Flight to Slatington PA and short hike on A.T.

A couple months back I was thinking ahead towards adventures to take when better weather arrived. Looking over  topographic maps of the Appalachian Trail I found an airport in Pennsylvania that was about a mile from a trailhead. It was at the Lehigh Water gap at the town of Slatington.

Originally the plan was to fly down then hike along the A.T. to a designated campsite where I would spend the night. The following day I would hike back and either fly home or spend the night in town. However on the dates I had planed for this and taken time off from work, a storm system with rain moved through the northeast.

This time with only the day to do it, this was a scaled back version of the original plan. Fly down, hike, and fly home.

I got an early start and was in the air about 7:30 am. The flight down was smooth in the morning air, but haze made photography difficult from my cruising altitude of 5,500 feet. There was a slight tailwind allowing me to get there in about 1:40.

From the left seat looking east over Binghamton, NY. Sunlight and haze. Returning home in the afternoon the sun would again be on my side looking west. Perhaps I should sit on the other side?

 Passing Sky Haven Airport. I would return to this field in the afternoon for fuel.

On the ground at Slatington Airport. The mechanic based on the field gave me a tour of the facilities and a ride across the runway to a campsite along the river. 

Walking along a rail-trail to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center (lgnc.org) and the trailhead for the Appalachian Trail several swallows perched on the fence allowed me to get quite close before taking to the air.

From the rail-trail on the way to the Nature Center. The Appalachian Trail crosses the river on this bridge then returns to the ridge top.

This area was once a Super-Fund site. Pollution from a Zinc smelting operation just downwind of the ridge resulted in toxic and acidic byproducts funneling through the gap killing plant life and leaving the area devoid of any life. Through the efforts of a conservation group considerable progress has been made in revegetating the area which will keep toxins from continuing to wash into the river or be ingested by the returning wildlife.

About the Lehigh Gap Clean-up

A view from the top across the gap

The zinc smelting operation in Palmerton

Slatington Airport and the Lehigh Gap

Returning home with 'maybe' enough fuel for the flight back, I stopped in at Sky Haven for about 10 gallons of 100LL. Watching fuel gauges approaching empty seems to take the fun out of flying...

Sky Haven had no fuel, but they did offer a car and gas cans for a ride up the street to a gas station. My other option, which I took, was a 10 minute flight over to Seamons where there was fuel. With a straight out departure I passed over the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct at Nicholson.

The flight home was uneventful. The small tailwind on the way down, became a headwind slowing my return. Going down was about 1:40, returning 2:20 for a total flight time of 4:00.

Late Winter / early Spring Flight to Chittenango Falls

A pleasant day with weak sun shining through thickening clouds. With a forecast of rain all week I thought I should get out for a ride while I can...

I spent a little time close to the airport taking pictures before heading east to Chittenange Falls about 30 miles away. With a layer of cirrostratus softening and scattering the sunlight it was a good opportunity to visit this high contrast scene. In past attempts I haven't had good luck here. Dark gorge walls and bright water made for unsatisfying results. Today should be better.

Knowing there was precipitation to the south of me in PA, I zoomed out ForeFlight to see how radar would be displayed. 

Nine mile Creek meandering along Gorge Road just south of Camillus. It drains Otisco lake into Onondaga Lake

The town of Camillus

Our new movie theater under construction in Township 5

Onondaga Community College

Syracuse and Onondaga Lake

 Another of Syracuse and Onondaga Lake

Chittenango Falls State Park

Course entered back to Marcellus (yes, I am slightly to the left of course...)

A good afternoon. Now I can survive the rain until the next good weather...

The following day I stopped by the falls for some ground shots

Lake Ontario and ADS-B "in" with Raspberry Pi

Finally, an opportunity to try out my $100 ADS-B set-up in the air.

I'm using a Raspberry Pi and USB radio receiver to WiFi data to ForeFlight on my iPad. Though I have been able to see traffic while on the ground, weather can only be picked up once in the air.

I'm not sure how high I was when the signal was first received but leaving the pattern at 800' my screen indicated "1 tower". Even though most of the flight was below 3,000 there was always a signal from between 1 and 3 towers.

