Flight from Snowmageddon

I wanted to take the family to visit my brother Mike's family in Connecticut before the Fall foliage faded. The forecast for this past weekend was for sun on Friday and Sunday with a chance of 3 inches of snow on Saturday. We decided to head up for a visit and were wheels up on Friday at 4:00 in bright sun.

Katie and Sean are great travelers and were excited to visit their cousins - and to skip the usual 5-6 hour drive.

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Here's a quick video of our takeoff from Chester County airport in Pennsylvania.

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It was a little hazy, but nice and smooth on the way North. There was still plenty of color in the leaves.
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 Quick in flight video Northbound
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It was only about 45 minutes before Hartford came into view with our destination, Robertson (4B8) right before it. Gotta love traveling at these speeds.
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The sun was getting low on the horizon as we turned to enter the pattern. Very nice.
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Final approach to Robertson
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On the ground at Robertson- Mike and his girls are waiting for us.

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Saturday it started snowing and just didn't stop. We got two feet of snow overnight, lost power, phone and cell service.  That was a pain, but the airport FBO had assured me that they would plow if it snowed.

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On Sunday morning Mike drove me out to the airport to check on the plane. It became obvious that the area had been completely devastated by the early storm. The trees still had their leaves and the snow load was too much for them. There were hundreds of trees down in the road and power lines down everywhere. The road was an obstacle course. In fact, the entire state was mostly shut down in a state of emergency.

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The airport is deserted, and no one has plowed anything. We clear off the plane in hopes that it will be dry when the runway is cleared later. We run into someone at a large hangar who tells us that a corporate jet has to get out Monday morning and that the runway will be plowed for it somehow.

That means one more night at Mike's with the generator and fireplace to keep us going, then we'll try to get out behind the jet.

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If you have to rough it in a snow emergency, the best way to do it is with very nice friends in a very nice house. Mike and Stacey are great hosts and the kids see the situation as a big adventure. Snowman building and snowball fights for them, wine and conversation for us. Not too bad.

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...and of course a visit to the neighbor's llama farm. Go figure.
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By Monday morning, things have gotten harder. There will be no power for at least a week. People's generators are running out of gas. There is no local gas to be had as all the gas stations are closed. We drive for an hour to Hartford, then wait in line for 2 more hours to buy gas- not much fun.
We then go back to the airport. YES! The jet is gone and there is a clear runway we can now push the plane to. Just enough time to get it in the air and home before sunset.

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Back on our way back home. It is very hazy, but still plenty of visibility as we skirt the New York airspace at 4,500 and 190 knots.

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One hour later and our home airport is in sight. Sean and Katie are happy and looking forward to showers, heat and TV. (probably not in that order)
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