Today's mission: depart 47N in a rented C172 at around noon, make a beeline for 4N1, pick up Marc there, then head east for a scenic trip down the Hudson past NYC, drop him off, then get home before 1500.
Yes, you're right: it didn't work out that way. But had a great time regardless. Finally got going at about 1230, with 715 climbing like a rocket into a stiff west wind on takeoff.
Here I've levelled off at 2800; pretty good vis but very bright and, damn- the wind!! Strong west winds, and some wild unpredictable bumping that had me thinking of aborting the landing at 4N1and going home. Whew! I was working hard...
Made my way carefully between the MMU Class D and the big Class B... strictly by pilotage. My ded. reckoning sort of went out the window early on because the wind was a bit stronger than forecast, and with the bumps, I'd have wound up inverted if I started fiddling with chart and computer to recalculate it. Seemed every time I looked anywhere but the horizon: wham!! Floof!! I'd get nailed with a gust or updraft. Didn't matter; I know the area pretty well. Decided to just soldier on at 2500 after clearing the Class B overhang; didn't want to waste time climbing for smoother air.
Managed to take a couple of shots that weren't blurry: Go Rutgers! (or is it? I dunno)
Found 4N1 well enough (OK, I found a nearby landmark; forgot about how you can't see this airport from 2500 northbound until you're almost on top of it [ridge])... passed numerous half-frozen lakes along the way. Very interesting patterns.
The wind was nice and steady as I slid down final into 4N1; made a good if floaty landing. Marc was waiting, and so was this disarming character. Man, this place has changed since I was last here!! That gear leg, BTW, belongs to a Lockheed Constellation, which landed for the last time here at Greenwood Lake in the 1970s. I took a full-body shot of it, but it was too overexposed. Seems they've added a deck, and really done some fixing-up inside...
One of the four P&W R-3350s, turbocharged 18-cylinder engines. These were prone to failure for various reasons, but usually only one of the four on a given flight. ;)
The beautiful wing is actually just a scaled-up P38 wing.
It's sorta sad to see this big old gal grafted onto a building (you pass thru the cabin into a restaurant and FBO on the other side), but it beats being turned into scrap, and it's nice to know she's close enough for me to easily visit. The restaurant has been revamped , too- I think the whole airport is under new management. Imagine that! An uncontrolled field in NJ getting better, instead of fading away...
There's been a pilot shop inside here for years, but last time I was here the flight deck was walled off. For all I knew it had been gutted. But no... there's a plexiglass wall, with a little hatch: some very nice kid who worked there asked if we wanted to go inside and sit down. I laughed... do I want to sit in a Constellation flight deck- really...
I was impressed with the improvements to the cabin: there's a full-blown if small pilot shop, and even a ground school classroom!! I didn't take a pic of that, because there were people inside, including a student and instructor... didn't want to annoy them.
Next: some more "airport bum" shots
