There also are plenty of popular, bustling , must-see cities that airlines serve regularly. But it would be a lot more fun to visit them in your own airplane on your own schedule, right? I know that approaching certain high-traffic destinations such as Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles might feel challenging or even forbidding , especially for VFR pilots not accustomed to speaking with controllers and navigating busy airspace full of commercial jets.

If you want to explore the U.S. by air, though, you will have to traverse a lot of Class B airspace to get to the smaller surrounding airports that make those cities truly accessible. Allow me to recommend an ideal place to start: New Orleans.

New Orleans Appeals

People may think of New Orleans as a small city, but that label is deceptive. While you can tour the place on foot, the cityscape flows and meanders into so many distinct, engaging neighborhoods and districts that it can seem overwhelming to visitors who fail to plan thoughtfully or try to fit everything into a few days.

There is a lot to see, hear, and eat in New Orleans— more than many visitors expect. I suggest planning at least a three-night stay with a promise to return next year to catch up on what you missed. From the Garden District to the Commercial District to the world-famous French Quarter, you are bound to leave something for which you’ll want to return.

For any pilot flying themselves in, the city is especially attractive because of its inviting, interesting airports and GA-friendly airspace.

You gain a unique perspective from the air, and by carrying a map of the city next to your charts, you will be ready to conduct an aerial reconnaissance that can keep you from getting lost on the ground later.

Getting There

While I would have loved flying my own aircraft the 1,000 nm to New Orleans from my home airport in Sussex, New Jersey (KFWN)—and doing so would have been a great stride in my effort to log 100 hours in 2023—many factors kept that from happening.

Our window for making the trip overlapped only partially with a similarly short period of acceptable weather forecasts, and Annie, my Commander 114B, would be in for her annual that week.

• READ MORE: Flying the Truckee-Lake Tahoe Region

We really are fortunate to have airlines standing by as Plan B. We flew into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (KMSY) and drove to Lakefront Airport (KNEW), the Class D field we would use on our GA reconnaissance flight.

There we met Patrick Box, a flight instructor with Gulf Coast Aviation, a flight school based at Lakefront, who had agreed to take us up for a photo flight and tour of the city.

The Airport

A peek at a sectional chart hints at the treat you are in for when landing at Lakefront. On approach the field looks almost like an aircraft carrier docked in the harbor, its deck stretching northward into Lake Pontchartrain. An art deco terminal dominates the ramp and makes the airport easy to spot.

The architectural style and manner in which the ramp and runways fan out from the terminal lets would-be historians know the airport is a product of aviation’s golden age. You also can tell that it was the area’s primary airline hub at the time.

• READ MORE: Chart Wise: New Orleans VOR DME 36L (KNEW)

Originally called Shushan Airport, the field opened in 1934 and was considered, locally at least, to be the “Air Hub of the Americas,” according to airport officials. The design is credited to the same architectural firm responsible for the Louisiana state capitol building.

For many years, the terminal was a local dining and social destination as well as an air travel hub. As the structure aged, though, it was subjected to numerous indignities. During the 1960s, its exterior was covered with concrete panels, and the interior balcony that surrounds the first floor was enclosed to form offices.

When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, several feet of water flooded the building. Preservation groups saved and gradually restored the terminal, and now it is in its glory, as if unchanged in nearly 90 years. It is easy to imagine Douglas DC-3s boarding passengers outside.

‘Big Easy’ from Above

On this day, though, we would embark on a smaller piston twin, a Beechcraft Baron 55 that Box uses for multiengine training. Winds were out of the north, and the tower cleared us for takeoff on Runway 36L. Lakefront is under the shelf of KMSY’s Class B, so GA pilots flying around the city are quickly handed off to New Orleans Approach. That is nothing unusual except that the controllers seemed extremely calm, agreeable, and forgiving compared with what I am accustomed to in the Northeast.

Instead of shooing us away, they encouraged us to fly around close to the “Big Easy” for as long as we wanted. While operating around larger Class C and Class B international airports demands a lot, it also rewards those who persevere in the face of apprehension.

