December 10, 2006 - Eleven Airports
|
|
Amazingly good weather for mid-December so I decided to take advantage of
it and go flying. I pre-heated the Citabria's engine with the new
Red Dragon heater while I opened the hangar doors and did all the little
preparations that are required for flight. |
|
 |
|
|
Looking back towards Baltimore, the Key Bridge and Bethlehem Steel on
Sparrows Point. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the air was
silky smooth. It would be like this all day.
|
|
 |
|
|
I took off around 9:30AM. The goal for today was to
land in every public airport on the eastern shore.
My first stop was Bay Bridge, where I have never
landed, believe it or not. I like to keep my flying over the Bay to a
minimum during the colder months, so I crossed over to the Eastern Shore,
leaving the ADIZ, and came into Bay Bridge from the East. Bay Bridge
has this nice deal where you just squawk a certain code -- see the Notam
if you're interested -- and you don't have to file an ADIZ flight plan or
talk to Potomac ATC.
Visibility was excellent today. That's Kent
Narrows and Kent Island ahead and you can see across the Bay to Annapolis
on the other side. |
|
 |
|
|
Overhead Bay Bridge airport. They say you can get some pretty fair
crab cakes at the gas station convenience store on the main road there!
|
|
 |
|
| On the ramp at Bay Bridge Airport. |
|
 |
|
|
From Bay Bridge I went direct to Kentmorr. Again,
all I had to do was squawk Kentmorrs designated code. No flight plan
or having to talk with Potomac. No Coast Guard helicopter showed up so
I guess I did it right. I say that in jest, but the fact is that your
pilot's license is at risk flying around the ADIZ. I choose not to let
it affect my flying. I know the procedures, follow them, and if I get
in trouble, so be it. |
|
 |
|
|
I left Kentmorr and headed over to Easton. Got a
parking spot in the front roowwww. had a GREAT breakfast at
the little Hangar Cafe in the terminal, then headed south to Cambridge. |
|
 |
|
I filled her up with avgas at Cambridge.
|
|
 |
|
|
This very nice-looking RV-4 was parked at Cambridge. Workmanship and
paint job was outstanding. |
|
 |
|
|
I headed east to Laurel which is a grass strip and has a large
sky-diving operation. It was relatively warm today, 50+ degrees,
but I would have that it was a little cool for skydiving. But I
saw a couple of people suited up so I guess they were going for it.
Gotta get the fix!
|
|
 |
|
| Next stop was Bennett Field, which
I have landed at many times. Not much going on here but there rarely
is. |
|
 |
|
| Bennett is on the edge of the
Salisbury Airport Class D airspace. Salisbury is another airport I
have never landed at. It has a control tower and is well away from
town, so I never had a reason to go there. But today is the day.
I landed, took the picture, and taxiied out behind an unusual flight of
three: an Ercoupe, a Pitts, and that low-wing on the other side of the
Citabria. |
|
 |
|
|
Next stop was Crisfield where I landed on their wide grass strip.
This is a great little airport but Crisfield is so remote that nobody
every comes here. |
|
 |
|
This is the town of Crisfield. They have
built those big waterfront condos in just the last few years.
Tangier Island seemed very close although it was ten miles away. I
was tempted to book over there but my will was strong and I did not. I
headed southeast towards Accomack and Campbell Field airports.
|
|
 |
|
|
The way the sun glistened on the marshlands was very pretty. |
|
 |
|
|
I stopped at Campbell Field airport first. I chatted with the
owner of the 172 briefly, then headed north to Accomack.
|
|
 |
|
| The words on the hangar roof read
"LAND HERE"! Is this a great airport or what? |
|
 |
|
| Accomack Airport. Nice
airport but just too modern and impersonal. It needs some sort of
character niche. |
|
 |
|
| |
|
Some lucky guy's private grass strip. |
|
 |
|
|
This guy has an interesting place. Remote, right on the water.
|
|
 |
|
|
Those white areas on the water are huge flocks of birds.
I transisted north - northeast from Accomack toward Ocean City. I
passed over a Bald Eagle in flight and got a great look at him.
Magnificent. |
|
 |
|
|
Ocean City airport with the city in the background. It was getting
late in the day and the sun was behind me, so everything was perfectly
lit up.
|
|
 |
|
| I've landed at Ocean City many
times but always in the summer when their large ramp area is filled with
planes. 50+. I was shocked today; there was only one
airplane on the entire ramp! The airport was deserted. |
|
 |
|
| There is just something about a
pristine beach. |
|
 |
|
| The Ocean City boardwalk. I
really wish I had a better camera.
It was pretty obvious I didn't have enough time to land at the remaining
Eastern Shore airports, but I did want to stop at Chorman on the way home.
I was up against some headwind, however, and needed all the time I had left
before sunset just to make Essex Skypark. |
|
 |
|
|
I enjoyed a pretty sunset crossing the bay. It was
dusk when I landed but I had no problem with it. I havn't made a night
landing since my student training 30 years ago.
What a great aviation day! I logged five hours
and landed at eleven airports, not including Essex. Next week I’ll nail the
public airports on the northern eastern shore. The plane ran great as
always.
I was looking forward to the photos, especially those
of the sunset and Ocean City, but they were very disappointing. |
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|