Sunday, September 27, 2015

Sunday morn a-traveling

Sunday Morning and the weather could not be better. Shame on me, but I was expecting MVFR per last night's forecast so I slept in an hour only to find it clear and unrestricted. Back out to the airport via a courtesy pick-up from the fine folks at Mystic Jet Center, who took care of me last night and this morning. Just a humble transient pilot and they loaned me a car yesterday, found me a room, drove me to the room and picked me back up, loaded me up on bottled water and took care of my plane, even to the extent of being willing to clean the bird remains off of it, a courtesy which I declined. I hit it, I'll clean it. Not fair putting that on some line kid. But big thanks to Rachel, Irwin, Robert and the rest at Mystic. and they even waived my overnight tie-down fee, since my staying over was less than intentional.

The hotel, Hilltop Express Inn, was surprisingly clean and quiet. The hot water was hot and the Internet worked. No gripes. As to the bar next door...sigh. Must have been Seniors Night, because there was hardly anyone in there under 50. Mind you, this did not stop a woman a couple seats down the bar from making a try at it. "I know you," said this woman who was probably fine once back when John Travolta was cool the first time.

"Excuse me?" I asked. Mind you, I'd had a few adult beverages by a this time.

"I think I know you but I can't remember where from. Maybe we went to school together?"

Ever the tactful one, I replied, "I think you've confused me with my father, but we did share a resemblance."

I wasn't trying to be a jerk. Sometimes it just happens though. She stormed off to the accompaniment of a raucous horse laugh from her equally aged girlfriend and a grin from the bartender. Check, please.

So out and off this morning, immediate destination Block Island for breakfast at Bethany's Diner at the airport. The island is 23nm out from Groton, straight out into the ocean, and it's an eerie feeling to point you plane nose out to sea at an island that you can't see, trusting that it's really there and knowing that if you miss it, the next landfall is...Europe.

But I found the island ok, landed nicely, and am eating breakfast as I type this. Immediate departure follows, and I'm off to see Old Air Force Sarge for yet another day of adventure. I just hope that I can keep him out of trouble at Battleship Cove.

9 comments:

  1. In the mid seventies I was an active duty sailor on the USS William R Rush DD-714 and homeported in New York. On several occasions the staff at Battleship Cove were very gracious about letting us scavenge parts from the JP Kennedy. Trying to get a replacement water end plunger for the forward engineroom's fire and bilge pump was impossible through normal channels.

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  2. Dang, I wish I'd known you were stopping there... One of our blog readers lives on Block Island. He would have met you for breakfast and talked flying!

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  3. Calm down M. Keep in mind that if you are LUCKY you will one day be her age. But only if you are lucky.

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  4. Stay cool, keep your powder dry and have fun! And I think you missed getting slapped by millimeters!

    gfa

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  5. Try to stay out of trouble up there =)

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  6. The airport, "Rotten Groton", can have its own fogbank. I wonder if "Mystic Jet Center" used to be known as either Columbia Aviation or Lanmar Aviation. Been awhile since I've been there. The people at Columbia were really nice.

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    1. Mystic is in between Columbia and Lanmar. Really great people. I'm here for a couple hours again, waiting on weather to lift a bit so I can scud-run home before the whole NE goes LIFR.

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