I must admit that I still get nervous boarding flights, but I could not have been more excited for this semester’s Rensselaer Aeronautical Federation fly-by when I saw how gorgeous it was that morning. It was perfect timing as the flight weekend coincided with our Indian summer, and the trees still had most of their color-changed leaves. I was scheduled for 10 am this Saturday, which happened to be one of the nicest days we have had in awhile.
When we first set out from the Union horseshoe, everyone in the car was very quiet, whether it was nerves or having to get up early on the weekend. Regardless, we arrived right on time and were quickly escorted to a plane by our pilot, a member of the RAF. I had originally thought we would have a professional tour guide from the area, but it added a lot to the experience to have an RPI student in charge.
We started the journey with our headsets and seatbelts, as safety is always the first aspect to consider. I was interested in the technical air traffic control speak as all the planes nearby reported their positions and asked for runway clearance. Our guide also had to abide by restrictions, which we found out when a plane was landing on the runway scheduled for our departure. When we finally took off, though, I felt like I was on a hovering bus tour around the Capital District.
We circled around Albany first, and I was amazed at how beautiful the Capital Region was, as I have only seen the buildings once—and that was at ground level. The Egg looked like a football on the tee surrounded by players, the rest of the skyscrapers. A lot of my amazement, though, came from the scenic areas with beautiful reds and oranges that were shimmering in the sunlight on that partly cloudy day.
The highlight, however, was certainly crossing over the Hudson River into Troy and seeing campus from 2,000 feet up. I definitely knew where we were once I saw the TROY letters spelled out on the hillside. We actually flew over where I live, too, even though I am a few miles off campus. Campus itself looked pretty much how I expected, but I was surprised to see how much work has been done to EMPAC. I do not find myself near that side of campus very often, so it was enjoyable to view it in full from above.
I would say that it was overall a great experience, and I am glad I went on the fly-by. I was certainly impressed by how organized the setup was, especially having RAF members bring us to and from the airport and fly the planes we used. I think we had the best day to see the area, especially since I love autumn foliage. I would recommend setting aside an hour or two of your day for the next fly-by, with costs of $20 for non-RAF members.
