As I relate in greater detail in the article beginning on page 7, I flew my Beech Debonair and some friends up to Houlton, Maine, and back in early April to view what the FAA termed the “Great North American Eclipse.” On the four-day roundtrip, the airplane racked up more than 20 tach hours and 2700 nm. And didn’t miss a beat.
The eclipse itself was somewhat anticlimactic—right up until it reached totality. The lightshow surrounding the moon’s black disc, viewable with the naked eye, was truly cosmic in nature. It’s something everyone should see, including the way the moon’s shadow swept across the cityscape, turning a sunny afternoon into evening, but only for a few short minutes.
The event was made all the more remarkable by the way the town—one of the last locations in the U.S. to see the eclipse—embraced its opportunity. When we parked at the local airport, one of my passengers exclaimed, “Food trucks!” There even was a DJ entertaining the growing crowd. And that was just at the airport.
A local fleet of school buses ferried pilots and their passengers back and forth to town, which shut down part of its city center to showcase local artisans, novelty shops, food outlets and entertainers. Commemorative swag included t-shirts, posters and other items. The whole affair had the town fathers’ blessings.
It was a memorable trip, to say the least. Yes, it would have been possible for all three of us in the Debonair to be in the same place at the same time if we had traveled by other means. But having a personal airplane available and knowing how to use it simplified and, I think, reduced the cost of traveling from Florida to Maine and back, almost from one extreme of the Eastern time zone to the other.
As awesome as viewing the eclipse was, the travel and utility bargain of general aviation came in a close second.
