10 | SEPTEMBER 2019 FLYINGMAG.COM
Editor’s LetterON COURSE
Editor-in-ChiefI
’d just finished applying a coat of primer to a
well-weathered pair of rocking chairs that adorn my
front porch when a rumble of thunder interrupted my
work. That’s odd, I thought. The storms weren’t forecast to
reach our area until one o’clock. I pulled out my phone and
looked at the time. One o’clock on the nose.
Standing in your driveway with a fast-moving
thunderstorm bearing down normally doesn’t present a
problem. You can walk inside. It’s another matter when wet
paint is involved. With all the elegance of a horse in stilet-
tos, I dragged the sheet of cardboard upon which I’d placed
the chairs across the driveway until they were safely inside
the garage, glistening white and still gently swaying.
Whether it’s freshly painted rocking chairs or GA
airplanes, the lesson is the same: Plan accordingly.
The next day, while preparing for more painting in the
driveway, I heard about a plane crash at an airport not
far from where I live. The cause had nothing to do with
thunderstorms, but contingency planning may have
played a role.
A Presidential TFR had closed the airplane’s home base,
Morristown Municipal Airport in northern New Jersey,
where President Trump arrives aboard Air Force One—in
this case, a military C-32, or Boeing 757 to us civilians—for
R&R at his golf course in Bedminster.
I know all about the summertime Trump TFRs in New
Jersey. They completely shut down the airspace to GA traf-
fic over my house, along with two local airports. I’ve been
forced to divert because of the TFRs more than once.
For whatever reason, the pilot of the Cessna 172SP
with his wife and two children aboard opted to divert to
Andover-Aerof lex Airport—notorious for its relatively
short runway, lakes on either end that give the impression
of landing on an aircraft carrier and a hill to the north that
can cause the wind to ripple and eddy in unpredictable
ways. I’ve f lown a Baron in and out of Aerof lex (as well
as Cessnas, Pipers and even a Stearman) and know
its reputation as a challenging airport is overblown—
and yet it wouldn’t be my first choice if I had to divert
with my family on board.
I don’t know how familiar the pilot was with the airport,
but he ended up bouncing on the runway and porpoising
along its 2,200-foot length before splashing into the lake.
Luckily, a fisherman in a boat sped to the family’s aid and
pulled them to safety, miraculously with no injuries.
The airplane was a total loss. When I saw the tail
number, my jaw dropped. You’ll read about my transi-
tion-training experience in a Diamond DA62 elsewhere in
this issue; as part of that long-gestating process, I decided
I’d also rejoin my local f lying club, which owned four nearly
identically outfitted 172SPs. There was a waiting list to get
in, but the good news was that after a lengthy search the
club had just agreed to purchase a 2003 172SP from Van
Bortel Aviation, the country’s largest used-Cessna dealer.
That allowed me and several others to join the club, now
with five airplanes at our disposal.
You can guess what happened next. A mere three
weeks after the club added that fifth 172SP to the f leet,
it was destroyed in the crash at Aerof lex. Now I’m in
a club with too many pilots that is embarking on a
new search for just the
right 172SP and no doubt
having some very uncom-
fortable discussions with
the insurance provider.
At least the rocking chairs
turned out nice.CONTINGENCY
PLANNING
PREPARING FOR WHAT COMES NEXT