Dawn Flight to Martha's Vineyard to Pick up PopPop

Dawn launch

My father in law had been doing 7-8 hour drives from Philadelphia to Martha's Vineyard to stay with his friend. He is in his 80's and this was getting to be too much for him. I offered him a ride in the Velocity. I have had two Velocities and have been flying one or the other since 2000, but he has never so much as sat in either one. However, he just couldn't bring himself to do that awful drive and finally agreed. We had a perfect flight up and it took only 83 minutes from wheels up to landing. He was very impressed and had fun on the flight.

He finally called up and was ready to come home. We had plans in the afternoon, but offered to pick him up early. The Velocity cruises at around 200 mph and we planned to leave at 7:30, pick him up at around 9:00 and be home before lunch. It's crazy how far you can travel in the Velocity at these speeds.

I prepped the plane the night before and got a weather briefing at dawn. We were warned of extensive fog along our route, which was forecast to clear later in the morning. This turned out to be the best part of the flight as the fog and rising sun combined for beautiful orange sunrise pictures.

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We took off just as the sun was rising. It was beautiful. Here are some pictures taken during climb out, before the sun was high enough to create bright colors.

View off the right canard as we climb out northbound.

Sunrise winglet

As the sun rises, it bathes the winglet in orange light

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Here's a nice panoramic shot taken with my Iphone. Pan back and forth and it's like you are in the cockpit.

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The fog in the valleys was gorgeous. Here are some shots as we continue northward with the sun rising to our right. 

Valley fog.

Fog and mountains in New York

Beautiful light and fog

Sunward

Foggy valley to the west

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We made great time as we cruised along at 190 knots in perfectly smooth air.

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We reach the New England coast and cruise up the shoreline. The views are spectacular.

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Here is a video of our approach and landing at Martha's Vineyard. It is about 2 1/2 minutes long and gives a good feel for what it's like to fly your Velocity there.

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Pop Pop is waiting at the terminal when we land. We top off the fuel and do a quick turn for home right on schedule.

Pop Pop ready for his ride - not nervous this time.

Nancy and her Dad

Me and the Dad - in - Law

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We climbed out and headed for the coast. Pop Pop (Terry) took in the view from the copilot's seat.

Like last time, we lucked out with perfect visibility and glassy smooth air. This is a great way to introduce someone to flying.

Here are some pictures of the hop over to the coast. Once again we were "feet wet" for only around 10 minutes.

Happy father in law

Bye Martha's Vineyard!

The view back toward the island

The coast comes into view right after takeoff

Almost there

Cockpit view

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Here is a quick video as we cruise down the coast.

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Here are some more pictures as we cruise southbound along the coast.

View of the coast over the canard

Deep river valley

Cruising the coast

Winglet view of the sun on the ocean

Cockpit view from the back

View of New York lakes to the west

West Point Military Academy on the Hudson River

Endless visibility as we enter Pennsylvania

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A few puffy clouds add to the photos as we pass over Allentown.

CAVU skies

Puffy clouds and farmland

Quarry

Limerick Nuclear plant - Easy navigation from here

Allentown-Bethlehem Airport

Downtown Allentown

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In no time, we near home - Chester County Airport. Here are some shots of the approach and landing. 

Some of the best visibility I've ever experienced.

45 for downwind for landing

Base to final turn for Runway 11

Winglet view of final turn. Note nearby nuclear plume/navigation aid.

Lining up

Short final

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Back on the ground at the hangar. Nancy is happy to have helped out her Dad. He had a quick hour and a half scenic flight instead of a whole day in the car. 

Mission complete

It was a great excuse to take a fun flight in the plane and we had a great time. I love my Velocity.

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