Replies

No, a real pussy cat. No more than a 6.

The problem was, Kennedy flew out over the lights of the NYC Class B than Connecticut, then western RI on a clear night. It’s like the best VFR you could ever have. Very little other traffic, see everyone 20 miles away with their strobes, and best of all, an incredible horizon from the carpet of a million house and street lights below you.

But then you make about a 30 degree right to go out to Block Island or the Vineyard, and all of a sudden, all, and I mean all of he lights disappear under your low wing aircraft, and you had better be on the guages, with your scan going for about 5 minutes before it happens or you are SOL.

Then you think a few fishing boat lights are defining a horizon, you get off the gauges, and pretty soon you are in Stall ,Spin, Crash, Burn mode.

It happened to me once. I was outbound from the old Bader Apt on he beach in Atlantic, I was F,D, & H, tracking about 090. All of sudden, all those casino and boardwalk lights were done in the same instant.

I was lucky, got on the gauges, and got it turned due north, and got my ground horizon back.

Seriously, Saratona was a old Aunt Betsie rocking chair.

A Bonanza, another story. Know two docs who rode one in. One was trying to “get home” for his college reunion, got too low on the ILS (after 3 missed approaches) and hit trees about 500 feet short. The other one was simply too much airplane for him. Lost it on a marginal VFR day trying to go south around the JFK TCA (pre Class B) at 500 feet.

Both families both times.

I only got to fly about 1-2 times a month, and when I could rent the PA-32 types, I got out of the Bonanza ASAP.

Glad your daughter was not too close today.

Be well.

But then you make about a 30 degree right to go out to Block Island or the Vineyard, and all of a sudden, all, and I mean all of he lights disappear under your low wing aircraft, and you had better be on the guages, with your scan going for about 5 minutes before it happens or you are SOL.

...

Few people know he safely completed 90% of the flight. My question is whether he could have taken a route closer to land or did he take a shortcut for the last part of the flight?

Lived on the approach path for SNA, remember listening to my scanner shortly before going to work one evening. SoCal gets low clouds/fog certain times during the year that blow in and reduce visibility to nothing(near the coast...inland OK). While listening I heard a bonanza pilot make several unsuccessful attempts, after the 3rd(?)/go-around I heard tower try to contact him, but got no response.

My workplace was down the street from the airport, going down one of the industrial drives, in the back of one of the buildings, was the bonanza which apparently corkscrewed into a dumpster. I was one of the first ones there, within a short time there were police/fire units and reporters from local news organizations who wanted my story. I declined(didn't have much info/knowledge anyway)and went to work.