Bill's Aviation Log

Departing Cambridge, we headed south down the Delmarva peninsula. Destination: First Flight Airport at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Looking down at Campbell Field grass strip airport.

I looked down and thought the hull number was 70 which would make it the third Nimitz-class carrier. But when I got home and zoomed in on the picture I realized the hull number was 78 which means this carrier is the USS Gerald R. Ford, the newest carrier in U.S. Navy and lead ship of the Ford-class. I should have known because the island is noticeably further aft than on the Nimitz-class.

The deck is 1,092 feet long. I bet I could land my RV-7 on the carrier if it was steaming into the wind and doing 20 knots or so.

We flew over the Norfolk-area airspace and continued south down Virginia Beach.

What's that flying north down the beach?

Looking down at where it all began for aviation. The site of the Wright Brothers first four flights.

You can see how close the First Flight Airport runway is to the memorial and Visitors Center. A close, pleasant walk.

I liked this colorized photograph of one of the brothers working hard flying the 1902 glider. The brothers taught themselves how to fly with the 1902 glider so when they added power in 1903, they already knew how to fly.

Departing First Flight, we headed south for a little bit, then retraced our route back up the coast to the north.

Here we are flying low over the barrier island beach.

The forecast for today had called for scattered rstorms in the afternoon. And sure enough, there they were. Here, I'm looking at a rainstorm over Rock Hall. There was another one the same size to my right as well! But between them the path was clear and I could see my destination. They were not thunderstorms, just rain. So we sailed right on through.

July 3, 2021 - Kitty Hawk with Beau
I took my son-in-law Beau flying today on a beautiful day for flying. First stop, Cambridge Airport for a delicious breakfast at "Kay's at the Airport". Chuck B. -- who has been flying the heck out of his newly acquired RV-7A -- joined us. I just finished spending 22 hours polishing the RV; I told Beau "don't touch the aluminum!".

Departing Cambridge, we headed south down the Delmarva peninsula. Destination: First Flight Airport at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

As the Delmarva Peninsula narrows, you can see the Atlantic Ocean on the left and the Chesapeake Bay on the right.

Looking down at Campbell Field grass strip airport.

Cape Charles beginning to come into view.

The marshes and barrier islands off to the east, with Atlantic Ocean beyond.

We climbed to 4,500 feet to transit over the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay, just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel when I saw a big ship ahead coming into the Bay. I was pretty sure it was an aircraft carrier. As we got closer, sure enough it was a big carrier with an escort of small patrol boats.

I looked down and thought the hull number was 70 which would make it the third Nimitz-class carrier. But when I got home and zoomed in on the picture I realized the hull number was 78 which means this carrier is the USS Gerald R. Ford, the newest carrier in U.S. Navy and lead ship of the Ford-class. I should have known because the island is noticeably further aft than on the Nimitz-class. The deck is 1,092 feet long. I bet I could land my RV-7 on the carrier if it was steaming into the wind and doing 20 knots or so.

Her keel was laid in 2009. On 9 November 2013, the ship was christened by Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales. On 31 May 2017, Newport News Shipbuilding delivered Gerald R. Ford to the U.S. Navy and her status was changed to Special, in service. Gerald R. Ford was formally commissioned into the United States Navy on 22 July 2017. On 28 July 2017, Lt. Cmdr. Jamie "Coach" Struck of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) performed the first arrested landing and catapult launch from Gerald R. Ford in an F/A-18F Super Hornet. Unfortunately, since then the Ford hasn't done so well. Costs have grown to over $13 billion, making the Gerald R. Ford the most expensive warship ever built. I can remember when a Nimitz-class carrier cost $2 billion. Apparently there are still significant problems with the operation of its weapons elevators, while a DoD report in early 2021 stated that the ship was still not combat-ready, citing continuing problems with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS). Designed to achieve 4,166 aircraft launches between operational mission failures, instead it went 181 launches between failures, "well below the requirement". Furthermore, I must say, I'm not thrilled about naming an aircraft carrier after President Gerald Ford. Sure, Ford served in the Navy during WWII but let's face it, he's not exactly up there with great Presidents like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan for which existing carriers are named. Or Teddy Roosevelt or Harry Truman. If carriers are going to be named after presidents, what about FDR who was a great wartime president and loved the Navy? Or some of the legendary carrier names like Enterprise, Lexington or Yorktown? Or great U.S. Navy leaders like Spruance, King and Halsey? Future Ford-class carriers -- if the country can afford them -- will be named John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), Enterprise (CVN-80), Doris Miller (CVN-81). All that said, it was awesome to fly over the big carrier. Even at 4,500 feet, it was huge!

We flew over the Norfolk-area airspace and continued south down Virginia Beach.

Looking down at Virginia Beach.

Looking down at all the Super Hornets and E-2s at Oceana Naval Air Station.

Continuing south over the marsh.

What's that flying north down the beach?

It's the Shark Week blimp! We're seeing all sorts of interesting things today.

Looking down at where it all began for aviation. The site of the Wright Brothers first four flights. You can see how close the First Flight Airport runway is to the memorial and Visitors Center. A close, pleasant walk.

I am always in awe of what the Wright Brothers accomplished. It is good to see them properly honored by this National Park.

We landed, walked to the top of Kill Devil Hill and the memorial and looked out over the Park.

Inside the Visitor Center, looking at a replica of the 1903 Flyer. The last time I was here, the Visitor's Center was closed for renovation. But now it is open. It doesn't look much different from what I remember. I think some of the presentation and displays have been improved and really do a good job of telling the amazing story of how the Wright Brothers figured out how to fly and the incredible effort that was required. The first time I came here back in the late 1980's National Park Rangers gave hourly talks; the one who did ours was exceptionally good. I don't think they do that anymore but the presentation and displays do a pretty good job of making up for it.

I liked this colorized photograph of one of the brothers working hard flying the 1902 glider. The brothers taught themselves how to fly with the 1902 glider so when they added power in 1903, they already knew how to fly.

Departing First Flight, we headed south for a little bit, then retraced our route back up the coast to the north. Here we are flying low over the barrier island beach.

Looking west from the beach.

Some boats having a party on their own private beach in the barrier islands.

Looking down at an impressive waterfront estate near Ocean City.

Fenwick Island.

The forecast for today had called for scattered rstorms in the afternoon. And sure enough, there they were. Here, I'm looking at a rainstorm over Rock Hall. There was another one the same size to my right as well! But between them the path was clear and I could see my destination. They were not thunderstorms, just rain. So we sailed right on through.


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July 3, 2021 - Kitty Hawk with Beau