5 Flights to Make Before You Die

BillJ wrote in
news
Jay Honeck wrote:
We've flown coast to coast, Canada to Mexico, for the last 12 years,
and we have seen a lot of beautiful sights. There are way more than
five flights to make before you die -- but these are my Top 5. Can
you add yours?

1. Grand Canyon. Flying over the Grand Canyon is an awesome, almost
religious experience that words simply cannot express. We spent
nearly 2 hours over the canyon, the four of us gaping in awe, in
almost complete silence. There's nothing else like it.

2. Mackinac Island/Mackinac Bridge. At the top of the Great Lakes
sits scenic Mackinac Island. Quaint, with no motor vehicles allowed
(it's either horses or bikes, your choice), this throwback to another
era ("Lost in Time", with Christopher Reeves, was filmed at the Grand
Hotel on Mackinac Island) is always a great place to visit, and an
absolutely gorgeous flight. The beautiful Mackinac Bridge (which
does NOT go to the island, BTW) is one of the largest suspension
bridges in the world, and is truly a wondrous sight to see as well.

3. Barrier Islands/Ocracoke/Hatteras Just a few weeks ago we made
this flight, from Kill Devil Hills, NC to Beaufort, NC, flying
straight down the barrier islands. With the vast Atlantic to our
left, open water to our right (the mainland is often barely visible),
and a thin spit of land beneath us, we made this beautiful flight on
a picture-perfect day.

4. Great Salt Lake. This one may surprise you, but we flew over it
(and the surrounding salt flats) on our way to the Reno Air Races a
few years ago, and I will never forget the stark beauty and utter
desolation of this flight. If you ever want to fly over an alien
planet, check this area out.

5. Oshkosh! This one is pretty obvious, and is the ultimate flight
goal of almost every pilot I've ever met. There is simply no place on
earth like Oshkosh, and to fly into the show is a thrill that is hard
to describe to someone who hasn't done it. More importantly is to
wake up on the field at OSH -- it's a feeling like none other. No
matter what, you MUST make this flight at least once before you die.

Alas, we have had so many great flights, it's hard to whittle it down
to just five. Niagara Falls, Meigs Field, First Flight Airfield, and
a host of others would round out my Top Ten list -- but let's keep it
the Best of the Best, and stick to five for now.

Where would YOU choose to fly before you die?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

1. Sedona, AZ
2. Big Sur coast, Carmel, MRY
3. Around and around Mt. McKinley on a clear day
4. Getting to 3 via inland and coast routes
5. Seeing "The Glory", sun at your back and low over a smooth stratus
layer 6. Down the Hudson corridor, Manhattan on your wing tip

My own experiences (based out west, but have flown to the east coast),

1. Monument Valley, AZ - unlike the Grand Canyon, there are no altitude
restrictions
2. Sedona - Agree with this one, spectacular
3. San Juan Islands, WA
4. LA Basin at night
5. Oshkosh (more for the experience and arrival than for the terrain or
view)

While I liked the Grand Canyon, it's disappointing to me how high you
have to be. 3-4K feet above the rim does diminish the effect somewhat.

Jay, thanks for starting this thread. You have a nice place in Iowa
City. We visited Jay briefly about a year ago and he was very hospitable
- drop on in!

Tim Long
CMA, CA

Why do you have to be 3-4k above the rim when you do the Grand Canyon?

I'd love to fly down the canyon with the helicopters, like flying down
the Hudson with them whenever I do the NYC tour.




On Apr 14, 3:12 pm, TLong wrote:
BillJ wrote innews




Jay Honeck wrote:
We've flown coast to coast, Canada to Mexico, for the last 12 years,
and we have seen a lot of beautiful sights. There are way more than
five flights to make before you die -- but these are my Top 5. Can
you add yours?

1. Grand Canyon. Flying over the Grand Canyon is an awesome, almost
religious experience that words simply cannot express. We spent
nearly 2 hours over the canyon, the four of us gaping in awe, in
almost complete silence. There's nothing else like it.

2. Mackinac Island/Mackinac Bridge. At the top of the Great Lakes
sits scenic Mackinac Island. Quaint, with no motor vehicles allowed
(it's either horses or bikes, your choice), this throwback to another
era ("Lost in Time", with Christopher Reeves, was filmed at the Grand
Hotel on Mackinac Island) is always a great place to visit, and an
absolutely gorgeous flight. The beautiful Mackinac Bridge (which
does NOT go to the island, BTW) is one of the largest suspension
bridges in the world, and is truly a wondrous sight to see as well.

3. Barrier Islands/Ocracoke/Hatteras Just a few weeks ago we made
this flight, from Kill Devil Hills, NC to Beaufort, NC, flying
straight down the barrier islands. With the vast Atlantic to our
left, open water to our right (the mainland is often barely visible),
and a thin spit of land beneath us, we made this beautiful flight on
a picture-perfect day.

4. Great Salt Lake. This one may surprise you, but we flew over it
(and the surrounding salt flats) on our way to the Reno Air Races a
few years ago, and I will never forget the stark beauty and utter
desolation of this flight. If you ever want to fly over an alien
planet, check this area out.

5. Oshkosh! This one is pretty obvious, and is the ultimate flight
goal of almost every pilot I've ever met. There is simply no place on
earth like Oshkosh, and to fly into the show is a thrill that is hard
to describe to someone who hasn't done it. More importantly is to
wake up on the field at OSH -- it's a feeling like none other. No
matter what, you MUST make this flight at least once before you die.

