Joel's 2009 Coast to Coast Adventure

Day 35: Los Angeles, CA and the Malibu Colony

2009-07-24T23:14:00.019-04:00

Day 35: July 4th, Los Angeles, CA and the Malibu Colony. The day began at the Benjamin house where James showed off his Lemonade stand. A true entrepreneur, he would operate his stand in front of the house, serving fresh squeezed lemonade to passers by. This would fund his addiction to Legos. He was very proud of the fact that he was able to buy certain Lego specialties using his own money, earned at the Lemonade stand. I think that this provides him an excellent connection between work and reward and should be encouraged among today's youth. James is extremely creative with Legos and he not only builds the prepackaged designs but comes up with his own designs which are very functional, symmetrical, and innovative. I think his dream job would be to build Lego monstrosities at LegoLand.

For breakfast, I managed to meet up with a good friend from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). We went to school together, were roommates for a time, and were active amateur radio operators. Greg and I also engaged in an adventure or two. On one trip, we took my 1990 Volkswagon Golf and drove from NY to West Virginia for spring break. We were counting on warmer weather, but that wasn't quite south enough I guess. We camped out, rode our mountain bikes, and operated ham radio from the car and campsite. I remember knocking on a farmer's door asking permission to camp on his property. We woke up to snow on our tent, a rude awakening for college students seeking a real spring break. In another interesting episode, we traveled to the Shawangunk preserve, a rock climbing paradise near New Paltz, NY. Greg taught me how to climb there, and we stayed at his dad's cabin in the woods. Once again, we brought a shortwave ham radio rig along to make some contacts, but unfortunately, we neither had a microphone nor morse code key. In true McGuyver form, we fashioned a morse code key out of two butter knives, tapping the knives together to transmit. We made several contacts. One of our contacts sent us a QSL card, which confirms the communication. On it, he wrote "Thanks for the buttery QSO (contact)" in the notes section. Greg now works for the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena and designs Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) arrays. Yep, a rocket scientist.

Today, I would also be treated to a real Hollywood fourth of July. I was staying with friends Larry & Diana Benjamin, and Diana has a friend that owns an exclusive Malibu beach house. The house is located in the Malibu Colony, a strip of very private Malibu beach that features homes owned by stars such as Sting, Tom Hanks, Howie Mandell, Bill Murray, Linda Ronstadt, Jeff Bridges and many others. Oftentimes, you see these stars just strolling along the beach. Beach access is through private homes only, so it is a very exclusive spot. While I'm not one that necessarily becomes star struck, it was very entertaining to share the beach with the colony residents. I witnessed beach parties, the likes of which I had never seen before. Jim Carey threw a huge beach party bash, but I never did see the man himself.

Larry, Diana, James, and I pulled up to the Colony and found a parking spot a block or so away from the party we were attending. As we walked along the row of beach houses, I noted that the portion that faced the street were rather unassuming. In fact, some of them were just small ante-houses in which the larger beach house was further inside. The other interesting detail I noticed was that many of the homes had private valet services parking cars for party goers. It was difficult not to miss the Valet Girls (obviously a play on Valley Girls), an all-girl valet service that was servicing one of the homes. The reason for valet parking is that there is limited parking along the road, and I'm sure many of these party-goers are used to the royal treatment. Luckily, we came early enough to find a spot for ourselves.

Our hosts owned a lovely Malibu beach house situated a few doors down from Sting's house (which rents out at $25,000 / month) and the house that hosted Jim Carey and Jenny McCarthy's fourth of July party. There was a large turnout at our beach house to witness the fourth of July festivities. I met a diverse mixture of people that included a recording artist and a scientist who manages an instrument aboard one of the Mars Rovers! Of course, I was more impressed with the scientist and marveled "How cool is that, you work on a different planet!" He expressed interest in my little trip around the country and thought that was impressive, but it is hard to top a title like "AstroGeologist"!! There was a lot of food and drink to be had and many people to meet.

Larry and Diana weren't sure how I would interact with this diverse group of people, but their questions were answered when they stumbled upon me surrounded by a crowd as I wowed them with magic tricks. I had them eating out of my hands, kids and adults alike. The most amazing photo I've seen of me presenting a card trick was taken by Larry. As the deck falls, the top card is supposed to be flipped over by the motion of air and should sit on top of the deck face up. Larry caught this perfectly as the card began turning mid-flight. After performing these tricks, one of the party-goers asked for the deck and performed a few amazing tricks of his own. We ended up becoming a tag-team magic show and drew quite a crowd. He taught me several of his tricks which ended up being some very subtle slights of hand that were advanced beyond what I was doing. Unfortunately, I couldn't master them in the short time he had to demonstrate them to me, and I don't remember them now.

A tradition for this particular party was to dig a huge pit and to present the challenge of trying to jump across the abyss. The pit is dug down deep enough to hit the water level, which ended up being about 7 feet. It took most of the afternoon to complete in shifts. Larry, Diana, and I each put some time in to shoveling out sand to complete the pit. Once the pit was complete, the vaulting competition began in earnest. A line was formed in which kids and adults both had a long running start and made their best attempt to leap across the crevasse. The pit was wide enough that nobody made it across, although some of the stronger jumpers came close, landing on the far edge. The smaller kids didn't have a chance, but they would jump and literally vanish into the pit below. It was a little bit unnerving, but the soft sand below provided adequate cushion. There was a long line of jumpers waiting to jump the "pit" until dark, some from the neighboring homes. There was an overly-tattooed rock-star who jumped, but I have no idea who he was.

Next came the fashion show, another tradition. The girls put on their finest and strut along the beach. The paparazzi start shooting off photographs, wondering who these famous girls are. We shoot our own photographs and the girls are in their glory. There were all sorts of poses: girls holding their hats, girls whispering to each other, just the girls of Malibu beach. It was just like a scene from the TV show "The O.C.".

Larry and I walked the full length of the beach to marvel at some of the homes and the parties being hosted there. We discretely took some pictures, and I found it amusing when a little boy ran past us and said "No Pictures!" Clearly, he was the progeny of one of Malibu's famous denizens and was trained to run from the paparazzi. We had no idea who he was and didn't really care. We were easily able to identify Sting's house based on its southwestern adobe architecture. While we didn't run into any stars along the way, we marveled at some of the magnificent architecture built right along the beach. Also, some of the outdoor parties were obscenely opulent, featuring beachside seating on outdoor couches enclosed by flowing sheets. DJ's could be seen mixing dance tunes, waiters catering gourmet food right at the beach, and security guards were subtly keeping out the riff-raff. One of these parties was hosted by Jim Carey and Jenny McCarthy. Jenny was sporting her new black bathing suit, and Jim, ever the comedian, later emerged wearing her bathing suit, much to the amusement of the paparazzi. I almost built up the courage to start entertaining guests at Jim's party with card tricks, but it never happened.

As the sun set over Malibu beach, we lit a fire on the beach and awaited the fireworks. I had seen the fireworks barge move into position earlier. It was almost directly across from the house and not very far away. This was to be an impressive Hollywood show, with a beautiful full moon as a backdrop. I snapped this photograph of our fire and our host kneeling down in his red, white, and blue shirt. Moments later, a video camera recorded the same scene and it ended up being shown on CNN as part of a montage revealing the fourth of July festivities at the Malibu Colony. In that video, you can clearly see our fire and our host in his red white and blue shirt (Check out the scene beginning at 0:36).

Finally, the fireworks began and we experienced a spectacular show. The show was accented by the full moon which hung in the distance as an eerie backdrop. When the show ended, we packed our things and began to say our goodbyes. It was a long and enjoyable day, and I'm sure Larry and Diana's son James was exhausted from launching himself into the pit all day. We left the house and started our way towards the car. As we did so, we passed many of the homes on the road and could see that there was a flurry of activity by the valets. We passed the Jim Carey party house and a valet pulled up to the house shouting "Black Porsche .. Black Porsche" .. Since nobody spoke up, I said "Right here!" Unfortunately, they weren't buying it. What a delightful time with the Benjamin's and a truly unique LA experience.

Day 34: Leaving Las Vegas for San Diego and LA

2009-07-18T22:17:00.030-04:00

Day 34: July 3rd, Las Vegas, San Diego, and LA. Today would present some flying challenges, but not of the type I have been experiencing throughout the trip: weather, mountains, and density altitude. Today, I would have my first mechanical problem that would prevent me from flying. On the day before, I had brought my compass to an avionics shop for servicing. The glass had been cracked for quite some time; however, the fluid never leaked. With the extreme temperatures I had been experiencing on this portion of the trip, the compass fluid began seeping out through the crack and dripping in the cockpit. This presents two problems. With the compass fluid low, it is tough to get an accurate compass heading. Also, the fluid itself has a particularly nasty odor which is quite distracting in flight and unhealthy I'm sure. I removed the compass and had the mechanic in Vegas overhaul it. I then reinstalled the compass in the airplane, but needed to calibrate it. On the airport is a large compass rose painted on the tarmac. By taxiing the airplane onto the rose and pointing it north, you can compare your actual northerly heading to what the compass is reading at the time. Next, you try E, W, S, and other headings such as 150 degrees, 330 degrees, etc. The compass may never be 100% accurate, but in order for the airplane to be airworthy, you must write down on the compass card what the compass actually reads when the airplane is heading north, south, east, west, etc. There are also two adjustment screws that you can use to calibrate the compass, but with two degrees of freedom, it is difficult to calibrate the compass perfectly. I spent over 1/2 hr on the previous day just taxiing around trying to optimize this calibration. The problem with this is that the airplane is being operated at near idle for an extended period of time. This can cause plug fouling, particular for the spark plugs located on the lower side of the cylinders.

Unaware that I had fouled some plugs, I got into the airplane, bid Jim farewell, received my IFR clearance, and taxied to the active runway. During the engine runup, I noticed that the left magneto was running very rough. I've dealt with plug fouling before and know that if you run the engine at high RPMs while leaning aggressively, you can normally burn off or clear up whatever has built up on the plug electrodes that are causing it not to fire properly. I spent some time attempting to clear the plug, but was unsuccessful. Failing this magneto check meant a certain no-go! I called ground, asked them to cancel my IFR clearance and requested to taxi back to the ramp. Jim and his friend were waiting for me as I pulled in. They called their local on-field mechanic and had me taxi over to Jim's hangar. Unfortunately, I didn't have a plug socket, something I had meant to obtain prior to the trip. Plug issues are fairly common and it is nice to have the ability to swap in a spare plug in the field. I looked through Jim's tools, but many of his tools from Albany hadn't arrived yet, so I still did not have the proper plug socket. I began asking some of the folks in neighboring hangars while we waited for the mechanic. I was able to borrow a socket and began the process of removing the spark plugs that ran from the left magneto. The mechanic soon arrived and we removed all the plugs so that he could bring them back to his shop and clean them properly. He noted that my plugs should be replaced since the formerly round center electrode was oval, indicating quite a bit of wear. Upon returning, he told me that one of the plugs wouldn't fire properly at all and he gave me a replacement. We put all of the plugs back in and the airplane was running smoothly again. The tower held my IFR clearance and I was able to continue on to the west coast. I bid a fond farewell to Las Vegas and got one last look at the Las Vegas strip before heading into the mountains on my way to the west coast. Farewell Sin City!

My first stop today was Montgomery Field in San Diego. Here, I was to have lunch with an old friend from St. John's Prep School, the high school I attended in Danvers, MA. Martin Furey and I had known each other in high school and worked on the school newspaper together. I knew that he had attended Williams College as an undergraduate in Williamstown, MA, a town where I would later spend much time myself. After that, I had lost track of him. We hadn't really seen each other or spoken since graduation day in 1984, so a full 25 years had passed since we last met. Nevertheless, Martin picked me up at Mongomery Field and we headed out for lunch at Island Prime C Level, which provides spectacular views of downtown San Diego over the bay. I enjoyed a Lobster & Fontina BLT with a side of sherried lobster bisque. I should have expected no less from the self-proclaimed campus epicure!

After enjoying a wonderful lunch by the bay and despite my being late, Martin indulged me with a trip through Balboa Park, which provides a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere for people to gather and enjoy museums, street performers, and people watching. He told me that this was the site of the highest density of museums you will find in the United States. It is touted as the nation's largest urban cultural park. There are 13 museums here, ranging from art, photography, automotive, Japanese friendship garden, model railroad, and of course my favorite, an air and space museum, complete with a SR-71 Blackbird parked out front, the second I've seen on this trip. Even if museums are not your thing, the sheer beauty of the architecture and the freshness of the happy folks strolling the park will tickle your fancy. In addition, the park features one of the largest outdoor pipe organs in the world at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Martin says that he has come to enjoy several of the free organ concerts featured on Sundays from 2pm - 3pm.

I really enjoyed my visit with Martin in San Diego and got to experience some of the best the city has to offer in such a short period of time. I thank Martin for taking extra time out of his work day to give me a tour of Balboa Park. Anyone visiting San Diego must stop here and experience this wonderful place. From here, Martin returned me to the airport where I activated my flight plan to Los Angeles. Breakfast in Las Vegas, lunch in San Diego, and dinner in LA. Wow, life is good.
So, I departed San Diego and headed north towards Los Angeles. I would land at one of my favorite airports, Van Nuys (KVNY). This airport is the subject of the amazing Brian Terwilliger documentary, One Six Right, named after its primary runway. I was cleared to land on 16R, the very runway romanticized in Brian's movie. I met Brian at Oshkosh after viewing it on the largest digital projection system and screen. I mentioned my friend Larry and he remembered Larry right away, as Larry worked on some of the audio for the One Six Right DVD. It was my friend Larry Benjamin who was there waiting for me as I taxied into Pentastar Aviation. I can tell you, having flown across the entire country, there is nothing better than seeing a good friend awaiting your arrival after many hours of cross-country flying. In the photo to the left, you can see Larry's perspective as he photographed me taxiing in. I buttoned up the airplane and Pentastar parked me on their ramp next to some business jets. I was amazed that I was parking my airplane in LA and there was no ramp or parking fee! Van Nuys truly welcomes and caters to general aviation pilots like myself. No fees and yet they offered us complimentary beverages at the FBO.

We returned to the Benjamin house where I met up with Larry's lovely wife Diana and his son James. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner outside on the patio and I entertained everyone with card tricks, as usual. James couldn't believe that the card he picked magically ended up INSIDE the fish tank, facing out at him. How did that card get through the glass? It was delightful to be in LA with one of my best friends and his family. We would enjoy several days together before I moved on to Thousand Oaks, not far from LA, to be with my friend Ron.

Day 31 - 33: Viva Las Vegas

2009-07-12T13:46:00.013-04:00

Day 31 - 33: June 30th - July 2nd, Las Vegas, NV. For the next few days, I would experience the two cities of Las Vegas: the strip and the rest of town. It is interesting to note that Las Vegas is not just a casino town, and I got to see the other Vegas, the city that the local residents experience. Jim Holden was my host in Vegas and he was able to share the local experience with me. When I arrived in town, he was just moving into a new house and was settling in. I was, in fact, the very first guest in his new house. Jim's daughter also lives in town and I was lucky enough to arrive when Jim's wife Carole was also in town. Jim and Carole operate a real estate appraisal company and maintain offices in Albany, NY and Las Vegas. Up until a year ago, Jim maintained his residence in Albany, but the ever-changing real estate market brought Jim to Las Vegas about a year ago, as his business was booming there and diminishing in Albany. Jim is a fellow pilot and had maintained a hangar in Albany. We would frequently fly with the Albany pilot group for breakfast on Sunday's, sometimes flying in formation. While we understand that the economic changes demand changes, the Albany pilot group misses Jim and wishes he'd return. Just recently, he let his Albany cell phone number of 25 years expire. Now in his new house with his Las Vegas phone numbers only, we realize that he is there to stay.

Jim, his wife Carole, and his daughter Michelle and I went to dinner at the clubhouse. They live on a golf course. Many of the homes here are in gated communities or have deed covenants that prevent the rif-raff from disturbing the neighborhood peace. It is a great place to live.

Carole had to return to Albany the next day, so I offered to drive her to the airport. Since I was near the strip, I decided to stop in and try my luck at the casinos. I stopped in at Mandalay Bay and was able to easily find parking for Jim's big red pickup in their parking garage. My first stop was the craps table. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing, but I seem to be able to win at craps most times. As a mathematician, I know that there really is no way to actually win in Las Vegas. Statistically, the odds are tilted slightly in favor for the casinos. That is why they are there and can afford such opulence. Craps actually has the best odds for the player, and perhaps that's why I gravitate towards it. The house has only a 0.60% edge over the player, meaning for every 497 winners, there are 503 losers. Keno is the worst game in the casino, with a 25% house edge. They make big money on this game. Anyway, I made $80 at the craps table in 5 minutes. I love Las Vegas!

From there, it was on to the Luxor, which is the large pyramid-shaped casino with an Egyptian theme. The beam of light emanating from the top is comprised of 45 xenon bulbs and is the brightest beam of non-coherent light on the planet. It has been noted by astronauts aboard that space station and shuttle.

I was able to purchase some Criss Angel tickets for his 7:30pm show at a reasonable price. It was quite an interesting show. It was more Cirque Du Soleil and less magic. I enjoyed watching his TV show Mind Freak, but I was left wanting more magic and mentalism. In any case, it was done up in true larger than life Vegas style, and I did enjoy it. The stage alone was quite elaborate, customized for Criss's show. At one point during the show, he was performing an illusion in which he created doves out of thin air. All of a sudden about thirty doves flew off the stage in a swarm and headed to a roost just above and behind my seat. One poor dove didn't make it, and ended up hitting something and fell down by the feet of an audience member just in front of me. The dove seemed fine. I was very entertained and rather impressed with the grand scale of the stage devices used, but this is Vegas, so anything goes and money is no object.

My next stop was the New York, New York casino which features a pretty impressive roller coaster ride. It is amazing how they recreated the NYC skyline, complete with the Statue of Liberty! I've been to the casino before, but had never ridden the roller coaster. After my daredevil experiences at Epcot, I figured I was up for the challenge. Before you board the roller coaster, they warn you about a variety of medical conditions, including anxiety, which I had plenty of waiting in line. Anyway, I boarded the roller coaster car, which looks like a NY City cab car, and braced myself for what was to follow. The coaster slowly climbed up the track and I was launched into a 5 minute long continuous scream! This coaster has a full loop and portions of the track that twist a full 360 degrees, turning you upside down. I really enjoyed it and rediscovered my inner daredevil. Maybe skydiving is next on the list.

I had scheduled to depart Las Vegas on July 1, but the weather did not look promising, so I stuck around for another day and had a chance to meet the North Las Vegas pilot group for dim sum. The group meets regularly for dim sum and also holds barbecues on the airport grounds. It's too bad I didn't get a chance to fly with the group, but it was nice to meet everyone.

Jim, Michelle, and I later dined at a Las Vegas favorite, the buffet! There are casinos located far from the strip that tourists never see. These are for the locals. In this case, there is a casino called Alliante Station located close to Jim's house.

I spent the night planning for the next flight: San Diego. Using FltPlan.com, I filed an IFR flight plan from the North Las Vegas airport to Montgomery field, which is just to the north of San Diego. As usual, I had everything planned very carefully and was able to properly time wakeup, takeoff, and meetup with my contact in San Diego for lunch. I had also planned to continue directly on to LA for dinner. My aircraft had other ideas, however. I would have mechanical issues to deal with in the morning. Little did I know, I had set the stage for these problems the day before.

