What I've been up to

I'll just be honest and say that blogging has become a big task for me lately. School has really been getting to me (especially a certain class - some will know what I am talking about), and I tell everyone the same story: when I'm not doing homework, playing tennis, swimming, or flying, I'm sleeping. A lot. I'm averaging about 13 hours of sleep per day over the weekends, and now that I'm on Christmas break I hope to try and return to a normal schedule. Whenever I did have free time on my hands, I opted to do something else instead of write here. Yes, I procrastinated.

However, while finding the time (and the willpower) to write about my flying experiences has been challenging, I still enjoy sharing my stories with others. I find it odd that I finally sat down and began to write at 1:55am on December 23, 2008. A lot of good that is for my sleep schedule, right? Well, I'm awake, alert, and ready to write, so here it goes.

On November 14, 2008, I had a day off from school due to a teacher in-service (essentially the teachers go to school for the day but students don't), and my friend and I had planned to spend the day flying to State College, PA to visit Pennsylvania State University, better known as Penn State. Unfortunately, the weather was very bleak that day, and my departure from Queen City was delayed about 2 hours because I wanted to wait for the cloud ceilings to lift a little in Allentown.

After the ceilings finally lifted to my liking, I decided to get underway for the one-hour flight to University Airpark (UNV). The aircraft was the retractable-gear aircraft that I have been flying lately, a Cessna Cutlass 172RG designated N5176V, and it's still a wonder to fly with the increased performance. The flight was normal, with nothing out of the ordinary to mention, except perhaps for the wavey clouds we encountered enroute over the ridges approaching Penn State.

The flight on the way home was one of the flights that I learned something from. The weather at Penn State and Allentown was solid IFR, like when I left earlier that day, but at or above my comfort zone. Enroute, however, the picture was even gloomier. The cloud ceilings were down to about 200ft, which is incredibly low even for airline standards. Inflight, the cloud ceilings at Allentown had dropped dramatically to my surprise to 200ft. Immediately, I began to consider diverting to my alternate airport which had an ILS, as I would not be able to conduct the approach into Queen City. Shortly thereafter, the ceilings rose back to 600ft, which was sufficient for me to land at Queen City as I planned.

After landing safely I spoke with my instructors, who were also concerned about the conditions that I faced, and they convinced me that it would have been a better idea to have either stayed the night in Penn State or delay the flight a few hours until conditions were guaranteed to be above my comfort zone. This is why personal minimums have been created. There are always the legal minimums, but every aviator should have his own personal weather minimums, especially in general aviation, to conduct any flight.

Two weeks later, it was Thanksgiving, and my entire family was home to celebrate. This finally gave me the opportunity to take my three sisters on a promised flight to the Hudson River Corridor to experience the awe of Manhattan. As a matter of fact, "awe" is probably an understatement of what they felt. "Shock" would be more appropriate. Every person that I have taken on this special flight has been knocked out of their world because he/she never could've imagined how close he/she really gets to New York City. For example, one of my sisters fell asleep enroute to the Hudson River, and my other sister nudged her when we were right next to the the skyscrapers, which was followed by a very loud gasp. Not everyone can say that they've flown at 900ft above the Hudson River along Manhattan, below the peaks of many of the buildings. See for yourself here (click "watch in high quality"!). My passengers attempted to take pictures, but they all turned out blurry due to our speed and proximity to the island. My camera with a fast shutter speed would've worked, but I was flying and I could not explain how to operate it.

This next flight was quite eventful. I decided to fly VFR from Allentown to Atlantic City, a common destination for my cross-country flights. Today however, a TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) was in effect over the city of Philadelphia, which was directly along my route of flight. Luckily, the TFR did not take effect until after I arrived in Atlantic City, but it the extra restriction would still pose a challenge for the leg home. Apparently, President Bush was arriving in Philly on Air Force One for the Army-Navy football game. Basically, there would be a 15 mile radius around downtown Philly that would be designated as a no-fly zone, and a 30 mile radius around the same point in which any aircraft could fly, but only with ATC clearance.

