March Madness Pilot Style

They may say the "eyes of March are upon us", but for a Pilot, when a day comes along like this Saturday, the Pilot's eyes are skyward!  Saturday, March 1st, was just a beautiful day with the winds calm, the air light and the sun shinning!  A men's conference at my church afforded me the opportunity to find a friend who really wanted to fly and the next thing you know, we were planning a trip!  South Jersey Airport was rolling with the sound of propellers and Carl Vogel and I were anxious to get going!  After a thorough pre-flight, 926GZ was ready to go.  Carl was so excited about hearing everything about the plane!  We did a complete run up and after watching a few other planes land, we were ready to depart runway 26 at South Jersey (KVAY).  The air was so light we almost jumped off the runway!

So with the wind in our wings and the earth below, we glided skyward and headed to the south.  After a spin around the pattern, we decided to take a trip down to Cape May (KWWD) for a quick stop and go!  With a few clicks on the 530 and a push of the auto pilot, we were on course for Cape May.  Carl really loved all of the interaction of instruments and coordination that was taking place within the cabin.  I can remember how overwhelming it all seemed early on in my training and now it comes natural.  Still, having some one in the plane with that much interest gives me the opportunity to verbally explain things and allows me to polish up with my knowledge and proficiency.  This really makes the trip useful and fun for both the passenger and the pilot!

As we crossed over the Delaware Bay, the homes below were a fabulous sight to behold.  So many homes dotting along the coastal beach.  The air was smooth and clear and as we gently descended towards Cape May, Runway 19 came clearly into view!  There would be a slight crosswind on the landing, but that's good practice too!  The radio's were quiet as we slowly descended down the glide slope! A slight crab as we settled in over the numbers and floated down the runway!  After moving off the runway onto Taxiway A, we headed over to Runway 28 for departure.  This would give us a beautiful lift off right over the Delaware Bay and then a slight turn north and we would be on our way home!  My Cherokee 235 leaped off the runway and we waved good-bye to Cape May.  Carl snapped some more pictures and got a fantastic shot of the bay!

The ride home was with the wind and we crused along at about 125 knots ground speed!  We were in no hurry and we were enjoying every moment.  As we slipped along we enjoyed each others company and pointed out the different sights below.  Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Hammonton and the Atlantic City Expressway.  Before long we were getting close to the lakes of Medford and Carl began looking for his home in the Lake Pine section of Medford.  We could see Shawnee High School off to the east and we crossed over Little Mill Country Club.  In just a short few moments we came upon the sight of Cranberry Pines School in Medford.  Carl got all excited as he began snapping pictures and looking for his home. Soon enough I heard him find his home and the camera snapping away!  

We'll the sun started to set as we enter into the pattern at South Jersey on the crosswind.  It really was a shame to have to come down.  Days like this are just so much fun to fly.  The sights and views are just sometimes hard to explain to those who have never experienced it.  We headed down wind along the runway and gently turned base and then final.  Runway 26 spread out in front of us and awaited our soft touch down!  On the ground, safe and sound!  Until the next time, this is Diggerdavid, your Captain saying, "keep your dreams alive and live your life to its fullest!"