Alas, we have had so many great flights, it's hard to whittle it down
to just five. Niagara Falls, Meigs Field, First Flight Airfield, and
a host of others would round out my Top Ten list -- but let's keep it
the Best of the Best, and stick to five for now.

Where would YOU choose to fly before you die?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

1. Sedona, AZ
2. Big Sur coast, Carmel, MRY
3. Around and around Mt. McKinley on a clear day
4. Getting to 3 via inland and coast routes
5. Seeing "The Glory", sun at your back and low over a smooth stratus
layer 6. Down the Hudson corridor, Manhattan on your wing tip

My own experiences (based out west, but have flown to the east coast),

1. Monument Valley, AZ - unlike the Grand Canyon, there are no altitude
restrictions
2. Sedona - Agree with this one, spectacular
3. San Juan Islands, WA
4. LA Basin at night
5. Oshkosh (more for the experience and arrival than for the terrain or
view)

While I liked the Grand Canyon, it's disappointing to me how high you
have to be. 3-4K feet above the rim does diminish the effect somewhat.

Jay, thanks for starting this thread. You have a nice place in Iowa
City. We visited Jay briefly about a year ago and he was very hospitable
- drop on in!

Tim Long
CMA, CA- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Why do you have to be 3-4k above the rim when you do the Grand Canyon?

Noise Nazis have made it illegal to go beneath the canyon rim.
Additionally, you must fly a very strictly defined course over the
canyon, from one GPS coordinate to another. Course variances will
land you in hot water with...someone.

I'd love to fly down the canyon with the helicopters, like flying down
the Hudson with them whenever I do the NYC tour.

Even the tour helicopters can't go down in the canyon anymore. It's
very sad, IMHO, as many thousands of people have had their Grand
Canyon experience drastically diminished so that a far smaller number
of people can quietly hike into it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

It's
very sad, IMHO, as many thousands of people have had their Grand
Canyon experience drastically diminished so that a far smaller number
of people can quietly hike into it.

I don't know that that's a bad thing. Such (quiet natural) areas should
exist.

Jose
--
Get high on gasoline: fly an airplane.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

It's
very sad, IMHO, as many thousands of people have had their Grand
Canyon experience drastically diminished so that a far smaller number
of people can quietly hike into it.

I don't know that that's a bad thing. Such (quiet natural) areas should
exist.

I have mixed emotions on this issue. I agree that places of solitude
should exist, but at what cost?

So few people are able to physically hike down into the canyon, yet
tens of thousands can (and do) fly over the canyon each year. This
majority has had their Grand Canyon experience drastically diminished
(by restrictive overflight laws) in favor of the minority's "right"
to silence.

Do the needs of the many out-weigh the needs of the few?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I have mixed emotions on this issue. I agree that places of solitude
should exist, but at what cost?

Or perhaps... "at who's cost?"

Do the needs of the many out-weigh the needs of the few?

No.

Think about why.

Jose
--
Get high on gasoline: fly an airplane.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
oups.com...
It's
very sad, IMHO, as many thousands of people have had their Grand
Canyon experience drastically diminished so that a far smaller number
of people can quietly hike into it.

I don't know that that's a bad thing. Such (quiet natural) areas should
exist.

I have mixed emotions on this issue. I agree that places of solitude
should exist, but at what cost?

So few people are able to physically hike down into the canyon, yet
tens of thousands can (and do) fly over the canyon each year. This
majority has had their Grand Canyon experience drastically diminished
(by restrictive overflight laws) in favor of the minority's "right"
to silence.

Do the needs of the many out-weigh the needs of the few?

I suspect it's more a matter of non pilots making the rules, or a small
group of people going to the wall for "perfect preservation". If I was king
it would be a matter of operational hours. Flights down the canyon are a
national resource just as silence and serenity are. Opening the skys to
flights for 4 to 6 hours a day wouldn't harm anyone but the most selfish.

In article ,
"Maxwell" wrote:

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
oups.com...
It's
very sad, IMHO, as many thousands of people have had their Grand
Canyon experience drastically diminished so that a far smaller number
of people can quietly hike into it.

I don't know that that's a bad thing. Such (quiet natural) areas should
exist.

I have mixed emotions on this issue. I agree that places of solitude
should exist, but at what cost?

So few people are able to physically hike down into the canyon, yet
tens of thousands can (and do) fly over the canyon each year. This
majority has had their Grand Canyon experience drastically diminished
(by restrictive overflight laws) in favor of the minority's "right"
to silence.

Do the needs of the many out-weigh the needs of the few?

I suspect it's more a matter of non pilots making the rules, or a small
group of people going to the wall for "perfect preservation". If I was king
it would be a matter of operational hours. Flights down the canyon are a
national resource just as silence and serenity are. Opening the skys to
flights for 4 to 6 hours a day wouldn't harm anyone but the most selfish.

It is all a matter of the "greens" exercising their power over us who
are "priviliged".

Jay Honeck wrote
I have mixed emotions [about allowing flight below the rim of the Grand
Canyon].
I agree that places of solitude should exist, but at what cost?

How about allowing flight through the canyon (in one direction) one day per
week or per month -- whatever -- rather than never?

How about allowing flight through the canyon (in one direction) one day per
week or per month -- whatever -- rather than never?

A wonderful compromise, logical and workable.

Which therefore means it has ZERO chance of being adopted by anyone in
our bureacracy.

Banning flight into the canyon has nothing to do with common sense.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"