As I said, I didn't have to worry about the TFR for the flight to Atlantic City. Rather, I would be flying directly through the middle of the Class Bravo airspace, so spotting and avoiding other aircraft was going to be my primary job. Just as I was over downtown Philly, I spotted an American Airlines MD-80 (Super 80) which was inbound to Philly International (PHL). About a minute later, he was directly over me, above 500ft above me. One of the pilots of that aircraft informed ATC that he got a TCAS (Traffic Collision and Avoidance System) warning due to my proximity to him, and began to climb for an extra margin. From my perspective, there was still plenty of space, but I'm sure the AA pilot was binded by rules to climb anyway. Just to be safe, I descended as well. TCAS is a system common mainly in larger aircraft, which detects and tracts other aircraft in a certain proximity. While there are many versions and features, the type on this Super 80 likely had the TA/RA features, which stands for Traffic Advisory and Resolution Advisory. Essentially, the traffic advisory informs the pilot that there is other traffic nearby with an aural alert (normally "Traffic, traffic"), while resolution advisory will give commands on the best course of action to avoid the other aircraft (like "Climb" or "Descend"). I've read articles on near-misses in the air, and this sophisted technology has certainly been the saviour in many of those cases.

The rest of the flight to Atlantic City was normal, but as I mentioned, the flight home was going to be interesting because of the TFR. Before I left the ground, ATC was already asking me for more information such as my full callsign, home airport, etc. With this information, I was allowed into the outer ring of the TFR on a northerly route along eastern Philadelphia and Trenton before turning direct to to Allentown. Remember how I said the President was flying in? Well guess who I heard on the radio? As I was over Northeast Philadelphia, I heard in my headset, "Philadelphia Approach, Air Force One with you descending through 9,500." Although I was 6,500ft above the ground, my jaw still hit terra firma. I've been to Andrews Air Force Base in Camp Springs, MD, the home of Air Force One. There I had the rare opportunity of being about 100ft from the presidential transporter, but that was the first time I heard the callsign over the open radio. That really made my day.

My last flight to comment on was another routine cross-country flight to Harrisburg Capital City Airport (CXY). This is another easy trip and one of my shorter cross countries, but there is still a lot to look at. On the way, I passed Reading and on the approach to Harrisburg, I saw Three Mile Island. Some of you may be familiar with the incident at Three Mile Island, which is still an active nuclear power plant. Long story short, there was a meltdown at the plant, but for more details, I would read more here. After takeoff on the way back to Allentown, I also managed to capture a shot of downtown Harrisburg. When I wasn't picking out landmarks, I just admired the beauty of rural PA. As you can see, I managed to get above the clouds on way home. I realized that it was a much smoother ride above the clouds compared to the flight to Harrisburg when I was below them. See the video (click "Watch in high quality"!).

I noticed that I used the terms "routine," "normal," and "uneventful" in this post. In reality, I think this particular post demonstrates how every flight is unique! Perhaps the last flight to Harrisburg was more normal than others, but how often do I get to fly above the clouds? Not often. In the last month, I've flown in IFR conditions, learned a thing or two about weather and decision making, heard Air Force One on the radio, and came within 500ft of an American Airlines jetliner. I'd say these flights have been anything but routine! Don't forget to check out my flickr site (see link to the right) and my youtube page (also to the right) to see more videos and photos! Comments on this site or any of my sites are always appreciated!

New York, Penn State, Newburgh, and a new camera!

It seems as though my trip to Michigan were yesterday. After I realized almost a month has gone by, however, I became obligated to make an update. I can only blame the high level of writing that I have had to complete that seems to have turned me against any form of writing whatsoever. But here I am, so here it goes.

My first flight that followed my long trip to Michigan was a much shorter hop to Westchester, NY (HPN), which took about 1 hour each way. Westchester is located about 10-15 miles north of Manhattan, and has become one of the notorious New York City area airports, although it is far from experiencing the extensive delays that JFK, Newark, and La Guardia airports face. Rather than being a commercial airline hub, it is the secondary corporate hub for New York City after Teterboro, NJ. Being near the middle of the New York Class "Bravo" airspace, I knew as a pilot that I must prepare myself for a possible heavier volume of traffic to watch out for.

