Landing at JFK
As some of you know, a couple of weeks ago, I tried to do a “Touch & Go” at JFK. I figured that due to Covid-19, the skies would be pretty empty and ATC would have plenty of time on their hands. That attempt did not work 🙁 The controller told me “Touch & Gos” […]
Flying A Chandelle
Since most of the northeast is still on lockdown during Covid-19, there is still really nowhere to go. But it’s still a good time to fly and use this time to practice basic flying maneuvers. For this flight I decided to practice chandelles and a few approaches. The first chandelle, I forgot to turn the […]
Can You Fly During Covid-19?
Can you fly during Covid-19? For me, the answer is YES. But with a few precautions… First, I realize that I am extremely lucky to even have the ability to make a judgement call on this. Some of my friends in Germany, don’t even have the option. But for me, I was more concerned about […]
Flying a Lap Over Long Island
Socially distant general aviation flying during these Covid-19 times.
Landing in a Snowstorm
This week I had a really unusual flight. It started out as a simple VFR takeoff in clear blue skies. I was bringing the plane home to Poughkeepsie from maintenance in Danbury. Simple, short flight… Or so I thought… This was me in the hanger just before takeoff: But the weather forecast looked a little […]
Simple, Short Flight Turns into More
Today, I wanted to pick up the Cirrus from my mechanic after some routine maintenance. The plan was a VERY simple 24nm flight from Danbury, CT to Poughkeepsie, NY. You can see the planned route below: But the weather wasn’t very good … Not terrible, not dangerous, just light rain and low ceilings in both […]
Finding The Right Next Bird
Now that I am current and legal, the natural next step is find the right plane. I have been “window shopping” for several months. I briefly entertained the idea of getting a different type of plane… Maybe an aerobatic plane or a seaplane.. But in the end, the safety and comfort of the Cirrus just […]
Tough Start To A Very EZ Journey
This week’s mission was to go from Tampa,FL to Danbury, CT, which is a perfect mission for an SR22 with one fuel stop. Surprisingly, the weather forecast was beautiful everywhere along the route except Florida. Usually, it is the other way around. So I was expecting a takeoff in moderate / heavy rain, which is OK. […]
White Plains and NYC Skyline
I spent this week in NY, specifically in White Plains, which is just on the northern edge of the New York Class B airspace frenzy. But more importantly, it is also the home of IBM Flight Operations. The IBM fleet consists of a number of aircraft, including Gulfstream 550s, Falcon 200s and even helicopters. As […]
East Coast Journey (Day 2)
Day 2 was a rather simple day of flying… But it did include 3 new states, unusual ATC interactions, and best of all some awesome sites. The day began in Raleigh, with another good weather forecast. I filed IFR RDU > LVL > WWD (Wildwood, NJ) Very simple routing that avoided the Washington DC Special […]