The screen on the GPS blinked from night to day mode as I advanced the throttle and released the brakes, rolling for take-off on our Runway 11. The trees at the other end of the runway were rapped in tendrils of fog spilling out of the creek bed a few hundred yards beyond, but a few stars still sparkled in the dark sky as I lifted off, climbing quickly above the foliage to see the faintest sliver of the new sun just edging above the distant ocean horizon. If I’d been a half minute earlier, I might have seen the Green Flash…..
The Valkyrie’s wing bit eagerly into the cool air as it swept out a right hand turn and I climbed out for a low cruise altitude under the Houston airspace. The fall air played tricks with my mind, for as far as I could see, it appeared that the fields and glades were covered in snow - the kind of snow you see all over the Midwest in December, when the first storms of the season have dusted the field, but not covered them - the light blanket of white that tells you the cold air has arrived. But this was not snow - it was morning dew, and a few tendrils of fog - nothing to worry about, in fact, something simply to marvel over. To the north and east, the fog was thicker, with reporting points on the north side of Houston and in to Louisiana showing Low IFR. But the path to the north and west was a beautiful tableau of white and green, the false front of November. To the right, I could see the downtown buildings of the metropolis, sheathed in gossamer white, the freeways and streets already crowded with commuters who were unaware that I was speeding over them all….
As the sun climbed above the horizon, the temperature rose quickly, the dew fell back into the ground; the fog melting away, and the soft colors giving way to the harsher light of day. The RV felt as if it were on rails, responding to little blips of the trim button, but otherwise suspended in air as smooth as the water of a mirrored lake. The magic of a sunrise flight is wonderful to behold, and well worth the effort of an early morning departure. As I cleared the airspace and climbed to a more normal altitude, I left the fairy land behind, and began planning the all-to-soon arrival at the far end of this morning’s errand. We really are blessed to have these machines at our beck and call, even if we frequently forget to take the time so simply appreciate these “magic moments”!
Paul
The Valkyrie’s wing bit eagerly into the cool air as it swept out a right hand turn and I climbed out for a low cruise altitude under the Houston airspace. The fall air played tricks with my mind, for as far as I could see, it appeared that the fields and glades were covered in snow - the kind of snow you see all over the Midwest in December, when the first storms of the season have dusted the field, but not covered them - the light blanket of white that tells you the cold air has arrived. But this was not snow - it was morning dew, and a few tendrils of fog - nothing to worry about, in fact, something simply to marvel over. To the north and east, the fog was thicker, with reporting points on the north side of Houston and in to Louisiana showing Low IFR. But the path to the north and west was a beautiful tableau of white and green, the false front of November. To the right, I could see the downtown buildings of the metropolis, sheathed in gossamer white, the freeways and streets already crowded with commuters who were unaware that I was speeding over them all….
As the sun climbed above the horizon, the temperature rose quickly, the dew fell back into the ground; the fog melting away, and the soft colors giving way to the harsher light of day. The RV felt as if it were on rails, responding to little blips of the trim button, but otherwise suspended in air as smooth as the water of a mirrored lake. The magic of a sunrise flight is wonderful to behold, and well worth the effort of an early morning departure. As I cleared the airspace and climbed to a more normal altitude, I left the fairy land behind, and began planning the all-to-soon arrival at the far end of this morning’s errand. We really are blessed to have these machines at our beck and call, even if we frequently forget to take the time so simply appreciate these “magic moments”!
Paul
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