Page 32 - JULY 20 TNT

Island Hopping
Michigan has numerous islands, in- cluding Bois Blanc, Drummond, Grand, Isle Royale, Mackinac, Sugar, the Manitou Islands and the Beaver Island archipelago. I can attest from personal experience that it’s possible to get tem- porarily “disoriented” (the airline pilots’ version of temporarily lost) while fly- ing over the mitten, especially if you go offshore at night (aka JFK Junior, 1999). But an aviation tour of Michigan would be incomplete without visiting at least a couple of the islands by air. I recom- mend Mackinac (MCD – see “MCD; No Fries,” T &T June 2011), Drummond (DRM) and Beaver (SJX) islands; all three have RNAV approaches. Make sure that you have a gas to get back to a mainland airport with reserves as some of the islands have no fuel.
If you are going island hopping for the first time, do it in the daytime, and because of large wooded areas and a large deer population, watch for “deer on and in the vicinity of the airfield”
in the AFD or NOTAM’s. And trust me, they mean it. Plus or minus an hour of sunset and sunrise is the dan- ger zone for deer. Bring a camera, golf clubs, a swimming suit, binoculars and a couple of good books. Once on the island, you can rent a car, borrow the airport courtesy car, be transported by horse-drawn carriage or walk depend- ing on which isle you visit and your level of ambition.
Wolverine Food
Whether you want to mix and mingle, regenerate and recuperate or simply become an honorary user of Michigan hand geography, log some flight time in the state that’s visible from space. While on your proficiency pilgrimage, find some Mackinac Island fudge and Vernors Ginger Ale. Hit some golf balls, breathe in some of that clean air and sample some wine. If you hurry, the Traverse City Cherry Festival is from July 4 to 11. Remember H-O-L- S-E-M for the names of the lakes and don’t wear your Ohio State hat. In fact,
don’t even think about Ohio State – the locals will sense it and feed you to a wolverine.
Marriages, friendships, child-rear- ing and our flying skills have all gone through a lockdown- induced stress test. But I’m confident that the smell of our hangar and airplane, the sound of our engines and radio, the majes- tic views of nature-as-it-was and the feel of a well-flown approach will go far towards curing our cabin-class, cabin-fever.
Kevin Dingman has been flying for more than 40 years. He’s an ATP typed in the B737 and DC9 with 24,000 hours in his logbook. A retired Air Force major, he flew the F-16 and later performed as an USAF Civil Air Patrol Liaison Officer. He flies volun- teer missions for the Christian organiz tion Wings of Mercy, is employed by a major airline, and owns and operates a Beechcraft Duke.Contact Kevin at dinger10d@gmail.com.
30 • TWIN & TURBINE / July 2020
Covington