Social flying
New York City tour with a student pilot and his dad
I jumped at the opportunity to fly my Cessna 170. I had not flown that route before and was eager to see Manhattan from a general aviation perspective. And, Aviation Adventures had done all the planning—I only had to follow the leader.
Hepp required pilots to show proof they had completed course ALC-79: New York City Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) on faasafety.gov. It’s mandatory training for any pilot wishing to fly in the NYC SFRA. I’d previously taken the course hoping to someday fly down the Hudson River.
Aviation Adventures flight instructor Bill English distributed a list that included 15 aircraft and their pilots who had signed up for the flight, and students who were looking for a ride. “Unless you have done this before, it is highly recommended that you have a second set of eyes onboard,” said English. “There are people on the list looking for a seat.” I soon received a text from Aviation Adventures student pilot Daniel Freel asking if he and his “shutter bug” dad could join me. I was thrilled to share the experience with them, and to have two additional sets of eyes.
Boxing day arrived (it’s the day after Christmas), and I met an excited Daniel and his father, Tim, for an early morning flight to BLM. I learned this was Daniel’s first cross-country flight and his first flight from a towered airport. He was eager to learn the proper radio phraseology to taxi and depart. This was also Tim’s first GA flight other than a quick discovery flight. Their excitement was contagious and increased my anticipation of a memorable day because I would be able to witness their reaction to one of the best experiences GA has to offer.
Hepp ran the briefing at BLM and was exceptional at preparing the group for the complicated flight to come as English handed out the NY Special Flight Rules Quick Reference Kneeboard Guide to use during the flight. I was impressed that three-quarters of the group of nearly 40 raised their hands to indicate they had never taken the flight before. Kudos to Hepp for introducing so many new people to this unique GA experience.
The 15 aircraft—ranging from a Cessna 150 to a Cessna Caravan—departed BLM in half-mile trail and formed an aerial conga line to the TICKL intersection at 1,100 feet. From there we hugged the right side of the Hudson River and flew all the way north to the Tappan Zee bridge.
Tim’s camera clicked away, the back seat of the Cessna 170 a perfect perch to capture unobstructed views of New York City so close out the window it seemed you could reach out and touch it. I tasked Daniel with making the radio calls on 123.05 MHz over the mandatory reporting points along the route. He was tentative at first, but fully comfortable after the 12 calls required on the roundtrip journey. The highlight for all of us was circling the Statue of Liberty at 800 feet above New York Bay. Stunning.
After departing the SFRA the group flew to Lancaster Airport (LNS) in Pennsylvania for a late lunch at Fiorentino’s Italian Restaurant to recount the amazing experience. During this leg, Daniel asked a bunch of questions about Class B and D airspace and procedures for approach and landing at a towered airport. He even made his first radio calls to the control
tower during landing, taxi, and departure. Daniel was a sponge and got much more out of the flight than the stunning view of New York City.
That evening, I received a text from Daniel: “It was a wonderful time and a precious memory, and I learned so so much about airspace and x/c flying. We got a lot of great pictures and video, and I definitely gained a lot of confidence from today.”
Daniel, Tim, and the whole group who participated that day reminded me that general aviation experiences such as these are almost always more fun and memorable when shared with friends—old or new. 
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