Day 5

So, I left KPTK Sunday morning after filing a VFR flight plan through Canadian airspace to KIAG (Niagra International). The process is exactly the same as a flightplan through US airspace and the only additional rule regarding aircraft operations on an overflight is the posession of a FCC radio station license. I had to divert slightly from a direct route to Niagra because of some cloud buildup. My flightpath followed the north shore of Lake Erie which is populated with agriculture and wind power generators (right). US controllers (mostly Cleveland Center) talked to me the whole flight, so I am not anticipating a bill from NAVCANADA, but we shall see. The approach into Niagra took me directly over the falls (below). The airspace around the falls is pretty busy with other pilots looking at this very impressive site, but everyone talks to each other and reports their positions. The gas at Niagra is expensive, but the people at the airport are nice and there is a restaurant across the street. After a quick lunch, I made my way south into Pennsylvania to stop at Johnstown (KJST) before I filed my ADIZ flightplan for DC. Fortunantly, in Johnstown there were two retired Navy pilots who live in DC. They talked me through the process and advised me that calling Leesburg FSS (local to DC) is the best option and assures that DC clearance will have your flightplan upon arrival at the chosen entry point. From KJST, I flew to my entry point (Westminster VOR (EMI)), was cleared through the ADIZ and Class Bravo thereafter, and proceeded directly to Tipton without any upclose and personal encounters with US Military hardware. Speaking of hardware, the image to the right is of Ft. Meade, or the NSA for the "layman." The NSA is on the approach path into KFME from Westminster. This image is only of what I gather to be the main building in a large complex of antennas and what look like radomes.









Below are a couple of shots of rural PA. It is one of the prettiest states I have flown over.