Category: Flying

Stories about flying planes and helicopters, discussions of technique and teaching.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire and home (coastal aerial photos)

by philg

Readers will be relieved to learn that this is the last in the series of New Hampshire and Maine coastal aerial photos. This batch goes from Portsmouth, New Hampshire over the rich kids’ Phillips Academy Andover and to our home base, East Coast Aero Club at Hanscom Field.

From our Boston to Bar Harbor, Maine trip in a Robinson R44 helicopter. Tony Cammarata was in back with a door removed and a Nikon D850. Instrument student Vince Dorow and I were flying.

Also available as a streaming 8K video.

Thanks to Rob Brigham and the ECAC maintenance crew for a squawk-free helicopter trip!

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Know Your Audience: the masked helicopter pilot

by philg

A post in a helicopter pilots’ group: “Pandemic times” over the following photo.

Nobody came up with my preferred reaction (“You have to say global pandemic”). Sampling of the responses:

  • That is utterly retarded……
  • Whenever I see an aircraft several thousand feet above me, my first thought is always “wonder if they’re being good commies and effing wearing their slave costumes way up there by themselves…”
  • I get free IFR time whenever I have to fly with a mask and glasses
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Aerial Photos of Portland, Maine

by philg

Portland again!

More importantly, after borrowing a car from the good folks at MAC Jets, lobster rolls downtown:

From our Boston to Bar Harbor, Maine trip in a Robinson R44 helicopter. Tony Cammarata was in back with a door removed and a Nikon D850. Instrument student Vince Dorow and I were flying.

Also available as a streaming 8K video.

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Maine coastal aerial photographs: Westport to Portland

by philg

Running out of exciting caption ideas for this series… Westport, Maine down to Portland:

From our Boston to Bar Harbor, Maine trip in a Robinson R44 helicopter. Tony Cammarata was in back with a door removed and a Nikon D850. Instrument student Vince Dorow and I were flying.

Also available as a streaming 8K video.

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Maine coastal aerial photos: Vinalhaven to Westport

by philg

After departing Vinalhaven towards KRKD

This photo is a favorite (steep bank in the helicopter to get the straight-down perspective):

Enough power for your Tesla, near Westport, Maine (but where does all of this power come from and what is it needed for in an apparently deserted part of the shoreline?):

Gourmet breakfast sandwich stop at Owl’s Head General Store:

From our Boston to Bar Harbor, Maine trip in a Robinson R44 helicopter. Tony Cammarata was in back with a door removed and a Nikon D850. Instrument student Vince Dorow and I were flying.

Also available as a streaming 8K video.

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Maine aerial photos: Deer Isle Bridge and Vinalhaven

by philg

From the Bar Harbor Airport we proceeded southwest to the Deer Isle Bridge (cost $900,000 to build in 1939, $17 million in today’s mini-dollars):

And for the sailors, North Haven and Vinalhaven:

From our Boston to Bar Harbor, Maine trip in a Robinson R44 helicopter. Tony Cammarata was in back with a door removed and a Nikon D850. Instrument student Vince Dorow and I were flying.

Also available as a streaming 8K video.

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Sunrise over Bar Harbor aerial photos

by philg

Departed BHB just before sunrise, south through Somes Sound and then around the east side of Mound Desert Island:

The Jackson Laboratory, a great place to stop for mice:

And then on to the main town for this part of Maine, so to speak… (Bar Harbor itself):

And finally a fly-over of the BHB airport:

From our Boston to Bar Harbor, Maine trip in a Robinson R44 helicopter. Tony Cammarata was in back with a door removed and a Nikon D850. Instrument student Vince Dorow and I were flying.

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Mount Desert Island and Bar Harbor Aerials

by philg

Bass Harbor to Southwest Harbor:

Northeast Harbor, a not-intolerable place to suffer through a summer 2020 COVID quarantine:

From Northeast Harbor to the core of Acadia National Park and the Park Loop Road:

Late afternoon light on Bar Harbor, Maine itself and then to the airport and Columbia for an overnight stop.

From our Boston to Bar Harbor, Maine trip in a Robinson R44 helicopter. Tony Cammarata was in back with a door removed and a Nikon D850. Instrument student Vince Dorow and I were flying.

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President Biden delivers on his promise to shut down the United States…

by philg

… well, the Washington, D.C. area at least. From the FAA:

It is still possible to go IFR into three airports:

But VFR pilots and those based at GAI, for example, are denied the use of their aircraft during this most joyous of days.

Related:

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