicia reloaded their folding e-bikes into Two Six Romeo.

Dan preparing Eight Five X-Ray for departure.

Two Six Romeo (Tom), One Delta Tango (Aron), and Eight One Six (Gilead) running up at Block Island.

It was hot on block island, the runway length was not extravagant, and I was carrying two passengers besides myself. While I confess that I do not routinely check performance calculations for every runway, I did for this one. After running the numbers, I decided to treat the departure as a short field and deployed 25° of flaps after backtaxiing to the end of runway 28, turning around, and lining up on centerline.

The extra precautious were probably unnecessary; Warrior 481 lifted off quickly and climbed skyward with plenty of runway remaining.

Jewel in the Atlantic

Clearing the western end of the island, still on runway heading.

On the way in, I discovered that my still camera was missing its data card and realized that it was still inserted into my PC after downloading the Boston photos. (Oops.) Fortunately, my iPhone was still available in a pinch. Rather than departing directly for the mainland, I made a climbing left turn to both gain altitude before crossing Block Island Sound and to survey the island.

Turning eastbound along the south face of the island.

Looking down at the highest portion of the Mohegan Bluffs.

I was disappointed that time did not permit a ride to the northernmost end of the island to visit the picturesque North Lighthouse like I did on my first visit. Constructed of brown granite and set among the dunes of the island's northern tip, the North Lighthouse is quite different from the Southeast Lighthouse in both look and setting. Considering how tired some participants were, I think the mere suggestion of going there might have incited a revolt.

Topping It Off with Sushi

Our four airplanes landed in rapid succession on runway 33 at Westfield-Barnes exactly one week after my previous visit there.

Aron and I took on fuel at Westfield-Barnes considering how reasonable the pricing was for a towered airport. While refueling, a CFI from one of the flight schools approached and asked how much I wanted to sell the Warrior. I explained that it was not for sale.

Dinner was excellent, as always. Even Scott, who was skeptical, became a convert. Aron and Ryan both ordered noodle bowls that were so generously portioned that they departed with leftovers. It was a terrific capstone to a beautiful day of flying and exploring.

As I approached the Warrior to begin a preflight inspection, Scott pointed out that one of the axle bolts holding my starboard wheel pant in place had backed out. It was a good catch because, if I missed it on my preflight, launching in that condition would have surely resulted in a lost bolt.

I returned to Atlantic-Westfield and asked to borrow a crescent wrench. I knew that the hex bolt head was a 7/16" or a 9/16", but was not sure which. The lineman did not know what a crescent wrench was, but allowed me to poke around in their toolbox and I could not find one. Happily, they had a set of open ended wrenches that we took back to the airplane us.

"It's a good thing that the boss isn't here. He doesn't like us working on customers' airplanes," the lineman said as we walked, handwringing ever so slightly.

"Let me be clear, I am not expecting you to do anything but loan me a wrench. No one is touching my airplane but me." After that clarification, the lineman visibly relaxed. 

The wrench set was missing the size I needed, but I used a metric wrench that was close enough, tightened the bolt, and returned the wrench set to the Atlantic lineman with gratitude.

Westfielded!

The same controller that we encountered at Westfield-Barnes a week prior was working again that evening. Because of the quick repair, the other three WFC airplanes were already running before I came up on frequency. I tuned in just in time to hear:

"Hey, Eight Five X-Ray, are you planning on taxiing any time soon? Eight One Six, once your buddy finally decides to taxi, you can follow him to runway three three via alpha, cross runway 2."

The man clearly has a way with words. Dan may have avoided getting "Westfielded" in 2022 when we departed there for Alton Bay (unlike me and Tom who caught flak from him), but the prickly controller got his digs in anyway.

Photo by Steve.

The ride home was a non-event, but may have involved Scott heaping more vitriol on his rented bicycle. We flew home through a dynamic cloudscape. At one point, I suggested that the cloud in front of us looked like some kind of sleek, twin tailed fighter jet.

"I was thinking the same thing," Steve replied while taking the above photo.

All in all, it was another great trip with the Williamson Flying Club and Block Island is always a worthy destination.