New York’s Easternmost Airport

Sometime during the winter term, I realized, I really needed to have a golden goose at the end of the tunnel, if I were to keep my sanity and survive the semester. Gert and I had talked about flying the Hudson River corridor again some time. “Let’s fly to Montauk Point as well,” he had said. And I was hooked. I have fond memories of driving here eons ago with my sister and even making the trip a couple of years ago when I visited my friend who had relocated to Long Island City from the West Coast.

This was the golden goose I needed!

Although rallying other pilots to join us failed, my copilot Gert and I set off, bright and early, with an ambitious plan to fly the Hudson river corridor and land at Montauk for lunch. It was one of those rare days when my plans were unfolding flawlessly.

Right on cue, a few minutes past 8:00 am  we pointed our nose East flying through the WHINO gate, before turning north-east and flying contentedly at 2,000 ft skirting airspace and making it on time to our first pit stop of the trip.

Arriving at Monmouth Executive (KBLM) by 10:30, we refueled, stretched our legs and were off again by 11:00 am heading towards APPLE intersection and the mouth of the Hudson river. There was some haze and scattered to broken clouds above 7,000 ft. A new addition to the special flight rules area over the Hudson River is the perpetual temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) over Trump Towers from surface to 3,000 ft.

In comfort we headed northbound up to GW bridge and headed back southbound to circle the Statue of Liberty. Other than some helicopters flying scenic flights, it was perfect day to enjoy the New York skyline. After three loops, we headed back to APPLE and circumvented the JFK Class Bravo airspace and headed east tracing the Long Island coastline seeking an occasional clearance from Class Delta airports along our way and in good time landed at Montauk Point by 1:30 pm.

Although we had planned to grab some lunch at Rick’s Crabby Cowboy Cafe, we took the advice of the Airport personnel to visit the Inlet Seafood instead. Located just a half mile away and sitting at the tip of the inlet, it provides some fantastic views and both outdoor and indoor seating, and some excellent seafood alternatives. If you are vegetarian like me try the Cucumber Avacado Sushi and stay clear of the Beetroot and Fresh Greens Salad!

All photographs courtesy of Gert. Heading north from the South, right seat is the best spot for photographs!

See Also:

New York, New York
Flying from the Right Seat
The City that never sleeps
Falling in Love with Fall
Finals are here and all I can think of is my NY trip in April