Twenty Years of Adventure
Twenty years ago, I became an aircraft owner. It was not something that I dreamed of even as a student pilot and two decades on, I sometimes struggle to grasp the reality of it.
I did not visit many new places in 2024, but my time machine returned me to many favorites. I flew for pleasure, for work, for family, and for fellowship, with the Warrior taking me to a scientific conference in Philly, to a funeral in Michigan, to Boston on a family vacation, to a family gathering in Georgia, and to several excellent destinations with other Williamson Flying Club members. Warrior 481's wheels even sampled five different grass runways in 2024, which is more than usual.
As 2024 disappears into memory, I am grateful for the good fortune to fly, for the aerial sights offered by the amazing Earth, and for the wonderful people involved in each adventure. As the year closes all too soon, it is time again to reflect on the previous twelve months and share some of my favorite images / moments of 2024.
The Photos
 |
| Warrior 481 at the Bradford County Airport (KBFD) in Bradford, PA on Jul 26, 2024. (Not previously blogged) |
 |
| South Manitou Island Lighthouse in Michigan on Aug 4, 2024. ("Adventures in the Mitten | Part 5, Manitou Aerial") |
 |
| Returning to the Williamson Sodus Airport from Philadelphia, PA on Apr 19, 2024. ("Is it Ever Sunny in Philadelphia?") |
 |
| Downtown Boston and inner harbor on Jul 9, 2024. ("The Flying Bear Goes to Beantown | Part 3, Three if by Air") |
 |
| A Sopwith Camel pursues a Fokker DrI Triplane over Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome on Sep 22, 2024. ("Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome: A Temporal Anomaly in the Hudson Valley") |
 |
| Whiteface Mountain and Lake Placid in Lake Placid, NY on Oct 5, 2024. ("Lake Placid Leaf Peepers") |
 |
| A partial glory over a frigid Sodus Bay, Sodus, NY on Feb 3, 2024. ("Glorious") |
 |
| Cloud surfing in northern Pennsylvania on Apr 19, 2024. ("Is it Ever Sunny in Philadelphia?") |
 |
| The Pru, Christian Science Plaza, and Symphony Hall in Boston on Jul 9, 2024. ("The Flying Bear Goes to Beantown | Part 3, Three if by Air") |
 |
| Sunset over Rochester, NY on Jun 10, 2024. ("Lights of Home") |
 |
| Statue of Liberty on Jul 21, 2024. ("Seventh Time is the Charm: The Skyline Route") |
 |
| Bass Islands in Lake Erie on Oct 11, 2024. ("The Key West of Ohio") |
 |
| Ground fog over Elmira, NY on Oct 19, 2024. ("Benton 2024: Big Fly-In, Short Runway") |
 |
| The wonderful symmetry of a rotary engine at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome on Sep 22, 2024. ("Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome: A Temporal Anomaly in the Hudson Valley") |
 |
| Ferry flight from Rochester to Sodus after a weather diversion on Jul 11, 2024. ("The Flying Bear Goes to Beantown | Part 4, Going Missed") |
 |
| Art deco elegance of the Chrysler Building in New York City on Jul 21, 2024. ("Seventh Time is the Charm: The Skyline Route") |
 |
| Warrior 481 parked at the Lake Placid Airport (KLKP) in Lake Placid, NY on Jul 5, 2024. ("Mountain View") |
 |
| Nine Mile Nuclear Power Plant on the shore of Lake Ontario in Oswego, NY. ("Glorious") |
 |
| Brace Cove in the fog near Gloucester, MA on Jul 9, 2024. ("The Flying Bear Goes to Beantown | Part 3, Three if by Air") |
 |
| North Sandy Pond on the east end of Lake Ontario on Feb 3, 2024. ("Glorious") |
 |
| Empire Bluffs (lower right) and the Sleeping Bear Dunes (upper left) on Aug 4, 2024. ("Adventures in the Mitten | Part 5, Manitou Aerial") |
 |
| Peak of Whiteface Mountain with Lake Placid in the background on Feb 4, 2024. ("Always Have an Out") |
 |
| Downtown Boston including Two International Place and the Custom House Tower on Jul 9, 2024. ("The Flying Bear Goes to Beantown | Part 3, Three if by Air") |
 |
| Action shot: Tom and Alicia depart Benton Airport in their PA-28-180 on Oct 19, 2024. ("Benton 2024: Big Fly-In, Short Runway") |
 |
| South Manitou (foreground) and North Manitou (background) Islands in Lake Michigan. ("Adventures in the Mitten | Part 5, Manitou Aerial") |
 |
| Dramatic lighting over the Catskill Mountains on Sep 22, 2024. ("Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome: A Temporal Anomaly in the Hudson Valley") |
 |
| Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial, Put-In-Bay, OH on Oct 11, 2024. ("The Key West of Ohio") |
 |
| Mackinac Island, MI beneath haze from wildfire smoke on Aug 3, 2024. ("Adventures in the Mitten | Part 3, The WFC: Williamson Fudgie Cyclists") |
 |
| Autumnal flanks of Whiteface Mountain near Lake Placid, NY on Oct 5, 2024. ("Lake Placid Leaf Peepers") |
 |
| The emerald edge of Block Island in the Atlantic Ocean on Jul 14, 2024. ("Voyage to the Little Island of the Gods") |
 |
| Elegantly tapered wings of a Stinson Reliant at the Father's Day Fly-In at Genesee County Airport. ("A Gift of Time") |
 |
| The Governor Mario M. Cuomo / Tappan Zee Bridge spanning the Hudson River. ("Seventh Time is the Charm: The Skyline Route") |
 |
| Clouds parting just enough to reveal the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport. ("Adventures in the Mitten | Part 6, Tailwinds and Tornadoes") |
 |
| A circular rainbow over eastern Ontario, Canada on Sep 21, 2024. ("Rarefied Prismatic Air") |
The People
2024 was an incredible year to fly with my favorite people, whether I've known them for years -- their entire lives in the case of The Bear -- or met them mere moments before flying together. 2024 so epitomized this for me that I wanted to feature a few examples of the people from 2024's flying adventures.
