For me, it has been an active summer so far. I hope you are enjoying it also.
NEWFOUNDLAND
Four couples flew Bonanzas to Newfoundland:
- Michael Madigan and Bella in his A36
- Brent & Jean Hippert in his V Tail
- Dave Harnitcheck and Cathy in his V Tail
- My wife, Ginny & I in our Debonair.
We all landed in Deer Lake, in the center/west of the island. From there we drove many hours to Twillingate on the north shore. Three days later we drove back & visited Gros Morne National Park which is close to Deer Lake.
I have been traveling to Newfoundland in my Debonair for some 20 years now. It used to be that all tourists flying the airlines went to St. John’s on the eastern tip, which is the capital. It is obvious that there are many more airline flights to Deer Lake now.
At Deer Lake, there are 2 FBO’s, one that only sold 100LL and the other that only sold Jet A so making a choice was easy. Nalair was very gracious, almost like a FBO in the U.S. with a few twists. They were not open many hours and charged us show up fees. The fuel was self-serve but they had to supervise it, we couldn’t buy fuel unless they were present. But they wouldn’t pump it for us (I prefer to pump my own anyway). Also, access to the ramp was only when they were there.
I have read on BeechTalk about new Canadian ADSB requirements. They have implemented a satellite based system and use a different frequency than the U.S. (They match the rest of the world). My ADSB in/out dates back to when it was first available.
Anyway, it was pretty transparent to us except that a controller did say that we had bigger separation requirements because 2 of us were non-compliant. When I came back I made an appointment to get that upgraded to the latest, compliant everywhere transponder.
Twillingate was wonderful with great hikes, a great day cruise, a very funny comedy theater with dinner and great times together. Twillingate is the self-proclaimed iceberg capital of Newfoundland and we were there at the end of June, prime iceberg time. There were icebergs, but not when we were there. I had seen icebergs at Twillingate before and they are impressive.
Twillingate has no real hotels; it has a few motels & B&Bs. We rented a house at Merritt’s Harbour, a nearby town with 3 couples staying there. It was a completely restored large old farmhouse overlooking the water with hiking trails adjacent.
Dave rented a small house overlooking the harbour right in Twillingate, walking distance to everything.
After 3 days we visited Gros Morne and stayed in the little town of Rocky Harbour, overlooking the water. Many of us hiked the trail over the Earth’s Mantle exposed and the tablelands hike out to dramatic cliffs. Some stayed a few extra days to do more hikes and visit some of the historic towns, and to do the day cruise on the inland lake, that used to be a fiord.
OSHKOSH
Like many of you, I have been to KOSH many times. In the past, I slept in a tent next to my airplane. I am getting a bit old for that, especially with heat, storms, rain, etc. So, this year I drove out towing my 28’ Airstream Travel Trailer. Michael Madigan accompanied me. It is a 3 day drive although we chose to take the ferry across Lake Michigan which occupied most of the third day and was relaxing.
We arrived Friday before the B2OSH mass Bonanza arrival and left Friday a week later.
One of my goals was to be there for evening activities including events at the Theater in the Woods and the night airshow and we were not disappointed. I went to many forums learning about electronic ignition (I have a SureFly magneto on my IO550), MOSAIC rules that are extending the sport pilot rules to heavier, faster airplanes, and saw many, many aircraft. The military aircraft were particularly impressive, including the B52, C17, Harrier, F22, etc. which flew frequently. You could walk through and/or under many of them.
The Wednesday night airshow started during twilight and went to 10PM. During the last half hour, the sky was full of drones with lights that formed images in the sky, with simultaneous fireworks, and simultaneous aircraft flying with lights shooting out fireworks from the airplane. Very impressive.
Weather was basically perfect the entire week; very unusual. Rain one night, and daytime temperatures in the 70s. Thus, attendance broke all records, with 686,000 attendees, 10,000 aircraft and 40,000 people camping.
The EAA does a great job, but you could tell the crowds were stressing the various transportation and parking systems. I was very happy to have a comfortable bed with AC, heat, fridge and kitchen and bathroom walking distance from all the activity. A couple of nights we cooked great meals.
SCHENECTADY
On August 24 we are going to KSCH which has a fantastic museum. The Empire State Aerosciences Museum is a one-of-a-kind cultural resource located at Schenectady County Airport at the site of the former General Electric Flight Test Center. The Museum offers visitors a variety of enjoyable and educational experiences, including interpretive exhibits, and a spectacular collection of restored aircraft.
Thanks to Michael Shehl for organizing this.
As you can see, we can park right at the museum
The museum will be open from 10am – 4pm. Please plan your arrival at 10am. We can then have a group tour from 10:30am – 12pm. Following the tour, there is a NY Style Bistro & Bagel shop across the street, which is a 5 minute walk (Manhattan Bistro & Bagel). You can decide to stay and grab lunch or head out after the tour.
In regards to fuel, we spoke with Richmor Aviation (local FBO), and they indicated if folks would like fuel, they should taxi down to their ramp, or there is a self-serve pump nearby.
I am looking forward to it.
Mike McNamara
610-220-3140
mikemcnamara88@aol.com