Boston to Roanoke to Nashville

[Marc]

I am thinking of taking a week or so and fly south. Would appreciate any
recommendations of places to go, esp. interesting scenary or historical
interest (that is near an airport.....).

Right now my vague plans include..


... a ride down the Hudson Valley Corridor past Manhattan.
... fly down the NJ coast, perhaps stop at Cape May
... stay along the coast, east of Washington DC
... stop at Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay?
... west past Charlottesville, stop at Luray Caverns.... (yes I know it is
tacky, been there twice by car)
... aerial tour of Shenandoah Valley

[BTIZ]

just make sure the weather forecast will allow you to sneak along the coast
and not get pushed west into the DC ADIZ TFR

BT

"Marc" > wrote in message
news:nxhub.176207$275.567345@attbi_s53...
> I am thinking of taking a week or so and fly south. Would appreciate any
> recommendations of places to go, esp. interesting scenary or historical
> interest (that is near an airport.....).
>
> Right now my vague plans include..
>
>
> .. a ride down the Hudson Valley Corridor past Manhattan.
> .. fly down the NJ coast, perhaps stop at Cape May
> .. stay along the coast, east of Washington DC
> .. stop at Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay?
> .. west past Charlottesville, stop at Luray Caverns.... (yes I know it is
> tacky, been there twice by car)
> .. aerial tour of Shenandoah Valley
>
>
>

[G.R. Patterson III]

Marc wrote:
>
> .. a ride down the Hudson Valley Corridor past Manhattan.

If you've never done it, and there isn't a TFR in the way, and the weather is
good enough to give you a good view, definitely shoot the corridor. Pick up
the NY TAC and listen in on the self-announce frequencies.

> .. fly down the NJ coast, perhaps stop at Cape May

There's nothing at the airport, but it's a short cab ride to town. Lots of nice
Victorian buildings there. Skip it if the weather's bad.

> .. stay along the coast, east of Washington DC

Easton, MD has a decent lunch counter if you're over that way. Ridgely, MD has
picnic facilities and camping. If you've nothing better to do, the old planes
they have in storage are worth a few minutes. Last time I was there, they had
an old Curtiss "flying banana" hanging from the rafters.

> .. stop at Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay?

Good for a few hours, though it's best in the summer season. Check to see what
restaurants/hotels are open this time of year.

> .. west past Charlottesville, stop at Luray Caverns.... (yes I know it is
> tacky, been there twice by car)

That's the way I go, but I don't usually stop at Luray. The winds over the
ridge can be nasty and they were short of gas the last time I put in there. I
usually stop at SHD for fuel. A bit high priced, but fewer hassles. They also
have a lunch counter.

> .. aerial tour of Shenandoah Valley

Not bad at all. I flew over a golden eagle the last time I went down.

ROA is high, of course, but the FBO can get you a discount on hotels that makes
it worth the stop. We stayed at one hotel that came to pick us up, drove us to
and from dinner, and drove us back to the airport the next day for about $45
for two adults and a child. The cafeteria we ate in had the best biscuits I
have ever eaten; good enough for us to stop back at the FBO a year later to find
the place.

When I run down that way, I'm usually headed for Knoxville. I've learned to stay
to the east of the mountains and follow I-85 through the pass to Bristol. You
may wish to take a shorter route to Nashville, but I still would advise keeping
time over the mountains to a minimum. The turbulence is usually pretty bad if
you stay below about 9,000', and the headwinds will be much higher than those
in the areas outside the hills. You may wish to cut straight across pretty far
north and run down to music city from the north.

George Patterson
The actions taken by the New Hampshire Episcopalians (ie. inducting a gay
bishop) are an affront to Christians everywhere. I am just thankful that
the church's founder, Henry VIII, and his wife Catherine of Aragon, and his
wife Anne Boleyn, and his wife Jane Seymour, and his wife Anne of Cleves,
and his wife Katherine Howard, and his wife Catherine Parr are no longer
here to suffer through this assault on traditional Christian marriages.

[Cub Driver]

Wolfgang Langewiiecz (whatever) wrote a terrific book about early
flying. Can't remember the title. The best part of it related a flight
from New Jersey to Florida, and I especially remember his account of
flying along the beaches of the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put CUB in subject line)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

[Tom Fleischman]

Gettysburg, PA (W05)

This is not to be missed. If you can spend one night and rent a car for
the battlefield auto tour do it. Otherwise a cab from W05 to the
Visitors Center and bus tour is about 4.5 hours parked to wheels up
with lunch.

