AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2025 - 16

ON COURSE
Social flying
New York City tour with a student pilot
and his dad
BY KOLLIN STAGNITO / Editor in Chief
AOPA Foundation Legacy Society member
A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS, Bob Hepp, owner of flight school
Aviation Adventures, invited AOPA to participate in the school's
Aviation Adventures Boxing Day Hudson Corridor Flight. " The
Hudson River safari is a trip we do every year, weather permitting, "
said Hepp. " We meet up at Monmouth Executive [BLM] to
refuel and do a final face-to-face brief. Along the way we will overfly
several bridges, and view Governors Island, the tall buildings of
Manhattan, the aircraft carrier Intrepid, Central Park, Kennedy and
LaGuardia airports, then circle the Statue of Liberty before departing
the corridor. Trips like these are the reason we fly airplanes. "
I jumped at the opportunity to fly my Cessna 170. I had not
flown that route before and was eager to see Manhattan from a
general aviation perspective. And, Aviation Adventures had done
all the planning-I only had to follow the leader.
Hepp required pilots to show proof they had completed
course ALC-79: New York City Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA)
on faasafety.gov. It's mandatory training for any pilot wishing to
fly in the NYC SFRA. I'd previously taken the course hoping to
someday fly down the Hudson River.
Aviation Adventures flight instructor Bill English distributed
a list that included 15 aircraft and their pilots who had signed up
for the flight, and students who were looking for a ride. " Unless
you have done this before, it is highly recommended that you have
a second set of eyes onboard, " said English. " There are people on
the list looking for a seat. " I soon received a text from Aviation
Adventures student pilot Daniel Freel asking if he and his " shutter
bug " dad could join me. I was thrilled to share the experience with
them, and to have two additional sets of eyes.
Boxing day arrived (it's the day after Christmas), and I met
an excited Daniel and his father, Tim, for an early morning flight
to BLM. I learned this was Daniel's first cross-country flight and
his first flight from a towered airport. He was eager to learn the
proper radio phraseology to taxi and depart. This was also Tim's
first GA flight other than a quick discovery flight. Their excitement
was contagious and increased my anticipation of a memorable day
because I would be able to witness their reaction to one of the best
experiences GA has to offer.
Hepp ran the briefing at BLM and was exceptional at preparing
the group for the complicated flight to come as English handed out
16
AOPA PILOT / March 2025
the NY Special Flight Rules Quick Reference Kneeboard Guide to
use during the flight. I was impressed that three-quarters of the
group of nearly 40 raised their hands to indicate they had never
taken the flight before. Kudos to Hepp for introducing so many
new people to this unique GA experience.
The 15 aircraft-ranging from a Cessna 150 to a Cessna
Caravan-departed BLM in half-mile trail and formed an aerial
conga line to the TICKL intersection at 1,100 feet. From there we
hugged the right side of the Hudson River and flew all the way
north to the Tappan Zee bridge.
Tim's camera clicked away, the back seat of the Cessna 170 a
perfect perch to capture unobstructed views of New York City so
close out the window it seemed you could reach out and touch it.
I tasked Daniel with making the radio calls on 123.05 MHz over
the mandatory reporting points along the route. He was tentative
at first, but fully comfortable after the 12 calls required on the
roundtrip journey. The highlight for all of us was circling the
Statue of Liberty at 800 feet above New York Bay. Stunning.
After departing the SFRA the group flew to Lancaster
Airport (LNS) in Pennsylvania for a late lunch at Fiorentino's
Italian Restaurant to recount the amazing experience. During
this leg, Daniel asked a bunch of questions about Class B and
D airspace and procedures for approach and landing at a
towered airport. He even made his first radio calls to the control
tower during landing, taxi, and departure. Daniel was a sponge
and got much more out of the flight than the stunning view of
New York City.
That evening, I received a text from Daniel: " It was a wonderful
time and a precious memory, and I learned so so much about
airspace and x/c flying. We got a lot of great pictures and video,
and I definitely gained a lot of confidence from today. "
Daniel, Tim, and the whole
group who participated that
day reminded me that general
aviation experiences such as
these are almost always more
fun and memorable when shared
with friends-old or new.
kollin.stagnito@aopa.org
KOLLIN STAGNITO,
AOPA senior vice
president of media,
is a commercial pilot,
ground instructor,
and owner of a
Cessna 170B.
http://www.faasafety.gov
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2025

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