Day 30: The Grand Canyon & Las Vegas

2009-07-06T02:11:00.036-04:00

Day 30: June 29th, The Grand Canyon & Las Vegas. If I thought that my takeoff out of Winslow, AZ was an elementary education in density altitude, I would earn my Ph.D. in density altitude today. I shared a cab ride to the airport with a roommate from the hostel in Flagstaff. He had called for a cab the day before, but of course, they didn't remember in the morning. Even though the cab was late, I assured him that he would make his commercial flight. Marc is from Fyvie in Scotland and is here touring the United States this summer, stopping in many of the same places that I am. I was dropped off at the general aviation side of the airport and he was then brought to the commercial side.

I carefully preflighted the airplane and proceeded to the approach end of runway 3 at Flagstaff. This airport has the highest elevation of any airport I've ever operated from in my life: 7,015 ft! After my takeoff, it would be the highest airport I would ever even consider operating from. When the temperature and pressure is factored in, the density altitude was 9,000 ft, which was also the highest for me. Unfortunately, the takeoff performance chart for my plane stops at 7,000 ft and indicates that the chart should not be extrapolated beyond this. That is not say that the airplane can't take off above 7,000 feet, but that they are not providing you with hard data. You are on your own and accept the liability for such a takeoff. The runway length at Flagstaff is 8,800ft, which is over a mile and half long. Thankfully, I was taking off in the morning, before the afternoon heat pushed the density altitude to 10,000 ft and beyond. In any case, I had estimated that I would have adequate runway for the departure, based on my experience in Winslow . I began the takeoff roll and spent the first 3,000 ft on the ground, still trying to develop lift. Finally, the airplane left the ground, but I kept in mind ground effect and allowed it to accelerate a bit before attempting the actual climb out. The climb out was extremely shallow. There were no real obstacles to speak of at the end of the runway, and yet, I was concerned that I was not producing adequate lift to yield a climb. I departed the runway environment no more than 50 feet above the terrain and continued my feeble climb to the north. I made a very shallow right turn, so that I would be close to the airport should I encounter a downdraft (sink) which might render me incapable of maintaining altitude. Once back in the pattern, I felt safe again and began to climb very slowly. With a few hundred feet under me, I felt confident enough to depart the pattern and continue my trip to the Grand Canyon.

This is NOT a departure that a low-time pilot should ever consider. In order to eek out my feeble climb, I had everything optimized. I was configured for a max performance short-field takeoff obstacle climb, meaning that I had two notches of flaps and was climbing out at my best climb speed Vx. I also had leaned the engine to peak RPM just before takeoff. A novice pilot in this situation may not have been proficient in the short-field takeoff procedure and may have forgotten to lean out the engine, since this is only done for high density altitude takeoffs. In that situation, the airplane most assuredly would have been in the trees. Even after taking all of these precautions, the takeoff was really a nailbiter. This was truly the absolute limit of my airplane. Any heaver or any hotter, and this would have been an NTSB report.

As I departed the Flagstaff area, I truly felt at the whim of the atmosphere. My airplane is so underpowered for these higher altitudes, that atmospheric updrafts and downdrafts would prove stronger than my engine and would either push me to higher altitudes, prevent me from climbing, or push me lower. For this reason, I had to rely on my knowledge and skill as a sailplane pilot, as I had before with David Page years ago when we flew this same airplane to 14,000 feet in the Rockies. Several miles to the south of Flagstaff, I encountered a small hill. Knowing the wind direction, I approached this hill on the windward side hoping to catch some orthographic lift as the wind was pushed upward along the ridgeline. I did get a little lift, but when I reached the western end of the ridge, I experienced a strong pocket lift. This was not orthographic lift, this was a much stronger thermal, an updraft caused by heating of the ground below. I dipped my wings to the right and began a tight clockwise circle trying the keep the airplane over the same point on the ground. This is no different than the spiraling turns you may see a hawk perform as it also seeks these thermals for a free ride to higher altitudes. The thermal provided more climb performance than my engine could at this altitude, so I stuck with it, climbing from 7,500 feet all the way up to 10,500 feet. Once there, I leveled the wings and proceeded on my trip to the Grand Canyon. It was at that moment that I was so thankful for all of the years of sailplane flying which had given me the ability to seek out and really work a thermal like that. I thought of my sailplane instructor Jim Norton, and my dearly departed friend Justus Taylor, who had introduced me to sailplanes. I felt Justus's presence and know that he would have relished the opportunity to join me on such an adventure.

As I approached the Grand Canyon airport, the Grand Canyon itself came into view. WOW! Just the day before, I had witnessed the most amazing geological scene I had ever witnessed, Sedona, AZ. Now, the most impressive geological feature in the United States was being revealed to me from 10,500 feet. I was in complete awe at both the size and depth of this feature. A few decades ago, the airspace over the Grand Canyon was modified and there are now many "no-fly" zones in which a small airplane like mine are prohibited. I had reviewed the charts on my computer the night before, but I did not have the special charts you need to navigate over the canyon on board, so I could only see it from a distance and approach the airport. I would cross over sections of the Grand Canyon later on my departure. While an overflight might have been impressive, I must say that the view on the ground from the rim is impressive enough, an awe inspiring vision.

The landing was uneventful. The airport elevation is at 6,600 feet and the density altitude was probably about 9-10,000 feet. This is not an issue for landing, but would again be an important factor for takeoff. I taxied in and was directed to a parking spot. One thing I noticed on the ramp is that there were no underpowered Piper Cherokee's like mine on the ground at the time. There were more powerful turbocharged singles and twins. Hmmm, should have been a good hint, huh? Anyway, the lineman gave me a ride to the terminal and I walked into the office for Grand Canyon Airlines. This is a commercial tour operator, providing aerial tours of the Grand Canyon by airplane. There was also extensive helicopter traffic, more tours. Here, I was able to purchase my pass to the Grand Canyon National Park. With pass in hand, I was able to pick up a shuttle bus to the park itself. After a 25 minute ride, we arrived at the information center where you could connect to any number of other shuttle buses that would take you to various points along the south rim of the park. I asked a young park ranger where the best views of the canyon are and what I should do since I only had a few hours to spend at the park. He indicated that I should take the blue shuttle to the Bright Canyon Lodge, then walk along the rim to the red shuttle. On the red shuttle, he recommended getting off at Pima point and walking to the westernmost portion of the park, Hermit's Rest. I did just that.

I arrived at the Information Center, and from here, one could experience their first view of the Grand Canyon from the rim. A short hike to the rim revealed the magnificent Grand Canyon in all its splendor and glory. As the canyon came into view for me, a tear actually came to me eye. I was overwhelmed with emotion as I first laid eyes on the canyon from this perspective. Such a magnificent sight, and to realize that I brought myself here in my own airplane, flying all the way from NY, I was truly convinced that ANYTHING is possible. You simply need to establish a goal and continually work towards that goal. For this trip, the goal is to visit almost every friend in the country and while that seems overwhelming on the surface, it is indeed achievable, but not in one big step. I am achieving it one flight at a time over two months. It really hit me upon seeing the Grand Canyon that I was achieving a dream. I was seeing people and places I've always wanted to see. My family never did any traveling when I was young, so it was my duty to realize this goal on my own, and I was doing it now at 43 years old. The Grand Canyon was the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my life. If you have never witnessed it for yourself, make it a point to see it and experience the awe and wonder I did at this moment. Do it now!

From here, I took the bus to the Bright Canyon Lodge and walked east to visit the El Tovar Hotel, a magnificent lodge built in 1905 located right on the south rim. Here, I checked in with the concierge to purchase several postcard stamps for postcards I purchased a bit earlier. I then walked west towards the red shuttle which makes its way to Hermit's Rest. There was a long line, because this is a popular route, but luckily two buses arrived and I was the last person on the second bus, so my tour would fit within my time window. Based on the bus driver's recommendation, I stopped at the Abyss along this route to marvel at the sheer drop of 3,000 feet to the Tonto Platform. Also visible from here are several isolated sandstone columns, the largest of which is called the Monument. The stop was well worth it, and I was completely alone here for some time to enjoy the grandeur in silence and solitude.

Soon, another red shuttle pulled in and I boarded it so that I could be taken to Pima Point. From there, I hiked about 1.5 miles to Hermit's rest. It was a beautiful day and a fantastic short hike along the south rim. I found some unique flora an fauna along the way and took some photographs. There weren't too many people hiking the path in the desert heat, but I was glad that I had decided to do it. Upon reaching Hermit's rest, there was a small lodge here which stocked some snack food, so I rewarded myself with a lemonade and a little ice cream before making my way back. Knowing the bus schedules, I had planned it perfectly, such that boarding the bus at Hermit's Rest by 3pm should get me back to the airport by 5pm so that I could continue on to Las Vegas.

On the bus ride back, I used my iPhone to calculate density altitude at the Grand Canyon airport. At 6,600 feet elevation and 84 degrees Fahrenheit, I calculated a density altitude of 9,450 feet, which again broke a record for my flying career. I carefully considered whether I should take off or not, but was able to rely on my experience at Winslow and Flagstaff. There were factors that weighed in my favor, but several were stacked against me. The higher density altitude and the taller trees at the end of the runway were definitely not in my favor. The factors in my favor included: lower weight, having burned off fuel from the flight over from Flagstaff; longer runway (8,999 feet); and having a better feel for the performance (or lack thereof) of my aircraft. I began the takeoff roll and didn't become airborne until about the 3500 foot mark. I again experienced a very shallow climb using my best short field takeoff procedure and with the engine leaned to peak RPM. I was seeing something on the order of 50 ft/min in the climb and at one point considered aborting the takeoff. Finally, I reached the point of no return and continued the feeble climb out of the Grand Canyon airport. As I crossed over the trees at the departure end, the tower had to call out a cell phone tower, which I had to steer left of to remain clear. I was still below the height of that cell phone tower! Finally, I was out of danger and began my climb to 10,000 feet for the trip to Las Vegas. In the process, I crossed a portion of the Grand Canyon and took some amazing photographs.

Approaching Las Vegas over Lake Mead, I was given the following instruction: Navigate direct to the Stratosphere and then direct to North Las Vegas. Well, I guess I could have responded that my airplane can't get anywhere near the stratosphere and that I could only maintain about 10,000 feet. Of course, he meant to navigate directly to the Stratosphere Casino, which is the tallest casino on the strip. It is basically a tower and shows up prominently on the sectional map. Having been to Las Vegas before, I recognized the Stratosphere immediately and visually navigated towards it. Unfortunately, I never did see the Hoover dam when I traversed Lake Mead.

As I descended into the North Las Vegas airport, the air vents began to feel like heat vents as I entered 100+ degree temperatures once again. I taxied up to the self-service fuel pumps and there was Jim Holden waiting for me in his car. He tossed me a cold bottle of water, a most welcome relief after the hot descent. One of the best parts of the legs of my journey is to arrive in a strange place only to have a good friend there waiting for me. Despite a few problems we had with the fuel pumps, we topped off the tanks and taxied the airplane into the tiedown spot for parking. Jim gave me a brief tour of the airport, culminating with a visit to his hangar. His hangar looked as it did in Albany, with the same tools, photos, and his Cessna 182 Skylane. For a moment, I felt like I was back in Albany. Everyone in Albany misses Jim, but I can see from his hangar that he is settled in and here to stay.

Later, we joined his wife Carole and daughter Michele for dinner. It was another amazing day: Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas, all in one day. For the next day, I would explore the strip in Vegas.

Day 29: Portales, NM; Winslow, AZ, Sedona and Flagstaff, AZ

2009-07-03T01:03:00.011-04:00

Day 29: June 28th, Dallas to Flagstaff, AZ. Today would include some of the most challenging flying in my aviation career. Combine thunderstorms and high altitude airports, and you have the recipe for potential disaster. I had to rely on my 11 years of flying experience and knowledge of the weather and high altitudes to safely navigate my way from Dallas, TX to Flagstaff, AZ. Because of the potential for thunderstorms on this day, I needed complete this trip under visual flight rules (VFR). The problem with conducting such a flight in the IFR system is that you must be at a high enough altitude for radar and radio coverage and that most certainly would put me into the clouds. While being in the clouds is not inherently dangerous for the trained IFR pilot, there is danger when convective activity or thunderstorms may be lurking within these clouds. I do not have on board weather radar, so once in the cloud, I must rely on air traffic control alone to help me navigate around thunderstorm cells. Their primary job is keeping aircraft separated, and I can't help but remember a safety video I viewed online in which an IFR pilot navigated right into a thunderstorm cell and experienced an in-flight breakup due to the energy of the storm. I hope not to be featured in the next such video. When I tell people about some of the extreme situations I find myself flying in during this trip, I explain that I always leave myself an out. In this situation, I would always keep a potential landing site in mind so that I could turn around at any moment to land and reevaluate.

You can ask my host Susan, I was a bit worried about the weather the night before as I labored over the computer looking for a good potential route. The forecasts called for thunderstorms along my route of flight, but the radar indicated that these would be scattered and that I should be able to visually navigate around them. My intended route was through the Texas panhandle into Portales, NM along the New Mexico / Texas border. This was to be a perfect fuel stop since it was at the halfway point and the fuel price was quite reasonable. A quick look at the forecasts in the morning and at the current conditions and George and Susan brought me to the Northwest Regional airport. I decided that an early departure would be best, since the thunderstorm potentials increased as the day progressed, so I got up at 6am. I knew that as long as I could get through the panhandle and New Mexico early enough, I would minimize my exposure to the thunderstorms before they got the chance to feed on the sun's energy. Once I reached the Arizona / New Mexico border, I would be in the clear.

I had mentioned this plan to George the evening before, but Susan was asleep and didn't know of my early morning departure. Once I woke up and showered, I told George that I was ready at about 7am. He woke Susan up and she decided to come along, so she quickly woke up and prepared to leave with us. I can tell you that I didn't earn any brownie points for this short notice, but she understood that as a pilot, I had to go when the weather dictated.

Once we arrived at the Northwest Regional airport in Dallas, I preflighted the airplane and packed my bags on board. George and Susan bid me farewell and waited by the truck to wave goodbye as I took off. Once airborne, I rocked my wings goodbye and I was off for Arizona, or so I thought. I quickly called up Dallas approach to request air traffic control services. It was at that moment that I realized that I could not find my cell phone. I panicked! My iPhone has been a critical component throughout this trip, as I am able to keep my website up to date, check my email, and check the weather no matter where I am. Also, all of my phone numbers and addresses were stored on the phone. I told Dallas approach that I would need to return to the field and quickly made a 180 degree turn. While returning to the field, I tried to determine what I should do, because I knew that George and Susan had probably already left and I neither had their phone number, nor a phone to call from! This was a real problem. I approached the airport anyway, and my mind reeled as I tried to come up with ideas to retrieve the cellphone. Just as I lined up for final on the opposite runway, I saw a pickup truck driving down the road near the airport. Luckily, it was George and Susan and they stopped on the road once they spotted me and began waving. I broke off my approach and quickly circled overhead the truck at a low altitude and tried to wave them back to the airport. I landed, and thankfully, they had gotten the message and returned in the truck. I felt incredibly lucky. I hopped out of the airplane and opened the back door to their truck where my cell phone sat. On the flight out to the airport, I had used the phone to call flight service to receive a weather briefing and in my haste to get started, I left it resting on the back seat. I was incredibly lucky to have seen them on the road and quickly retrieved the phone.

I hopped back in the plane and took off, once again rocking my wings goodbye to Susan and George. What a story we would all have to tell about the lost cell phone. I called up air traffic control, and they remembered me from the previous launch attempt and began providing services. The plan was to navigate VFR to Portales and steer clear of the scattered thunderstorms that may await. This route was relatively uneventful, but I deviated to the North to steer clear of building rain showers, utilizing a valuable resource available to pilots for many decades, Flight Watch. This service involves a trained weather briefer who can provide real-time updates concerning the ever-changing weather situation. Portales was in the clear and I was able to land and refuel there.

The next segment of the flight would be the most challenging VFR flight segment I have ever flown. My goal was to fly from Portales, NM to Socorro, NM and then onto Winslow, AZ. This route was established based on looking at a radar image on the ground in Portales. I had been relying on Flight Watch on the frequency 122.0 to provide me with weather updates since I did not have an on board weather device to be able to view the radar. I really must commend Flight Watch for not only providing me with accurate and up to date weather, but also for their recommendations concerning deviations, keeping me out of the worst of it. During this phase of flight, I did encounter a stretch where I was pushed lower and lower due to the cloud cover. At one point, I was skimming along the desert at 500 feet. The desert was relatively flat, but there were terrain features I had to be mindful of. While it may sound like I was flirting with danger, I always maintained an exit strategy. I would push ahead, always being certain that the path to the airport behind me was good. There was one point where I had considered turning around, but even though I was low, I could see well ahead of me across the flat desert floor. There were a few bumps I had to navigate around, but finally, the ceiling lifted, and I was able to climb again.

At one point, I had a rather large cell on my left side, and I could see cloud to ground lightning. This was a little unsettling, but I kept a good distance away from it, and the path ahead and to my right was good. Also, I was only about 10 miles outside of Socorro when I noticed two rain shafts developing ahead of me both to the left and right. Between them was a clear spot where I could still see the city ahead. I was navigating for this opening, when the showers merged and became an impenetrable line of heavy rain. It was amazing to see weather develop right before my very eyes. I turned to the north and contacted Flight Watch again for some guidance. They could see the showers I had just encountered as well as other storms ahead, but they gave me a routing that they thought should keep me in the clear. Indeed, their route worked flawlessly and kept me to the North of the worst weather. As I crossed into Arizona, I breathed a sigh of relief because I knew that good weather was ahead. The skies cleared and nothing but Arizona sunshine awaited me.

Years ago, as my friend Pete and I listened to the Eagles song "Take It Easy", we talked about buying Harleys and riding them out to Winslow, AZ so that we could stand on a corner. The thought stuck with me and I knew that I had to make Winslow a stop on this trip. I landed at the Winslow airport and despite having a staffed FBO, I was one of only two airplanes at the entire airport. This was a harbinger of what I later encountered in town. Luckily, the FBO had a crew car that I could borrow. It was an early 80's station wagon that just barely ran, but it was good basic transportation.

Just about the only thing you can do in Winslow is visit "Standin' on a Corner" park, which a consortium of businessman developed in 1999. In paying homage to the song that put Winslow on the map, this park features a two story brick facade with a mural depicting a girl in a flatbed Ford slowing doing to take a look at me. It also features a bronze statue of a 1970's man standin' on a corner, leaning up against a lamppost. Several tourists stopped by and I had one take my picture and served as photographer for a while, taking other folks' photos to commemorate their visit to this famous spot. After entering some of the souvenir shops located at this corner, I realized that I was on historic Route 66! I bought a Route 66 mug.

I asked the locals where the best place to have lunch is, and each time, they looked at the clock. Well, it wasn't 5pm yet, so that actually couldn't recommend a place. The only place that serves decent food is the La Posada Inn, and their kitchen doesn't open until 5pm. I didn't have time to wait, so I drove towards the interstate where I found a Denny's. I took half of my tuna melt with me and headed back to the airport.

