June 20, 2013 - Sky Manor, NJ Form Flight
Today's flying adventure was formation flying at Sky Manor airport with the Red Star pilots.  Sky Manor is just north of Philadelpha in New Jersey.  I got a pretty early start because I had to be at Pottstown to join up with Lawbreaker.
   
Flying over Martin State airport.  Since they are a towered airport, I had to get their approval over the radio to fly through their airspace.  Not a problem.  Not much activity at the airport this early.
   
Maryland Air National Guard A-10s are based here.  Plus those two-engine transport jobs.  They look like C-130s with only two engines.
   
Directly over Hartford County airport.  I've only landed at this airport once in my life and it was in the Citabria, not the RV.
   
Crossing the Susquehanna River.
   
Look at all that sludge.
   
Navigating to Pottstown is usually easy thanks to the nuclear power plant.
   
On final at Pottstown Heritage airport.
   
I met up with Lawbreaker, then the two of us flew to Sky Manor as a flight of two.    At Sky Manor, the first item of business was to have breakfast at the onfield restaurant.
   
Then we taxiied to the south end of the field where all the formation planes were.
   
A couple of CJ's make their grand entrance.
   
They have started an airport community at this end of the airfield.  Only one house built so far, pictured at center.
   
A closer look at the model house.  I'd love to live in an airport community but I don't know about living in New Jersey.
   
The owner of this T-6 asked a bunch of us to help push his airplane off the grass to the other side of the road.   There were eight of us and it took everything we had.  We were all huffing and puffing after words.  The T-6 is one big, heavy plane!
   
I liked the paintjob on this T-6.
   
We briefed all-together in the model home hangar/garage, then split up into aircraft type groups and briefed the formation hops.   The four RVs flew together, the CJs, the T-6s, and the Bonanzas.
 
One of my Citabria Trunkmonkey friends Tim flew with me and took these great photos of our form hop.  That's Mugsy with Jerry on his wing.
   
Lawbreaker, Mugsy and Jerry in echelon.
   
 
   
 
 
   
Solo of Lawbreaker.
   
 
   

The model home hangar/garage where we briefed.  You could fit six to eight RVs in this hangar.

We briefed for an all-up flight.
   
Headed out to the flight line.  Where are the RVs?
   
There they are, hidden behind that big T-6.
   
Get ready to start engines.
  P
Pre-flight engine checks.
   
After the all-up, Jerry, Mugsy and I headed for home.
   

After I split off from Jerry and Mugsy, I did a little sightseeing on the way home.

A big trailerpark/beach at the top of the Chesapeake Bay.
   
The boaters are starting to come out in the nice weather.
   
 
   
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