The weather was flyable yesterday. Finally. I flew the seven miles up to Laurel Airport. I instructed there back in the 1980’s. The airport is still there but is now home to a Skydiving operation.

The part of the field where the flying school was located is pretty much abandoned. Our fuel pump used to be located in the center of this circle and the still visible yellow paint was the hold short line when taxiing to the pump. To the left of Niner-Zero, one of the small tie down pads is still visible. They are all empty now. Back in the day we had the school airplanes here, two Cessna 152’s and a Piper Archer. Several others were rented by airplane owners so there were about half a dozen airplanes tied down here. Beyond my plane is the grass runway. Still there and still in use.

Our pilot lounge is still there but is now used by skydivers in need of a place to crash, so to speak, for the night. We had the perfunctory propeller over the fireplace and actually heated the room with the wood stove in the winter. The rest of the building is much the same, falling apart. Held up mostly by termites. Most of the hangars have been turned into training and repacking areas for the skydivers.

This is where the action is now. The skydiving operation. Very organized and high volume. They can take about a dozen jumpers up at a time. Here they are getting loaded up for a flight to about 11,000 feet. That was the base of a high overcast layer. Takes them about 20 minutes to get to that altitude.

The drop zone is just across the runway from the old flight school. After landing they gather up their ‘chutes and head back to the hangars to repack them and while that is going on another group of jumpers is climbing into the airplane for their turn. And so it goes, weather permitting, from about April to November.

They have turned part of the airport property into a trailer park for the jumpers. This is just behind the hangars and there is another area further down. I was told that some people keep their trailers here so they have a place to stay when they spend the weekend jumping.

One operation that was present back in the 80’s is still using the field. Crop dusting. There were a couple of planes coming and going, spraying the local fields. I often see these guys, both here and in Texas on the way to and from the fields. I am always looking down on them because I don’t think they often fly much over 1000 feet. An old ag pilot I asked about that back at Laurel Airport about 30 years ago told me if he flies much higher he gets nose bleeds. I THINK he was joking.

I’m glad the airport is still in operation and the staff of the skydiving operation were very welcoming. I landed, parked, took pictures and watched the skydivers for awhile. Then I climbed back in and took off.

I flew out to the end of the Wicomico River and followed it back up towards Salisbury at about 1000 feet. With the door open so I could take pictures. The Eastern Shore of Maryland is quite beautiful from the ground but being flat the views are pretty uniform regardless of where you are. But, from the air the view is breathtaking. The same flat terrain allows the rivers, creeks and marshes to reach deep into forests, farmland, towns and villages. From the ground you often don’t realize that one is never vary far from the tidewater. This picture is of a random creek along the Wicomico River. The river is at the bottom and the creek reaches up into some trees edging up to farmland.

This is the village of Whitehaven Maryland. In a different life I spent a lot of time here. I had a sailboat tied up to “T” shaped pier in the center. The rain from Tropical Storm Andrea has flooded some of the fields in the background. The village was settled in the 19th century but the ferry, visible in this picture, has been in continuous operation since 1688. Pretty amazing. There is a car on the south side of the river waiting for the ferry which runs on a cable and is free. Near the ferry dock on the north side is a beautifully restored hotel that originally opened in 1899. A very peaceful place to stay in a very secluded village of historic homes.

As I write this more rain is falling and there will be no flying or site seeing today. I have yet to give a single ride to anyone! I must do something about that, soon I hope.