AOPA Fly-In, October 6-7, Groton Connecticut (GON)

Welcome to GON: Fly in and set sail

An aviation destination with a maritime focus

Airmen and mariners have much in common. Aerial navigation has its roots in the nautical world. Principles such as lift, drag, and compensating for currents in air and water are known to pilots and sailors alike. More than a few have made the transition from nautical to aeronautical, and vice versa.

“For people that fly, water’s just another fluid that you’re going through,” said Franz Edson, a sailor who took up flying and the local chairman of the AOPA Fly-In at Groton-New London Airport in Connecticut October 6 and 7. “There’s lift, there’s drag…there’s navigation. There are so many parallels.”

Edson, now retired from Electric Boat, the famous maker of U.S. Navy submarines, was a competitive sailor for much of his adult life, he said. He transitioned about 15 years ago to flight lessons, and has owned a Beechcraft Bonanza based at Groton for more than a decade. Edson has been working to promote Groton as a destination since long before he pitched the AOPA event planning staff on holding an AOPA Fly-In here—inviting, for one thing, fellow New England Bonanza pilots to visit and tour the nearby Submarine Force Museum. The former director of mission systems (classified programs) at Electric Boat has made promoting the airport and the many nearby attractions a new mission in his life.

Much of America’s maritime history is found within a short drive of the airport, located near the mouth of the Thames River and New London Harbor. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy; the Naval Submarine School and Naval Submarine Base New London; and the associated Submarine Force Museum—home of the USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear submarine—are just up the road from the airport. Mystic Seaport, billed as the Museum of America and the Sea, is also close by, and one of many family-friendly attractions worthy of a side trip. So, too, is Mystic Aquarium, or Fields of Fire, an adventure park where visitors can explore the colors of autumn from within the leafy canopies. Not to mention, two world-class casinos also are close by: Foxwoods Resort Casino, and the Mohegan Sun, both offering big-name entertainment.

You won’t have to leave the airport to be entertained, though: Friday night’s Barnstormers Party features the music of country singer Jonathan Moody.

The AOPA Fly-In itself will be packed with more to learn, see, and do than any one person or family could manage in a weekend. “We want you to see this weekend as an opportunity to bring your family and go do some cool things,” said Chris Eads, AOPA director of outreach and events. “It’s a reason to go fly, and we hope you’re going to want to come to other fly-ins.”

A warm welcome

FBO supports AOPA Fly-In

Columbia Air Services and its subsidiary FBO, Mystic Jet Center, are hosting the AOPA Fly-In at Groton, and Columbia Group of Companies CEO Tom Dunn and his staff have been getting ready to welcome AOPA pilots with big smiles, friendly service, and a total of seven fuel trucks—two of which are being brought in just for the event.

“We’ve been spending a lot of time sprucing up everything,” Dunn said, noting that the company fleet of electric vehicles used for on-airport transportation has also expanded. “We just got a six-seater.”

Columbia also is a Piper and Daher dealer, serving territory throughout the Northeast and into Canada, and Dunn said the staff includes many longtime employees.

“We have some line guys that have been on for 15 years,” Dunn said. “I focus on the people, because the people make the facility.”

Dunn said the AOPA Fly-In will be important for a region that is packed with tourist attractions, many—but not all—of which are well-known.

“A lot of people don’t know everything that’s here,” Dunn said. Drawing a crowd of AOPA pilots, and their families and friends, is “good for the whole area.” Columbia Aircraft Sales has joined forces with AOPA to be the event’s presenting sponsor.

Newport views

Tour historic mansions of the Gilded Age

AOPA has partnered with the Cessna Pilots Society to organize a fly-out to Newport, Rhode Island, on Friday, October 6, for a day of cruising on the water and touring The Breakers, the most famous of Newport’s famous mansions.

Newport State Airport (UUU) in Middletown, Rhode Island, is the destination for the fly-out, and AOPA and the Cessna Pilots Society have arranged tours by land and sea. Participants will land at Newport State at 10 a.m. on October 6, and board ground transportation (arranged by AOPA) for a trip to downtown Newport, arriving at Barristers Warf with time to spare for a Newport’s premiere shopping, a stroll through the seaside town, and a leisurely lunch before embarking on a sailing tour of Narragansett Bay with Sightsailing of Newport.

After returning to the dock, it’s on to the The Breakers, a lavish summer “cottage” built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II. This cottage has 70 rooms, styled to bring Italian Renaissance masterpieces to mind, and is the star attraction in an enclave of Gilded Age mansions in a town known as America’s First Resort. Those who opt not to participate in the mansion tour (an additional $20 charge applies for the inside tour) will have time to take the Cliff Walk, a 3.5-mile trail that features million-dollar seaside views along the shoreline of America’s sailing capital. The Cliff Walk is Rhode Island’s most visited attraction, one you will not want to miss.

