Geneseo Fly-In Breakfast

No excuse or even a specific destination is needed to go flying, but having either of these does make it even more fun! Reviewing the list of upcoming events on upstatelist.org last week I found there was a pancake breakfast this Sunday at the Warbird Museum in Geneseo. This would be a fun place to bring my dad.

The weather was perfect for the flight light south winds at the surface and only a slight headwind for the flight out. Taking off a little after 8, the air was smooth as glass for the cruise west at 4,500 feet. 

Auburn and Owasco Lake beyond

Me and Dad

Cayuga Lake

Seneca Falls with Finger Lake Regional Airport beyond

Canandaigua Lake 

The breakfast was a bit quieter than I expected. Nowhere near the crowds at Weedsport's every other week breakfast and only a fraction of the attendance at the Marcellus Fathers Day breakfast (coming up in a couple weeks)

Dining area in main hangar

Enjoying breakfast

After eating we walked around the hangar and looked at a half dozen aircraft in various stages of rebuilding. We also toured the Warbird Museum.

Harvard

Scale P-51 (Stewart 51?)

I'll have to check out my reflection when no one with a camera is watching!

Beechcraft Super 18

DC-3 W7

This aircraft took part in the Invasion of Normandy

Pilot...Co-pilot...Hey! Where's mine?

W7 flew back to Europe to take part in the Return to Normandy ceremony last year.

Geneseo from the south

Montezuma Wildlife Refuge

Relaxing and enjoying the view

This guy flew into the window as I was taxiing out just a moment before I closed it for take-off. For the entire return flight it walked back and forth across the windscreen exiting the plane when I got out in Marcellus.

We had a nice flight and I was happy to have my dad along with me. 

(This flight was just a warm up for Dad and I when in two weeks we will take the Cessna to Charlotte, NC)

Morning Fog and Apple Blossom Festival Breakfast

Checking the weather before heading to bed the night before there was morning fog in the forecast. As long as it wasn't too widespread this would make for some interesting scenes as we departed Marcellus for a breakfast at Williamson-Sodus Sunday morning. 

I woke to a call from my dad that he wouldn't be able to join me for the flight. At first I considered staying in bed a bit longer, then I remembered the fog and was out the front door within 15 minutes. Coffee from the Express Mart as I pass though the village and I'm good to go...

The skies were mostly sunny but there were clouds to the south and some visible moisture in the lower atmosphere. 

Climbing out of Marcellus right off I could see Skaneateles Lake looked different. As I turned southwest and gained altitude I found the lake covered by a thin layer of ground fog.

Skaneateles Lake

Otisco Lake

After circling over the lakes for a bit I start thinking of where to go.  Over the radio I could hear almost constant transmissions from pilots landing and taking off at Williamson-Sodus. I'm already in the air and it is only 20 minutes away. I've got to go visit.

Even with all the traffic the timing was right so that I was able to fit right into the downwind leg for landing #3 behind a Bonanza and a Cessna.

 Our Cessna at Williamson-Sodus

The sign on the palm tree says:

"Margaritaville, It's 5:00 somewhere"

Cooking for hundreds...

A long, long line on this beautiful morning. I just grabbed some coffee and was happy with that.

Rides were offered in both the departing helicopter and the Piper on the right

A beautifully finished Challenger II owned by John Bailey

Willismson-Sodus Airport. As I was leaving the line still stretched for hundreds of feet.

Nine Mile Point in the distance appears to still be in the fog

The air was smooth as glass all morning and into mid day. Perfect flying weather!

And this is how I like to fly. Arm out the window. 

The open window has a speed limit of 100 mph. That's okay, as I am happy cruising along at 85-90.

(rather than spending time in Photoshop correcting my receding hairline, I just cropped off the top of my head!)

Cross Lake, Lake Ontario in the distance

Williamson-Sodus and Oswego

It is late April and the first Sunday fly-in pancake breakfast is still weeks away. Looking for somewhere interesting to fly with my father I decide to head northwest to Williamson-Sodus, an active airport about 25 miles east of Rochester, NY along the shore of Lake Ontario. From there we could follow the shoreline east to Oswego before turning back south toward home.

Even with sunny skies, a northwest flow of Canadian air is keeping mid-day temperatures from rising past the upper 40s. This cool breeze also brought some bumps with good thermal activity south of the lake and a bit of a headwind to keep our groundspeed down on the outbound leg.

Apple's most recent update to iOS for my iPad carried with it a bug that prevents navigational software such as Garmin Pilot (which I use), Foreflight and others from using the GPS information from external sources. Since my new iPad mini 2 does not have a built-in GPS I have had to use my Android phone that contains a GPS and can also communicate with my Dual XGPS150. The plus side to this is that my phone stayed charged, I could see my panel around the smaller phone and weather radar and winds were visible on the map screen of Garmin Pilot through my data plan.