I don't think I've gone over Class Bravo, or just "B", airspace before, so I'll explain it a little. Class B airspace is the airspace in the United States that surrounds the busiest and largest metropolitan areas, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and most other large U.S. cities. The airspace consists of a 30 nautical miles radius around the core airport in which all aircraft must have an operating Mode-C, or altitude reporting, transponder. Once inside of that circle, think of the Class B airspace as an upside-down wedding cake, like this. This represents the ATC ceilings that some smaller general aviation aircraft may choose to abide by if they choose not to enter the airspace. However, the airspace extends up from the surface around the core airport, like the center of the wedding cake, so any pilots who do not wish to speak to a controller must avoid that area. If a VFR pilot wishes to enter Class B airspace, he must contact ATC beforehand and receive clearance. I have heard stories, however, that sometimes airspace like that surrounding NYC has been so busy at times that controllers will actually deny clearance. Otherwise, it's fairly common to receive a clearance. Since the NYC has three major airports, the airspace is a little more bigger and complicated. The highest ceiling of a Class B airspace is to my knowledge 10,000ft, but that may vary depending on the area. If you want to do a little more research on types of airspace, look up Class A, B, C, D, E, and G airspaces on Google or another search engine.

Anyway, the New York Class B didn't turn out to be nearly as busy as I expected, and the descent, approach, and landing was typical and easy. After I landed, I started taxiing back to the runway for an immediate departure back to Allentown. This is typical for me, as I'm just doing cross country flights (50 miles one way or longer), so I have no need or obligation to stop and get out. I followed a Citation and Learjet out to the runway, and they were off the ground before I knew it. For some reason, a fighter jet decided to stop by, but unfortunately I didn't get to catch a shot of it. On the way back, I captured a few shots of the island of Manhattan in the distance and I was also caught flying with out any hands! :-) I also managed to get a quick photo of the lights of the surrounding suburbs.



The next week, I did another short cross country to Newburgh, NY, where Stewart Intl (SWF) is located. Unlike the flight to Westchester, I didn't cross through any busy airspace. The airport is actually in Class Delta, or just "D", airspace. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get any pictures because I went to the airport directly from school, and I had left my camera at home. I immediately regretted that when, while taxiing back to the runway at SWF, a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy landed right in front of my eyes. I had always seen photos of this monmouth aircraft, which is used as a transport/cargo aircraft for the U.S. military, but I had never seen one myself, much less in-flight. It was landing at SWF because SWF is partially a military airbase. I was happy that two of my friends had come along for the ride to enjoy the awe as well.



Next stop: Penn State/University Park, PA. This has always been one of my favorite destinations, mainly because the flight time is neither too long or too short and the ATC congestion is minimal. However, the latter changes on the day of a Penn State football game. In fact, those games are the reason that University Park Airport is, according to what I've heard, the busiest uncontrolled airport in the United States as many aircraft owners or hot-shots with business jets choose to fly in. Sometimes it gets so busy that ATC has to assign arrival and departure slots, a type of tactic utilized by controllers in busier airspace such as New York. Normally, however, traffic is very sparse at Penn State.



Anyway, I departed Queen City Airport without a problem, and even saw a light sport aircraft, the type of which is becoming very popular as a trainer. I'm not sure about the exact make and model, but I know that this type carries two people, is extremely fuel-efficient, and the performance is exceptional as well. As a matter of fact, I watched the aircraft takeoff on the 3500ft runway, but only used 500ft on the ground roll at most. I'm sure the big windows offer a spectacular view as well! As you can see here, the weather during this short trip was totally VFR, an ideal setting for photography. I encountered a few clouds on the way back, but nothing that impeded my view for too long. Clouds are good for photography too! During the descent into Allentown, I managed to break my personal speed record by 1 knot. It was previously 180kt, but thanks to a generous tailwind, I hit 181. I could've gone faster, but I didn't want to make my passenger uncomfortable with a steep rate of descent.


