Al Waterloo - Empire Flight of Mind

Who would win in a “fame” fight, The Real Housewives of New York or the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge? The Real Housewives of course, duh! It's all about glitz, glamour and altitude. It's a status symbol to be up high and live in the sky. It costs millions of dollars to do that in Manhattan!

Well, I'd like to reject their reality and substitute my own! 

When you want something you just gotta look in the places where people aren't looking. That is why SoHo and The Upper East Side are so expensive. Everybody wants live there! It's an associated status symbol. Look at me, I'm 27, big boned, and wear green mirrored sunglasses I am nothing special. If anything I am 180 degrees from what a status symbol should be. There is one thing, though, that I enjoy just as much as the Real Housewives of New York, and that’s million-dollar views. Well, let’s round up and call it a billion dollar view.

If you are obsessed with city skylines and freedom just as much as I am, then this is for you.  Flying down the Hudson River corridor is exactly for you. Let's say the whole flight is an ice cream sundae, the views would just be the whipped cream and the cherry. There are so many surprises in aviation and you have to set yourself on a course to find them. I had no idea on what to expect on this flight just like in every bite of an ice cream sundae. 

The Real House Wives of NYC basically have their PhD in emotions and drama. The Hudson River Corridor flight was nothing shy of emotional. There was no crying while flying the  Hudson River Corridor but it delivered a whirlwind of emotions. It was a wonderful euphoria of everything. I started singing every song about NYC I could think of. When we passed Central Park, I broke out in chorus "I RECALL CENTRAL PARK IN FALL, HOW YOU TORE YOUR DRESS, I CONFESS, THAT'S NOT ALL!!" It was a very “Ferris Beuller's Day Off” moment. Niner Times........

This little hole of airspace is amazing. There is so much history packed in this water/airway. The river takes you along the path of US Airways Flight 1549. You get a perspective of the final views of the two airliners that crashed into the World Trade Center buildings on 9/11/01. It really triggers a series of thoughts and memories that unlocks your mind. Ultimately that's what freedom allows you to do. How ironic, because you fly right next to the Freedom Tower. It’s incredibly fun. I can tell you the only thing that will be the same on your flight are the views, the rest is up to you. 

Enjoy this airspace, flight, and make sure to have fun. Its really amazing to be in the most dense, busiest and historic airspace in the world and not have to talk to anybody at ATC. It’s your airspace, your taxes pay for it, so use it!! Make sure you do your homework first before doing the flight by taking this FREE online course by the FAA on how to fly the Hudson River Exclusion. 

For this flight, I rented a Piper PA-28R-200 from Leading Edge Aviation at the Doylestown, PA Airport. I flew with my co-worker and great friend John Phillips. The whole flight took 1.5 hours. Doylestown (KDYL) is really close the Hudson River Exclusion Area and Manhattan. As a matter of fact, you can see NYC from KDYL on a good day. Give Leading Edge Aviation a call at   (215) 340-0707 and ask them what it takes to fly the Hudson River Exclusion!  
HAVE FUN!!! 

What is your favorite City Skyline!?

Al

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