 |
| Kristy "has the conn" of the USS Enterprise in Ticonderoga, NY on Aug 24, 2024. ("Live Long and do the Batusi") |
 |
| We have arrived! The Bear pays homage to Warrior 481 in Beverly, MA on Jul 7, 2024. ("The Flying Bear Goes to Beantown | Part 1, Busy Beverly") |
 |
| With the WFC on the Mohegan Bluffs of Block Island, RI on Jul 14, 2024. ("Voyage to the Little Island of the Gods") |
 |
| With Barry's Grumman Widgeon at Orange County before flying the NYC skyline on Jul 21, 2024. ("Seventh Time is the Charm: The Skyline Route") |
 |
| The WFC enjoying lunch at Hangars Cafe at the Sky Acres Airport (44N) on Jul 21, 2024. ("Seventh Time is the Charm: The Skyline Route") |
 |
| The WFC roasting on a hot National Mall in Washington DC on Jul 6, 2024. ("Hot Times in the 'Freeze'") |
 |
| Kristy, me, and smiling faces of the WFC after pancakes in Piseco, NY on Aug 24, 2024. ("Live Long and do the Batusi") |
 |
| 400 feet above Lake Michigan at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Aug 4, 2024. ("Adventures in the Mitten | Part 4, Letting Sleeping Bears Lie") |
 |
| With the Sopwith Camel victor of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's WWI dogfight on Sep 22, 2024. ("Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome: A Temporal Anomaly in the Hudson Valley") |
 |
| The KSDC contingent at the annual Benton Airport Fly-In and Pig Out BBQ on Oct 19, 2024. ("Benton 2024: Big Fly-In, Short Runway") |
The Highlights
My favorite journeys in 2024 included:
- A vacation to Boston with family and friends, including a first time aerial tour over the city.
- Leading a WFC trip to Mackinac Island and the Sleeping Bear Dunes.
- Beaming back aboard the starship Enterprise in Ticonderoga, NY (WFC trip).
- Another successful sightseeing foray along the Manhattan skyline (WFC trip).
- My second excursion into the Washington DC Flight Restricted Zone (WFC trip).
- Return to Block Island, RI followed by dinner at Tobiko Sushi in Massachusetts (WFC trip).
- A solo exploration of Put-In-Bay, the "Key West of Ohio".
- After five years of trying (and failing), we participated in the annual BBQ at Benton Airport (WFC trip).
- We finally witnessed the WWI dogfight at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome (WFC trip)!
Unusual experiences in 2024 included:
- A partial engine failure and emergency landing over Keene, NH.
- Sharing the airspace with Air Force One for the first time (that I know of).
- Needing to fly two missed approaches at Sodus due to low weather. It was my first time going missed outside of a training exercise in a decade of being instrument rated.
- For years, Rochester was my planned diversion airport. 2024 was the first time I ever used that back pocket escape plan and I used it twice. The first instance was due to low weather on the return home from Boston and the second was due to winds exceeding the control authority of the Warrior at Sodus when returning from SurnameFest (not blogged). Thanks to Bob F and the friendly staff of AvFlight-Rochester for their hospitality in both instances.
- Landing on five different grass runways (Woolsey Memorial, 5D5; Basin Harbor B06; Shelburne, VT8; Benton, PA40; and Green, 4N7) in four different states (MI, VT, NY, PA) with three of them being new to me.
The Numbers
Hours flown: 176.8 / 2945.2 (total).
Hours in IMC: 8.7 / 87.8 (total), where IMC = instrument meteorological conditions.
Hours at night: 6.2 / 141.8 (total).
States Visited: 11. MA, MD, MI, NH, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, VT, and WV.
Airports Visited: 12 (new) / 49 (2024) / 284 (total).
Passengers: 32. I am grateful to all of these people for joining me in the adventure of flight in 2024: Kristy, The Bear, Mark G, Dave P (safety pilot), Dan VH, Gilead B (safety pilot), Dave L, Tom C (safety pilot), Jesse S, Jiwon H, Ziad S, Steve S, Scott L, Alyssa L, Jamie O, Randal S, Noah S, Mike A (safety pilot), Ed C (safety pilot), and 13 members of the Williamson and Sodus communities who flew with me in Bold Warrior 816 during the WFC pancake breakfast.
 |
| Map of 2024 destinations as generated by MyFlightbook and Google Earth. |
Thanks for reading and have a happy and prosperous 2025!
No comments:
Post a Comment