Last but not least, my last flight was another one back to Stewart International in New York state. However, this time the weather was significantly worse. When my Dad and I departed Allentown, the weather consisted of a light drizzle and overcast clouds at 1100ft. Perhaps this will put the situation into perspective. So, my Dad and I took off and before I knew it we were in the clouds. That was my last view of the ground for the next hour, as I was in the clouds the entire flight to Stewart until the final approach phase. Enroute, a portion of the window seal began to peel off, but I deemed it to be safe and not a big deal at all. However, just to be safe, I kept an eye on the condition of the seal, if any water was leaking into the aircraft, and had a nearby alternate airport in mind should I be forced to land quickly. Due to low ceilings present at Stewart Int'l, I conducted an ILS approach to runway 09, and broke out of the clouds about 800ft above the ground. After I landed, I taxied back to the runway for the return flight to Allentown, and as I awaited takeoff clearance, a JetBlue Airbus A320 landed right in front of me. A few minutes later, I was back in the air.

The weather along the way home was more of the same: clouds. As I approached Allentown, however, the clouds began to thin out and I started grazing the bottom of the clouds. I love it when I get to be that close because it seems like I'm flying at warp five. Since the weather cleared up, I decided to cancel my IFR flight plan in-flight and I proceeded directly to Queen City Airport to cut some corners.

That's what I've been up to in the last few weeks with respect to my flying. I hope that you enjoyed the update and that you check out the rest of my photos on my flickr site (see link to the right). Also, don't forget about my videos on my youtube site (also to the right, a new video was just uploaded: here). Oh, and if you've noticed that the quality of my photos are slightly better, than you have a good eye because I did get a new camera for my birthday. I hope that will continue to improve the quality of my images and videos over time. Lastly, comments on this site and those two sites I just mentioned are certainly welcome.

Striking Sussex sky-divers and marvelous Michigan

In a nutshell, this week was one of the most brutal ones of my 17-year (almost 18-year) life. But, it's finally Friday and I can relax and finally write a new post. I'll start with my flight to Sussex, New Jersey on October 4.

I wasn't sure where to go on this day because it was so clear out, therefore my options were essentially limitless. I like to think of the recent weather as California weather - sunny, clear or few clouds, and a very comfortable 75 degrees. At the same time, the leaves are just starting to change colors, exposing the full beauty of Pennsylvania. As a result, I keep thinking that this is my favorite time of the year.

So, I set my mind on Sussex, New Jersey, a small town about 55 miles northeast of Allentown, as the destination. My Dad came along, and the plan was that we would get something to eat at the restaraunt at the airport, but our plans ended up changing.

Like all of my flights, I arrived at Queen City Airport in Allentown, PA about one hour before my intended departure time to prepare as adequately as necessary. On the drive over, however, I already reached a conclusion that the skies were so clear it was almost a crime that more people weren't flying. Therefore, no flight plan would be necessary. As I guessed, the radar and forecast called for clear skies for at least the next 24 hours if I recall correctly. Also, there wasn't anything on the radar for at least 400 miles in any direction! At this point, I was starting to wonder whether I really needed an Instrument Rating...

Since the weather decided to comply with me today, I was done with my planning in only a few minutes. The only other information that I required was the estimated time enroute in both directions, the distance, the Sussex Airport information, and some other details. Before I knew it, I was out on the ramp making sure that the aircraft, a Piper Warrior II designated N8015X, was airworthy to my specifications, and I concluded that it was. The above picture was taken as I was in position for takeoff, waiting for a departing aircraft to turn crosswind.