Upon takeoff, I got to experience the next big challenge of my trip: Density Altitude. This can be just as deadly as a thunderstorm if you don't understand it and don't follow procedure. First, let me explain what Density Altitude is and how it is calculated. It is computed by taking your actual altitude and factoring in the effects of temperature and pressure. For aviation, the standard pressure is 29.92 inches of mercury and the standard temperature is 15 degrees C or 59 degrees F. When the pressure is lower and/or the temperature is greater, there are less air molecules present at any given altitude, and to the airplane, it feels as if it is actually at a higher altitude than actual. The higher the altitude, the less air molecules. Less air means less oxygen and power for the engine and less lift for the wings. So, the higher you go, the less performance an airplane has. Finally, you reach an altitude called the service ceiling in which the airplane will no longer produce a sufficient climb. You have reached the limit of that particular airplane. I can tell you that in the high desert, I reached the absolute limit of my airplane. At high density altitudes, the airplane demonstrates a very anemic climb profile. It may just barely climb. This means that you could take off out of a high elevation airport and skim along the surface at 100 feet for over a mile before gaining any significant altitude. It is this shallow takeoff performance that presents danger.

The Winslow airport is at 4941 feet, the highest airport I had dealt with throughout the trip to date. In the hot desert sun, however, the density altitude was about 8000 feet, a place where my aircraft's performance is not that great. You don't really notice it on landing, because gravity is doing all the work in terms of negative altitude change. You sit up and take notice when you takeoff in these conditions, however. Despite having a lengthy 7000 foot runway, I noted a very shallow climb profile and wondered when I was going to gain some altitude. I wasn't worried though because I took off over a relatively flat desert floor, so there was nothing to hit, and i could have landed on the desert floor easily if there was an issue. I finally was able to pick up some altitude and made my way to 10,500 feet. My airplane was woefully underpowered in this high, hot desert, but there were no real obstacles to speak of until I got closer to Sedona. There was, however, I very interesting geological feature.

This was a feature I had planned to see, but actually forgot about as I was departing Winslow. Luckily, I caught it out of the corner of my eye and flew over to have a closeup look. This was Meteor Crater. This crater was formed 50,000 years ago by a meteorite that was only 50 yards across striking the earth at almost 30,000 miles per hour! The crater is about a mile across and over 500 feet deep and is privately owned. I wouldn't have wanted to be around when that rock fell out of the sky! Its a darn good thing I didn't fly into the crater for a closer look. This from Wikipedia: "On August 8, 1964, a pair of commercial pilots in a Cessna 150 flew into the crater for a closer look but were unable to climb out due to downdrafts. They ended up circling the interior until their fuel was exhausted and crash-landed. They survived their ordeal and a small portion of the wreckage not removed from the crash site remains visible to this day."

Many of my pilot friends told me that I absolutely had to land at the Sedona airport, and I immediately understood why once I pulled into the area. Sedona is this beautiful town that lives in the shadow of tall red rock formations. In the center of town is a huge mesa whereupon the airport sits. It is an absolutely stunning site and was the most amazing geological and aviation site I had ever seen! Since Sedona was not my final destination, I made the wise decision not to land there. Instead, I took in its beauty from 10,500 feet. I knew that had I descended into Sedona, I would have only had to fight my way back to the precious altitude I had fought so hard to achieve. I would circle the Sedona airport at altitude and then turn to the north to reach my final destination for the day: Flagstaff, AZ. This would end a 9+ hour flying day. I was absolutely exhausted and my body ached from sitting in the cramped cockpit all day long.

The FBO in Flagstaff called a cab which brought me into downtown Flagstaff to a place called the DeBeau Hostel. I had done my research online and there were two hostels: DeBeau and the Grand Canyon Hostel. I don't know why I decided on this one, but I made the right choice. DeBeau was very clean and maintained an extremely friendly atmosphere. I knew it was perfect for me the moment I walked in the door. Yes, you can save a lot of money staying at a hostel if you don't mind bunking in dormitory-style rooming, but I can't tell you how many interesting folks I meet at a place like this. For $20 / night, you get a place to sleep, free Internet, a full shared kitchen, a nice living room area to relax in, and plenty of unique and friendly people to talk to, many of which are young travelers from all over the world! After signing in at the front desk, I was immediately invited to join in on a barbecue party and was served hotdogs and hamburgers. A group of school kids from Virginia were there and their chaperones announced to the kids that I was flying around the entire US. The kids thought that was pretty amazing and began asking questions. Next, the hostel staff began bringing out salads, corn, and more burgers and dogs and had a barbecue of their own. I was fed quite well, a welcome surprise after such a long and arduous day of flying.

Finally, the school group was winding down in the game room and I began showing them some card tricks. The look of astonishment on their faces demonstrated that I was really pulling off my illusions successfully. Normally, I won't repeat a trick, because if you do it a number of times, someone will ultimately catch on and destroy the wonder, but each kid wanted me to do a few particular tricks for them, so I ended up doing the tricks over and over and they worked every time. They were thrilled to be entertained and I was happy to share my magic with them. My only problem was exhaustion. I began the day at 6am, and had flown 865 miles in one day!! I could barely stand after I completed the card tricks, so I sat down with my computer for a while and headed off to bed. The next day would present more density altitude challenges and I would experience one of most awe inspiring moments of my entire life: my first glimpse at the Grand Canyon!

Day 27 & 28: Dallas, TX - Shootout at the O.K. Corral

2009-07-02T19:44:00.005-04:00

Day 27 & 28: June 26th and 27th, Dallas, TX. On these two days, I would have the opportunity to reconnect with a good friend and former classmate at RPI. We were roommates from 1986-1988 and hadn't seen each other in over a decade. Scott Lowden is originally from North Carolina and we use to refer to him as Rapper, not because he was into rap music, but because he loved to rap or just talk about anything and everything. The nickname rings true to this day, and I always enjoy hearing what Scott has to say. When at RPI, he was in the Navy's ROTC program, and went into active service immediately after graduation. He told me that few are given orders so soon, but he ended up being called to his ship days after receiving his diploma and began his Navy career. After serving in the Navy, he found his calling in computers and has worked for SAP, a large software company based in Germany that develops corporate business solutions for Fortune 500 companies. This company was founded in Mannheim, Germany by five former IBM employees back in 1972. Today, they are the third largest independent software vendor with over 12 million users. Scott has moved up the ranks and is now in charge of government sales, meaning that he ends up flying to Washington, DC often.

I spent the 26th visiting Scott at his home in Flower Mound, TX. The moment I asked Scott how the city got its name, we just happened to be driving by the actual flower mound. Scott described its origins, and Wikipedia explains it as follows: "The town derives its name from the prominent 12.5-acre mound located in the southern portion of the town which is covered by wild flowers. The most widely accepted explanation for the mound is that it was a sacred ceremonial ground of Wichita Indians in the early 1800s. Though surrounded by commercial and residential development, the mound is privately owned so as to be protected from further development."

I met Scott's lovely wife Carol and their two children Hope and Emily. The kids arrived back from the pool with a friend and I proceeded to dazzle them with magic tricks. It turned out that they had some magic tricks of their own to show me! Since they were fellow magicians, I shared some of my secrets. Scott and I then went out to pick up some takeout. That's right, you guessed it: Tex/Mex! Here, Scott and I enjoyed a beverage at the bar while we waited for our order.

On the 27th, Scott had scheduled some time at the DFW Gun range in Dallas. He is an avid shooter, something I remember from college. An amusing story I recall from that period is when Scott purchased a shotgun and decided to saw off part of the barrel. It was sawed just above the legal length, but it was a rough cut. I actually kept the portion he sawed off as a souvenir and still have it to this day. When Scott opened his gun safe to show me his arsenal, there was the shotgun. He had a variety of guns, but the most striking were two guns that would be illegal in New York: a fully automatic Mac 10 machine gun and a .223 machine gun. The federal ban on fully automatic weapons had been lifted, but not in New York state. Scott is very well versed in the law and obtained all of the appropriate permits and certificates needed to possess such weapons. Of note was the $200 federal stamp that must appear on the documentation. It looks like a postage stamp, but is federally issued for this purpose. The history of the $200 goes all the way back to the days of the Tommy gun. In order to make it more difficult to obtain these guns, the Federal government imposed this $200 tax, which was very expensive at the time. They have never raised the fee.

We spent the afternoon target shooting both with the fully automatic guns and several handguns that Scott brought along. My favorite handgun was his Beretta. Not having shot in quite some time, I was actually very pleased my accuracy at 10 and 15 yards. I had some very good groupings. I had a good instructor back in New York who taught my the sight picture, body posture, breathing, and how to pull the trigger. He said that pulling the trigger should not be a jerky motion but very smooth. The actual firing of the gun should almost be a surprise. I was shooting the handguns with just one hand and naturally there will be a little motion or swaying, but if you wait and fire at that moment when the site picture is correct, you can shoot very accurately. We had a lot fun at the gun range and Scott enjoyed our time together because he doesn't often find the time to go shooting.

Here are some Quicktime movies of Scott and I shooting the fully automatic Mac 10:
Scott movie
Joel movie

Upon returning to the car, I was reminded that I was in the south, where I had experienced 100 degree temperatures since Miami. The digital thermometer in his car read 105 degrees! Northerners like me are just not used to this oppressive heat. I was counting the days when I would begin my journey northbound towards cooler weather.

It was truly great to see Scott. As is the case with many of the people I am visiting on this trip, it had been many years since we had last seen each other, so there was much catching up to do. You learn about all the new things in each other's lives, but realize that deep down we are the same people we were 20 years ago. Reconnecting, it is almost as if that time never passed. You end up just picking up where you left off, and that's what I am enjoying most about this trip. By reconnecting with an old friend like Scott, I've bridged the gap of a decade of silence and reinvigorated a friendship, something I place a very high value on.

About 7 years ago, I suffered from some serious health problems. While not a physical ailment, I suffered from a debilitating anxiety condition which some would refer to as a "nervous breakdown". I couldn't work or drive at the time and it felt like I would never get better. At that moment in my life, I truly had an epiphany. I realized that my priorities were misaligned and that this was what had led me to my nadir. In an instant, I set out my new priorities: #1 - Health, #2 - Friends and Family, #3 - Everything else. I am not defined by my career or how much money I make. My happiness is derived through the relationships I maintain with my amazing network of friends and family. I treasure my connection to them, and herein lies the purpose of this trip, to rekindle old friendships and strengthen those that have been ongoing. None of this is possible with priority #1 which is my own health. Having lost that for a while, I can safely say that without that, none of the other priorities are possible and true happiness is more difficult to accomplish. It amazes me how many have not discovered these three simple priorities and end up chasing the dollar instead, sacrificing the more important aspects of life - health and relationships.

Day 26: Dallas, TX

2009-07-02T17:55:00.008-04:00

Day 26: June 25th, Dallas: Today, my gracious hosts George and Susan Smith would take me around to see some of the sites. Unfortunately, the day was to again peak over 100 degrees, which is unusual for Dallas this early in the summer. George and Susan had the perfect solution: head to the Gaylord Texan. There are only four Gaylord hotels in the United States: Opryland, Orlando, Dallas, and DC. They are known for their opulence and grandiose scale. Their tagline is "Everything in One Place", and this was indeed the case for the Gaylord Texan. Not only do they have hotel rooms, restaurants, clubs, and shopping all under one roof, they present the whole state of Texas to you as well in lifesize diorama. Each portion of the hotel represents a different part of Texas, which saves you from having to visit every corner of this enormous state. Here, you will find a lifesize replica of the Alamo, an operating cafe at the edge of San Anonio's Riverwalk, and many other representations of the best Texas has to offer.

Immediately, as you enter the compound, you can tell that something amazing awaits. Everything is bigger in Texas. As we entered, the first thing I noticed was that it appeared I was looking through a darkened dining area into a huge sunlit atrium. I thought that would be wonderful, except for the fact that it was over 100 degrees outside. Well, the atrium isn't really outdoors, although it is fully bathed in sunlight. An enormous glass ceiling allows sunlight to flow in, but keeps everyone chilled in air conditioned comfort. This is a pretty amazing engineering feat and would allow us to explore Texas and stay cool. One of the first structures you see upon entering this enclosed atrium is the facade of the Alamo. It is a full-sized replica, representing every detail of the crumbling stone that comprises the top of the wall. Here, you can see Raymond, George, Susan, and I posing in front of the Alamo. It sure beats being out in the scorching sun at the real Alamo. OK, perhaps I'd like to visit the real deal someday, but not when it is over 100 degrees!

Next, we headed to San Antonio's Riverwalk. Here, they have reproduced an outdoor cafe along the river, but once again, you are actually inside of a full enclosed structure, keeping the environment at a cozy 75 degrees. I was told that the temperature at the actual Riverwalk is unbearable at this time of year. Thank god for the Gaylord and their ability to pay their air conditioning bill.

One of the owners of the Gaylord must be a train enthusiast, because the hotel is lined with model train tracks running through very realistic towns and scenery. One little item I noted was a man whitewashing a billboard in miniature. His arm was moving up and down with a roller running along the billboard. Model cars and miniature restaurants and stores lined the city streets as the train cars whisked along, some puffing smoke.

What visit to Texas would be complete without your picture next to a longhorn steer. This steer was preserved from the dinner table so that visitors to the Gaylord could pose and have their picture taken with him. Well, actually, this steer was so well preserved that he didn't actually MOOOOOOve.

In order to be a real Texas cowboy, one has to procure some cowboy boots and a big old Stetson. I really started getting in to the Texas spirit here, until I saw the Texas-sized price tags. But I looked good as a cowboy, good enough that a sketch artist put together a wonderful caricature of me flying my plane over Texas.

I was impressed, as the likeness is stunning. I'll treasure that sketch as a memento of my visit to Texas. Unfortunately, it got left behind in a mailing tube, but Susan is sending it back to Albany for me.

After visiting the Gaylord, the next stop was La Hacienda Ranch for some good old Tex/Mex. I swear, that's all anybody eats down there! Before you are seated, your cardiac health is put to the test as you must endure an attack by a large bear at the front door.
Inside, it is all Texas. Some of the bar stools are actually saddles!! Too many drinks and you are liable to get saddle sores. You can eat in the main dining room, or if you prefer, in the trophy room, which is lined with the taxidermist's best mounts. We enjoyed a fajita for 4 dish that provided almost double the food we would eat that evening. The leftovers would be a meal in itself for the next day.

The Smith's were wonderful hosts and truly made me feel at home. I would end up spending a few nights at their house in Keller, TX. The next day, however, it was time to connect with a friend from RPI, Scott Lowden. We hadn't seen each other in many years, but we each looked forward to reconnecting.

Day 25: Austin and Dallas, TX

2009-07-01T13:47:00.011-04:00

Day 25: June 24th, Austin and Dallas, TX. Firstly, I want to mention that I am doing my best to catch up on the blog. I am several days behind, but I am making other things a priority, such as spending time with friends and carefully planning my flights. Also, I want to thank everyone who has been sending me emails about my health. I am now feeling much better and have gotten past whatever sickness was getting in the way of the trip. Sure, I'm exhausted on some days, because sometimes I fly 9 hours in a day, but I'm otherwise feeling great now.

On this morning, I tried to get a relatively early start, but I knew that my friend in Austin would be working until the late afternoon and the weather would not be a factor, so I didn't have to rush out at 7am. The cab came to the hostel where I was staying and took me to the Lakefront airport in New Orleans. I had already fueled up a few days earlier, so I would only need to preflight, hop in the airplane, and activate my IFR flight plan. I had filed to land at Lakeway Airpark, a public-use airpark lined with private homes on the southern shoreline of Lake Travis in Austin, TX. It was to be about a 4 hour flight. I believe I planned well, in terms of the departure time. I didn't want to depart too early, otherwise, I would be left waiting at Lakeway in Austin; however, I didn't want to leave New Orleans too late, because the temperature would be soaring to over 100 degrees. I left at about 10am, when the temperature was just a chilly 90 degrees. Before departing, I went back into the FBO in New Orleans and used their phenomenal pilot briefing room. They had 4 computer workstations, each with huge widescreen monitors. The computers were very fast, which made planning a breeze. Also, they had a laser printer, where I could print out the approach plates and STARs (Standard Terminal ARrival procedures) that I would need.

I have been using the powerful flight planning tools at FltPlan.com and because of this, I seem to be able to nail the preferred IFR routing. I usually get an "As Filed" clearance, which is very convenient. If they give you a new reroute, you have to reprogram the GPS, look up the new navaids, and replan your route in the air when you possibly could be trying to concentrate on flying in instrument conditions (in the clouds). For this flight, the routing took me south of Lafayette and Lake Charles, LA and then over Beaumont and near Houston, TX. I did indeed receive the "As Filed" clearance because I had seen other pilots get this routing, however, I got rerouted just before approaching Houston. For some reason, controllers seemed to have lost my flight plan as I crossed into the great state of Texas. They asked me if I was IFR and who had given me this routing. I explained to them that I had filed IFR and received my clearance in New Orleans. They next rerouted me to the north of Houston, explaining to me that I was not allowed to fly over Houston for some reason. There were no restrictions on the map, nor was I briefed about any temporary flight restrictions there, but, nonetheless, controllers did not want me flying over Houston.

I passed by Austin's International airport and located the Lakeway Airpark along the southern shoreline of Lake Travis. As I entered the traffic pattern, I could see that this public-use airport was lined with private homes on either side, each one with their own hangar with taxiways that led to the runway. Each home there is clearly a pilot's dream house. After landing, I taxied in to the self-service fuel pump and filled my tank. It was over 100 degrees on the ground and the black tarmac served as a thermal radiator making it feel even hotter. Sweat was dripping off my forehead as I fueled the airplane and pushed it into position at a tiedown spot. Next, I was hoping to cool off at the FBO, but the only problem was that there was no FBO here, only a private clubhouse. You could sit in the shade just in front of the clubhouse, but the door indicated that it was for Members Only and you needed a code to enter. I was really suffering in the heat and needed to cool off, so I walked up to an enormous mansion with an enormous hangar which housed an enormous Malibu airplane. I explained my situation to the owner and he graciously gave me the code to the door and offered me some cold soda. I sat in the clubhouse for a few hours waiting for an old friend from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to arrive with his son. Interestingly enough, once in the private clubhouse, I read a note on the inside of the door which admonished members to never give out the code. In this 100 degree heat, I was sure that someone would have a little compassion and override that rule.

Kevin Keller pulled in and we were off to a well-known Austin favorite right on Lake Travis, the Oasis! It is a very eclectic restaurant replete with the style of off-beat and avant garde art and architecture that Austin is known for. There, I found my new aircraft, the Oasis spaceship. I'm not sure this craft is airworthy, but it makes for a nice conversation piece. This was my first time in Texas and I proceeded to dine on Tex/Mex, the first of many such meals. I drank lots of fluids to overcome my dehydration and we took in the view of Lake Travis. Kevin and I were able to catch up and I noted how interesting it was that even after not seeing a person for 20 years, one is able to quickly pick up where you left off, as if 20 years was a few months.

Kevin returned me to the airport, and I was on to my next stop, Northwest Regional airport in Dallas, TX. I again had an IFR flight plan, which greatly simplifies navigating complicated airspace like Dallas's Class B airspace. Once you've determined your routing, you follow Air Traffic Control's lead and don't necessarily have to worry about the boundaries of different kinds of airspace. I landed at Northwest Regional at sunset and caught this beautiful photograph just before touchdown. I taxied up to the self-service fuel pump and could see a pickup truck driving towards me. I flashed my lights as Susan Smith, her husband George, and her son Raymond welcomed me to Dallas, TX! Despite being late in the day, it was still quite hot, so sweat was dripping from my forehead as we pushed the airplane into its parking spot, drove tiedown stakes into the grass, and put the cover on the airplane. I was so happy to hop in their air conditioned pickup and head back to their house for a little rest and relaxation. The Smith's were very gracious hosts and made me feel right at home. I would spend the next several days with them and later, I would connect with another old friend from RPI, Scott Lowden.