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“Just give us a call when you’re done,” the controller said as we descended to 1,000 feet to traverse the VFR corridor over the Mississippi River. This arrangement is similar to the Hudson River route through New York City, except that the Mississippi winds sharply through New Orleans, giving the flight a tactical feel—thrilling. If you keep a map of the city next to your chart, it is easy to mentally plan out the neighborhoods you want to visit later.

Flying with a local pilot turned out to be an ideal introduction to the city from aloft. Box was familiar with the area and pointed out many significant sights that we might have missed, like the old forts that stand guard where the river and lake meet. We flew over Fort Pike and Fort Macomb, sister structures meant to defend Lake Pontchartrain from invasion. They were built between 1819 and 1826 after the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 exposed weaknesses in the city’s defenses. Today, both forts are ruins, but Pike is sufficiently intact to be a historic site that tourists can visit. Macomb is inaccessible and better viewed from the air.

From the legendary Caesars Superdome and skyscrapers downtown and shipping terminals along the river to the expansive marshland that borders the city, we felt like we covered the whole place within an hour. The flight made it easier to navigate once we started walking.

Leaving the airport might be the hardest part, because the terminal is a photographic bonanza. All of those deco details—including illuminated signs and a wooden telephone booth—make for wonderful keepsake photos or ‘grams. Do not leave without stopping for lunch at the terminal restaurant, Messina’s Runway Cafe.

There are other airports in the area with easy access to the city, including Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional (KASP), Hammond Northshore (KHDC), and St. Tammany Regional (L31). But Lakefront is such a special place that missing it would make the visit incomplete. If you do not land there, do make a point of visiting the terminal.

Into the City

Known for festivals such as Mardi Gras, jazz, food, and the French Quarter, “NOLA,” as the place is known affectionately, is no theme park. This real working city happens to be packed with history and culture from end to end.

While you have heard about Bourbon Street and other tourist epicenters around town, the lesser-known enclaves might be the most memorable. Travelers should make a point of visiting as many of the distinct neighborhoods as time allows.

Starting with the French Quarter, visitors can take in historic architecture that stretches back 300 years and landmarks from St. Louis Cathedral to Jackson Square. Walking is the best way to see this area and take in the sights, sounds, and shops along Bourbon Street, Royal Street, and others that make up the neighborhood’s tight grid.

Cross Rampart Street from the French Quarter to enter Treme, which is known as the oldest African-American neighborhood in the U.S. Landmarks include Louis Armstrong Park, named for the famous trumpeter and singer, and Congo Square, where enslaved people used to meet to play music thought to be the genesis of jazz.

The city’s streetcar will take you to Uptown, where sights include mansions, estates, and gardens. This is where you will find Audubon Park, the Audubon Zoo, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, and other historic attractions. This is another ideal area for walking or bike tours.

A Bonus for Pilots

Crossing into the central business district, or CBD, you will find modern skyscrapers, shopping areas, and hotels. Aviators will be happy to spot the National World War II Museum, with exhibits including numerous aircraft, vehicles, weapons, and more.

If you pictured DC-3s at the Lakefront airport, you will be pleased to find a C-47 version in D-Day markings hanging in the museum lobby. Other airplanes strung dramatically from the ceiling include a North American P-51 Mustang, Supermarine Spitfire, Messerschmitt 109, and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

Some of the aircraft in the collection are largely complete and closer to airworthiness than others, which might be missing their engines and other vital-but-hidden parts. The C-47 that hangs overhead as you enter the ticket line and sits at eye level when viewed from the second-floor balcony looks like it could have just flown back from Europe.

One of the museum docents told me the aircraft arrived in pieces, and when volunteers assembled it for display, they did not drain all of the oil from one of its engines. So the old Pratt & Whitney R-1830s dripped every so often, for years, sometimes narrowly missing visitors— and sometimes not.

I think those radials would start if given the spark again. It’s not hard to contemplate such rich history in a town like New Orleans.