I'm guessing you don't know what the term "crosswind" means either. Well, I guess I am obliged to elaborate. Crosswind actually has two definitions. The first is in reference to the wind. If one has a crosswind, it means that the wind is coming toward them at a relatively sharp angle, which causes the aircraft to fly along a track at an angle. During the approach and landing phase, this can makes things seem weird and sometimes challenging in high wind conditions. This is because we'll be flying along a straight line towards the runway, but our nose will not be pointing straight down the center. Instead, the nose will be turned into the wind, perhaps best illustrated here. This phenenomon is known as "crabbing," because you move slightly sideways. Just before touchdown, pilots will kick in the rudder to straighten the nose to ensure that the aircraft stays on the centerline of the runway. And just because you're in a bigger plane doesn't mean that you become invincible to mother nature. Just look at this Boeing 767 landing at Honk Kong's old Kai Tak Airport and this Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 landing in Zurich, Switzerland. In fact, the wind will actually have a more profound effect on larger aircraft because they have more mass.

The second definition of crosswind, and the one I used above, refers to the typical traffic pattern. In a normal pattern, one starts out with takeoff, and then once he is in the air flying directly away from the runway, he is on the upwind leg. Although it may depend on the airport rules and procedures, the pilot will then proceed with a 90-degree left turn to establish himself on the crosswind leg. A few seconds later, the pilot will make another 90-degree left turn onto the downwind leg, parallel to the runway from which he just departed but heading in the opposite direction. During all of this, the pilot is climbing to the pattern altitude which is 1000ft above ground level (AGL). If the pilot is remaining in the pattern (i.e. maybe to practice some landings), he will then begin his descent back to the runway after he is abeam the threshold of the runway while on the downwind leg. In other words, after he passes the end of the runway in the opposite direction, he'll start his descent. Shortly thereafter, he'll make yet another 90-left turn onto the base leg, followed by the last 90-degree left turn onto final approach.

So, while on the downwind leg and exiting the traffic pattern, I took a quick picture of Queen City Airport, followed by another of the nearby Lehigh Valley International Airport. After leaving the traffic pattern, I contacted Allentown Approach Control and they gave me advisories before handing me off to New York Approach. Now, I know that some people may think that if I am in contact with New York Approach, I must be very close to the city. Tell me, does this look like New York City? From this point, we were still approximately 65 miles even from Newark Airport. This sector of New York Approach just controls the aircraft in this area which surrounds the busier part of the airspace. Actually, we heard callsigns of many large airlines over the radio, like Continental, AirTran, American, and ExpressJet, who were likely all inbound to Newark or one of the nearby New York airports.

After cruising for only 25 minutes, I began my steady descent down to Sussex Airport, which has a base elevation of 421ft. From what I taught you before, can you tell me the pattern altitude at this airport? I hope your memory isn't that bad and you answered 1,421ft. However, many pilots won't bother including the extra 21ft, so we'll just level out at an even 1,400ft. Just as I turned onto final approach, another aircraft announced that it was taxiing and I immediately spotted it on the ground. However, it looked as though he was about to enter the runway, so I immediately prepared for a go-around. Thankfully he stopped short with plenty of room to spare, but did not respond to my radio calls when I asked him to confirm that he was not going to enter the runway. Nevertheless, I continued with the landing without a problem.

My Dad and I were surprised to find out that there was not a restaraunt at the airport, so we began to consider to head back home. However, that aircraft that I mentioned before was actually carrying sky-divers, so we decided to stick around and watch them come down. My brother went sky-diving, and so I was already somewhat familiar with the process. The first few times you go, it is mandatory that you jump with an instructor on your back - literally. When it comes to the landing, both the student and the instructor land on their butt while solo jumpers will land on their feet. See the difference betwen this video versus this one. After watching all of them land, my Dad and I headed over to the enormous Pilatus Porter that carried the sky-divers to 13,000ft. I immediately admired the gigantic engine which would do wonders in my Honda Civic. However, it does not come remotely close to competing in size and power with General Electric's GE90 turbofan which is used on some Boeing 777s.

After my Dad and I spoke with the pilot who kindly allowed us to examine the aircraft and answered our questions, we hopped back into good 'ole 15-Xray and headed back to Allentown. As we were taxiing out, we saw the next batch of jumpers boarding the Pilatus. Our flight took place during twilight and sunset, and we encountered some clouds which further emphasized the setting sun. It's something that I will never get tired of. See the video here.

