Jonathan wrote:

If you find any other good restaurants in that neck of the woods, let us
know. Always looking for something new.

Got a briefing Wednesday evening. Forecast for the area was for ceilings 3500'
or more, visibility greater than ten miles, surface winds 17-23 more-or-less in
line with the pertinent runways, winds at altitude of 240 degrees at 25 knots,
and moderate turbulence below 8,000'. Also got a warning that the Yankees game
would close the corridor sometime in the evening.

Got any idea how hard it is to find out when a ball game starts?

We decided to go for it.

The forecast was accurate. I kept the airspeed ten mph over the usual and still
had erratic flickering of the stall warning light. I held best angle of climb
until 1,000 AGL, and then turned north for the corridor. Turbulence was a killer
at that altitude, but I climbed as soon as I got past the Tappan Zee. One new
item I found interesting is the fact that the Air Force now has a Mooney that
circles Manhattan through the East River/Hudson corridors, using "Air Force" as
its call sign. It cut up the East River as we were passing the Intrepid and came
back into the Hudson in front of us over Yonkers. We could hear the pilot as he
announced during his circuit. Yes, it's blue and white.

Once we got past the Zee, I headed for 3,000' and made a beeline for ORE. Things
were looking good. Elisabeth was enjoying the trip, and the light was fantastic.
Visibility was 50 miles or more, and about half the trees had turned. It was
actually pretty smooth up there, and things were looking good. I was pointing
out Torrington when it happened. We hit a couple of mild bumps (nothing like
what we hit in the corridor), and Elisabeth asked for a sic-sack. I asked her if
we needed to land, and, the answer being in the affirmative, I headed for the
nearest airport. That turned out to be Mountain Meadow (22B).

The windsock was straight out and straight across, so I landed in the direction
that put my base leg into the wind. Kept the flaps up, and "crossed the fence"
at 100 mph. I figured that I could get the power on anytime if she started to
weathervane on me. Made a surprisingly gentle touchdown and moved my feet up
to the top of the pedals as soon as we touched. As it turned out, I didn't need
the brakes until the speed dropped to 30 or 40 mph, but it's best to be sure.
As we turned off, I noticed a "cafe" sign.

The FBO is well furnished but appears to be deserted. There *is* a maintenance
hangar with a nice 172 undergoing what appears to be an annual, but nobody was
there either. We used the facilities and waited on Elisabeth's stomach to calm
down. After a while, the A&P returned to work next door, and I suggested we head
over to the grill and get a coke or something to calm Elisabeth's stomach.

As we approach the Landing Zone Cafe, I smelled the unmistakable odor of barBQ.
In Connecticutt? When we got inside and checked the menu, we discovered that the
owner apparently is a displaced Louisianan. We had found what is probably the
only place in New England that serves alligator tail as an appetizer! I should
have taken the hint and bought a southern specialty, but I opted for the clam
chowder. Elisabeth settled for a diet Pepsi. The chowder was ok - thin, but lots
of clams. We got a nice t-shirt out of the deal, too.

Back at the FBO, we patted the mechanic's dog, and launched back into the wind.
I decided to take the long way around the class-B to minimize the turbulence,
but it did little good. There were a few patches of near-solid yellows and reds
close to Yorktown, but Elisabeth was not in the best mood to appreciate them.
The up/down-drafts in the Caldwell/Morristown area made it difficult to stay
between 2700' (the class D top) and 3000' (the class B floor), but once I got
past MMU and turned south, things were a bit better. The sound of dry heaves
from the right seat is also a distraction they don't usually throw at you on
check rides.

Winds gusting from 17 to 23 knots and varying from 240 to 280 made landing on
24 an interesting proposal, but we got down intact. Elisabeth collapsed on one
of the couches at the FBO while I put the Maule to bed.

Due to the severity and suddenness of her reaction, we think Elisabeth's coming
down with a bug of some sort. A little hot&sour soup at the local Chinese place
has reduced the symptoms, and an early bedtime is in order for her.

Looks like there's still lots of green in that area though. We might try it
again in a week or two. Maybe I'll try the alligator tail this time!

George Patterson
To a pilot, altitude is like money - it is possible that having too much
could prove embarassing, but having too little is always fatal.