In article <nxhub.176207$275.567345@attbi_s53>, Marc
> wrote:

> I am thinking of taking a week or so and fly south. Would appreciate any
> recommendations of places to go, esp. interesting scenary or historical
> interest (that is near an airport.....).
>
> Right now my vague plans include..
>
>
> .. a ride down the Hudson Valley Corridor past Manhattan.
> .. fly down the NJ coast, perhaps stop at Cape May
> .. stay along the coast, east of Washington DC
> .. stop at Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay?
> .. west past Charlottesville, stop at Luray Caverns.... (yes I know it is
> tacky, been there twice by car)
> .. aerial tour of Shenandoah Valley
>
>
>

[Malcolm Teas]

"Marc" > wrote in message news:<nxhub.176207$275.567345@attbi_s53>...
> I am thinking of taking a week or so and fly south. Would appreciate any
> recommendations of places to go, esp. interesting scenary or historical
> interest (that is near an airport.....).
>
> Right now my vague plans include..
>
>
> .. a ride down the Hudson Valley Corridor past Manhattan.
> .. fly down the NJ coast, perhaps stop at Cape May
> .. stay along the coast, east of Washington DC
> .. stop at Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay?
> .. west past Charlottesville, stop at Luray Caverns.... (yes I know it is
> tacky, been there twice by car)
> .. aerial tour of Shenandoah Valley

Sounds neat! My wife and I recently did a flight from Leesburg down
the Shenandoah Valley to Luray. Nice area at 3000 feet radio contact
was a little difficult to Potomac Approach. Beautiful area, although
it's well past the time when the trees have leaves.

No comments about Luray, just a quick stop for us. There's a slight
rise in the middle of the runway. Nothing to be excited about. Ever
for this low-time pilot.

If you're in "vacation mode" there's a good quality sit down
restaurant in Hagerstown called "Nick's". Italian and American food
if I remember right, a bit pricy, but good.

-Malcolm Teas

[Dave Butler]

Marc wrote:
> I am thinking of taking a week or so and fly south. Would appreciate any
> recommendations of places to go, esp. interesting scenary or historical
> interest (that is near an airport.....).

As another poster suggested, the outer banks of North Carolina have a lot to
offer someone with access to an airplane. It's a great tourist destination, and
rather inaccessible by car, but easy to reach by plane.

Of course there's all the hoopla about the centennial of flight. That might be a
reason to go there, or a reason to avoid it, depending on your preference. If
your flight is during the centennial celebration, look out for presedential
TFRs, as Bush is expected to attend.

FFA - First Flight airport at the Wright Brothers Memorial
MQI - Manteo, Roanoke Island, near FFA but more services available
HSE - Hatteras, the town had a lot of damage from the hurricane, needs tourist
money.
W95 - Ocracoke Island, my favorite. Lots of food and lodging within walking /
bicyling distance, bicycle rentals available.
MRH - Beaufort, food and lodging a short cab ride from the airport.

It's a little out of your way for your westerly destination, but you won't
regret the detour.

Dave
Remove SHIRT to reply directly.

[Jeff Franks]

If your looking for aviation related "stuff", you might checkout the TN
Aviation Museum at the Sevierville, TN (GKT) airport. Pretty nice museum
located directly off the ramp, but not real big. Lots of good WWII planes
and such. Worth the $14 and a couple of hours.

Also, further east at the Tullahoma, TN (THA) airport, there is the
Staggerwing Beech Museum.


"Marc" > wrote in message
news:nxhub.176207$275.567345@attbi_s53...
> I am thinking of taking a week or so and fly south. Would appreciate any
> recommendations of places to go, esp. interesting scenary or historical
> interest (that is near an airport.....).
>
> Right now my vague plans include..
>
>
> .. a ride down the Hudson Valley Corridor past Manhattan.
> .. fly down the NJ coast, perhaps stop at Cape May
> .. stay along the coast, east of Washington DC
> .. stop at Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay?
> .. west past Charlottesville, stop at Luray Caverns.... (yes I know it is
> tacky, been there twice by car)
> .. aerial tour of Shenandoah Valley
>
>
>

[JimBob]

"Marc" > wrote in message news:<nxhub.176207$275.567345@attbi_s53>...
> I am thinking of taking a week or so and fly south. Would appreciate any
> recommendations of places to go, esp. interesting scenary or historical
> interest (that is near an airport.....).
>
> Right now my vague plans include..
>
>
> .. a ride down the Hudson Valley Corridor past Manhattan.
> .. fly down the NJ coast, perhaps stop at Cape May
> .. stay along the coast, east of Washington DC
> .. stop at Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay?
> .. west past Charlottesville, stop at Luray Caverns.... (yes I know it is
> tacky, been there twice by car)
> .. aerial tour of Shenandoah Valley

Excellent routing. Nothing beats flying along the coast on a clear
day. There are many interesting airports along the shore: Bader, Cape
May, Ocean City, MD, Accomack, etc... In Maryland, don't miss the
crab cakes. In Virginia, it' the ham. One thing about Tangier though:
please read the comments on AirNav and be careful if you land a Mooney
there. About the Appalachians, they are not very high, but they can
bite you if you don't give them due respect. Something about rising
terrain and lowering ceiling. Have a nice trip.