Garmin Pilot on a Samsung S4. Viewing the Navigation page. 

 One of the great things about flying along at only a couple thousand feet are all the interesting things that you come across. Look close, better yet, click on the image for a larger size.

From a distance the lake seemed to have a foggy look to it, as I got closer I realized it was a reflection of the cloud layer above rather than some low level atmospheric condition over the water. Departing Williamson a little later I found the atmosphere was clear enough to see the Canadian coastline across the lake.

As we returned to the plane after a cup of coffee, a gentleman pulled up in his car with a big smile and saying he has a 1964 Cessna 150. Ours is a '65. Both have 360 windows and a straight tail (the way God intended a 150 tail to be...) 

We talked about our planes and he took our picture.

Williamson-Sodus (SDC)

Chimney Bluffs just a few miles to the east.

Living on the edge!

Fair Haven Bay and the State Park on the left 

Looking east over Oswego

Fulton

Me and my Dad 

(And yes, I am aware I need to work on a better face for the camera!)

Harris Hill

Saturday in a Iroquois Soaring Assoc. email someone asked if members wanted to assemble the club gliders on Sunday. That didn't happen but it was enough to put thoughts of gliders in my head. Our schedules lined up for a change and my partner in the Cessna, Kate, would be be out for her first flight of the year. She is a glider fan as well so a trip to a glider port would be a fun day for both of us.

Though nothing going on at Hamilton with ISA we still had a few options. Saratoga Springs, Dansville and Harris Hill in Elmira. I decided on Elmira. It has a very active club and there is always something going on there.

Sunday was forecast to be beautiful, with sunny skies, mild temperatures and light winds. By Sunday night things would be changing. The forecast has us heading into a week of clouds, rain and even a bit of snow here in Central New York. In Upstate NY, when the weather is good you have to go. No excuses.

Climbing out of Marcellus under a few cirrus visibility was more than 50 miles. My GPS showed virtually no winds as we climbed to 4,500 for the 59 nm 39 min cruise SW over the Finger Lakes. With the plane trimmed for level flight we settled into an easy cruise and enjoyed the scenery.

Kate and me

Between watching for other aircraft and enjoying the view it was a while until I realized I hadn't touched the controls in quite a long time. Smooth as glass up here. Only a gentle touch on the rudder pedals was needed to keep us on track.

The land is beginning to change from the brown and grey of winter to the green of spring. In protected spots in and along forests or gullies snow remains as a reminder that only a few weeks ago all was white here.

The Cessna is headed to the radio shop for static when transmitting that makes me difficult to understand, so I'm using a handheld. Approaching Elmira I am over their Class D airspace but within the ARSA. Participation in a ARSA is voluntary, but I'm flying directly over the airfield and want to descend into Harris Hill which is within the Class D. From 18 miles out I call only to find the handheld, using its small antenna, is fine for pattern work but doesn't work too well over any distance. With quite a bit of effort the tower instructs me to continue as requested and no other traffic.

Descending over Harris Hill we spot a couple gliders in the air. A Discus circling 1,000' feet above us in lift and an ASK-21 below setting up for the landing pattern. We wait for him, then land.

Harris Hill from the south. 

Elmira Regional visible in the valley beyond.

The smooth ride down, while nice for airplanes, means not much lift for gliders.

The airport was pretty quiet. Several rides were given and eventually the Discus pilot landed.

Pawnee towing the ASK-21

ASK landing. Our Cessna parked on the right

Discus on roll-out. He kept his wings level as he came to a stop where he was met out on the runway by ground crew that caught his wing and gently lowered it to the ground.

Harris Hill Club House

Taugannock Falls

South end of Owasco Lake

Frozen Ocean Raceway and Murphy's Airport

 Back home to Marcellus Airport

Recent Photos

As 2014 winds down we have been blessed with mild temperatures and very little snow here in Central New York. Unlike our neighbors to the north in the snow belt to the east of Lake Ontario and also west of Buffalo as of Jan 5th we are still mostly snow free enabling me to get up for some end of season flying in the Cessna.

High pressure on Dec 26th brought us sunny skies though there was some haze in the air.

Syracuse, NY from the south at 5,500'

Looking west across 5 of the 11 Finger Lakes.

A flock of Snow Geese were disturbed as I passed Skaneateles Lake. 

As I moved away they settled back down onto the water.

Skaneateles Airport and Skaneateles Lake beyond.

On Dec 30th we had a couple inches of snow. Temperatures were in the low 20's with light NW winds at the surface.

I flew west past Skaneateles towards the next area of clouds and snow moving in from the west.

Auburn, NY with sunlight reflecting off Cayuga Lake and snow showers beyond.

Sun rays reflecting of Owasco Lake south of Auburn.

Looking south over Otisco and Skaneateles Lakes.

Otisco Lake 

 Marcellus Airport with my airplanes' tracks from the hangar to the sky...