Ground transportation will pick up Fly-Out participants at The Breakers at 4:30 p.m. to return to the airport with just under two hours of daylight left to head back to Groton in time for the Barnstormers Party.

Participants must register in advance for the Fly-Out online, and the $65 cost is refundable through September 1, or in case of inclement weather. An additional $20 is charged for the inside tour of The Breakers. The Fly-Out is not handicapped accessible.

TOP 10 things to do and see

1. Mystic Seaport. This maritime museum occupies 19 acres on the Mystic River. Check out the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaling ship still in existence.
2. Submarine Force Museum. The story of the U.S. Navy submarine fleet is told with exhibits including the USS Nautilus itself, the world’s first nuclear submarine.
3. Mystic Aquarium. The aquarium has fun for the whole family, including opportunities for close encounters with penguins, seals, and Beluga whales.
4. Fields of Fire. This park in Mystic offers five aerial courses ranging in difficulty from beginner to expert.
5. Downtown Mystic. Shopping and dining options abound in this local destination made famous by the movie Mystic Pizza.
6. Resort casinos. Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino are a short drive from Groton and offer fine dining, entertainment, and, of course, casino games of all kinds.
7. Sail away. Check out Mystic Whaler Cruises and Sail Away Argia for local sailing tours and information.
8. Autumn refreshments. It’s a perfect time to visit B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill for cider that’s as fresh as it gets.
9. Tee up. The town of Groton’s Shennecossett Golf Course is a links-like course that dates to 1898.
10. Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park. Tour the site of the Battle of Groton Heights, where a Connecticut militia fought British forces led by Benedict Arnold.

Experience more

Dive deep with one of these four workshops

New to the AOPA Fly-In programming is an exciting Friday schedule that gives pilots a chance to attend one of four seven-hour workshops (at a cost of $105 for members, $155 for nonmembers, and $75 for spouses, with online preregistration required) offering what AOPA Director of Outreach and Events Chris Eads describes as “an intensive, deep dive” into hands-on, experiential learning on selected vital topics.

Pilots interested in attending the Friday sessions can arrive Thursday afternoon and camp out. Then head for the pavilion that hosts the workshop of your choice, including Skills and Safety, You Can Fly, Aviation Experience, or Maintenance and Ownership. Lunch is included in the workshops’ cost.

Flying in the Extremes: Water survival tips and techniques
What you’ll learn:

An intensive all-day workshop on understanding how to survive a water ditching will be presented by Survival Systems USA, located on the airport.

• Learn how to successfully execute an underwater egress.
• Learn skills that could save your life in the event of a water ditching.
• Explore techniques for sea and land survival.
• Bring your bathing suit; you could be one of the participants to actually participate in dunker training.

Presenters include the staff from Survival Systems USA and AOPA Editor at Large Tom Horne.

Pilot plus one: Combining learning, inspiration, and adventure
What you’ll learn:

Fun and learning for both pilot and companion.

• Discover how to use the aircraft to build great experiences with fun destinations, photography, and getting the most out of where and how you fly.
• Address the fear of flying that both pilot and passengers may feel.
• Teach nonpilots how to participate and help their pilot companion.
• Learn about safety and emergency preparedness to make the companion confident and secure.

Presenters include Pilot Getaways magazine’s George Kounis, companion flying experts Jolie Lucas and Janet Maxwell, world-rounding pilot Robert DeLaurentis, and award-winning photographer Jim Koepnick.

IFR refresher course: Returning to instrument proficiency
What you’ll learn:

Designed for instrument-rated pilots who have not flown IFR for a long time.

• Ground school refresher and preparation for your next instrument proficiency check.
• Reorient to the rules and regulations, refresh on IFR procedures.
• Build a practice IFR flight to include flight planning, weather decision making, approach briefing, missed approach planning, and more.
• Explore aircraft loss of control in IMC and other IFR accidents and apply lessons learned.

Presented by experts from Rainier Flight Center, with thousands of hours of IFR instruction experience; includes video reenactments from the AOPA Air Safety Institute.

Owner-guided maintenance: Managing your aircraft maintenance
What you’ll learn:

Discover how you can be the manager of how your airplane is maintained.

• Learn about the preventive maintenance items you can perform as an owner.
• Learn how to manage and guide the annual inspection process.
• Hands-on engine and airframe labs as participants work on aircraft.
• Learn about engine health and what your engine is telling you.

Presenters are mechanics and maintenance experts Adrian Eichhorn, Mike Busch, and Paul New.