John J
Line Up and Wait
In April of 2002 my bride (wife we have been married for a some time but she is always my bride) and I began the long process of moving out of New England to Maryland. I had been there for almost 31 years and really enjoyed it a lot. But the long winters were getting old and pulling a plane out of a hanger after shoveling snow was just a bit much for this pilot.
My bride and I had found a new home and we needed to be present for the inspection. Work pressures prevented a long drive to the Eastern Shore so our plane with the help of the real estate agent solved the problem of getting there. I was so happy for I told my bride that we would go IFR and the route of the flight,(single engine IFR route) would hopfully take us right over where she grew up; Manhattan,NY.
The day of the flight was only a day that happens so rare. The sky was cloudless and the air just so crystal clear. I got our Beech C-33 ready to go. My bride loved that plane and she always took her sketch pad with her for her art projects. We got the clearence from OWD tower and I told her that we will see where she grew up. We left ODW at 0830 for the 1:45 flight to Summet Airport.
As we flew along I had her take the controls so that she could feel the plane and who knows maybe she would want to fly. She liked it but she told me she just likes to watch me and look out the windows. I had brough a map of Mahattan for her plus all the VFR charts for a template so that she could follow our flight in from the northeast. Also I had on board a strong pair of binoculars so that she could look down and see the streets.
As we got close I pointed out the area to her and she looked through the binoculars. As I got close to the JFK Vortac I told her that we would turn to the south more and I would try to keep the wing from blocking her view. Just before the turn she said "I can see I think Canal Street" and I asked her if she saw Houston st. yet. She told me she may have but was not sure. She said she saw Battery Park City and then finally she told me with glee: I think I saw Houston Street" . Then the wing covered it up as we flew toward the south. She looked back and told me that she was so happy to see NYC from our plane. She told me that she had never see Manhattan like that before when flying commercial.
As we flew to our destination I told her that we would see it again in the afternoon on our way home. My bride said that she never saw her old neighborhood looks so nice as from the plane in the morning light. She spent the rest of the trip sketching and looking out the window. After we landing she could not stop telling the real estate agent that she got to fly over NYC and see lower Manhattan.
On our return flight back we did fly the same route but the afternon sun and smog had made it very hard to really see anything. My bride though was not unhappy at all for as she put it; "The combination of the morning sun angle and very clear skies made the scene just right" I really had fun that day for my bride who loves to fly and is a great copilot helping with the chores still talks about seeing wher she grew up from a plane.
When we got back to OWD just before dinner time, the fellows at the hanger helped us put the plane away, asked her if she enjoyed it. Well she talked and talked about our trip. Then she gave me a big hug.
Needless to say my bride really had fun on our one day trip to see our new location and I sure did have fun seeing her eyes get bright as we flew over NYC. That was a special day.
Thanks for reading
John J
My bride and I had found a new home and we needed to be present for the inspection. Work pressures prevented a long drive to the Eastern Shore so our plane with the help of the real estate agent solved the problem of getting there. I was so happy for I told my bride that we would go IFR and the route of the flight,(single engine IFR route) would hopfully take us right over where she grew up; Manhattan,NY.
The day of the flight was only a day that happens so rare. The sky was cloudless and the air just so crystal clear. I got our Beech C-33 ready to go. My bride loved that plane and she always took her sketch pad with her for her art projects. We got the clearence from OWD tower and I told her that we will see where she grew up. We left ODW at 0830 for the 1:45 flight to Summet Airport.
As we flew along I had her take the controls so that she could feel the plane and who knows maybe she would want to fly. She liked it but she told me she just likes to watch me and look out the windows. I had brough a map of Mahattan for her plus all the VFR charts for a template so that she could follow our flight in from the northeast. Also I had on board a strong pair of binoculars so that she could look down and see the streets.
As we got close I pointed out the area to her and she looked through the binoculars. As I got close to the JFK Vortac I told her that we would turn to the south more and I would try to keep the wing from blocking her view. Just before the turn she said "I can see I think Canal Street" and I asked her if she saw Houston st. yet. She told me she may have but was not sure. She said she saw Battery Park City and then finally she told me with glee: I think I saw Houston Street" . Then the wing covered it up as we flew toward the south. She looked back and told me that she was so happy to see NYC from our plane. She told me that she had never see Manhattan like that before when flying commercial.
As we flew to our destination I told her that we would see it again in the afternoon on our way home. My bride said that she never saw her old neighborhood looks so nice as from the plane in the morning light. She spent the rest of the trip sketching and looking out the window. After we landing she could not stop telling the real estate agent that she got to fly over NYC and see lower Manhattan.
On our return flight back we did fly the same route but the afternon sun and smog had made it very hard to really see anything. My bride though was not unhappy at all for as she put it; "The combination of the morning sun angle and very clear skies made the scene just right" I really had fun that day for my bride who loves to fly and is a great copilot helping with the chores still talks about seeing wher she grew up from a plane.
When we got back to OWD just before dinner time, the fellows at the hanger helped us put the plane away, asked her if she enjoyed it. Well she talked and talked about our trip. Then she gave me a big hug.
Needless to say my bride really had fun on our one day trip to see our new location and I sure did have fun seeing her eyes get bright as we flew over NYC. That was a special day.
Thanks for reading
John J