Day 23/24: New Orleans

2009-06-27T14:20:00.010-04:00

Day 23/24: June 22/23, New Orleans. This was to be a full day at the office at 6000 feet. I departed Kendall/Tamiami at about 11:30am. I had filed an IFR flight plan, so I was flying the prescribed route north towards the Lakeland area then up into the Tallahassee area, landing at Quincy Municipal (2J9) where the fuel was priced at a reasonable $3.46/gallon. For the most part, I was comfortable during this flight at 6000 feet. Still, it was 80 degrees at altitude. As I descended into Quincy, I watched the thermometer steadily rise, until it reached an even 100 degrees when I got on the ground. Fueling up at 100 degrees on a hot airport tarmac is something I hadn't really thought about when I originally planned this trip, but with sweat dripping down my face, I got the plane tanked up. I also noticed something on this leg of the trip that was a bit disturbing. It had taken me just shy of four and a half hours to reach Quincy, which should have left me a comfortable 1+ hour fuel reserve, had my fuel burn estimates been accurate. I was expecting a fuel burn of 8.5 gallons per hour, but for some reason, I am burning 9.8 gallons per hour, even with the engine leaned out properly. This is 15% more than expected, and for this leg of the trip, I was only left with 5 gallons, or 1/2 hr of fuel. Clearly, I will be using the much more conservative estimate of 10 gallons per hour when making fuel calculations. At least I didn't have to figure it out the hard way! I will speak with my mechanic about why this may be happening. I know that flying on my old engine, I did a 5 hour leg once with fuel to spare.

From Quincy, I departed in the 100 degree heat, keeping in mind the density altitude, and continued on to New Orleans. I passed cities with familiar names: Pensacola, FL; Mobile, AL; Biloxi, MS; Gulfport, MS; and then finally pulled into New Orleans along Lake Ponchatrain. It is an enormous lake, and I can only imagine the swells from Katrina that put the city of New Orleans under water. I lined up on runway 18R from over the lake so that I could test my newly repaired VOR/Localizer receiver. Interestingly enough, the tower at the Lakefront airport closes early, so I was on my own. As I lined up with the Instrument Landing System (ILS), I noticed that the localizer needle for the repaired radio 1 was off by several degrees, while the needle was lined up perfectly for radio 2. I contacted the avionics shop back in Lakeland and they assured me that they had tested this on the ground and that it lined up properly. I will have to look into this further.

There are several FBOs on the field, but I had contacted Flightline First while still in the air. Their self-serve fuel pump had the cheapest fuel on the field: $3.99/gallon. After taxiing in, a lineman who was anticipating my arrival marshaled me over to the fuel pump. After fueling, I had considered whether I wanted to ride my bike into town, but abandoned that idea since it was hot, I was exhausted from 8 hours of flying, and I might have to bike through some bad sections of town. The FBO called me a cab.

The cabdriver brought me to my lodging, the India House. This was a youth hostel, and I always look for places like this when I'm alone and don't want to drop $100 / night on a hotel room. It's communal living: you get a bunk bed in a dormitory style room, there's a communal kitchen, shared bathroom facilities, etc. I was there to experience the nightlife of New Orleans, not the grandeur of an expensive hotel room. Besides costing only $20/night, which is quite amazing, I love meeting folks who come to stay at a place like this. For this particular hostel, they generally tended towards the hippie side of life. Usually, you run into international travelers from all over the world. I usually meet a lot of interesting people from the UK, Russia, Australia, and elsewhere. They are typically in their 20's or early 30's, but you also meet people who are my age and older.

To get into town and experience the nightlife, you simply hop on the Canal St. Trolley. For $1.25, the trolley brings you right to Bourbon St. where all the action is. For the first night, I walked Bourbon Street and tried to remember some of the places that Ed Haddad and I had been to several years before. There's the Bourbon Cowboy, complete with a mechanical bull, the Tropical Isle, the Cat's Meow karaoke bar, and a handful of strip joints. My all time favorite place to visit is the Funky Pirate. Ed & I were turned on the Funky Pirate over 7 years ago when we visited New Orleans. Our cab driver told us that we needed to go see Big Al Carson who puts on the best show on Bourbon Street. I've been up and down Bourbon Street and it is the truth, so on my first night there, I checked in at the Funky Pirate. Unfortunately, it was a Monday night and Big Al plays from Tuesday through Saturday. An employee there gave me a great recommendation for food, he said, walk a block off Bourbon Street and have some gumbo at the Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro. I took him up on this recommendation, and it made for a fantastic and inexpensive meal. I told him that I would be back the next day to see Big Al perform at 8:30pm.

I spent Tuesday in the air conditioned comfort of the India House watching TV and working on my computer. I didn't dare venture out in the 100+ degree weather. The proprietor told me of a great Louisiana swamp tour where you would see alligators and the like, but I couldn't imagine sweltering on a boat out in the bayou in this heat. I waited for things to cool down, took the trolley to Bourbon Street, and headed straight to the Funky Pirate to see Big Al. Not only is Big Al an amazing singer, he is truly a performer. He loves to interact with the audience and especially loves to embarrass the ladies by turning on his charm, much to the chagrin of their boyfriends. You really have to see it to believe it, but it is both hilarious and charming to watch this 500 pound behemoth of man come on to the ladies. He's got it down to a science. Pictured here is little me and Big Al. I am dwarfed by comparison. I enjoyed his show thoroughly, but had to head back since I would be taking off for Austin and Dallas the next morning. A quick trolley ride back to the India House and I was off to bed by midnight, which is considered very early by New Orleans standards. There was only 1 other person in the dorm room at that time, but it would fill up later in the morning as people came back from a night of partying. Everyone here was very respectful and did their best not to wake anybody up!

The next day would be another scorcher, so I would need to get up early and begin my trip into Texas. I have never been to Texas before, so this would be a first for me!

Day 22: Miami, FL

2009-06-25T15:41:00.005-04:00

Day 22: June 21st, Miami, FL. On this morning, George, Abigail, and I drove to the Bartow airport outside of Lakeland. George and Abigail had some work to do on their airplane, which is hangared here. My airplane was sitting in front of the Custom Avionics shop. Despite having my transponder and VOR receivers checked out thoroughly before I left, I noticed that VOR #1 was about 30-40 degrees off and was therefore unusable for navigation. Custom Avionics in Lakeland was able to tighten a loose resolver and recalibrate everything so that it is now usable. I preflighted, picked up my IFR clearance to Miami and departed Lakeland, waving goodbye to George and Abigail as I started my takeoff roll at about 10 am. I arrived at Miami's Kendall/Tamiami airport just before noontime.

I was in Miami to visit with my friend Eduardo Saravia and his family. Eduardo has just returned from Santiago that morning and he was pretty exhausted, so after landing, I sat in the FBO for a while finishing some computer work. He arrived and brought me back to his house in Miami. There, his daughter Andrea and her husband Diego were grilling up a Father's Day lunch for Eduardo. It was nice to see Andrea again. The last time I saw her was in 2002 when I flew down with Ed Haddad. Her brother Nicholas was also there. Her brother Francisco was still in Troy, NY finishing up summer classes at Hudson Valley Community College. Interestingly enough, Francisco was my student last semester for Calculus I.

That evening, Eduardo, Andrea, Diego, and I went to Miami Beach. We drove along South Beach, past all of the swanky nightclubs and Versace's house. We then went to a more toned-down section of town called Lincoln Rd. It is an outdoor mall, featuring a variety of shops and restaurants. We ate at Pizza Rustica, and, not surprisingly, ordered their signature dish, a pizza rustica. It was excellent. It was getting late, and we were all a bit tired, so we headed back to the house and went to bed. I made my ritual visit to http://fltplan.com/ to prepare flight plans for the next day. There was a lot of flying in my future, a bit more than I actually anticipated.

Day 21: Lakeland, FL

2009-06-25T14:23:00.012-04:00

Day 21: June 20th, Lakeland, FL. This will be a short blog entry, since I did very little on this day. My intention was to fly to Key West, spend a night, and then connect with my friend in Miami on the 21st, since he would be arriving back from Santiago, Chile on that day. Unfortunately, my health made other plans for me.

On the way home from Disney, my dry cough flared up again, and it seemed like I was having this problem each night, starting around 9pm. I would cough so much, I had trouble getting a sentence out. Walking around Disney all day in the heat was starting to take its toll. When I woke up on the 20th, I felt awful. To top things off, the conjunctivitis that had improved earlier returned in my left eye. This had gone on too long; it was time for a doctor. I connected with my local doctor in Albany and he was able to prescribe antibiotics, eyedrops, and an inhaler for the dry cough. For most of the day, I tried to recuperate while George and Abigail went to the Bartow airport to work on their airplane and show it to a perspective buyer. Finally, I headed to the pharmacy to pick up the prescriptions and to get a haircut.

I started in on the meds, and began feeling better. Any residual of the sore throat I had was eliminated immediately, which was a good sign. It seemed like the antibiotics were working, so hopefully, this would lead me down the path towards recovery. I first got this dry cough on Nantucket, and that was 18 days prior! A trip like this can take its toll, but I had to make my health the number one priority.

During the day, I received a twitter message from the local Lakeland newspaper, The Ledger. Somehow, they had tapped into my twitter feed and thought my flight would make a good story. I spoke with the reporter at length, describing the trip, explaining why I was undertaking such a journey and what kind of planning goes into a trip like this. The article was published in The Ledger on the next day. See http://is.gd/19bos .. Lakeland is a very religious town which a church at every corner, so I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised when the comments about the article on the newspaper's website took on religious overtones.

We ordered pizza for dinner and I planned my flight to Miami for the next day. One thing that George convinced me to use for flight planning was the website http://fltplan.com/ I had an account at the site already, but had not really used it because I thought it was overly complicated. It is very comprehensive, but it covers just about everything in terms of planning an IFR flight. In the past, I would have to reference several sites to plan my flight. First, I would use http://flightaware.com/ to see what preferred routings ATC was giving pilots between my origin and destination. Next, I used http://duats.com/ to estimate time enroute using the winds aloft forecast. After that, I would map the route using http://skyvector.com/. And, finally, I would come back to http://duats.com/ and file an IFR flight plan. Fltplan.com does all of that for me. It is also very easily accessible from my cell phone, so filing and changing flight plans is a snap when I'm away from a computer. This really comes in handy later when I'm in Austin.

Day 20: I'm goin' to Dinsey World!

2009-06-21T12:29:00.040-04:00

Day 20: June 19th, Orlando, FL - Disney World. Ever since I was young, I'd always heard stories from my friends about their visits to Disney. Even as an adult, I hear from adult friends about their visits to Disney with their own kids, nieces, or nephews. Yes, I guess that I felt like I was missing something having never been to Disney, and it lived up to all the hype. Since I only had one day, we had to choose just one of the Disney parks. There is the original park (The Magic Kingdom), EPCOT Center, Typhoon Lagoon, Animal Kingdom Park, Disney Hollywood Studios, and Blizzard Beach. Clearly, EPCOT Center was the right place for me. Thankfully, Matthew is a seasoned veteran and knew just where to go and what to do. After parking, we rushed to the Soarin' attraction and obtained a Fast Pass which is a reservation to board the ride at a later time, avoiding the 70-90 minute wait. Before this however , there was the obligatory photo in front of EPCOT's icon attraction, the Spaceship Earth dome. Next, we checked out the Ellen Degeneres / Bill Nye Universe of Energy exhibit. The Disney folks are absolute experts at moving people and cuing people up in a way that you don't realize how long the wait will be. For this attraction, they pile you into a huge ante-room with five huge screens and Ellen (not in person) introduces the ride. It's all about energy and where it comes from - fossil fuel, solar, wind, etc. Next, the doors open and we enter the main theater and sit down in theater style seating. We are facing a curtain, but I noticed that there were large screens behind us. The lights dim, and it turns out that the theater seating is separated into three huge sections. Ellen starts yelling "Yoo-hoo" from behind you and as you peek over your shoulder to look, these three huge sections start rotating so that ultimately you are facing the rear screens. After a brief presentation on these screens, the three large seating areas rotate back to the front, and the curtain opens, revealing a lifesize diorama with animatronic dinosaurs. Next, the three huge sections of seating start moving single file as if each were its own car to move through the diorama! We were in the middle section. It's really an engineering spectacle to see whole portions of the audience being moved along like this. We were shown life-sized animatronic exhibits that included dinosaurs ending with a return to the theater to see Ellen and Bill Nye finish up on the screen. It's pretty impressive to see each third of the theater turn into a moving car for this "ride", totally unexpected.

Next, it was off to GM's Test track. Holy cow, this was outstanding! You enter what appears to be a GM test facility, complete with crash test dummies, car doors opening and closing repeatedly for cycle testing, and a plethora of automotive testing exhibits. You line up and board these test vehicles which look like cars which drive a slotted track, although they do have real wheels and tires as well. You are told that you are going to experience a variety of tests: anti-lock braking, rumble strips, extreme heat, cold, and yes a crash test! At one point, your car is coming through a dark tunnel and they turn you right into an oncoming tractor trailer whose lights and air horn turn on suddenly. Of course the car veers away at the last second. Finally, they rapidly accelerate you towards what looks to be a crash barrier at high speed. It lifts away at the last second to reveal an outdoor track. At that very instant, they snap a digital photo of you to register the sheer terror of the imminent crash. Notice the expression on the woman on the right side of the photo! Somehow, I kept my composure. They next accelerate this vehicle up to over 70 miles an hour through twists and turns and banked turns outdoors. This was the best part and I just kept yelling "Faster .. faster .. faster !!!!!" I wish I had that on video for the blog. You'd think I was 12 years old. We had to experience this ride twice for the full effect!

We also went on a ride called "The Land" in which they showed us a variety of aspects of the natural world. The highlight was a tour through what is probably the world's most extensive hydroponic garden. It is truly a working laboratory in which they have engineered such things as tomato trees, yes trees. Also, they grow these enormous 9 lb lemons, huge pumpkins, and the most succulent-looking fruits and vegetables you've ever seen. My friend Jack Bulmer in Albany has a superb hydroponic garden in a greenhouse in his backyard and I know that he would have been amazed by the variety of unique techniques employed here to optimize growth of fruits and vegetables. Here's Jack's own blog about his own hydroponic garden: http://www.hydroponicworkshop.blogspot.com/

We then explored the monorail system. Matt made a special request and we got to sit in the very front of the monorail train, along with the conductor, whose official title is "pilot". This made for some excellent views of the various parks which the monorail serves. The monorail system was commissioned in 1971. The EPCOT line was added in 1982 during the construction of EPCOT. Interestingly enough, you don't need a Disney ticket to ride the monorail and the EPCOT line enters the park on the left side of the dome, goes around the periphery of the entire park and finally stops on the right side of the dome where you get off. You can get a sense of what's inside the park before actually buying a ticket, a little preview. We rode all three of Disney's monorail lines.

Finally, we made our way over the Polynesian village and the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom opened in 1971 as the original Walt Disney theme park. It is the most visited theme park in the world. Its centerpiece attraction is Cinderella Castle, which everyone would recognize from Disney movies and TV shows. Since I only had a pass for EPCOT center and really didn't have time to explore the Magic Kingdom, we just took a look at the entrance from the monorail and moved on.

Next, we made our way to the other side of EPCOT Center where you get to experience 11 different world cultures on a short stroll through the park: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, USA, Japan, Morocco, France, the UK, and Oh Canada. The architecture, cuisine, shopping, and most importantly the people are authentic. Disney only hires natives of each country to work at the different locations in their World Showcase. It's like traveling to all of these different countries in just under an hour. We stopped in this eerily authentic Bavarian village and enjoyed Bratwurst, cooked and served by Germans. You could see some Germans walking around wearing Lederhosen. There was an authentic German clock tower, complete with dancing figures that chase each other as the clock chimed on the hour. It seemed to be Octoberfest all the time here in the German village, complete with Oompa bands.

Next, it was a visit to the Norwegian village. Here, among some of the traditional Norwegian toys were included trolls. Matt & I posed in front of this huge troll striking our best pose while brandishing some Viking weaponry and wearing our new favorite headgear.

Needless to say, we were not at all concerned with the ridicule we might have to face back home, otherwise this photo would have found its way into the digital bit bucket.

At long last, we found our way to Spaceship Earth, which is housed in the EPCOT's icon dome. After boarding a roller coaster-like car, you are taken on a spiral tour of the inside of this dome. It features a history of mankind, replete with humanoid robots engineered with Disney animatronics. They are so good at this, that some of these robots look and move like real people.

The trip culminates with an ascent to the top of the dome which is a huge projection screen which displays an almost-planetarium style view of the planet earth, among other things. During the ride to the bottom, there is really not much to look at, so your computer console keeps you occupied by asking you questions about what you'd like your future be like. Based on the answers to these questions and using photos of your face, they compile a cartoon on the fly, which they display to you right in the car before you arrive at the bottom. Next, you get to send this cartoon to your friends and family. You can enjoy it too. Click on this link, and you'll see Matt and Joel's version of the future.

We also got to ride on Soarin' towards the end of the day, a name which leads to many expectations to a sailplane pilot like myself. On this ride, they strap you into a rig which lifts off the ground, leaving your legs dangling. A hydraulic system literally pushes everyone's seat right into an IMAX-like screen, and you are completely enveloped by the projection from head to toe, left and right. The screen projects some amazing low-level flying shots. As the airplane banks, so too does your seat. It was a very realistic flying experience, even to a pilot who flies all the time. It felt like you were hang-gliding.

Another fantastic experience was Mission: SPACE. Here, Gary Sinise prepares you as an astronaut trainee and you enter a realistic "space" capsule with three of your closest friends. It can be quite claustrophobic for some people. This capsule is spun up and you experience G forces as you blast off and land your craft on Mars. Each person in the capsule has a responsibility, such as firing off thrusters, performing navigation, etc. We opted for the "more intense" version of the ride that included all of the gyroscopic spinning. There is another version that does not involve any spinning. I'm told that they used to spin this thing up to an even more intense level, but a child actually died on the ride once, so they toned it down a bit. I would have preferred more intensity! We capped this experience by creating the following video. In it, you can see why the Space Shuttle mission was scrubbed while we were at EPCOT.

It really was quite an experience for me at EPCOT. Disney is definitely not just for kids. Or perhaps it turns you back into a kid. It has definitely been a highlight of the trip. One aspect of this day that I did not count on was that the extreme heat (103 degrees) and all the walking thoroughly exhausted me to the point where I got sick again. The nasty dry cough kicked in and even the conjunctivitis returned! I would need an entire day to recover.

Day 19: Lakeland, FL

2009-06-20T22:36:00.007-04:00

Day 19: June 18th, Lakeland, FL. The weather in Camden, SC was fine by IFR standards. There was a low 300 foot overcast ceiling, but this is not a problem as long as there is no moderate precipitation or thunderstorms. In order to depart IFR, you need a clearance from air traffic control (ATC). At a small airport like Camden where there is no tower, you obtain this clearance by calling a special telephone number on your cell phone. For some reason, it took about 10 minutes to get through and another 5 to receive the clearance to depart. They need to know when you will be ready to depart and which runway you are departing so that ATC can work you into the traffic flow above. I quickly chose runway 14, but I should have chosen the longer runway 24. Since we were at maximum gross weight, it made for a more difficult takeoff on the shorter 3000 foot runway, but we soon climbed the 300 feet and into the clouds we went. At this point, all attention is focused on the instruments to keep the airplane level and on course. The initial clearance was to 2000 feet. I leveled off here and was still in the clouds. Finally, we received the clearance to 6000 feet and I soon broke through the clouds at 2500 feet with sunny clear skies above! Not long after this, the overcast layer below us began to break up and it was clear above and below.

