Ocracoke and First Flight

Well, this flight can't compete with Rosie, the Cards and the crew that flew to the Bahamas, in terms of distance or excitement, but it was a great way to spend a day with the Wife. Earlier in the week Mary had mentioned she was going to be off a good bit this week and I suggested the weather looked good for a flight on Wednesday. It is rare that planning and reality match so well.

We departed Tappahannock, VA (KXSA) about noon in our 9A and made Ocracoke (W95) about 1:15. Remarkably smooth for such a sunny, mid-afternoon day. It was uneventful if you discount my KMD 150 completely crapping out. I had a back up. We had the runway and ramp to ourselves the whole time.



A call to Howard's Pub and about 15 minutes later Ann arrived in a six seat golf cart and took us back to the restaurant for lunch. Apparently they offer this service as part of their business. They're open from mid-March until Thanksgiving, if you're planning a trip. We're planning to go back. Wife likes the atmosphere and she has time off during the middle of the week, so we should hit some less than busy times. I want to sample some of the taps at Howard' Pub and will certainly want to spend a night or three.

Lisa gave us a ride back to the plane and we departed for First Flight Airport and the Wright Brother's memorial. It was on my bucket list to see. There's lots of airspace restrictions in the area and I choose to simply fly up the Outer Banks to First Flight. It was a clear day and the Wife loved the view and appreciated the fragile spit of land that protects the coastal part of the state.

And upon landing at First Flight, a gentleman greeted us and said he was from the FAA. I figured I'd get a ramp check but we didn't (to the best of my knowledge we were legal in all respects). All he did was chat a bit and offer to take our picture together with the plane with the memorial in the background.



The flight back home was just under an hour. All in all 3.6 hours on the hobbs. The next time we need to stay longer at both places. There are a few more pictures on my website. I tried posting here but they didn't resize correctly. Here's the link if you're interested. http://propjock.com/travel-reports/ocracoke-and-first-flight/

Nice!

Thanks for posting Don, those are two places on my bucket list when I get my plane finished.

It looks like Mary and you had a good time. I landed there last year on the way from somewhere. Just wanted to score an island. No RVs on the island so chances to get free food were slim to none

Don said:

A call to Howard's Pub and about 15 minutes later Ann arrived in a six seat golf cart and took us back to the restaurant for lunch. Apparently they offer this service as part of their business. We're planning to go back. Wife likes the atmosphere and she has time off during the middle of the week, so we should hit some less than busy times. I want to sample some of the taps at Howard' Pub and will certainly want to spend a night or three.
And upon landing at First Flight, a gentleman greeted us and said he was from the FAA. I figured I'd get a ramp check but we didn't (to the best of my knowledge we were legal in all respects). All he did was chat a bit and offer to take our picture together with the plane with the memorial in the background.
The next time we need to stay longer at both places.

Click to expand...

Hey Don,

Great post!! Sometimes the great places aren't across the country but just a short flight away! Weather looked perfect! I use to live and fly out of EWN. Been to W95 dozens of times and Kitty Hawk over 30 times! Never get sick of it....took a lot of visitors! Next time you are at Ocracoke go check out the cemetery of the 4 British seamen that lost their lives at the hands of a U-boat...their bodies washed up on the shore of Ocracoke. They are buried together in a small plot. The plot has actually been deeded to England. Every year a delegation from England comes and performs a memorial ceremony for the sailors. Pretty cool!

Thanks for the write up!!!

Good writeup, Don,
In the early 1980's shortly after I got my private license, my wife and I spent a week on the outer banks in a place called Duck, a few miles north of Kitty Hawk. We had to drive over, couldn't afford the daily minimum to park a rented airplane for a week, but was able to find an instructor in Elizabeth City who would rent me his C-150 for a day after checking me out at Manteo. Made the most of it, parking at First Flight and signing in to the visiting pilot's logbook, and making the usual photographs. I would add one if I knew how to get a color slide to reproduce on a computer. We also flew down to Ocracoke and landed, but did not get into town until a couple of days later when we drove down from Duck. No cell phones then. Ocracoke has expanded its facilities since we were there, they only had a wide place at the northeast end, extending about 40' out from the edge of the runway, and maybe 50' long, room for about 2 airplanes, 3 at the most, to park clear of the runway. Nothing at the southwest end, where the turnaround loop is now. Facilities at the northeast end consisted of a telephone booth, period. (You young folks can ask your parents what that was, while you're asking them what a color slide is.) Mama had to go, fortunately the sea oats were kind of tall, and there was not another soul visible anywhere. I have wanted to get back to Ocracoke ever since, but haven't made it yet.

Don - fast forward to Memorial Day and there were 30 aircraft parked on the ramp (and in the grass) !

Howard's Pub was running their new six seater golf cart

Glen,

I'm sorry Mary and I couldn't make it 31 aircraft parked there.

That six seat golf cart is what we got to ride it, and it is nice. When our schedules and the weather conspires accordingly, I think we'll take a 2 or 3 day mini vacation there.

Diane and I flipped a coin between Kitty Hawk and Charleston, SC yesterday (Memorial Day). Charleston won. Good time. Lunch at Shucks.

Kitty Hawk remains on the near term list.