Community Corner
Flying Over the Great South Bay
Contributor Krystle DiNicola flies over the Great South Bay with Bayport Aerodrome Society President.
As the recent Bayport Aerodrome Society picnic came to an end, President Kevin Kilroy invited me to take an aerial tour of the area in his antique Cessna 170.
The all-metal monoplane is classified as a "light personal aircraft." Its maximum speed is 124 knots (143 mph) with an average cruising speed of 105 knots or 121 mph. The aircraft barely had enough room for the pilot and me, though it has the capacity to carry up to three passengers.
We took off down the grass runway, cleared the trees, and were greeted to a breathtaking view of the Great South Bay.
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While our altitude had to remain less than 700 feet near the shorefront due to the proximity to Long Island MacArthur Airport, our lofty vantage point made the visibility pretty amazing. Kilroy guided the plane over Fire Island while I looked down on the beach-goers. It did not seem as if we were that high above the ground, but the people looked tiny!
The plane continued toward the Robert Moses Causeway, passing the island's famous landmark, the Fire Island Lighthouse. There was so many things to witness - boats racing, people playing on the beach, the scenery - I often did not know which direction I should look in first. Before I knew it, we were headed back to shore and I was bracing for the landing.