Since we got off about an hour later than planned, we knew that we ran the risk of encountering early afternoon thunderstorms in FL, as they had been forecast to begin between 1pm and 2pm. The plan was to fly to Herlong field, just to the west of Jacksonville, FL, fuel up, and continue on to Bartow, FL where we would meet up with our good friend and instructor at Flight Safety International, George O'Connor. Again, with no weather radar on board, we really had to rely on the flight service stations enroute to obtain updates by radio. They began to see a large thunderstorm cell develop over the Jacksonville area. As we got closer, we conferred with them again and they indicated that continuing to Herlong was not advisable. We asked them if the airport to the east of Jacksonville, Fernandino Beach, was in the clear. This was our best option. We landed, pulled into the self-service fuel pump, and logged into the computer while we pumped gas. I literally had the laptop on the wing of the plane and was reviewing weather radar. Indeed, there was a huge storm right over Jacksonville, and the animation was clear, it was headed due South. Again, with thunderstorms nearby, your best bet is to remain VFR so that you can see the cumulonimbus buildups and have the freedom to rely on your own navigation, rather than having to go where ATC tells you to go. The plan was to follow the eastern shoreline of Florida down to the Daytona Beach area to outrun this cell, and then cut over towards the Orlando area and ultimately land in Bartow near Lakeland.

Matt piloted the plane VFR and proceeded to take off from Fernandino Beach. To our right, we could see a large dark and gloomy area that matched perfectly with the radar images we had looked at early. Under no circumstances did we want to find ourselves in this area of severe thunderstorms. The plan worked flawlessly. The further south we got, the better it looked off our right wing, until finally, we were able to turn right and head towards the Orlando and Lakeland area. We flew through a VFR practice area, which is where private pilots are practicing a variety of maneuvers. There were aircraft all around us that we had to look out for. As ATC put it: numerous targets, all sectors, all altitudes. My traffic alerter device was going off constantly. Finally, we made our way to Lake Apopca, just outside of Disney. Surprisingly, despite our efforts to identify Disney World from the air, we just couldn't find it. Disney has its own special airspace. Air traffic below 3000 feet is not allowed over the Disney theme parks. This was a new restriction put into place after 9/11.

Next, we flew directly over a small untowered field, Winter Haven, where we heard a student pilot soloing in the pattern. We also heard her instructor on the ground giving her pointers. I guess she bounced the landing, because we heard her say "Oh " on the radio. Finally, we entered the pattern at Bartow, landed, and taxied over the self-service fuel pumps where fuel is priced an economical $3.35/gallon! Needless to say, I filled the tanks to the top, since the average price so far has been just over $4/gallon.

George O'Connor walked across the ramp from his hangar to great us. We parked the airplane at the FBO on the field and made our way over to his hangar to check out his Bonanza. I had mentioned to George that I was having a minor avionics problem, my VOR #1 was off by 40-60 degrees. There was a good avionics shop on the field, so they had the airplane towed from the FBO to the avionics shop. They ended up fixing the problem the next morning, a loose resolver connection. Before I left on the trip, I had the local avionics shop back in the Albany area check my VOR receivers and transponder. I'm thinking that when they buttoned everything back up, somehow this item was not tightened. I think this bill might find its way on their doorstep.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon with George working on his Bonanza. When he arrived at the airport and was awaiting our arrival, he thought he would do a little work on the airplane and change out some older corroded screws for some shiny new ones. A fifteen minute job turned into a 3 hour job as a few screws were stripped and could not be removed. He tried dremelling slots into them and using a screwdriver, but then had to resort to the use of an "easy-out" tool. Of course, the last one is always the one that presents the most difficulty, and in this case, the easy-out broke off in the screw and our options were limited. Matt decided to shave off the head of the screw, leaving just the inner 1/3 which formed a bolt head that the vice grips could be used on.

Finally, that storm that we outran near Jacksonville found its way down to the Lakeland area. When it hit the airport, we could see a dust cloud a mile down the road approaching us as the gust front kicked up dirt from the road. We immediately closed the hangar door and braced for impact. Just prior, I had run over to ensure that my airplane was properly tied down. "There's a twister Auntee Em" could be heard echoing in my mind as a severe thunderstorm and microburst descended on the airport. I peered out from the hangar and tried to imagine what it would be like to fly through such dangerous conditions. Later, George recounted such a flight where he was flying an airplane from Glens Falls, NY to Albany, NY. It is definitely one of those moments where you were in the air wishing you were on the ground rather than on the ground wishing you were in the air.

That night, we all returned to George and Abigail's home in Lakeland where George demonstrated his sushi-making prowess. We made many sushi rolls and taught Matt & I how to prepare sushi. I think I will buy the necessary supplies and start making sushi at home myself, it is really not that difficult if you know what you are doing. We enjoyed some wonderful Philadelphia and Veggie rolls. After polishing off some Red Stripe and Sharp's beer, we all headed off to bed. The next day was going to be another first for me. As they say at the end of the Superbowl: I'm going to Disney World!

Day 18: Camden, SC

2009-06-20T21:32:00.009-04:00

Day 18: June 17th, Camden, SC. This morning, we tried to get an early start so that we'd avoid the potential for thunderstorms, a common threat in the South during this time of year. I had a flight plan filed for 8am, but we didn't make it off the ground until 8:50am. We said our goodbyes to our gracious hosts, the O'Briens. The kids once again came out to the airplane to bid farewell to their Uncle Matt and new uncle Joel. Again, the flight was IFR and we climbed up into the clouds upon our departure from Ashland, VA. This was to be another groundbreaking flight for me.

If there is one thing this trip has done for me, it has made me a more competent and confident pilot. While I earned my IFR rating in 2000, I rarely flew in actual IFR conditions, in the clouds. What many people don't realize is that flying in clouds is a completely different type of flying altogether. Not only do you need to train your brain to ignore your own sense of balance and rely solely on the instruments, you also navigate and approach airports using completely different rules than when you are flying visually in good weather. It has only been within the last 2 years that I began to hone my instrument flying skills and fly in instrument conditions. In fact, it was in August, 2007 that I received an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) which requalified me to fly IFR. Since that time, I began filing IFR and flying instrument approaches to airports whenever I could. Even so, before I began this trip, I had only accumulated a total of 7.7 hrs in "actual" instrument conditions, where I was actually inside of a cloud. The groundbreaking nature of this flight was that of the 2.9hrs of flight time for this particular flight, 2.4 hrs was in actual instrument conditions. It was the longest time I've spent hand-flying an airplane in actual instrument conditions. It was truly nice to have a copilot who could help flip through the charts and help navigate.

We do not have the ability to see Nexrad radar on-board during the flight, so we need to rely on our weather briefing before the flight and obtain verbal updates enroute from a flight service station (FSS) on the radio. On this flight, we were flying through some rain and clouds, which I'm now quite comfortable with, but the threat of possible convective activity (thunderstorms) ahead, we put down in Cheraw, SC to reevaluate the weather before pressing on to Camden, SC. We both felt that this was a good in-flight decision since FSS indicated that there were thunderstorm cells near Camden. We took on 10 gallons of fuel at Cheraw and checked the weather on the computer. Matt had brought along his Verizon air card, so we had Internet access to our laptops wherever we went, whether there was Wi-Fi available or not. This came in handy here at Cheraw, as there was no weather computer or Wi-Fi available at the FBO.

Since it was now later in the day and the possibility of thunderstorms was increasing, we decided to finish the final leg of the day, from Cheraw to Camden, by flying VFR. We flew low at 1500 feet, but this kept us VFR, outside of the clouds, which gave us the capability of seeing any thunderstorms or torrential rain that might erupt along our route. If we were to continue IFR in the clouds, then we would have to rely on air traffic control to navigate us around any severe weather and their primary responsibility is keeping aircraft separated, not providing weather. This was the safest way to complete the short 40 mile flight. At 1500 feet, we were close the cloud bases, but we could easily see that we were not going to encounter any severe weather on this leg. We landed at Camden and toured the hangars there while we waited for a ride.

We were there visiting Matt's brother Steve and his family. Steve's wife Cathy picked us up at the airport and brought us to Enterprise, where we rented a car for the day. Steve and Cathy were in the process of moving to Germany and they had movers coming at the exact time we'd be leaving the next day, so it made sense to have our own car so that we could depart in the morning. An early departure is vital so that we wouldn't run into thunderstorms in FL, which would comprise the next leg of our journey. We all went out for Mexican and then I spent the balance of the evening staying up way too late upgrading my iPhone to the new 3.0 operating system. It does have some new nifty features and was worth the upgrade, but staying up until 2am playing with computers makes 7am a rude awakening. It would be a short stay in SC, we were on to FL the next morning.

Day 16 & 17: Ashland / Richmond, VA

2009-06-18T19:29:00.008-04:00

Day 16 & 17: June 15th / 16th. My copilot, Matthew Cusack, and I spent two more wonderful days with the O'Brien family in Ashland, VA. We wanted to depart for South Carolina on the 17th and even had Dennis drive us to the airport that morning. There were heavy rain showers pushing through Virginia from west to east early in the morning that prevented an early departure. Later, there was the threat of convective activity, thunderstorms. We had tentatively decided to make the flight and pick up weather enroute to see if pop-up thunderstorms were developing. Once we got to the airport, I brought up weather radar on my iPhone and saw pop-ups already developing near our destination, Camden, SC. We wisely decided not to fly on the 17th, and thunderstorms continued to flare up around Camden as the day progressed. This meant a lot of relaxing time spent poolside with the kids Connor, Keira, and Liam. Here, you can see Matt with his god-daughter Keira.

Dennis, the consumate chef, prepared a variety of feasts. Never wanting anyone to go hungry, he prepared a wonderful steak dinner on the grill. The steak was outstanding, but there was so much left over, we could have served 3 more
adults! Then, of course, there was mexican night: tacos and fajitas.

On the 15th, Matt & I worked the pattern at Hanover County, a short 5 minutes away from the O'Brien estate. Since the house is right in the pattern for runway 16, we were able to get a few photos of the house and the community pool. Later, as we sat poolside, we saw a variety of light singles running the pattern and flying directly overhead. Again, this place is a pilot's dream. Here, you can see Matt flying the airplane, working the pattern at Hanover County: 4 landings total, bringing him current.

Day 15: Richmond, VA (Guest Blogger - Matthew Cusack)

2009-06-17T23:20:00.009-04:00

Day 15: June 14th. So today was the first day I had the privilege of joining Joel on this most excellent adventure. I know there are others who would be here in a minute if they could, Ed comes to mind. We ended up with perfect timing, both arriving at BWI on the parallel runways at the same time! He was lucky to get some good help and get right over to the passenger terminal and they pulled up just as I was walking out. Some times the timing just works. So we met up at BWI and flew the leg from Baltimore, MD to Richmond, VA. What a trip. It was the afternoon and anyone who lives in this part of the country knows, the weather is pot luck mid-afternoon. Well, we must have gone to the right Church on this Sunday morning because we were able to avoid most of the clouds and turbulence. On the commercial flight down, we weren't so lucky, but I wasn't flying, so I sat back and enjoyed it.

We took off on runway 33R from BWI and were vectored towards Baltimore until we could gain altitude. This was the interesting part as there had been multiple advisories about the pockets of turbulence, and earlier that morning it seemed to be over the water. Here we were headed in the wrong direction and over the water. Our luck changed when we spotted the USAirways or Delta white jet coming in that we were being vectored around and we were turned on course after that. It got better too. As we cleared the Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) around metro-DC, we were given increasingly direct vectors to Hanover County Airport outside of Richmond, VA. It was a perfect day to fly over the MD coast from the Inner Harbor all the way down past Pax River and over the Chesapeake Bay. There were scattered clouds at about 6,000 ft, and otherwise visibility up to about 50 mi. It was hard because the weather was so good, but we were eventually able to "find" some brief actual IMC, just after crossing the Chesapeake Bay.

Anyone who has flown with Joel says the same thing, a great pilot, a natural pilot. He managed it effortlessly. As the right-seater, I took advantage of the time once we reached altitude to spend the first part of the flight re-learning how to read the IFR charts. It was great. I was splitting my time on the VOR's and IFR charts, and looking outside. Then I got to fly the last part of the journey and set us up for a smooth handoff to the pro for a perfect "butter" landing at Hanover. The best part was - Dennis, Connor, Keira, and Liam were there to greet us! They came out, big smiles, crawled around the plane, and asked lots of questions. We even took some pictures.

We went to the store to gather supplies an then had a great dinner. Amy had us set-up in no time. She is a saint, that's all I can say. She kept us and her four kids in sync in spite of the fact there were a million things going on.

Then back to the store for the S'mores supplies we missed. We made s'mores till we could not eat anymore. We all had a blast!!! We had a few cocktails by the fire and laughed until the wee hours of the night. It was a fantastic kick-off to our travels together.

- Matthew Cusack

Day 15: BWI and Richmond, VA

2009-06-17T22:41:00.011-04:00

Day 15: June 14th. I woke up in Olney, MD and would end up in Ashland, VA, a suburb of Richmond, VA before the day was out. Jim and Jeanette drove me to the Gaithersburg airport by 12:30pm. I had a 1pm IFR flight plan from Gaithersburg into BWI. As I was still inside the DC SFRA (Special Flight Rules Area), I filed an IFR flight plan even for this short flight, because it minimized the complexities in this highly protected airspace. Jim & Jeanette bid me farewell and Jim shot the following video of my takeoff from Gaithersburg. Jim apologizes for the shakiness, but you can clearly see me "waving" my wings to say goodbye. Thanks for a fantastic time in MD!

Next, it was time to pick up a co-pilot who would join me on the remainder of the east coast portion of my journey, Matthew Cusack. Matthew took off from Albany, NY on a Southwest flight into BWI earlier in the day. As I made the turn to the south (see map) to approach BWI, I saw a Southwest jet flying several miles off my left wing also heading southbound. It was flight 358 from Albany with Matt on board! The faster jet made its way around me, then turned to land on Runway 33L as I made a shorter radius turn to land on 33R. 33L is 9500 ft long and 33R is 5000 feet long, designed for lighter air traffic like me. I landed in parallel with the Southwest jet, so Matt & I arrived at BWI at exactly the same time. Upon landing, I hopped into the lineman's van and he drove me across the field to the terminal side of the airport where I picked up Matt. He had just walked out of the terminal when we pulled up, but initially, we didn't see each other. In fact, we were talking on the cell phone with our backs to each other, when Matt heard my voice and turned around. Very funny! In this photo, you can see me holding the article that was published in this day's Albany Times Union about my flight. Matt had just picked up a copy at the airport before boarding the Southwest flight. The column was entitled "My Other Life" and is a weekly column about people's lives outside of work. I like to fly an airplane coast to coast when I'm not teaching Math!

We took off from BWI and made our way to Hanover County airport located in Ahsland, VA, just outside of Richmond. A good friend of Matt's, Dennis O'Brien and family live here. Dennis literally lives in the traffic pattern for this airport, a short 5 minute drive away! This is a pilot's dream. We flew under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), as I have for the majority of this trip; however, we probably only experienced less than 5 minutes of actual IMC (Instrument Meteorological Conditions), which is a fancy way of saying, we were in the clouds for 5 minutes. We arrived at about 4:15pm where we greeted by Dennis and his kids: Connor, Kiera, and Liam. This is always the best part, to have loved ones waiting for you at the airport when you arrive.

Day 14: Gaithersburg, MD and Dulles

2009-06-16T15:42:00.008-04:00

Day 14, June 13th, Gaithersburgh, MD. I spent today with Jim and Jeanette Pierson. Jim had a wonderful idea: head for the National Air & Space Museum center located on site at Dulles International Airport. This is the Udvar-Hazy center, not the museum located in DC. Here, just about every model of aircraft could be found, either at ground level or hung from the ceiling. The best part was that most things seen here were the real article. Some of the highlights included the Space Shuttle Enterprise, an SR-71 Blackbird, the Enola Gay, and a Boeing 707! Jeanette related her disappointment concerning some of the mock-ups on the Space Shuttle. It is indeed the real Enterprise, a shuttle that was used only to test gliding characteristics; it never made it into space. It looks like they stripped many items and the museum had to mock-up some features, but it's hard to tell from a distance. All of these airplanes, space capsules, and missiles are housed in a huge hangar at Dulles, complete with air traffic control tower. The tower was apparently the old Dulles tower, and the views of the approach from here are amazing. We watched a British Airways (Speedbird) on final. We skipped the Air Traffic Control exhibit, which is also located in the tower.

I kept commenting that this was the type of museum that you could not get enough of, one that didn't make you fall asleep. It also featured a wide variety of satellites, including an amateur radio satellite, OSCAR-1. I was amazed by the range of satellite sizes, some enormous, and some that could fit in the palm of your hand (microsats). Also on display where missiles and rockets of every size and from every era. You could see the evolution of the spacesuit through the years, and they even had a child-sized spacesuit on display. It was fully functional, except it did not have the internal pressure bladder. This suit was on a life-sized doll that was given to dignitaries in the 60's and 70's.

We retired back Jim's house in Olney, MD where I promptly took a nap. I guess there's no shaking that worn-out museum feeling. Afterwards, a feast was prepared on the grill, followed by a driving rain and thunderstorm which rolled through, completely soaking the lawn furniture cushions. Also, somebody forget to turn the grill off, so we evaporated a few rain drops overnight. Jim and Jeanette didn't enjoy the nap I did earlier, so they were off to bed by 11pm. I stayed up until about 1am working on blog entries and photographs. The next day would be an exciting one, a flight into one of the busiest DC area airports, Baltimore-Washington International (BWI). I would also be joined by a friend who was flying in from Albany, Matt Cusack.

Day 13: Philadelphia, Trenton, Gaitherburg, MD

2009-06-14T19:41:00.011-04:00

Day 13: June 12, Gaithersburg, MD. During the previous night, I began planning my departure from the Philadelphia area. I was staying with my sister-in-law and nephews, the Bug family, and they would be departing for Massachusetts the next morning to attend a reunion at Williams college in Williamstown, MA. I carefully reviewed the weather and the train schedules and it appeared that there was an excellent window of opportunity. The R3 train left Swarthmore at 9:08am, went through downtown Philadelphia, and continued on north to the West Trenton station in NJ at 10:40am, which just happens to be 1.5 miles from the airport. I filed an IFR flight plan to depart Trenton at 11:30am, which put me in a perfect weather window.

The previous evening, a severe thunderstorm had made its way through Philadelphia and the Trenton area. While the thunderstorms had moved out by morning, some of the low-hanging clouds remained. While I was on the train, Trenton was still reporting a 500 foot overcast layer, but the forecast was that the lower layers would clear out by the time I arrived at the airport. As I sat on the train, most people were reading their newspapers or catching up on email on their Blackberries. I was looking out the window and watching the sky, because I would be flying this very patch of sky from Trenton back to Philadelphia in just an hour. I noticed that the sky was clearing, just as predicted. The reason I call this a window of opportunity was that the forecast called for the potential for thunderstorms to develop in the Trenton / Philadelphia area by 2pm, so I really needed to get to the airport and take off before things started to develop.

