From the Left Seat, September 2026

From the Left Seat

September was a good month to fly.

IFR Trip to Smoketown for a Paint Estimate

Jeff McArthur and his flying buddy Patrick filed an IFR flight plan from Brookhaven Airport to Smoketown, PA, to get a paint estimate on Patrick’s C177RG Cardinal. It took ten minutes to obtain their clearance on a busy VFR day. The flight through the Class Bravo alternated between clear skies and a solid layer at 4,500′. They had a clear view of NYC and flew over the JFK tower at 6,000′. After passing JFK, they were vectored onto a more direct course with an expedited descent to 2,500′ and were basically direct to Smoketown. ATC does an amazing job of keeping everything on track in the Class Bravo.

Upon arrival at Smoketown, the intrepid duo taxied to the paint shop for the estimate. Patrick’s single-engine aircraft, with corrosion removal and control and paint in the Cessna scheme, was estimated at $30,000. By comparison, our club’s 28E came in at $36,000, which included extensive corrosion removal and control, paint in the Cessna scheme, plus new UV-protective smoked Plexiglas. 28E is scheduled to return to the paint shop this winter for some finishing work.

VFR Return Along the Coast

With the 10-minute wait for clearance and the 1 hour 40 minute flight down, Patrick and Jeff figured they could cut the return trip to Brookhaven roughly in half by flying VFR. With flight following, the leg from Smoketown to the New Jersey coast was a pleasant sightseeing adventure. After crossing the New Jersey coast, they flew at 450′ on a course along the Far Rockaway Beach shoreline. Jeff wondered if they should have brought fishing gear and dropped a line in the water on this leg. The flight ended with a nice “squeaker” landing on Runway 33 at Brookhaven.

Board Elections: Candidate and Voting Deadlines

Anyone who wishes to be a candidate must submit their name to Election Chairman Michael Gieraltowski at gieraltowski.michael@gmail.com on or before the October 27 General Meeting. All votes must be submitted to Mike by 11/16/2026 so that each voter’s membership and good standing status can be verified.

Share Your Flying Stories

The club encourages pilots to share their flight experiences in the monthly newsletter. Send stories to calongis1@gmail.com.

Safe flying!