My Dad also took a video of the landing at Allentown, but I haven't yet had the chance to upload it to my youtube account. Fortunately, I have uploaded the video of the takeoff at Sussex.

The following week, I flew the longest trip of my life: Allentown, PA to Ann Arbor, MI via Cleveland, OH. The flights between Allentown and Cleveland ended up being about 2 and a half hours each and covered exactly 286 nautical miles each way, while the two flights between Cleveland and Ann Arbor were about one hour each over 120 nautical miles each way. At the end, I gained about 7 hours and 40 minutes of flight time and flew a total of 408 nautical miles over two days. Furthermore, believe it or not, every flight was in the clearest of weather. I did not have to fly through a single cloud for the entire trip! I think I was meant to go!

My Dad came along with me as I was heading out to Michigan to visit the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (turned out to be a great visit, by the way), and we departed Queen City Airport at about 3:15pm in the Cessna 172RG (retractable gear) designated N5176V. Programming the GPS was simple...direct routing to Cleveland Burke-Lakefront Airport. There are multiple Cleveland airports, the better known one probably being Hopkins International which is 9 miles from downtown and is a hub for Continental Airlines. The second and closest to the city (1 mile from downtown) is the airport I chose, Burke Lakefront (BKL). When I researched this airport, it immediately reminded me of the former Meigs Field in Chicago, IL, a general aviation airport located only minutes from downtown on the banks of Lake Michigan (see more info and the controversial history of its closing here). Burke Lakefront seems to be just like Meigs Field in terms of location relative to a large city and the general aviation purpose it serves. The convenience was astonishing, as my Dad and I were driven to a restaraunt in downtown within five minutes to grab something to eat and stretch our legs after a long flight (remember, there aren't any 'lavatories' on a Cessna). The Cleveland Browns stadium was also on the lakefront and only a one minute drive from the airport!

About two hours later, my Dad and I took off into the Ohio night sky, and flew along the banks of Lake Erie to Toledo, OH before turning north towards Ann Arbor. If I wanted to, I could've flown a direct flight across the Lake from Cleveland to Ann Arbor, but that is highly unadvised beause, well, I only have one engine, if you get the hint. We arrived at Ann Arbor Airport at about 9pm local time, just after the control tower closed for the night. Just for reference, Ann Arbor is just outside Detroit's Class B airspace, about 30 miles from downtown.

After a great visit to University of Michigan and Ann Arbor, my Dad and I headed back to the airport for our long return trip. Once again, we would make an intermediate stop in Cleveland at Burke-Lakefront Airport. This flight began in mid-afternoon, so we got much better views of Lake Erie, Toledo, and the largest amusement park in the world: Cedar Point.

Shortly after passing Cedar Point and while speaking with Cleveland Approach Control, an incident occurred as I approached Cleveland's airspace at 5,500ft, heading east. All of a sudden, I heard the control say to me, "Cessna 7-6-Victor, traffic twelve o'clock, 1/2 mile, 5400ft, westbound." Translated into English, the controller said to me that there is an aircraft directly ahead me in 1/2 mile, about 100ft lower than me, and heading in the opposite direction. This really got my attention, and my eyes focused directly in front of me. Only a few seconds later, I saw the wings take shape and I immediately began a tight right turn to avoid a potentially serious mid-air accident. The pilot of the other aircraft must've seen me at the same time because he also began his right turn at the same time I did. Remember, though, that because he was going in the opposite direction, his right was my left, and therefore we passed by each other safely, albight too close for comfort. How did we both know to turn right? It is actually one of the first things a pilot learns along with right-of-way rules. If two aircraft are on a path for a head on collision, then both pilots must begin a right-hand turn. I am thankful that my training came so instinctively when the situation called for it.