I arrived at the West Trenton station and my iPhone showed that it would be a 30 minute walk to the airport. 1.5 miles is close, but it still takes a while on foot. I could have called a cab, but I didn't really mind walking a bit. My bag doubled as a backpack, so it would have been good exercise. West Trenton was the end of the line, so everyone got off the train. As people walked to their cars, I began asking if anyone was headed towards the airport. A few people said no, but one young passenger said yes. He said, hop in, I'll give you a ride. I told him about my trip and gave him one of my cards that have the web address for the blog. He thought it was an interesting adventure. I have been pretty skillful at hitching rides from airports, usually from other pilots, so I guess this skill transfers well to train passengers as well. I'm so glad I was able to get this ride, becuase little did I know, that in addition to the 1.5 miles which would lead me to the entrance of the airport, there was another mile hike down Airport Rd. to the general aviation side of the airport. This ride saved me a lot of time, and I was grateful since conditions were great at the time and I could get an early start to avoid thunderstorms.

Upon reaching the airplane, I began packing it and noted that it was rather hot and humid on the tarmac. I looked to the east and could already see a few minor cumulus buildups. The recipe for thunderstorms was in the air, so it was time to preflight and get moving. I picked up my IFR clearance to Gaithersburg, MD and took off.

The flight plan was from Trenton, NJ to the Modena VOR west of Philly, to the Baltimore VOR based at BWI, then 24nm west to Gaithersburg. As is often the case, somewhere along the way, air traffic control (ATC) is able to shortcut the route and give you a direct routing to your destination airport, which is what happened to me. This saved me from having to fly longer on the more circuitous route.

The friend I was visiting, Jim Pierson, is the director of high-frequency (HF) direction finding for the FCC in the DC area. From his office, he was able to easily track my flight both by using flightaware.com and from my own on-board GPS which pushes data to my website through the iPhone. After landing in Gaithersburg and taxiing to a parking spot, I shut down, called him up, and simply said "The Eagle has landed". He knew exactly what time I had touched down, what altitudes I was flying, and how fast I was going. I must say, it is a pretty amazing time that we live in which allows us all to be connected so closely no matter the time or place. I had carefully put together this website to accommodate just that, and it was primarily for friends and family, but of course, the whole world can see it. After I hung up with Jim, the realization of how far my efforts to stay connected became crystal clear as a complete stranger approached my aircraft, someone who had been tracking my trip from Day 1!

A Twitter follower, @FoxWhisperer, had made her way to the airport and met me at my aircraft just after I landed. She told me about her love of aviation and how she liked to keep in touch with pilots and flight attendants on Twitter. She hopes to be a flight attendant someday. We sat down at the airport restaurant for a while until Jim arrived.

Next, Jim and his wife Jeanette treated me to a mexican dinner at their favorite restaurant. I told them to make sure that the chef holds the black beans on my dish, or I wouldn't be a very good house guest for the rest of the evening. It was great to be in MD with Jim & Jeanette! We spent the rest of the evening relaxing with neighbors on their porch, enjoying some of the good weather MD had to offer. Jim made plans to treat me to the National Air & Space Museum (Udvar-Hazy Center) at Dulles for the next day. This was to be a real treat for a pilot!

Day 12: Philadelphia

2009-06-14T00:53:00.016-04:00

Day 12: June 11^th, Philly. Today, I made contact with some old friends from RPI: Donna and Michael. I recall meeting Donna years ago at the Troy Pub while I was dining with a fellow amateur radio enthusiast. We had our handheld radios out and Donna came right up to us and inquired about the hobby. We gave her some information about the RPI Amateur Radio Club, W2SZ. Soon after, she joined the club where she met her future husband Michael. Donna & Michael also participated in the ham radio contests that the club took part in from Mt. Greylock in North Adams, MA. It had been a while since I had seen Donna and Michael, but I had been in touch through Facebook and was invited to stop in to see them while I was in Philadelphia.

I took the R3 regional rail from Swarthmore where I was staying with my sister-in-law and nephews to the University City stop in Philadelphia. Donna and I chatted on the cell phone and converged on each other near the train stop. They had their two kids in tow, Edwin and Zachary. They took me back to their office at University of Pennsylvania (U Penn), where they both teach and perform research in the Math department. We’re all mathematicians!

Their kids seemed very precocious, but being brought up by two mathematicians, they not only get to learn solution techniques to the Rubik’s cube, but they are taught that the cube is a polyhedron. I could hear Edwin saying polyhedron before I left. While Michael stayed in the office for a meeting, Donna, the boys, and I made our way to Naked Chocolate where we enjoyed European hot chocolate, which is basically like a melted chocolate bar, very rich. I was convinced to only get the small shot-glass sized portion, which was a smart move indeed. It's basically like drinking liquid chocolate.

On the way back to the office, Donna took me into the Computer Science dept. at U Penn where the original Eniac is on display. Eniac is considered to be the world’s first digital computer. It was developed to calculate ballistic trajectories for the US Army’s Ballistic Research Lab in 1946 and developed at U Penn’s school of Electrical Engineering in secret. It boasted over 17,000 vacuum tubes and could operate at clock speed of 0.1 Mhz or 0.0001 Ghz. Compare THAT to your 3 Ghz machine at home!

They also took me to the Reading Terminal Market, which I recall visiting once before with my brother and family years ago. Here, you can find almost any variety of food imaginable, made to order. You also see the Amish here, peddling their wares. Not being all that hungry, I toured the market, took some photos, and headed just next door to the Market St. station where I was able to take the R3 back to Swarthmore.

Once back in Swarth- more, I was treated to a wonderful dinner with the Bug family. Amy had some guests and we enjoyed a wonderful variety of fresh soups prepared in bread bowls. We also enjoyed corn and kielbasa. We then played outside with Mo for a while, a little whiffle ball and soccer. We curled up in front of the TV for the remainder of the evening and I prepared some blog entries before going to bed. Here, you can see Mo being licked by their Bijon Frise, Frank. I was very happy to have made this important stop on my trip before I headed south and the Bug family headed north to enjoy a reunion weekend at Williams college in Williamstown, MA.

The next stop on the trip is Gaithersburg, MD, just outside of Washington, DC. I will be visiting with good friends Jim and Jeanette. Jim is also a fellow ham radio operator. I spent many years working with Jim on radio contests for W2SZ. I’ve also had the pleasure of skiing with Jim and Jeanette when they lived in Colorado. I did some planning for the flight to MD, realizing that the biggest threat would be thunderstorms. Looking at the weather forecasts for the next day, it appeared that a good weather window would open up for the flight between 11am and 2pm. I also researched the train schedules and found the perfect ride from Swartmore. It turned out that the R3 train not only went into downtown Philadelphia, but continued on north all the way to a small station in West Trenton, NJ. This was incredibly convenient because I could board just one train and get within 1.5 miles of the Trenton airport, where my airplane awaited. Originally, on the way down, I got a cab ride to the Trenton transportation center in downtown Trenton. It turned out that the West Trenton station was much more convenient due both to its proximity to the airport and the fact that the train that starts here makes its way into Swarthmore. I went to bed that night intending to wake up at 7am and board the 9:08am train so that I would arrive in West Trenton at 10:40am. Some interesting twists awaited me on Day 13. Once again, these twists and turns are what have been making this trip more than just a jaunt to visit with friends. These unexpected turns are what transform it into a true adventure.

Day 11: Pittstown, NJ; Trenton, NJ; and Philadelphia

2009-06-11T23:06:00.009-04:00

Day 11: June 10th. I began the day at Joan's apartment in New York with almost no sleep. I awoke at 11am to find that my sore throat had improved somewhat. The strange thing was that my uvula was still inflamed, which produced a very strange sensation. Joan & I made our way to the Society Coffee shop, where we could enjoy some coffee, a sandwich, and the Internet. I planned my flight online and determined the weather would be adequate to proceed to the next stop: the Alexandria airport in Pittstown, NJ. Conditions once again dictated the filing of an IFR flight plan, as ceilings were pretty low, about 1500 feet. Also, since I was departing Linden, NJ, a mere five miles from Newark, I was right in the approach corridor for their main runways, so getting an IFR clearance was the best way to expedite a departure without having to skim around their airspace VFR under my own navigation.

Joan & I finished our lunch and we boarded the subway after a short stop back at her apartment. I gave Joan a firm hug goodbye and I disembarked at Penn Station while she continued on to her destination further downtown. It was great to see Joan after many years. She is really a wonderful person and was also a great host for my New York City stop. I look forward to reconnecting again after her move to Boston.

I made my way through Penn Station and was able to find the NJ Transit regional trains pretty easily. I had already purchased a round trip ticket, so I just needed to find Track 15 and hop aboard. A train was waiting and it departed about 5 minutes after I boarded, so my timing was perfect. After a quick cab ride from the Linden train station to the airport, I was paying my $30 landing and parking fee and began preflighting the airplane.

I picked up the weather and called Newark on the radio to receive my IFR clearance. He provided a very strange routing in which I would fly right over the Pittstown airport (35 miles) and continue west all the way to Allentown (another 30 miles), before turning back around and landing. One never knows why air traffic control maintains these circuitous routes, but you encounter them, especially near large airports. I was pretty certain that I would not have to fly to Allentown and back. The controller said that he was finding an opening in the traffic flowing into Newark to allow me to take off. Once I received the clearance, I took off and contacted NY Center for further instructions. I climbed up through the clouds and leveled off at 4000 feet where I was above the overcast cloud layer. I flew directly to the Solberg VOR, a radio navigation aid, and continued on to N85, Alexandria airport, located in Pittstown, NJ. I asked ATC for a direct routing to the airport and they obliged. They were then able to give me radar vectors to the final approach course, which is an easterly course. That is why you can see me flying to the west of the airport. What you don't see are the subsequent right hand turns where I was lined up to approach the airport from the west heading east. I descended through the overcast cloud layer and sighted the airport before I reached the minimum descent altitude on the type of instrument approach I was flying. After landing, I sent a quick text message to the friend I was to meet there, Chris Wuestefeld. He sent back a quick text message indicating that he had just arrived at the airport. We quickly found each other and began catching up on the over 20 years since we had last seen each other.

Chris and I lived in the same dorm at RPI during freshman year. We were big into our Atari computers back then. It was 1984, and the first IBM PC had only been around for 3 years at the time. Most of us had either Atari or Commodore computers which offered the opportunity for some programming, but more importantly, provided for video games, something the IBM PC had few of at the time. So, Chris and I had much in common at the time as we liked to "hack" on our Atari's. He was a computer science major, I was physics. Chris now works for a big E-commerce provider. I recently reconnected with Chris on Facebook, as I have with many other old friends. It's amazing enough to find old friends and catch up online, it is yet another thing to meet up in person, and that is what Chris and I were able to do on this day.

We drove off from the airport for a quick lunch at a local Chinese restaurant. I had to apologize for my distraction, since my plan involved continuing on from here to Philadelphia to spend the night with my sister-in-law Amy and family. I looked carefully at the forecasts and radar maps using my iPhone while we ate Chinese. What I noticed is that pop-up thunderstorms were erupting to the west of Philadelphia. It appeared to me that they would probably be over Philadelphia by the time I was to arrive there. It looked like a quick flight to Trenton, NJ, 20 miles to the south, should work well. I filed an IFR flight plan, but decided to take off VFR and pick up my clearance in the air. This was the fastest way to get off the ground, and speed was important due to the approaching thunderstorms. On a trip like this, you have to be capable of making impromptu changes like this, and it turned out that this was absolutely the right decision.

Once in the air, I got to 1500 feet in marginal VFR conditions and decided to just proceed to Trenton without activating the flight plan. A short time later, I contacted Trenton tower and landed. Trenton actually works as a gateway to my destination, because a train runs directly from the West Trenton station (1.5 miles from the airport) all the way to Swarthmore, PA. I didn't know that at the time and took a cab to the main Trenton transportation center, where I took a train to downtown Philadelphia and had to switch to another train for Swarthmore. Now, I know that the West Trenton station is within walking distance from the airport.

I arrived in Swarthmore and was greeted by my sister-in-law, Amy Bug, and my nephews Murphy & Moses. Despite having tragically lost my brother last year to suicide, I remain close to the Bug family and cherish time spent with them. This was an important stop. A slight miscommunication had Amy thinking I was coming on the next day and I thought that they would be leaving for Massachusetts the next morning. Luckily, we were all off by a day and I got to spend some quality time with the Bug family, the only real family I have left.

Day 10: NYC with the Silvermans

2009-06-11T22:11:00.008-04:00

Day 10: June 9th, New York City. I spent the evening of the 8th at Joan's apartment on Central Park North where we enjoyed tea, listened to music, and watched a little TV. I came back pretty late from visiting with Vijay, and honestly, I really felt awful as I was heading back on the subway. I was really pushing too hard and hadn't given myself any time to recover.

After waking up the next morning, I thought I was feeling a bit better, and Joan noted that my eye looked a little better. I also wasn't coughing incessantly as I had been the night before. I was hopeful that my health problems were behind me, but this was not to be the case. Joan left around 11am to attend graduation at the school where she teaches. I took the afternoon to relax a bit and write the previous blog entry. Joan is packing and moving out of New York, so she doesn't have an internet connection, but I still was able to author the entry on my laptop. Later that afternoon, after finishing the blog entry, I made my way to Society Coffee in Harlem, a short walk from her apartment, in order to upload the blog entry on their wi-fi connection. On the way there, I came across a gas station in which every single car fueling up was a yellow NYC cab! It was definitely an unusual sight, but not so unusual here in NYC.

As I enjoyed a tasty white hot chocolate at Society, I received an expected call from Ken Silverman, a good friend of my deceased brother Bill. Ken & I have remained in touch over the years and I was very excited to be able to visit with Ken and his family here in Manhattan. Ken is on the production team for the touring company of the broadway musical Wicked. Recently, Ken flew with his team in a chartered private jet to promote the show in 21 cities in ten days. I met up with him while he was in Schenectady and was invited to the promotion at Proctor's theater. It featured some of the actors performing scenes from Wicked. Also, when the promotion was over, I followed him to the airport where I got to sit in the pilot's seat of the Hawker 800 jet and chat with the pilot.

Ken gave me instructions as to how to make my way to 190th St. station on the Hudson side of the island, which is just about the end of the subway line up there. He lives on Ft. Washington right near Ft. Tryon Park and The Cloisters. So, I boarded the subway at 116th St. to catch the C to 168th St. where I could change to the A to 190th. Just after I entered the station a B train went by, but I didn't get on board, since I was waiting for a C train. 15 minutes later an empty C train went throught the station, but didn't stop. Someone on the platform threw an empty plastic bottle at it in frustration. 20 minutes pass and no trains at all! Thankfully, I had a subway map on my iPhone and realized that I could have taken the B after all and changed to the A at 145th St. Finally, a train arrived, but it was a B. I hopped on with this new knowledge and began making my way north. It was nice to be able to be resourceful in such an unfamiliar setting. Unfortunately, there was no cell phone service underground, so there was no way to alert Ken that I was going to be late.

I found Ken waiting for me at the subway exit, but not before heading out the wrong exit which put me in a different part of town with a tall rock face between me and where I wanted to go. I had to go back in to the station, take an elevator to the top, and Ken was there waiting for me. Ken didn't complain about the wait and took me on the short walk to his place. Before we got there, I heard voices from several stories up. No, it wasn't a jumper. It was Tara and Jasmine yelling down for Daddy from the sixth floor!

I spent some wonderful time with Ken and his wife Leah and go to know his lovely daughters. Ken asked if they'd like their new uncle Joel to read a bedtime story, but no, they wanted daddy, so he obliged. Next, they were tucked into bed and I could hear Ken singing a song to them in their room. What a great dad!

As it got later, I began to feel a little bit out of sorts again, this time, the sore throat that I had suffered in Newport returned, but with a vengance. I bid the Silverman's farewell and headed back to Joan's apartment. I stopped into a deli right around the corner from Joan's, and they were still making sandwiches at 11pm. I picked up a sandwich and a pint of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food. The first thing I did when arriving at Joan's was to gargle with hot salt water, which provided a little relief. Next, I sat with Joan watching "The Italian Job" and began to eat my sandwich. My throat was so painful that I would wince at every swallow! Even the ice cream, which I thought might be soothing was painful to eat. I thought that weather and mountains would be the biggest impedements on this trip. I did not expect health to be such a major factor. I was frustrated because I thought that my illness was about to put the trip on hold. I went to bed early, hoping for my throat to heal overnight. Unfortunately, the pain prevented me from sleeping a wink that night. I finally managed an hour or so and got up around 11am. My plans for Day 11 included flights to Pittstown, NJ and Philadelphia.

Day 9: Long Island, Bridgeport, Poughkeepsie, New York City

2009-06-09T16:48:00.009-04:00

I ended day 8, Sunday, June 7^th, in Long Island with the Spaeth family. That evening , we had a little jam session: Pete on lead guitar and vocals, his son Jonah on bass, and I sang harmony. Despite not having played together in quite a while, we sounded great. We’re ready for the next gig. After that, we hopped into the hot tub for a nice therapeutic session. I have been battling a cold since Martha’s Vineyard and the hot tub came as a welcome relief.

During the day on Sunday, I had noticed my left eye bothering me a bit when we went to the Martha Clara Vineyard. That night, it really began to become irritated. I spent much time trying to see if there was a foreign body in my eye, only to discover that I have viral conjunctivitis. This, in addition to a cold, bronchitis, and sore throat that I’m battling. After a restless sleep, I got up early so that I could continue the trip. There was much planned for Day 9.

The itinerary for Day 9 called for breakfast in Bridgeport, CT, lunch in the Poughkeepsie area, and dinner in Manhattan. The plan was executed without a hitch. I began by flying VFR from Mattitituck, Long Island to Bridgeport, CT. I told everyone to meet at 8:30am. I arrived at 8:20am.

I was to meet up with members of the Northeast Pilots’ Group (NEPG) , a flying club I belong to that has members scattered throughout NY and New England. The group maintains a calendar of fly-in events through which we all meet up throughout the year. Typically, these trips are within the confines of New England, NY, or NJ, but sometimes extend as far as Maryland. The group was formed in CT, so there are several members near Bridgeport who were able to come out to join me for a sendoff breakfast. Pictured
here, from left to right is Roger Ameden, Tim Dillon, Ed Haddad, me, Julia Ryan, Clark Burgard, and John DePalma. We had a great breakfast at a restaurant close to the airport. It was really great that so many came out to be a part of my trip that morning, even though many had to rush off to work afterwards. The NEPG is a great organization and I’ve met a great bunch of new friends there. Yes, this is the third time I’ve seen Ed on this trip. If he could, I think he’d join me for the whole trip.

After spending some time chatting with John DePalma at the Bridgeport airport, he decided, I needed a new hat to replace the old worn out Martha’s Vineyard hat I was wearing. Despite my old hat having a certain sense of character, he figured that a cleaner hat with an airplane on it made more sense.

The next stop was Randall field, 06N, located in the town of Middleton, NY. I took off for Randall to meet up with a longtime friend from RPI who I haven’t seen in quite some time, perhaps ten years.

I knew Mike Djirdjirian (pronounced deh-jeerian) from the amateur radio club at RPI, whose call letters were W2SZ (pronounced Whiskey 2 Sierra Zebra, or Whiskey 2 Stuck Zipper). I had once been the President of the club and he was the Vice President. The club had a ham radio shack, which was housed in a building on Sunset Terrace behind the Houston Field House. In the “shack”, we had shortwave, VHF, UHF, and satellite ham radio gear. We also had several towers and antennas, including a 120 foot tower with some massive directional antennas on top. The club also participates in a national UHF/VHF radio contest from atop the highest peak in Massachusetts, Mt. Greylock. The group is headed there to participate this weekend, as they have since the 70’s. Mike lives in Wappingers Falls, NY and now works in Middleton for a company that specializes in industrial UPS’s. It was good to see him after all this time and we discovered that we share a passion for sushi. He’s also very much into snowmobiling and ATVs. Note: take a look at my left eye in the photo with Mike.