New Orleans Lakefront Airport (KNEW)

Location: New Orleans

Airport Elevation: 7.3 feet msl (give or take)

Airspace: Class D

Airport Hours: Continuous

Runways: 18R/36L, 18L/36R, 9/27

Lighted: Yes, all runways

Pattern Altitude: 1,000 feet msl for all traffic

This feature first appeared in the January-February 2024/Issue 945 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post New Orleans Is a GA-Friendly, Fly-In Locale appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Apparently as a veteran airline pilot, I am a magnet for such exchanges because folks consider the profession an authority on all things aviation. In reality, no pilot is a complete authority, especially me. Maybe some of us just appear to have more credibility than others. It’s been many years since I’ve focused on the opportunity to share the flying experience—one of them being the iconic $100 hamburger, which we all know has probably doubled in price. Most nonpilots are familiar with the concept but have never really experienced it.

So, over my recent retirement years, with the intention of providing insight to my passion, I’ve invited a handful of friends on separate flights to various airport dining destinations. Unexpectedly, the flights have been a learning experience for me as well.

My friend Jack has an engineering background, with the Hubble Space Telescope having been a part of his repertoire. In earlier days, he and his son (now the chief engineer with a major international auto racing organization), invested time and money into amateur racing. He has an above-average understanding of the intricacies involved with reciprocating engines, including almost anything else that can be defined on a spreadsheet.

Having a naturally inquisitive nature, Jack asked intimate questions about airplane performance and operations, and ATC procedures. Our trip down Florida’s east coast through Daytona Beach airspace to New Smyrna Beach (KEVB) for lunch was all of 25 minutes. If I wasn’t responding to a controller, I was answering a question.

I had briefed Jack on the moderate crosswind and potential gusts we would most likely encounter. After applying a noticeable crab angle, the airplane began to buffet in a sea of choppy air. In monotone, I uttered, “Yippee-ki-yay” on short final. A Google search claims that the phrase is of Native American origin, meaning, “This is a good day to die.” It’s been one of my catch phrases for such circumstances over many years of flying. Perhaps I should keep it to myself. Jack remained uncharacteristically silent while I wrestled with the control yoke.

Elated by the entire experience, in addition to his meal, Jack expressed his gratitude. He painted a positive picture of the day to his wife, Kathy, but employed poetic license in describing the “hurricane force” winds that challenged my landing. He claimed it had been my intent to subject him to those conditions. Apparently, it was all forgotten when Kathy herself agreed to a lunch flight, which was flown on a spectacular VFR day without a bump.

Having not so subtly hinted at his desire for a ride, I next invited Ira to lunch. Ira is a colorful character. His background could fill the pages of this magazine. Suffice it to say his intelligence is only surpassed by his wandering attention. He has no patience for you to complete the answer to his question because he’s already armed with the next one.

Oftentimes, Ira is already discussing a new topic within the same sentence. He is a human sponge of information gathering. Beyond Ira’s full-throttle energy level, one of his best attributes is the benevolence of his time for family and friends. Translation: He’s got a big heart.

Needless to say, my takeoff briefing with Ira was slightly more thorough. I placed special emphasis on the need to remain silent when the aircraft call sign was spoken on the radio. Predictably, a raised index finger was the best solution for intercom silence…which wasn’t always successful.

Having spent a career dealing with the distractions of checklists, warning lights, computer entries, navigation, flight attendant interaction, weather deviations, and flying the airplane, I felt up to the task. With Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG) in St. Petersburg as the lunch destination, we would be transiting Orlando and Tampa Class B airspace, which always compels me to file IFR. I’d rather be directed around departure or arrival traffic than risk my analysis of VFR courses and altitudes that might get me in trouble if not cleared to enter Class B airspace, notwithstanding better traffic separation in a very busy area.

From the moment I started the airplane, Ira peppered me with questions. All of his inquiries were intelligent, involving subject matters that were topics my human database had long ago assimilated and now took for granted. His curiosity was insatiable. His questions ranged from, “Do we have to follow ATC instructions?” to “Why are we at this altitude?” and everything in between.

As anticipated for our return home, we began to encounter typical Florida afternoon weather. The ingredients for convection were at the early stages of transforming cumulus into cumulonimbus. Ira asked why we were zigging and zagging. Grinning, I told him that I was saving him the embarrassment of having to scream. He got the message when ATC assigned a mandatory heading that afforded us the opportunity to sample the inside of a cumulus cloud.