However, I still felt obligated to report the "near-miss", as we like to call it, to the Cleveland TRACON (Terminal Control Center) once I landed. I did just that, and while the supervisor reviewed the recording of the radar image, he commented, "Oh wow, that was close." I also told him that I felt that the controller's warning was fairly late, because he later advised me of traffic that was more than 2000ft below me and heading southbound. If we could've warned me of that aircraft, then why could he not have told me about the one directly along my path and in the opposite direction? It also turned out that the other aircraft involved was not in contact with any controllers, which was perfectly fine. In the area he was flying in, he was not actually required to speak to anyone, as long as he obeyed the basic rules of VFR (Visual Flight Rules) flight. Anyway, the report was filed and that was the end of it. From my perspective, the other pilot nor I committed anything against any rules. If the pilot had been cruising at 5,500ft heading westbound, then a regulation would've been broken because while flying eastbound under VFR, one must cruise at odd thousand foot intervals plus 500ft, while westbound aircraft cruise at even thousand foot intervals plus 500ft. If anyone, I would blame the controller, who was not busy at all, for not giving me more of an advanced notice.

Like the last time, my Dad and I exited the plane and went downtown to a sports bar to enjoy a good meal before the last and longest leg home. We discovered that unfortunately for the Michigan football team, they lost to Toledo. I immediately thought of the taxi driver back in Ann Arbor who drove my Dad and I back to the airport and said, "If we lose to Toledo, we've got problems." During the drive back to the airport, we passed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which I had no idea was in Cleveland, nor on the lakefront along with the Browns stadium and the airport.

Back at the airport, I prepared the Cessna 172RG while at the same time admiring the Cessna Citation and Bonanza on the ramp only about 20ft from my smaller Cessna. The weather was still unusually perfect, and so the rest of the planning was a walk in the park. We took off into the late afternoon sky and we were finally heading home.

While slowly (relatively speaking) working our way over western Pennsylvania at 136 knots, we began to pass some familiar sites, like University Park, the home of Penn State, where we also got a view of the seemingly endless ridges. Of course, my Dad and I couldn't resist to take another photo of ourselves. We finally had the small town of Selingsgrove in site, which also meant we could see the Susquehanna River, which, if followed to the south, would lead directly to Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania. We also saw the sunset (and here) from 9,500ft just before we began our descent for Allentown.

The landing in Allentown was perfectly normal. I wish I had gotten a shot of the airport at night, but there will be other opportunities to do so I guess. I'm glad I had this opportunity to fly such a long distance, as it certainly had its benefits experience-wise. My Dad and I also calculated that this was the cheapest method of going to Michigan. A few weeks prior, I had researched the price of an airline ticket from Allentown nonstop to Detroit, and came up with an astonishing $743/person one way. That means $1400 for both of us one way, and $2800 round trip! All together, the cost of renting the aircraft, 20 gallons of fuel in Cleveland, and other inexpensive airport fees added up to a grand total of about $800. In other words, the cost of me flying to Michigan was equivalent to a single one-way ticket to Detroit, plus perhaps some extra time. In addition, this trip counted towards my hours, which only adds to the value. Lastly, the convenience of general aviation is infinitely better than common air travel by airline. I could play around with this all day and night if I wanted to, but I think I've made my point.

As always, comments are appreciated on all of my websites (see links to the right). My blog is only a glance at the photos I have taken during my trips, so be sure to check out my flickr site. Also, I rarely include videos on my blog posts, so be sure also to see my youtube site and my videos there.

New photos

See my flickr site for new photos of my two-day trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan via Clevland, Ohio.

I'll write a new post hopefully this Friday night or over the weekend. My schoolwork is momentous as usual, and despite my best efforts to get my work done as soon as possible, more work just keeps piling on top and thus changes my schedule. I'll just stop promising on due dates and start using "hopefully" and "maybe" more often so that I do not disappoint.

Check back soon!

Comments and questions on all of my sites are always appreciated.

New uploads

See my flickr site and youtube site for some new uploads. At this moment I'm currently in the process of uploading the rest of the videos to youtube, but keep checking back. Unfortunately, the videos take forever to upload to youtube, so it may not be until Monday night (10/6) that I'll have them all on there.

I won't be able to write about Saturday's flight until Wednesday night (10/8) at the earliest, but I definitely want to get it done before Friday. Just keepin' you all updated and check back later!