This marathon session of flying was by no means over. Luckily, I had filed an IFR flight plan from Randall to Linden, NJ, my gateway to Manhattan. In deciding which airport to land at in order to access Manhattan, I found that Linden was the best choice for me. Obviously, I didn’t want to land at either of the big three airports: LaGuardia, JFK, or Newark, because I would be charged outrageous landing and parking fees. The jet traffic and congestion doesn't bother me; I've landed at Philly International and Honolulu International before. Teterboro is considered a good destination for general aviation, but they too have high fees for keeping your aircraft there overnight. Farmingdale on Long Island is another choice, in which you can take the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) into town. Linden only charges $10 / night to park the plane, which is surprisingly inexpensive, considering that you probably can’t park you car there for less than that. The NJ transit train will take you from Linden to Penn Station in 35 minutes for only $6.50. This turned out to be an economical and convenient option. Here, you can see my airplane parked in Linden, NJ.

New York airspace is busy and complicated. By filing IFR, I let the controllers navigate me via their preferred path into Linden. There were some special procedures for approaching Linden, that I was unaware of, but the controllers briefed me before I got close to Linden. The problem with Linden is that it is only about 5 miles to the southwest of Newark and is right in the approach/departure corridor for their largest and most-used parallel runways. Controllers vectored me to the south of Linden and turned me north to approach Linden, following a published GPS approach. Their non-published procedure required that I had to have Linden in sight 4 miles from the final approach fix and that I had to cancel IFR while still in the air. I am assuming that the reason for this is that if I had to execute a missed approach procedure, I might interfere with traffic for Newark. I was able to land there, and actually landed in parallel with a helicopter that was landing on a taxiway. Linden is also a busy heliport and it appears that the major New York TV stations base their helicopters here, or at least refuel here. My official welcome to Linden and the NY Metro area was banging my head into my propeller while placing wheel chocks on the front wheel. Several people have commented: “At least the prop wasn’t turning at the time!”

I was met at Penn station by another RPI friend, Joan Bomfim. She has been living here in NY for the past three years, teaching chemistry at an exclusive high school on the upper east side. I caught Joan in NY just as she is packing her bags to head back to the Boston area. She has graciously let me stay at her apartment while I’m here in NY, but she’ll be on her way to Boston in a week.

Soon after meeting up with her, we headed out to Rosa Mexicano to enjoy Mexican fare with Nick Maddix, another friend from RPI. I know Joan and Nick from the ham radio club, and Nick is also a pilot, although he hasn’t flown in a while. Nick is a technology entrepreneur and also a popular DJ at some local clubs. He has developed software called Anagram, which intelligently parses email messages, websites, or documents to automatically extract contact information and appointments. For example, if I emailed you and simply said: “Meet me at Rosa Mexicano next Thursday at 9pm for half an hour to discuss your project”, his software would parse that and automatically place an entry in your calendar from 9pm – 9:30pm on next Thursday’s date that would say “Meet Joel at Rosa Mexicano to discuss your project”. He has now ported this powerful software over to smartphones such as the Blackberry and iPhone.

We all had much to catch up on. I discovered that Joan and Nick happened to be moving from Boston to New York around the same date three years ago, so they were able to share a U-haul to bring their stuff out. Unfortunately, life gets busy and they hadn’t really had a chance to see each other in some time, so it was nice to be the catalyst that brought them together before Joan left town.

No, Day 9 was not yet complete, although my dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, pink eye, and the propeller-induced gash on my head were all telling me that it should be. I had scheduled a meeting with yet another RPI friend, Vijay Battu, at 10pm. Vijay actually grew up in Troy and attended RPI as part of the six-year biomed program. This involved two years of biology and sciences at RPI and four years at the Albany Medical College. Vijay now has his own practice in Manhattan as an ophthalmic surgeon. Three years ago, he moved to an amazing penthouse suite across from the United Nations building. His balcony features an almost 360 degree wrap-around view of the entire city. We had a great time catching up and he enjoyed some of my card tricks. We used to play poker at RPI, but after seeing these card tricks, I’m not sure he’ll ever play poker with me again. When I return from this trip, Vijay said that he might be brave enough to take a flight with me!

Now, it’s midnight in Manhattan, I’m still wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, it’s raining out, and I need to find my way back to Joan’s. Despite not really feeling all that well, I decided to give the subway system a whirl, since there were stops close to Vijay and Joan. Joan told me which trains to take, and I also just downloaded an iPhone app with the New York City subway system maps on it. The only snafu was that the “S” train, which is a shuttle between Grand Central and Times Square shut down at midnight. The “7” train runs the same route, so I hopped on that, then changed to the “2-3” train and got off on 110^th – Central Park North. A short walk later, I arrived at Joan’s. Pictured is the platform in Times Square still bustling with people at midnight. Interesting that everyone in the foreground is looking away from me.

I really want to continue on this journey, but I need to get well. Being a little bit under the weather and doing all of that in one day was draining. By the end of the day, I was feeling pretty ill. It seems like my eye is better today (Tuesday) and I’m not coughing as much. I’ve spent this morning and afternoon at Joan’s apartment relaxing and writing this blog entry, which has given me a chance to recharge a bit. At 6pm, I will be meeting up with Ken Silverman, a close childhood friend of my brother’s. Ken is now a broadway producer, dealing mostly with broadway touring companies. He now works on one of the touring companies for Wicked, an amazing show based on the Wizard of Oz. More on that later.

Day 8: Aquebogue, NY (Long Island)

2009-06-07T19:10:00.011-04:00

Day 8: June 7th, Aquebogue, NY. I spent today with some of my best friends: The Spaeth Family. I met Peter and Donna way back in 1984, freshman year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Pete was my neighbor in our dorm, Hall Hall. Isn't that a ridiculous name for a dorm? Anyway, we became instant friends even before classes began and have been close friends ever since. We worked together at a company called InterScience in Troy, NY after college. Pete & Donna spent some time in Troy after college, but then returned to Long Island where they had two wonderful kids: Veronica and Jonah. I am Jonah's godfather. Despite the
distance, we have kept close, and the airplane has made that easier. I can't remember the last time I actually DROVE to Long Island.

I am always made to feel part of the extended family, and it's a large family of parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. Today, I was there to experience what has been an annual event: Uncle Augie's Toy Run. Every year around this time, Uncle Augie brings all the kids to Toys R Us and allows them to buy one item that is $100 in value or below. You have to be sixteen or under to participate, so I guess I didn't qualify, but I asked for a new airplane anyway.

So, the extended family began streaming into Toys R Us, waiting out front for Augie to arrive. When he said the word, all the kids streamed into the store. Of course, since only one item is allowed, he jokingly stands over by the yo-yo's and whatnot, trying to tempt the kids to pick a $5 item. The kids would have none of that and bolted straight for electronics, bicycles, remote controlled trucks, and iPod accessories. Here you can see Augie and a group of very happy children posing with their booty. From there, we all went back to Augies for pizza, hotdogs, and beer. What a great thing to look forward to: Xmas in June!

Next stop: Martha Clara Vineyards. Donna works here and Pete & I have sung many a gig here.

We decided to take a horse-drawn carriage tour of the 200 acre compound, 120 acres of which contain the vines that are harvested for the variety of wines they produce here. On the premises is the Entenmann estate, tracks for training race horses, a variety of other animals, vines, and all the equipment necessary to harvest the grapes and produce and bottle a fine Long Island wine. You are looking at the Merlot vines. There are just rows and rows of vines, looking out towards infinity!

Finally, back at the house, Pete & Donna whipped up a feast to send me off. Here's Pete grilling up some Cheriyaki Chicken, yes Cherry-flavored Teryaki sauce!

It's been 8 days, but has the trip really begun? I'm only a few hundred miles away on Long Island. The answer is YES! I've had so many wonderful experiences already seeing the friends I love so much and realize that THIS is what this trip is all about. Looking at the itinerary, I am amazed to see how many good friends I have, and this enriches me. To be able to see ALL of them in one summer is a feat that few can accomplish and I'm so excited to continue.

Staying close to home has allowed me to shake down the airplane, my supplies, and the new electronic toys I purchased for the trip. Everything seems to working well! Tomorrow, I will probably see 5-7 people in Bridgeport, 1 person near Poughkeepsie, then end up in New York where I will connect with 4 different friends and their families. I STILL haven't decided which airport I'm going to land to get into New York. The options are: Teterboro, NJ; Linden, NJ; or Farmingdale, NY (LI). There is public transportation available at each to allow me to get into Manhattan. I'm leaning against Teterboro, because the prices are outrageous there. There is a LOT of corporate jet traffic there, and they can afford it. I'll decide tonight, based on how easy it is to access public transportation and how much they charge for landing and parking. Some say Linden is a great gateway airport, but others don't like it. I'm leaning towards Linden. I'll update you late tomorrow about the adventures that await. Keep track of my airplane on the website. Remember, if you click the picture of my plane, a larger tracking map comes up. When I'm flying, hit refresh every once and a while to update my position.

Day 7: Aquebogue, NY

2009-06-07T00:29:00.005-04:00

Day 7: June 6th. Another great day as a flying nomad. I got up in Newport and was to the airport by 11:30am. Once again, I needed to file an instrument flight plan as the ceilings were below the minimums for VFR or visual flight. I took off from Newport and was in the clouds at 700 feet. It wasn't a very thick layer as I was on top of the clouds after climbing to 3000 feet. I made a stop in Westerly, RI because fuel is only $3.50/gallon there. On a long trip like this, you really have to seek out the lower fuel prices, because you can run into airports like Teterboro that are selling fuel for $8.44/gallon!! Isn't that called price gouging? Pretty ridiculous, huh?

So, I landed in Mattituck and spent the day with Peter Spaeth and family in Aquebogue, NY, which is just to the east of Riverhead on the north fork. Here you can see Pete with his pooch Ginger.

We headed off to the Mattituck Cinemas where we saw Land of the Lost. Sure, I remember the old Saturday morning Sid & Marty Krofft TV show by the same name. As silly as that show was, I always watched. It was interesting to see the movie to see how they would connect it to the old show, but also, it was great to see the comedy of Will Ferrell, something the original show did not have. It was pretty funny, but I think I'm going to have nightmares from the hissing sounds of approaching sleestaks!

After the movie, we headed back home to see how are picks did at the Belmont Stakes. My bets included an exacta with Dunkirk and Charitable Man. Also, I made an almost obligatory bet on Flying Private to win. Pete had a good bet that paired the two birds together: Summer Bird and Mine that Bird. Unfortunately, Dunkirk got in the way of that one.

I'll spend tomorrow in Long Island and then head out to
Bridgeport, Poughkeepsie, and Manhattan on Monday. I
haven't yet decided where to land to get into Manhattan. It's either Teterboro, NJ; Linden, NJ; or Farmingdale, NY. I don't want to get slammed with some ridiculous landing fee.

Well, now I have a better understanding of why I was so slow on the bike trails on Martha's Vineyard. I've come down with a nasty cold. I had quite a painful sore throat last night. I'm coughing and have some sort of dry bronchitis. I'm taking Zinc and vitamin C, and hoping for the best. Just another twist and turn, a hurdle to overcome as I continue the trip.

Day 6: Newport, RI

2009-06-06T00:03:00.003-04:00

Day 6: Friday, June 5th. I got up early on Martha's Vineyard so that I could get an early start and fly to Newport in the best possible conditions. The weather was deteriorating as the day progressed. I biked to the airport, paid my landing fee, and packed up the plane for the short flight to Newport. As I have on almost all my legs now, I filed IFR. Martha's Vineyard had lower clouds, meaning that only aircraft under Instrument flight plans could depart. Despite these cloud layers, I managed to remain clear of the clouds for the entire trip. I did make a localizer approach into Newport anyway.

Here in Newport, I was greeted by Linda, the mom of a good friend, Kevin Bongiovanni. Linda lives very close to the airport, and she's always excited to have me fly in. Next, I met up with Kevin and his wife Stephanie and the boys: Avery and Evan. The boys had a romping good time with their uncle Joel and really gave me quite the workout! Afterwards, they entertained me with their American Idol audition.

As always, surprises await me. I hadn't latched the door adequately, and it popped open a bit in flight. It's not a big deal, since the air flow will keep the door shut, but with the mist and rain I was flying through, I got a little moisture in the cockpit. I tried closing the door, but the air pressure, the door latch would just not line up. So, I was thinking to myself: I'm flying IFR and monkeying with the door, which is more important. I gave up on the door and just flew to Newport.

Tomorrow, it's off to one of my usual destinations, Mattituck, NY, located on the north fork of Long Island. There, I'll be met by my good friends Peter & Donna Spaeth. We'll be wagering on the Belmont Stakes and perhaps heading out to see the new Will Ferrell movie.

I've been out here for almost 1 week, with 7 more weeks ahead.

Day 5: Martha's Vineyard

2009-06-04T23:53:00.005-04:00

Day 5: June 4th - Spent the day on Martha's Vineyard, one of my favorite places! I got up, had breakfast at the hostel - some pancakes, toast, and oatmeal, made a few sandwiches for the road and headed out on the bike. One thing I'm noticing is that I just not in the kind of shape I have been in previous visits. I used to be able to cruise around the island at between 18 and 20 mph, now I'm only going 14-15 mph.
Last year, I had knee surgery on my right knee to repair a mensicus tear. That knee is doing well, but now my left knee is acting up and will probably need surgery also. That has been slowing me down a bit, not to mention my lack of cardio-vascular conditioning. Guess the warranty is up! Other than being a bit slower, I can still get around and was able to tour the island today. A few people commented on my high-tech bike setup. On the handlebars, I have my mirror, bike computer, LED light, and my iPhone! I bought a bike-mount for the iPhone and it is nice to have everything at my fingertips while I'm biking.

No trip would be complete with a visit to the Black Dog. I checked out the tavern, the general store, and the bakery. They also have a stand-alone shop just for kids clothing.

From Vineyard Haven, I made my way to Oak Bluffs, riding by the scenic East Chop light house.

Next, a stop at the famous Mad Martha's ice cream shop, and then on to the gingerbread houses of the Methodist Camp Meeting Association.

I finished the day with a free movie put on by the Oak Bluffs library. Free movie, popcorn, tea and soda! I love Martha's Vineyard. It was a recent Dustin Hoffman film called Last Chance Harvey. So, tomorrow, I get up early for another hostel breakfast, bike back to the airport and take off early for Newport, RI. Looks like lower ceilings are coming in beyond noontime, so I need to take off early. I'll be filing another instrument flight plan.

Day 4: Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard

2009-06-04T00:22:00.004-04:00

Day 4: June 4th. I spent the night of Day 3 and the morning of Day 4 at the Nantucket Youth Hostel and met some wonderful people there. They featured me and this blog on the Facebook page for the hostel.

The hostel was packed to capacity. I had the last bed. It was filled primarily with students from the Waldorf School in Burlington, VT. They were all kids around 14 years old and were spending some time on Nantucket undertaking a variety of activities. They all headed out on bikes this morning en masse to do some kayaking. I did card tricks for them this morning and they were impressed. I read a few minds too; they absolutely loved that!

I talked with their teachers, and one teacher in particular drew particular interest in my trip. He is pictured here. His name is Mashobane Hezekiel Moruthane and is from South Africa. He founded the Ubuntu project. No, not the linux distro, but his own homegrown organization that provides assistance to South African children. Ubuntu is actually a famous word in Zulu meaning togetherness.

His mission this year is to build a three-bedroom house for an impoverished South African family of six. $5,000 of materials and sweat equity would see this project through and he solicited my help. He asked that I help raise the money and actually come to South Africa with him in December to build the house, so that I can see where the money is going. I would stay with his family. Perhaps my coast to coast adventure just adopted a cause!

You just never know who you are going to meet at a hostel.

Provide some feedback about this South African charity effort and how it should relate to my flight.

Next, I made my way to downtown Nantucket, a place I've been to many times before. Yes, the cobblestone streets are beautiful, but they are impossible to bike on using a road bike! This photo is the downtown area, speckled with high-price shops on either side.

Since I've been down here, I've probably purchased 6 Nantucket Nectars. I love those sugar-laden drinks. You'll find them in Albany and elsewhere, but of course, this is the birthplace of Nantucket Nectars. The story goes (and you can read this right on the bottle) that these two guys started a little operation called AllServe in which they would deliver food and supplies to the boats docked and moored in Nantucket. They also developed this juice that the sold that became very popular and proclaimed that they were the "Juice Guys". The AllServe operation started in the building pictured here, which now houses Nantucket Ice Cream. Besides the "Juice Guys" sign, I did also see an older sign relating to the AllServe operation. I'm not sure if it is still in operation.

I couldn't help but notice the Fog Island Cafe. It reminded me of that fog back that rapidly enveloped the airport and cause me to make an IFR approach to minimum altitude, something I thought about all night long. It's truly amazing that the instrument landing system, my avionics, and my training all work perfectly in such a way as to navigate right to the approach end of a runway in a low hanging fog.

They have a Black Dog store over here on Nantucket too. It's not just a Martha's Vineyard thing I guess

Finally, photos of a cute Nantucket home, the Whaling Museum, and this sculpture I encountered just outside the airport as I was biking back to my plane. It is a child poised atop a large paper airplane with his arms outstretched, cape flowing, and goggles in place. I kind of feel like that kid as I undertake this trip. I am enjoying every moment of it and am embracing the twists and turns that make it an adventure. I have an itinerary, but I'm discovering that every destination holds an unexpected surprise. This has been true of every stop so far!

I'm now at the Youth Hostel in Martha's Vineyard. I plan on staying here for two nights and then moving on to Newport, RI. I'm keeping my eye on the weather. The aeronautical nomadic lifestyle will continue.

Day 3: Beverly, Bedford, Mansfield, Hyannis, and Nantucket

2009-06-02T22:39:00.010-04:00

Day 3: Tuesday, June 2nd. This was another marathon flying day. I had landed in Beverly, MA on Sunday to visit with my friends Rob & Amy Phillips. They are proud new parents of a baby girl, Gray Elise, born on April 26th, 2009. They put me up in their Marblehead home, which I refer to as the Overlook Hotel. They are the most gracious hosts you will ever know. Rob is a great new dad to his little nuthatch!

My next stop was Hanscom field in Bedford, MA. There, I was met by a good friend from RPI, Brett Mellor. Brett & I went to his apartment and much conversation ensued. We share some similar philosophies and it is always great to compare notes with like-minded people. We had coffee at a wonderful local coffee shop / bakery in Belmont. I had to ask Brett what city I was in. It can be so disorienting when you are flying all over creation. Brett showed me his bike and shared his passion for motorcycling. Perhaps someday I'll enjoy this mode of transportation myself. For now, I'm focused on vehicles with wings.

So, I return to the aircraft parked at Hanscom, and what do I find? An unsolicited steel chain locked around my propeller! But I thought I paid my bill! Actually, it is a Massport rule that propeller aircraft are locked down at certain airports, Hanscom being one of them. Security at Hanscom was tight! I'm all for good security, but all you have to do is go to another airport and you'll find little to no security, so it hardly seems worth it, since the bad guys will just go for the weakest link. Anyway, I found the whole thing amusing, and it did delay my departure a few minutes while I waited for keymaster to show up and set me free!