[David Reinhart]

Wildwood Airport at Cape May is not a particualarly nice stop. The area
around it is kinda neat, I agree, but the airport is a pain. Poor line
service, poor transient facilities.

Ocean City, MD (26N) is almost on the boardwalk It has a nice little eatery
and is a nice stop.

Jamestown/Williamsburg (JGG) is not far from Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown,
etc. They used to have car rental on the field but I don't believe that's
the case anymore. The last time we flew down there we landed at PHF (Patrick
Henry Intl., aka Newport News/Williamsburg Intl.) because we were staying for
a week and it was easier and cheaper to get a car there.

Dave Reinhart


Marc wrote:

> I am thinking of taking a week or so and fly south. Would appreciate any
> recommendations of places to go, esp. interesting scenary or historical
> interest (that is near an airport.....).
>
> Right now my vague plans include..
>
> .. a ride down the Hudson Valley Corridor past Manhattan.
> .. fly down the NJ coast, perhaps stop at Cape May
> .. stay along the coast, east of Washington DC
> .. stop at Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay?
> .. west past Charlottesville, stop at Luray Caverns.... (yes I know it is
> tacky, been there twice by car)
> .. aerial tour of Shenandoah Valley

[Rob]

George wrote:
> Marc wrote:
> > .. fly down the NJ coast, perhaps stop at Cape May
> There's nothing at the airport, but it's a short cab ride to town. Lots of nice
> Victorian buildings there. Skip it if the weather's bad.

Why the heck is this airport so dead. I live in Arizona but I have
family ties out at the Jersey Shore. Last time I was out there, a
little over a year ago, I was a brand new private pilot - literally
days, maybe a week. I thought I'd run down to the FBO at WWD and get
checked out in a 172 and finally see the seashore in style. Boy was I
surprised to find pretty much nothing happening at the airport except
weeds growing. There's a "museum" there, which was a large hangar
thrown wide open basically with a coffee can for donations by the
door. A restaurant, if you want to call it that, consisting of a
single-wide trailer on blocks that was "open" from I think 11 to 11:15
on Tuesdays. I found one official looking gentleman standing in some
sort of radio hut (it's a non-towered field, the nearest FSS is miles
away at Millville I think) who told me where to find the FBO. There I
met a nice guy named Tom, an A & P, and had fun chatting with him
about lots of airplane stuff but in the end he was there working for
"the man", who wasn't around, and who wasn't into paying for insurance
and then I'd have to have a CFI around to give checkouts and bla bla
blah...

Long story short, I still haven't seen the cape and the beach from the
air. I would think an airport at the south Jersey Shore, particularly
in the summertime, would be teeming with people.

Rob

[Rob]

Dave Butler wrote:
> Of course there's all the hoopla about the centennial of flight. That might be a
> reason to go there, or a reason to avoid it, depending on your preference. If
> your flight is during the centennial celebration, look out for presedential
> TFRs, as Bush is expected to attend.

Oh the irony is too brutal. I'm sure he'll have some prepared remarks
for the occation. If Dubya's speechwriters are reading might I
suggest including something about how if the Wright brothers were to
attempt their experiment in that spot 100 years later they'd be
breaking the law and they'd be deemed an immediate threat to the
President and dealt with accordingly.

Regards,

Rob

Pitch, roll, and yaw - the axis of evil.

[G.R. Patterson III]

Rob wrote:
>
> > Marc wrote:
> > > .. fly down the NJ coast, perhaps stop at Cape May
>
> Why the heck is this airport so dead.

It may be better in the summertime, but the entire Jersey shore pretty much
closes up after Labor Day. It's really amazing to take a look at one of the
beaches on Labor Day weekend and compare it to the same beach the next weekend.

George Patterson
The actions taken by the New Hampshire Episcopalians (ie. inducting a gay
bishop) are an affront to Christians everywhere. I am just thankful that
the church's founder, Henry VIII, and his wife Catherine of Aragon, and his
wife Anne Boleyn, and his wife Jane Seymour, and his wife Anne of Cleves,
and his wife Katherine Howard, and his wife Catherine Parr are no longer
here to suffer through this assault on traditional Christian marriages.