Originally, the plan was to fly north along the shore of Lake Ontario to the mouth of the St. Lawrence near Cape Vincent and photograph lighthouses and ice. But, skies remained overcast and hazy with the forecasted clearing today not arriving until after I had landed and put the plane away.

In spite of the clouds and haze, flying up to Ontario was worth it. Along the way I played a bit with the weather and traffic displayed on my tablet, and on Lake Ontario there were some interesting patterns in the ice.

My first look at traffic as I headed to the western corner of Oneida Lake. Here two aircraft are displayed to the east of Syracuse Hancock. One 200 feet above my altitude and another 2,100 feet above.

Zooming out a little later in the flight shows aircraft over Rochester and Utica. Touching an aircrafts' icon opens up a box with more information. Though most of the time I had airports displaying ceiling information, here airport temperatures are being displayed.

For now my unit is only receiving from aircraft transmitting on 978 MHz. Later this week I'll complete the picture and add a second receiver that will bring in 1090 MHz on which most airliners broadcast their information.

Oneida Lake with ice as far as I could see into the haze

A meandering creek near Port Ontario

Port Ontario and dark tannin water flowing into Ontario

Nine Mile Point power station

Ice drawn away from the shoreline by the south winds.

I couldn't get over the size of this repeating pattern made by eddies as ice carried by winds and current moved out into the lake from west of Oswego

Oswego

On the way back I found that tapping on an airport brings up its complete weather information

Onondaga Lake ( for my fellow Yacht Club members )

Marcellus airport and the town beyond.

Mike Murphy (who also belongs to OYC) departing in his Piper Tri-Pacer

Flight Over Letchworth State Park

With only a limited number of flying opportunities remaining this season, I am trying not to let any pass. The lingering clouds and haze over Central NY in the morning surprised me, but forecast was calling for better weather to the west. That would be the direction to head. Plus with winds forecast to be from the NW at 20 knots the return leg would be with a tailwind.

Heading out I stayed low rather than on top to avoid the stronger winds higher up. This paid off by giving me a 10 knot tailwind for the first half of the leg out.

Too much haze for any aerial photos on the way out. Passing Cayuga Lake the sunlight reflecting off the lake as it fades into the haze was interesting.

Beyond Seneca Lake I entered the new airmass moving in from the NW. My tailwind was gone, but so was much of the haze. Passing Canandaigua Lake you can see the difference from the previous shot.

On the ground at Geneseo for a quick stop. 

 I was greeted by and museum member who had the keys in his pocket for W99 and offered me a look inside this C47 that took part in the Normandy Invasion. I couldn't pass that up.

First class seating! Look at all the legroom...

 Beautiful...

If money were no object, this would be the plane I'd like to use for cross-country flights, making round engine music at 150 knots all day

Mount Morris Dam on the northern end of the park. Every time I've been here the water has been this low. Back in the 70's, remnants of a hurricane had the canyon full and this dam at its limit.

Upstream from the dam the meandering Genesee River

 Middle Falls and the Glen Iris

 Upper Falls and the rail road trestle

On the way back from my 5,500 cruising altitude I spotted at plane in the distance below me. I could'nt quite make it out. At first I thought it was closer and moving about the same as me. Then it made some turns before heading south along Seneca Lake. I used my phone and FlightRadar24 app to get its ADS-B information which indicated it was at 3,100 and 275 knots. None of the other information usually displayed on the aircraft was available.

Note the two domes along the upper fuselage.

I'd been putting off purchasing a Stratus or GDL39 ADS-B "In" for a while, but I'm beginning to think that by next spring it will be time for the upgrade. 

Currently I am using a Dual XGPS150 to bluetooth accurate GPS data to my iPad for use with Garmin Pilot. With my phone as a Wifi hotspot weather information is delivered to the iPad as well. I then use an app on the phone to display other aircraft in the vicinity. I would like the other aircraft displayed on the iPad, as well as keeping data flowing when at altitude or over more remote areas where cell signals are out of range.

Passing south of Montezuma Wildlife Refuge on the way home. North-sound scars on the landscape left by the last glacier that gave us the beautiful Finger Lakes are visible below.