I departed for Hyannis to visit with an old childhood friend who I hadn't seen in 30 years. I had spoken with him twice and made plans to meet at the Hyannis airport, since he operates the Cummaquid Inn in Yarmouthport, but somehow we never managed to connect on the phone today, so sadly, I just fueled up and took off for the next stop.

OK, now the story gets very interesting. Beautiful weather at Hyannis, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket when I took off. As I made my way (under an IFR flight plan) to Nantucket, they began updating the weather at Nantucket every 5 minutes as conditions there were changing rapidly. First, it was 3 mile visibility 200 foot broken ceiling. Next, it was 1 mile viz, 200 foot ceiling. Finally, it was 3/4 mile viz, 100 indeterminate ceiling. Holy cr@p! I have had my IFR rating for many years, but only started flying IFR in earnest a few years ago. Flying with Ed Haddad, we would almost always execute practice IFR approaches. When I was flying under an IFR flight plan, I almost always chose decent enough weather so that I didn't have to make an approach to minimum conditions. I just had my radios tweaked up before I left, I carefully cross-checked my altimeter with the GPS altitude and decided that I would give this a try. I didn't feel it was dangerous, because I had an easy out, climb out, execute the missed approach procedure and head on over to Martha's Vineyard. The fog layer was about 500 feet thick, I descended into the fog at about 700 feet and was now on my instruments with no visibility outside. I was carefully lined up on the ILS (Instrument Landing System) and kept the needles aligned as I had so many times before on practice approaches or actual approaches where the clouds weren't as low. 600 - 500 - 400 - 300 -- Nothing!! Finally, I got to 200 feet and saw the approach lights fade into view for Runway 24 at Nantucket. For someone who has never done this before, especially alone, let me tell you, it is an amazing thing. To me, it is the most challenging thing I've ever done in my life. To someone who flies IFR all the time or an airline pilot, I'm sure it is routine. I was pretty darn excited about it. I flew into Nantucket in conditions that would have once made it impossible for me to even consider it.

To celebrate, I broke out the bicycle and headed on over to my evening destination, from which I am typing this entry: Hosteling International's Nantucket Youth Hostel. I had reserved the last bed here, so they knew me by name when I walked in around 7pm. I absolutely love staying at hostels when I can. I always meet the greatest folks here, travelers from all over the world, and you can't beat the price! They have a great kitchen and I cooked up a wonderful pasta dinner for myself after biking to the Stop & Shop for supplies.

I became an instant celebrity when I told everyone about the flight as they checked out the website. The hostel even added me as an entry to their facebook account. Finally, the sun sets here over the bikes in Nantucket and everyone is already asleep at 11:30pm. Me, I'm up typing away, but I'm not surprised. I typically would stay up until 1am or so at home. My new home is out here on the road or the sky I guess, at least for two months. Thanks goes to Lauri who has moved into my house and is cleaning, redecorating, and taking care of the cats! I'm sure the result will be a bachelor's dream come true when I see what she's done to the house!

Off to Martha's Vineyard tomorrow. Don't need to wait for the fog to break, since I can file IFR out of here, break through and head into Martha's Vineyard in visual conditions I'm sure. Despite these islands being so close to each other, the weather patterns are very different. Nantucket is further out to sea and is very susceptible to a marine fog layer. The Vineyard doesn't experience that quite as much. Today was a good example, as Martha's Vineyard had fantastic weather all day long.

I do want to close by saying that I had the absolute pleasure of spending some time with Janet Murphy and her husband Bill at Victoria Station in Salem, MA on Monday. Janet is a gradeschool classmate of mine who remembers everything. My memory of those years is fading, but she remembers many details. I guess you never know what to expect when you meet someone you haven't seen in such a long time: 30 years!! We really hit it off and had a lot to talk about, although I must be honest Janet, it seemed like I just wouldn't stop talking. Despite being a blabbermouth, we really reconnected and I got to know her husband Bill who I went to school with at St. John's Prep. We were definitely there at the same time, but we didn't know each other. I really do look forward to the opportunity to meet up with the Murphy's again sometime. Sure, what the heck. I'll embarrass myself and post this picture that Janet found of me back in 3rd or 4th grade. Where on earth did she find this!!

May 31 - Worcester, MA

2009-06-01T12:23:00.008-04:00

What a pleasant surprise to be greeted in Worcester by friend and fellow Northeast Pilot's group member Michael Amir in this fine Vintage automobile. More than anything, this stop demonstrated to me that despite all of the detailed planning I undertook, this trip will be full of unexpected twists and turns, unplanned events that I am actually looking forward to. I encountered some moderate rain showers and turbulence enroute from Bennington to Worcester, but managed to deviate around the heavy precipiation. It was definitely challenging.

Mike picked me up and we made the short drive across the tarmac to the FBO. When I walked in, I noticed the woman at the front desk was taking photos of me. I felt famous for a moment. Paparazzi are already chasing this crazy cross-country pilot. Well, little did I realize, it was Ed's camera phone and Ed Haddad was hiding behind a newspaper at the FBO counter! Mike had flown to Albany to pick up Ed earlier in the day so that he could join us in Worcester. So, Ed saw me off in the morning from Albany and then rejoined the send-off festivities in Worcester!

Was I suprised? Actually, no. Firstly, this is just the kind of thing I would expect from Ed, but secondly, technology foiled Ed & Mike's surprise plans. While I was in Bennington having breakfast with Carla, a very interesting email came to my iPhone. Several weeks ago, I had set up http://flightaware.com/ to track Mike's plane so that I knew when he'd be arriving into Albany since I was to pick him up for a big Lebanese party we held at a local restaurant. I added his tail number with email alerts so that I would get an email when he landed. I never did remove that alert, so I got an email when he filed the flight plan to Albany, when he took off from Worcester, and when he landed in Albany. Knowing that Mike & Ed were talking that morning, I put two and two together and Carla & I were having a good laugh discussing this planned surprise while having breakfast in Bennington. Of course, I didn't say a word when I met up with Mike at the airport, because I didn't want to ruin the surprise. He admitted later that he was worried that I still had this alert set up. Also, we were both flying at the same time and were on the same frequency, so he was careful not to have Ed transmit, because I would have instantly recognized his voice. Well, little did they know, I already knew they were coming.

This whole set of circumstances reminded me what good friends I have! It also reminds me why I have chosen to take this trip and demonstrates that I am not in full control of its outcome. Again, I'm looking forward to the twists and turns that await me.

So, we all enjoyed a feast with Michael's family at his house in Worcester. We dined on his deck in a light rain shower. Soon, we had to move inside as light rain turned into thunder and lightning. A cell was moving through and to the east, but a window opened up to the west that would allow Mike to fly Ed back to Albany. The only problem is that these storm cells were in my flight line between Worcester and Beverly. It looked like I needed to wait about 2 hours for my path to clear, and that was precisely Mike's round trip time to return Ed to Albany, so I sat in the back seat of Mike's Cherokee six to join them for this trip. You can see me relaxing with Mike's son Guy. This was an interesting flight as we were flying through the backside of a cold front. We experienced gusty winds and moderate to severe turbulence. I got to fly the Cherokee 6 back to Worcester in somewhat better conditions. The turbulence had subsided, though the winds were still howling both on the ground and at altitude. We flew back with a 200 knot groundspeed. For someone who normally flies at half that speed, it is pretty impressive to see the ground moving beneath you this rapidly. It was a very quick flight back to Worcester to say the least. I hopped in my plane and flew to Beverly, landing just after sunset at 8:30pm. My friend Rob Phillips picked me up and I'm now staying with him and his family in Marblehead. More on that later.

My first stop - Bennington, VT

2009-05-31T17:36:00.000-04:00

I had to dodge some rain showers, but I made it to Bennington just
after 11am where Carla Lund picked me up. We headed off to a classic
diner and stopped by the Bennington monument before heading back to
the airport. It was so good to see Carla on my first stop. She sent me
off on my adventure along with the spirit of our dearly departed
friend Justus Taylor. I'm now in the back seat of a Cherokee 6 flying
back to Albany. What?? you say? More on that later.

Bon Voyage

2009-05-31T10:36:00.000-04:00

Departure 5/31/09 10:45am. See everyone soon!

Packing

2009-05-30T14:52:00.000-04:00

Ed Haddad just flew me over to North Adams. MA to retrieve my
airplane. Here it sits quietly in a hangar at the Albany International
airport awaiting tomorrow morning's departure. But now the work
begins: packing the airplane for the trip. I'll be working on that all
day into the night.

Both of my airplanes are ready for takeoff

2009-05-28T22:54:00.003-04:00

I just received a call from my mechanic Brian Doyle. The plane is
ready to go! I will pick it up on Saturday. It now has a brand new
alternator, starter, and exhaust system. The engine was completely
overhauled two years ago. A new interior was put in a few years back.
I just reupholstered the seats. All it needs is a paint job, and perhaps
an avionics upgrade someday.

It's actually hard to believe that takeoff day is right around the
corner. My friend Ed says he wants to take a picture of my takeoff
from Albany, like Lindbergh leaving for Paris. I am incredibly excited
to get started and see the people and places on my itinerary. I just
added the Grand Canyon to my list today. I know that my flight won't
exactly follow my carefully laid out itinerary and that's OK.
Actually, I look forward to the twists and turns that await. That's
part of the adventure.

Since part of my trip will take place here in cyberspace, I would feel
ill-equipped if my virtual airplane wasn't tuned up and ready for
flight. Thanks must go out to my cyber-mechanic Jack Bulmer who
designed this replica of my airplane on Microsoft Flight Simulator X.
That is my plane, but it has been given a new paint job and wheel
pants at no extra charge! If you look carefully, you can see me in
the pilot's seat. Thanks Jack!

Front Seats have been reupholstered

2009-05-25T18:06:00.001-04:00

You should have seen the seats before. You couldn't really call them
seats anymore. I purchased a seat kit from Airtex and with the
guidance of my mechanic Brian Doyle, I reupholstered the front seats.
I'm not sure if I will have time to complete the rear seats before I
leave. For those who will fly with me on portions of this trip, you
will find your brand new seat very comfortable.

Aircraft Repairs

2009-05-21T01:12:00.001-04:00

I'm replacing several items: exhaust stack, starter, and alternator.
This is going to be an expensive annual. Everything should be ready by
the end of next week.

Airplane in for scheduled maintenance

2009-05-15T20:56:00.000-04:00

Every year, an aircraft must be inspected by a mechanic. It's referred
to as the annual inspection All of the critical components and the
engine are carefully checked. This year, the inspection is more
important than most since I'll be flying this old bird over 7000 miles
in the next two months. I had some avionics work completed today, so
when the annual inspection is completed, the plane should be in tip-
top condition. For anyone who has flown with me in the past, you'll
be happy to know that I'm reupholstering my seats for a very
comfortable ride. Here's the plane sitting at the shop, waiting to be
worked on. I will be posting a detailed itinerary soon and contacting
people whom I will be visiting. T minus 2 weeks and counting.

Reconnecting with the past - Instant Gratification

2009-05-14T17:47:00.005-04:00

I must admit that there are few things that catch me off guard these days. Today, it happened twice!! When I was in grade school, I had a good friend named Michael. His family moved from Peabody to Cape Cod around 1976 and we lost touch. My family never traveled, so even a short trip from the North Shore to Cape Cod was out of the question. I remember being told that he stopped by my house to visit one day in 1980 or 1981, but I was in school. I began planning this trip in 2007 and I was determined to reconnect with him. Through my research back then, I actually had tracked down his address, though I wasn't sure it was correct. Knowing that his family owned a chain of restaurants in the Boston area, I decided to call one today in order to track him down. I figured that I might get the Maître de, so I began by asking if the family still owned the restaurant. The answer was yes. Next, I began to mention that I was searching for a long lost friend, someone I hadn't seen or spoken to in about 33 years. To my astonishment, the voice on the other end of the line said "I'm Michael!" I really wasn't even prepared for that. I was in shock, and I was thrilled to reconnect with an old friend.

An hour prior to this phone call, I set about locating another old childhood friend who I hadn't seen or spoken to in about 30 years, Scott. I was about 95% certain that I had tracked him down in Oregon and had a phone number and email address. I sent an email and received an immediate reply. It was him!

Based on this, I've added Hyannis, MA and Newport, OR to my itinerary. Life is sometimes filled with the mundane chores of day to day living. Moments like these are invigorating and remind you about the wonder and unexpected joys that await. I know that this trip is going to reinvigorate my spirit. I am blessed with the opportunity to pursue my passions each summer and I intend to do just that. I think this is the beginning of something bigger for me.

I am in the process of finalizing my itinerary. It is more well-defined than I previously imagined. The proposed route below is quite accurate now and includes most of my stops. Denver stands out as somewhat of a deviation, but I have so many good friends there, it simply cannot be missed. I will be posting the itinerary soon, and please let me know if you'd like me to add a stop to come visit!

See you in the air everyone!

Flying to NH on Sunday

2009-05-02T16:09:00.002-04:00

This will probably be my last cross country flight before the big
trip. There are now less than 30 days to go before I set off to fly
the United States on a wing and a prayer. Well, two wings and the FSM
actually. On Sunday, I'm meeting up with the Northeast Pilot's group
at Parlin field in NH for a Tres de Mayo party at the L'il Red Baron.
Track me live on the blog page. As the days count down, I'm getting
more and more excited about becoming a flying nomad. Sometimes, you
get sick of looking at the same four walls, no matter how pretty they
may be. I am happiest at 5000 feet or visiting with friends and I get to do
both on this trip.

For those whom I am stopping in to visit, I will be spending time on
the itinerary and will let you know when I'm coming through town. If
you'd like to be on the itinerary, drop me a line and I'll add a stop!

Two more weeks of teaching. Two weeks of prep while the airplane is in
for its annual inspection. Takeoff on June 1st. Return on August 1st.

Just Landed at Albany

2009-04-26T19:36:00.002-04:00

Wow, great view of Albany on final approach! Now fueling up for the
short flight home to Renssealer County.

Live from 3000 feet

2009-04-26T18:25:00.000-04:00

Flying home from Long Island. Touchdown at 7pm.

Lessons learned

2009-04-25T09:46:00.003-04:00

Well, yesterday's "dry run" gave me a few data points on the technical front for the blog. I had a 20 knot tailwind at 7500 feet, so I decided to stay there. When I am flying above 7500 ft, apparently I'm invisible to my tracking system. I am using an iPhone with some GPS software which uploads my current coordinates to Instamapper. Technically, I shouldn't be using a cell phone in flight, even in my own private plane, but it is only sending out a data point every 30 seconds. Gotta love justifications. Anyway, at 7500 ft, while the line of sight signal strength is probably great, the phone is either beyond the digital radius prescribed by the cell site or is just seeing too many sites and therefore can't send data.

So, in addition to me trying to track myself, air traffic control is also tracking me by tail number, at least when I'm using their services. I usually do avail myself of their services either for IFR flights or for VFR flight following, where they are giving me advisories concerning other traffic in the area. When they are tracking me, oftentimes you can track my airplane using their data which can be viewed in realtime (5 minute delay?) at Flightaware.com. It's a very useful site because it is tracking general aviation and commercial aviation, so you can track your commercial flights here as well. I may add this map to the blog page as well as backup.

The other technical glitch from yesterday was that I uploaded a blog entry from my phone just before I left and somehow it didn't make it on the blog. This is the entry regarding my takeoff from Rensselaer County airport. I had to resend it later. So, despite the fact that it appeared to upload properly, I guess I need to double-check that it actually made it.

T minus 36 days and counting.

Ready for Takeoff

2009-04-24T18:15:00.001-04:00

Takeoff in 10 minutes from the Rensselaer County Airport. Begin to
refresh and the map should update soon. Off to Long Island.

Live from 7500 feet

2009-04-24T17:05:00.001-04:00

Just leveled off at 7500 feet. Nice 20 knot tailwind. GPS indicates
touchdown at Mattitick in Long Island at 5:45pm.

GPS Tracking dry run on Friday at 4:30pm

2009-04-22T17:14:00.004-04:00

On Friday, I will be flying to Long Island to see Pete Spaeth's daughter Veronica perform in Les Miserables. I will be leaving Hudson Valley Community College promptly at 4pm, driving to the airport by 4:15pm and taking off by 4:30pm. The flight will take approximately 1hr 15mins, so I should be airborne from 4:30pm - 5:45pm on Friday. I will be testing the GPS tracking through the blog, so if you load up the page, you should see me flying on the map in real time. If you click on the image of my airplane, it will bring up a much bigger map. Unfortuntely, it doesn't update automatically, so if you want to refresh my position, you will have to hit refresh on your browser. Try it out and see if it works for you.

I have also added two maps at the bottom of the page. For now, I have added a rough cut for my proposed route. It will run clockwise, starting on the east coast first. As I refine the route over the next several weeks, I will be updating that map. Below it will be the actual route flown. This will get updated based on the actual airports I land at along the way. Once the plan is in place, I don't expect too many changes, but on a trip like this, one should expect the unexpected I suppose. These maps are important so that you can really get a sense of the locations I'll be flying to within the US. I'll spend most of my time along the periphery of the country.

So, if you're bored on Friday, load up the page and track me live to Long Island.

T minus 40 days and counting.

Wow - GPS Tracking, Blog, and Twitter Feed on one page

2009-04-21T00:06:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I'm little bit behind the curve on this whole Web 2.0 phenomenon, but I'm catching up. This is the first real Blog I've ever published and that's something that folks have been doing for years now (that's centuries in Internet time). I joined Facebook a few years ago and only within the last 6 months has my account gone crazy now that everyone in my age group jumped on the bandwagon. Also, everyone's had been talking about Twitter and I thought, why the heck do I need to be on yet another social networking site. I'm not that social to begin with :) Well, in putting this blog together, I now see a convergence of technologies and see the real benefit of Twitter in this context. The blog itself is the place for me to write a long-winded diatribe like this one and post videos and pictures. But it takes some effort to compose the thoughts that go into a blog entry. Enter Twitter - From my cell phone I can microblog or just quickly type (in a 140 characters or less) what is going on at that very moment and perhaps attach one photo. There's definitely a place for that, and for me, it appears on the right-hand column of this blog. So, I can compose long-winded blog entry like this one, or just type a quick message about what's happening, and either way, it appears on this page! What I love about this is that I can give one website out and people don't have to chase down all of the different social networking sites I use. In addition, I have a GPS tracking application for my cellphone and was able to add a live map at the top of this page. Hitting refresh will update my position if I'm moving. Also, clicking on the airplane photo will bring up a much bigger live map. You'll be tracking my airplane in flight!

So, now I have a way to communicate with all 2 of the people that are interested in what I'm doing. Hahaha. Anyway, I'm just excited to have found a medium that mashes all of the technologies I want to use to document this cross-country adventure I'm embarking on. I love the fact that I will be documenting the trip in real-time, people can keep track of exactly where I am and what I'm up to, and that the blog will then be an archive I look back to later.

42 days to go

2009-04-20T18:00:00.000-04:00

42 days to go! I'm installing new seats, the airplane goes in for service on May 17th and I'll be blasting off on June 1st. I will be posting a detailed itinerary soon. Please contact me if you'd like me to stop in at an airport near you.

I've been planning this trip for 3 years and it will finally happen this year. I will be on the road, I mean in the air, for 2 full months exploring the United States. I love flying, but I also look forward to reconnecting with old friends, some of whom I haven't seen in 20 years! I hope to chronicle my experiences along the way here on the blog each day. In addition, I will be posting photographs and you can track me in realtime through the map above. I am also going to work on the capability to upload video.

To me, this is the ultimate adventure - aviation, freedom in the sky, meeting friends, and discovering places I've never been to before. More to follow!