One Trip, Two Surprises

摘要

This is a story of a trip with two surprises, one with ATC and one with the airplane. Both resulted in momentary confusion, but they taught me two important lessons. After graduating from college, my younger son settled in southern New Jersey, southeast of Philadelphia. To visit him and his growing family, I flew my club's Piper Cherokee 235 from upstate New York. I'd land at the Camden County (N.J.) Airport and he'd pick me up. This meant transiting Philadelphia's Class B airspace-always a real thrill. I filed VFR flight plans going down and back. Departing Cam-den required pa-tience, circling and climbing to the south after takeoff while trying to get my flight plan opened and a clearance to transit the Class B airspace.