An early evening commissioning party at a friend’s home in Annapolis led to an early Friday bedtime. Awoke with the sun and found my bed empty. Seems m’lady slipped away in the night, found her asleep downstairs on the couch. 10am start to her ‘on call’ window, so best not to be banging around the house, I should leave.
The personal airframe is about 2 gallons over gross after stopping my walking regimen as the brutal winter set in. There’s a date with the Ancient Incan Trail this fall, so I jumped back on the walking train two weeks ago. Today I was due for 5-6 miles, and the local route, while nice, was getting a bit familiar. Hey, isn’t it Memorial Day weekend? Doesn’t that mean a trip to the beach? Don’t I remember a discussion on DCPilots about local beach airports?
Quick bit of Google-fu: Billy Mitchell in North Carolina. Good option, but a bit far for a lark. Ocean City, New Jersey. Now that is fairly local. A quick look at Weathermeister shows 30 minutes. Winner winner, chicken dinner! Load a small cooler with some hydration, nuke a little day old coffee in a travel mug, and it’s off to the hangar. Airborne by 6:30.
What a great morning to fly. Here’s a look at the normal walking grounds, Ferry Point Park near Kent Narrows:
Good waterfront exercise spot for sure, but today will be beachfront. Arrive at Ocean City as the first of the locals are pulling into the parking lot for breakfast at the diner. Walk past the outdoor showers (for post beach) and hit the head, then out the front gate (noting the keypad code to get back in), left past the golf course (filing away that option for a future father / son flying trip) and then right on 25th straight out to the beach. Lucky me, low-low tide gives a very wide hard packed beach to meander along at a brisk pace. All the way up to Music Pier. I pass on the offer from some shipmates to participate in the 31 Heroes Memorial Day Beach Challenge (last time I raced on the beach I did my best
Seeger impersonation at NAS Pensacola, surviving the O-course but promising myself it was my last). Back down the beach and across a few streets, the FBO staff has shown up by now, but they waive the fee for me since I am departing before even a second plane has arrived for the day. I tell them I’ll be back again and pay full fare when we actually spend the day at the beach. Crosswinds have picked up, but still a nice morning on the ramp:
Breakfast of champions crossing Delaware Bay on the flight back home:
I find I am not the only one airborne now, is that Vlad down there collecting another unofficial grass strip? Hope not, that would be a lot of fuel leaking off the trailing edge if it were:
What a great way to start the day, all possible due to my sporty little magic carpet, my RV-6A. I was even able to get to an ordinary Saturday morning chore, walking the aisles of Sam's Club by 10!
Sure, we all see this weekend as the ‘official start of summer’ or ‘beach season beginnings’ but I ask that you take the time to remember the real meaning of Memorial Day. Reflect on it a little.
I did, before I left the beach, thanking those, known and unknown, who sacrificed the most so we could enjoy this place we call America.
Magic Carpet Ride to 26N
Nice getaway
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