Flight Journal: flight 93

[beaky]

[color=#000000]Flight 93

03-05-00

C172

N07-MTP-N07

2.9 solo; 2 landings

"pilotage & dead reck.; VORs; new route- gusty winds; pax Bruce M."



A bit blustery today, but it's not too cold, and the few scattered clouds are at @ 6000.
My friend and co-worker Bruce arrives just as I finish my preflight. I make a point of explaining everything and indulging his questions.
I've made sure he has a good headset, and two barf bags... just in case.

Takeoff is not too bad, and once we turn east, the winds slingshots us towards the Hudson River. Despite the occasional jolt, B. is enjoying the ride. Once past the river, I forget him for a moment... I've never flown this route before, and the haze, combined with the low altitude as we sneak under the Class B, is making it hard to get a visual bearing on the next checkpoint. I'm monitoring LGA tower, just in case.

It all works out fine, but my wind correction is not perfect: I'm a little south of course when I finally spot the lighthouse on the Sound. It's a lot smaller from 2000 than I thought it would look, but it's on its own little island, which helps me make a positive ID.

Now we're over the north shore of LI, clear of the Class B, so I guide 143 up to 5,500 and relax. Between Port Jeff. and Northport I do a thumbnail GS calculation and come up with about 180 knots (!). The landscape is still a dull patchwork of grey and brown; Spring has not yet arrived. The sky is interesting out here, esp. SE: the horizon is shrouded in haze, and the clouds out over the ocean are congealed into a classic false horizon- a fuzzy dark band angled to appear just off level,floating atop wavelets sparkling in the sun's glare. I won't be fooled by this- I have all of LI sprawling in front of me.