9 Meeting Barry Maggio (Posted June 25th evening)

Last updated by CraigV Comments (1)

Categories: Trike Talk, Cross Country / XC, Big Fast Trikes, Weather

Posted June 25th evening: Meeting Barry Maggio

John let me sleep in until 7 AM..."wake up, we need to get ready to
leave in half an hour". He had an early breakfast meeting and I had
to hustle so he wouldn't be late. Immediately afterwards we were going
to the airport to load the trikes and head north from Williamsburg, VA
and meet Barry at Lakewood, NJ for our flight up the Hudson River
Corridor through New York City. Thunderstorms had swept through
Williamsburg the previous afternoon and night and the front was
passing but there was still a lot of clouds in our path.

We had looked at the weather online together but John had done all the
heavy lifting in planning this flight up north. He's an IFR rated
pilot and works quickly analyzing the weather. "There will be a lot
of clouds for us to deal with but the front has pushed through and it
will get clearer the further North we go," John announced. I was
content to just follow after looking, analyzing and making every
decision for several weeks and John knows what he's doing. "We'll
leave Williamsburg, do a touch and go in Maryland and Delaware and
then land and meet Barry in Lakewood, NJ but there will be clouds to
open water to deal with. Do you feel comfortable with that?" I did
and couldn't wait to start.

"Don't you have any luggage I asked?" as we joked about how you can
buy a toothbrush and underwear anywhere and I told him of a friend who
never takes anything when he travels and just buys what he needs as he
goes.

The flight was incredible over Chesapeake Bay with clouds we would go
over, around and sometimes under. Just as it would seem our way would
be blocked, John would find a way through and gradually the sky
started to clear as we went further North. We traveled across
Delaware and then into NJ where we there were beaches packed with
weekend sun worshipers. I was surprised at how beautiful the beaches
looked in NJ as well as all of open space. Somehow I had not
understood the vast open areas between the major Eastern cities.

Lakewood is quite an active airport with two banner towing businesses.
John made his usual announcements as we approached Lakewood, NJ
airport from the South. I was behind in our "party of two" and
suddenly realized there was a yellow Cub bearing down on John from the
opposite direction with John all but on the runway. I swerved right
where there was another yellow Cub some distance away, announced a
go-around and the original Cub pulled away from his landing, swerving
to his right. Neither John or myself heard any kind of announcements
from the other aircraft. Shortly afterwards someone came on the air
berating me ... I didn't respond but was relieved and pissed all
at the same time. We announced, I swerved right as did the other
aircraft and I'm getting yelled at?

Barry showed up an hour later, flying from his home airport in
Connecticut, down the Hudson River Corridor to Lakewood. He was still
a bit shaken as he talked about the worst turbulence he had ever
experienced and the thick helicopter traffic, especially around "The
Lady". My vote was to wait until the next morning to run up the river
and that's how it was decided. I was stunned when John said he was not
going to stay but was returning home and I regret I didn't have it
together to try to find a way for John to stay with us for the flight
that neither of us had done. I regarded him as a good friend by now
and had been looking forward to the three of us making the flight but
was shocked into silence and felt I couldn't say any more.

Barry and I found a motel room after quite awhile of searching and
stayed up late talking trike geek stuff. I was excited and couldn't
wait for morning.

Craig

Comments

  • RizzyWizzy

    Craig, awesome awesome an awesome. I love your writing style..You should write a book...this is very interesting.