Garrett Fisher

Author, Pilot, & Adventurer

Email subscription form header
Subscribe
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide
Powered by FeedBlitz
  • Writings
  • Documentary & Interview
  • Press
  • Economics
  • Maps
  • Flying Videos
  • TEDx Talk: Forget Economics
  • About Me

Powered by Genesis

Flight: NC: Charlotte to the Outer Banks

November 19, 2014 by garrett

The time finally came to take the plane to the coast. Unlike photography flights, the trip to the coast is primarily to move the airplane, and any photographs that I get are icing on the cake. It is amazing how few times the weather is good for photography, despite the fact that 80% of the time in the Southeast, it is safe for flight. Fortunately, this Monday flight had nice weather all around, despite a slight headwind going east.

I was greeted with some low clouds and fog while driving to the airport, something that was not forecast, and was a present reality. The flight briefers advised that the eastern half of the state was socked in, though all of it was forecast to burn off quickly. It is quite normal that the weather is like a moving set of puzzle pieces, where things change and hopefully line up to come into place. A person could literally be driving to the airport in terrible conditions, prepare the aircraft, and have it all change in time to go, while the puzzle pieces move around along the route of flight. This time was no different.

The fog was mostly gone upon takeoff, and my route of flight over Lake Norman took me over some residual fog that was burning off. Quite a beautiful sight, I also was able to see a seaplane take off on the lake. This particular airplane was tied down at Lincoln County airport for a good portion of the summer, for reasons unknown.

1-LKN, Clouds
Lake Norman with Low Clouds
2-LKN Seaplane Takeoff
Lake Norman Seaplane Takeoff

Continuing on and past High Rock Lake, a large fire of manmade origin created some interesting smoke layers in the lower atmosphere. This was followed by Jordan Lake south of Raleigh, a rather pretty lake, although being unfortunately manmade like the bulk of them in the South. After growing up on the Great Lakes and visiting the Finger Lakes in NY, the concept of fake lakes will never be the same as a real one.

3-Smoke Layers
Smoke Layers
4-Jordan Lake
Jordan Lake

After Raleigh, the Piedmont gives way to the coastal plain, an obviously flat region, which hosts a variety of differing field textures. The soil is heavily laden with sand, and makes for some agricultural techniques that are not found elsewhere. South of Plymouth, NC is nothing but flat fields with absolutely nothing in between, which makes for some amazing low altitude flying (that happens to be legal, too). There were some interesting sights, including cotton fields, harvesters out working, and some form of gelatinous pond filled with what looked like glowing substances. One thing that is true any time I fly somewhere is that there is always something odd and interesting to see, always.

5-Field
Field
6-Field
Field
7-Harvesters
Harvesters – Does not look fun
8-Cotton Field
Cotton Field
9-Field
Field
10-Field
Field
11-Primordial Soup
Primordial Soup
12-Vineyard
Vineyard
13-Manteo, Dare County Regional Airport
Manteo, Dare County Regional Airport, Atlantic Ocean (horizon)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

  • Español
  • Français
  • Català

Blog Posts

  • Flights: Spain, Switzerland: A Crazed Aeronautical Bender…Seven Years Later January 25, 2023
  • Flight: France: Surfing the Wave December 19, 2022
  • Flight: Switzerland: A Mystery on the Eiger, 700,000th Photo November 16, 2022
  • Flight: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands: Losing My Flying-Over-Water Virginity October 24, 2022
  • Flights: Norway: Sognefjord, Longest Fjord in Norway September 24, 2022
  • Flights: Norway: Hardangervidda, Largest Mountain Plateau in Europe September 17, 2022
  • Flight: Norway: Galdhøpiggen, Highest Peak in Northern Europe August 20, 2022
  • Flights: Norway: Jostedalsbreen, Largest Glacier in Continental Europe August 7, 2022
  • Flights: Norway: Flyraseri ikke Flyskam July 17, 2022
  • Flight: Switzerland, France, Italy: 2,000 Hours & FL160 July 9, 2022
  • Flight: Day 4: Sweden, Norway: 56N to 59N July 6, 2022
  • Flight: Day 3: Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden: 53N to 56N June 27, 2022
  • Flight: Day 2: France, Belgium, Netherlands: 44N to 53N June 19, 2022
  • Flight: Day 1: Spain, France: 36N to 44N June 4, 2022
  • Flight: Spain: Rock the Casbah, Sierra Nevada, Africa on the Horizon May 8, 2022
  • Flight: Portugal, Spain: Promontorium Sacrum, Last Sausage Before America April 26, 2022
  • Flight: Spain, Morocco: Spanish Africa, Pillars of Hercules, Southernmost Point in Europe April 18, 2022
  • Flights: Spain: The Antipope, Package Holidays & A Clandestine Metropolis April 11, 2022
  • Flights: Days 2 & 3: France, Spain, Portugal: España Verde, Galicia, Aggressive Eucalyptus & Andalucía April 3, 2022
  • Flight: Day 1 of 3: Switzerland, France, Spain, Andorra: Alps, Mediterranean, Pyrenees & Atlantic March 30, 2022

Archives

  • January 2023 (1)
  • December 2022 (1)
  • November 2022 (1)
  • October 2022 (1)
  • September 2022 (2)
  • August 2022 (2)
  • July 2022 (3)
  • June 2022 (3)
  • May 2022 (1)
  • April 2022 (4)
  • March 2022 (1)
  • February 2022 (1)
  • January 2022 (1)
  • December 2021 (2)
  • November 2021 (3)
  • October 2021 (1)
  • September 2021 (1)
  • July 2021 (2)
  • June 2021 (1)
  • May 2021 (3)
  • April 2021 (1)
  • March 2021 (1)
  • February 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (5)
  • November 2020 (5)
  • October 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (1)
  • July 2020 (1)
  • June 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (1)
  • March 2020 (2)
  • February 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • December 2019 (3)
  • November 2019 (3)
  • October 2019 (1)
  • September 2019 (4)
  • August 2019 (3)
  • July 2019 (2)
  • June 2019 (2)
  • May 2019 (2)
  • April 2019 (2)
  • March 2019 (3)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (1)
  • December 2018 (2)
  • October 2018 (2)
  • September 2018 (2)
  • August 2018 (2)
  • July 2018 (3)
  • June 2018 (2)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • April 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (4)
  • February 2018 (2)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • December 2017 (4)
  • November 2017 (4)
  • October 2017 (4)
  • September 2017 (4)
  • August 2017 (5)
  • July 2017 (3)
  • June 2017 (4)
  • May 2017 (5)
  • April 2017 (4)
  • March 2017 (5)
  • February 2017 (4)
  • January 2017 (1)
  • December 2016 (4)
  • November 2016 (5)
  • October 2016 (4)
  • September 2016 (6)
  • August 2016 (2)
  • July 2016 (4)
  • June 2016 (3)
  • May 2016 (1)
  • April 2016 (5)
  • March 2016 (5)
  • February 2016 (4)
  • January 2016 (6)
  • December 2015 (4)
  • November 2015 (5)
  • October 2015 (5)
  • September 2015 (8)
  • August 2015 (8)
  • July 2015 (8)
  • June 2015 (8)
  • May 2015 (4)
  • April 2015 (4)
  • March 2015 (5)
  • February 2015 (3)
  • January 2015 (2)
  • December 2014 (10)
  • November 2014 (4)
  • October 2014 (1)
  • September 2014 (3)
  • August 2014 (1)
  • July 2014 (6)
  • May 2014 (1)
  • March 2014 (1)
  • February 2014 (3)