[Ron Natalie]

"David Reinhart" > wrote in message ...

> Ocean City, MD (26N) is almost on the boardwalk It has a nice little eatery
> and is a nice stop.

You mean Ocean City, NJ. Ocean City, MD (OXB) has no restaurant and it's
further than most people want to walk from the beach.

[David Reinhart]

Yep, right. Got my cities mixed up. At least the ocean's the same!

Dave Reinhart


Ron Natalie wrote:

> "David Reinhart" > wrote in message ...
>
> > Ocean City, MD (26N) is almost on the boardwalk It has a nice little eatery
> > and is a nice stop.
>
> You mean Ocean City, NJ. Ocean City, MD (OXB) has no restaurant and it's
> further than most people want to walk from the beach.

[m. lamphier]

"Marc" > wrote in message news:<nxhub.176207$275.567345@attbi_s53>...


Thanks to everyone for their comments. Actually I was surprised to see
my own post, I had not completed it, and must have pushed the wrong
button, intending to save it as draft. Hope I don't do that while
flying.

I am still pouring over sectional charts plotting my route. My current
plan is to fly a direct line Boston -> Harrisburg, PA -> Charlotte, WV
--> Nashville (actually Murfreesboro). This will keep me to the west
of the Appalachia. On the return I will head due east to Roanoke and
then meander over to the coast for the return trip. I gather from
several people's comments that turbulance can be a problem when
overflying the Appalchia. I am looking at flying to Bristol/Tri-Cities
and then following I-81 NE to Roanoke to bring me over the mountains.
Any recommendations for this or alternate route?

I notice that my route from Harrisburg -> Charleston brings me over a
section of West Virginia where there seems to be almost nothing. Not
exactly nothing, but almost nothing ... very few towns and almost no
airports in an area of about 2,500 square miles between Clarksburg, WV
(CKB) and Charleston, WV (CRW). One airport, Braxton Co (48I), in the
middle. It wasn't until I started flying until I realized there are
lots of very unpopulated areas of the country, even in the East.

-Marc

[G.R. Patterson III]

"m. lamphier" wrote:
>
> I am looking at flying to Bristol/Tri-Cities
> and then following I-81 NE to Roanoke to bring me over the mountains.

I've done that route through several times. It's usually great. Be prepared to
avoid the Bristol class-D; they have a habit of refusing to talk to transient
VFR aircraft. IMO, avoiding to the west is the best route. The area around
Wytheville is frequently IMC near ground level. ROA controllers are friendly
and professional.

My route from Knoxville is usually direct to Bristol, then ROA, then SHD, where
I stop for fuel. I then head to the Linden VOR near FRR, turn towards N67, and
head home from there. You would want to run a bit further north than N67. That
course takes me through (or under) the Dulles class-B and south of the Camp
David zone.

If you're IFR, then you'll have more leeway than I.

George Patterson
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something that can
be learned no other way.

[gross_arrow]

this would be high on my priority list of stops. i'd use phf
("new-willy"), spend a day in colonial wms'burg, and go to
"nick's seafood pavilion" in yorktown for supper.

mho,

g_a


David Reinhart > wrote in message >...
> Wildwood Airport at Cape May is not a particualarly nice stop. The area
> around it is kinda neat, I agree, but the airport is a pain. Poor line
> service, poor transient facilities.
>
> Ocean City, MD (26N) is almost on the boardwalk It has a nice little eatery
> and is a nice stop.
>
> Jamestown/Williamsburg (JGG) is not far from Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown,
> etc. They used to have car rental on the field but I don't believe that's
> the case anymore. The last time we flew down there we landed at PHF (Patrick
> Henry Intl., aka Newport News/Williamsburg Intl.) because we were staying for
> a week and it was easier and cheaper to get a car there.
>
> Dave Reinhart
>
>
> Marc wrote:
>
> > I am thinking of taking a week or so and fly south. Would appreciate any
> > recommendations of places to go, esp. interesting scenary or historical
> > interest (that is near an airport.....).
> >
> > Right now my vague plans include..
> >
> > .. a ride down the Hudson Valley Corridor past Manhattan.
> > .. fly down the NJ coast, perhaps stop at Cape May
> > .. stay along the coast, east of Washington DC
> > .. stop at Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay?
> > .. west past Charlottesville, stop at Luray Caverns.... (yes I know it is
> > tacky, been there twice by car)
> > .. aerial tour of Shenandoah Valley