Of Interest: 2007

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Asheville North Carolina and Smokey Mountain Area

Last year for the fourth of July holiday I flew to southwest North Carolina with a friend for an extended weekend. This area of North Carolina is very scenic and there is a lot to enjoy. The trip was primarily to get away from work for a few days, satisfy my craving to spend time outdoors, get some exercise, and enjoy the regions activities.

The trip down was relatively uneventful. We started out flying low to enjoy the countryside on such a nice summer day and to take a scenic tour through the Hudson River flight corridor. This controlled airspace exclusion, intended to allow transition through the busy and extensive New York airspace, allows a scenic flight by Manhattan at an altitude below building tops. When reaching the Appalachian Mountains in Western Maryland and Virginia higher altitudes were necessary to find smother air and to climb above the cumulus clouds that were building to become afternoon thundershowers.

An attraction along the way, and definitely worth a visit, is Luray Caverns in Luray Virginia. We did not stop during this trip but I have on other occasions. It is a convenient destination for pilots because the Caverns are within walking distance (a couple of miles) of the Luray airport. Airport personnel will also drive visitors to the Caverns and return later for pick-up.

The Biltmore Estate is a significant tourist attraction in Asheville, North Carolina. This was the summer home of George Washington Vanderbilt. It sits in the heart of the Smokey Mountains and at 175,000 square feet is the largest privately owned home in the United States. The home is open to the public and quite impressive, as are the grounds including hiking/biking trails, horseback riding, an Inn and a winery that produces remarkably good wines. A tour of the home includes the winery tour and wine tasting. Leave a good day to explore the home and grounds if you plan to visit. There is plenty of space for picnicking as well as a restaurant at the winery.

Another interesting sight not far from Asheville is Chimney Rock Park. Chimney Rock is a 315 foot monolith above Hickory Nut Gorge, soaring to an elevation of 2,280 feet. The park includes hiking trails, caves, and waterfalls. The most scenic and famous is Hickory Nut Falls, which is the tallest waterfall in North Carolina plunging 404 feet from a granite cliff. This waterfall has appeared in several motion pictures the most famous being “The Last of the Mohicans”. Of course this area is loaded with scenic hiking trails, waterfalls, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Smokey Mountain National Park.

A number of photos from the trip follow. Additional photos chronicling other excursions I've enjoyed with my aircraft are viewable in my previous posts and the archives.

Downtown Manhattan as seen flying through the Hudson River Visual Flight Rules Corridor

Lady Liberty reminds us of the freedom we enjoy which makes this trip possible

Aerial view of Ellis Island

Entering the Appalacian Mountains in Western Virginia/Maryland

Clouds formed a carpet of white in some places

Stalactites inside Luray Caverns

These stalactites are reflected in a pool of water making it look like stalagmites are growing upward to meet them

Stalagmite

This organ uses the stalactites as "pipes". Tiny electronically triggered hamers tap on various formations in respsonse to key presses to generate the tones.

The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, home of George Washington Vanderbilt

A portion of the Biltmore's formal gardens

Several views from the Blue Ridge Parkway

A hiking trail atop the Smokey Mountains

Waterfall at the end of the trail

The Blue Ridge Parkway passes through many tunnels like this one near the peaks of the Appalacians

This sign marks the peak of Mt. Mitchell but the leg is optional

Chimney Rock and Chimney Rock Park

Looking down on Lake Lure from the top of Chimney Rock

A view of the Smokey Mountains from one of the parks hiking trails

The Chimney

A hiking trail in the park that ends at the waterfall in the next picture

Hickory Nut Falls, North Carolina's tallest waterfall, at 404 feet, and seen in the movie "The Last of the Mohicans"

Almost home, cathing a return trip view of Manhattan this time at night

Saturday, January 13, 2007

2006 Geneseo Air Show

I decided to attend the Geneseo Air Show last summer, on a beautiful weekend in early July. Considering my love of airplanes, and that it's a simple two hour flight to Geneseo from my home in central Connecticut, the decision was easy to reach. I invited a friend and co-worker, Bob, along since he too loves airplanes and is working toward earning his pilots license. Because Bob lives a considerable distance from me, in the Northwest hills of Connecticut, the plan was to him meet him at the Great Barrington airport in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts.

The early morning departure was enjoyable with morning ground fog typical of early summer, but surprisingly the Connecticut River valley was clear around my home airport in Hartford. The mountain valleys in the Berkshires were completely enshrouded in fog though and I was beginning to think our plans wouldn't work out. The Geneseo airport closes at 10:00 a.m. to allow the airshow to begin. Late arrivals are out of luck. A diversion and delay, due to fog, would prevent us from arriving on time. It must have been our destiny that day to reach Geneseo because, as I approached Great Barrington, the fog was cleared in a five-mile circle around the airport. Departure, and continuation of the flight, was un-eventful. The entire trip was smooth and scenic allowing a relaxed discussion with Bob about the benefits and operation of some newly installed avionics equipment. Occasional patches of valley fog throughout the Catskill Mountains with mountaintops protruding through the haze provided new experiences and lasting memories for Bob.

The Geneseo airport is nicely maintained airport with a 4,700' turf runway in the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York. Located just West of Canesus Lake, adjacent the town of Geneseo and about 20 miles Southwest of Rochester the airport is situated in a picturesque setting and is a nice place to relax for a day. The town of Geneseo is close enough to the airport that a short walk will get you into town. It’s even easier if you take folding bicycles with you in your plane.

For those who might like to attend a future show but wonder about airport conditions: The runway and taxiways are smooth enough for most planes to operate without difficulty, or special technique, and there were certainly planes of almost every kind in attendance. For me though, I prefer a smoother surface for continual operations. My plane is designed for smooth field operation and has very stiff landing gear legs. Also, as anyone familiar with retractable landing gear Cessnas knows, it has smaller tires than most comparable aircraft and inflation pressures are much higher than normal. The result was some rather jarring periods while taxiing especially since aircraft get parked in normally unused areas during the airshow.

All together it was a great day that I feel privileged to have shared with a good friend and aspiring pilot. The weather was ideal with nearly perfect flight conditions and we got to spend an entire day in fresh air and sunshine with the sound and smell of radial engines everywhere to be found. The Geneseo Airshow, billed as "The Greatest Show on Turf", is hosted by the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum located at the airport. Information can be found by visiting their website: http://www.1941hag.org/index.html

Following are just a few of the great sights experienced that day: