I was able to depart Bennett Field yesterday at 8:45 AM. Pretty much as planned. The weather was good up into southern New Jersey but low ceilings were forming over the northern part of my route. I was flying up through Delaware, making a turn to the northeast after passing west of Dover AFB. Then across the northern portion of the Delaware Bay into southern New Jersey. From there, north along the eastern edge of Philadelphia’s Class Bravo airspace then a jog to the northwest for the final leg to Van Sant airport (9N1).

But, it was not to be. As I was crossing the Delaware Bay I called up flight service on the radio to get a weather update.  Trenton, NJ had 700 foot ceilings with similar conditions nearby. So I diverted to the Millville New Jersey airport. Taxied to the ramp and parked beside a Piper Cub replica.

 

The Millville airport is a former Army Air Field that was built during the early stages of World War II. It still looks like an old military airfield. Lots of old buildings in various stages of repair. Many have been kept up and are in use by businesses of all sorts.

 

 

They even have a museum on the field although it was closed when I arrived. I was able to take a look at the aircraft and vehicles on display outside the museum building. That had an A-4 and a Shorts 330, neither World War II vintage, along with several vehicles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are several new building housing aviation oriented businesses. Boeing has a facility that outfits brand new Chinooks for various military missions before delivery to the army.

 

 

Best of all, one of the buildings houses a great little restaurant that was still serving breakfast. The FBO had a golf cart available for pilots to use so I did not even have to walk across the field when I went to eat. Great service, great food and wireless internet so I was able to keep an eye on the new weather that was posted just before 11:00 AM. It looked good so I drove back to the FBO, preflighted and was in the air by about 11:30.

The ceilings were all in the 1600 foot range as I headed northeast out of Millville. I was able to fly at about 1000 feet and intersect my previously planned route. The clouds were scattered to broken at some points and through the holes I could see that they were starting to build up already indicating a stormy afternoon might be a possibility.

The terrain was pretty flat until the final 10 miles or so. Van Sant airport was easily visible from ten miles out despite the haze and the fact that I had never seen it from the air. It sits on a hill just west of the Delaware River valley. In fact, the center of runway 7-25 is the top  of the hill. Here is the approach end of runway 7 and the uphill portion starts just a few hundred feet from the threshold. I touched down at a point near the center of this photograph.

This is looking in the other direction and my landing roll was fairly short due to the hill. The top of the runway is on the horizon of this picture and then it heads downhill for a ways before ending at the forest and sharp decline down to the river.

 

 

The winds were calm and the sky was darkening. I called my friends so they could pick me up and took care of tying down my airplane. I want to give rides but today was not the day. It started raining pretty hard right after I got picked up and rained on and off all afternoon and during the night. My plan is to visit for a couple of days and leave on Wednesday. A front is supposed to push through on Tuesday night which will leave behind blue skies and clear air but, sorry to report, winds from the northwest. The direction I will be flying on my next leg. Oh well, I like to fly and I’ll just have to do a little more of it in order to make it to Cleveland.

Before cell phones, every airport had a pay phone in  an accessible location so pilots could call flight service for weather, file flight plans and close them after landing. It looks like this pay phone at the Van Sant airport has not had much use lately.  I’m just glad that small grass strips like Van Sant are still in operation. It is beautiful airport and if you have a chance to visit you can take a glider of biplane ride on weekends during the summer.

 

 

 

I took this picture a few days later when I departed Van Sant. The airport was really hopping and lots of great old airplanes were out on the ramp and up in the air. This place is a real haven for classic airplanes.

 

 

I took my friends Michael and Paula flying in Niner-zero. Paula and I circled their property several times with her door open so she could take a series of aerial photographs. Michael wanted to fly over a house he used to live in many years ago. It wasn’t quite where he remembered it but we found it quickly. When you are used to navigating on the ground it is not unusual to be a little disoriented when airborne.

 

 

 

Paula had my camera while Michael and I were flying and here we are on “short final” for runway 7 at Van Sant.

 

 

 

 

Paula took this photograph of me fueling the airplane. I often don’t fuel the aircraft after landing if I think I may be giving some rides. Keeps it lighter and then I fuel it before I leave. I got out around noon and headed for Ohio.