January 2020 didn’t cooperate too much for flying due to weather. I had a couple short solo flights in the local area, but nothing too exciting. But even those flights are fulfilling in some way—whether just a chance to relax and clear my head from earthly issues, or views of pretty clouds below over the water or perfect parking jobs......!
In early February, Milton and I planned to do one of the kitten rescue flights down to North Carolina and back. I agreed to pick him up in Farmingdale and then we’d make our way south. However, on just the hop over to Farmingdale, in what the FAA deemed Visual Flight Rules conditions (visibility of more than 5 miles), I was not a happy camper. Yes, I could make out the Northport smoke stacks from 6 miles away, but I felt like I was feeling my way through thick air and certainly wasn’t going to be able to spot any other aircraft traffic out there! When I landed at FRG, Milton and I went for breakfast, hoping the weather and low cloud would clear up....Because of the cold temps, we didn’t want to just file an instrument flight plan and try to fly through icy clouds, so we ultimately postponed the trip until later in the month. The cat rescue folks were all understanding—always better to be safe than sorry. I made a “VFR” beeline back to Bridgeport, and sure enough, the weather deteriorated through the day with a mix of ice and rain.
In mid-February, I learned of the passing of a long-time family friend, Father Randall Blackall. As far back as I can remember, Fr. Blackall had been a part of our lives, working with my parents in one of their church-related volunteer organizations, as well as celebrating numerous holidays and Catholic sacrament celebrations (baptisms, first confessions, First Communions, Confirmations, etc.) with our family. He was always fun, quick with a laugh and a good story. We also spent some time visiting him, and I particularly fondly remember visits while he was pastor of St. Bridget Church in Cornwall, CT. For a while, he had a georgeous house on a beautiful hilltop that had been donated by parishioners for his use until a parish house was built next to the church itself.
https://www.courant.com/obituaries/hc-obituary-l-randall-blackall-20200216-story.html
So to honor him, I did a flight up to NW CT and over St. Bridget and Cornwall Bridge, remembering some of the fun times hanging out with him there.
Later in February, I got to do the postponed kitten rescue flight to North Carolina and back. Unfortunately, Milton was unavailable, so I flew it solo, but I got a terrificly gorgeous CAVU (ceiling and visibility unlimited) day, with gentle winds, bright sunlight and smooth as silk air. We had had some winter storms during the week and the previous day, including snow and ice, but this Saturday was the perfect aftermath!
As usual, my route south took me over the top of JFK, with large jets arriving and departing underneath me. (It never grows old hearing departure instructions to these large jets telling them to watch for the small Cessna above them!). Then it was down the NJ shoreline, across DE and MD and the Patuxent River Naval Air Station (with fighter jets on the tarmac), on past Richmond and down into NC where there was surprisingly (probably moreso for the NC residents!) still snow covering the ground, despite the balmy temps in the 50s!
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The kitten rescue folks were waiting for me at the airport, and kindly fed me a sandwich and chicken soup while I checked weather (gorgeous) for the return flight and looked at the weird fish in the FBO’s fish tank! They made their goodbyes to the kittens they’d grown attached to, and then it was off to CT to their new homes!
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The return flight was just about the same routing as the morning, and with the same gorgeous conditions. As I approached Delaware, however, and was speaking with Dover Approach, I could see smudges of black smoke ahead in NJ. As I got closer, it turned out they were large brush fires burning throughout the area. Not only could I get occasional whiffs of smoke, but the fires were so large I could also make out the flames from my altitude, which means the flames must have been at least 10-20’ high!
PHOTO UPLOAD ISSUE
Once past the fires, it was smooth sailing again, over the top of JFK and a descent back into Bridgeport.
At the very end of February, I attended a luncheon at The Wings Club, an aviation industry organization that brings together airline, manufacturer, finance, legal, media and other business folks involved in the aerospace industry. This lecture was the annual “Sight Lecture”, one of the highlights of the year, and was a presentation by Virgin Galactics CEO, George Whitesides, discussing their SpaceShipTwo program. It was a fascinating lecture and, to top if off, Ben, a friend, fellow R182 pilot and IP lawyer who was sitting at my table won the door prize raffle, a gorgeous model of SpaceShipTwo!
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