Ira had a preconceived notion that pilot tasks were simply to raise the nose off the runway, fly to cruise flight, and then land the airplane. He was astounded how much is really involved.

• READ MORE: Food for Flight Is the Way to Go

Ken was a former B-52 crew chief during the Vietnam era. Among the many hats he has worn was chairman of our city commission. He now focuses on being a feared hunter of fish. Ken enjoys the serenity of watching the scenery pass beneath the wings without uttering a word.

I’ve had the pleasure of Ken’s company at a Mecum car show auction in Kissimmee (KISM), a trip to Arcadia (X06) for “touch-and-go Tuesdays,” a low approach over the space shuttle landing strip that included a breakfast at Vero Beach (KVRB), and an early breakfast at Albert Whitted. A touchdown on Arcadia’s grass runway because of a repaving project on the main runway was one of Ken’s highlights, having never experienced such an operation.

The Albert Whitted arrival included a flat tire on rollout, an event we could have both done without. Following the efforts of an efficient and friendly maintenance shop, breakfast was not jeopardized. We were able to watch the pit stop tire tube change from the outside balcony of the restaurant.

What did I learn on these excursions? Judging by my friends’ continued jubilant accounts of their trips, just one flight can have a lasting impact on someone’s life experience. It was rewarding to be reminded of this again.

Can you actually fly to lunch? Yes, but it’s an even better experience with nonpilot friends.

This column first appeared in the October 2023/Issue 942 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post So, You Can Actually Fly to Lunch? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

As part of that effort, the agency recently hosted a weeklong series of trials of Mountain View, California-based Reliable Robotics’ continuous autopilot solution. The testing and simulation regimen included three flights of the company’s modified Cessna 208 Caravan, which lasted several hours. The demonstrations should give the FAA insight into the integration of remotely piloted aircraft in congested airspace.

“Collaborating with the FAA on demonstrations like this will help enable the future of mobility and the evolution of our airspace to accommodate new aircraft systems,” said Davis Hackenberg, vice president of government partnerships at Reliable. “Watching our system successfully operate in a live test environment is exciting, and we are proud to help pave the way for future integration of large uncrewed aircraft.”

The series of flight tests and simulations demonstrated Reliable’s ability to reroute the aircraft, change speeds on a dime, and fly under simulated weather conditions by updating flight plan routing. An onboard test pilot observed each flight. The system was also tested in simulated Class B airspace, typically defined as airspace surrounding the nation’s “busiest” airports.

Reliable shared aircraft telemetry from the company’s control center through third-party service provider OneSky, which transmitted the data to the FAA’s NextGen Integration and Evaluation Capability (NIEC) research lab. 

FAA air traffic controllers also participated in the testing, soaking up valuable insights to bring back to the NextGen program office as it develops its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Concept of Operations 2.0. The living document is essentially a blueprint for future UAM services.

The demonstrations were part of the FAA’s UAM Airspace Management Demonstration (UAMD), which aims to showcase emerging urban and advanced air mobility (AAM) concepts to plot future operations. Trials were funded by the agency through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and took place at Reliable’s control center in Mountain View.

“The flight tests conducted by Reliable highlighted the ability for new aircraft systems to interact with third-party service providers and seamlessly integrate into future airspace environments, and provided critical data for future operations,” said Diana Liang, enterprise portfolio manager at the FAA.

The agency formally accepted Reliable’s Project-Specific Certification Plan (PSCP) for its continuous autopilot engagement system in June. That makes it one of a handful of firms that have made material progress toward type certification of a fully automated flight control system, though it will have a few more significant hoops to jump through before it gets there.

The Flight Path Ahead

Reliable’s autopilot system automates all phases of flight, from taxi to takeoff and landing. It uses redundant hardware and software to automate flight control surfaces and engine controls, as well as redundant voice and data networks for secure air-to-ground connectivity, which enables remote aircraft command and radio management.

The solution includes electromechanically actuated brakes with autoland capability. It also integrates aircraft with airborne detection technology for traffic and terrain avoidance. A precision navigation system, meanwhile, uses sensor fusion techniques common in spacecraft design to bring together inputs from multiple sensors and create a single, unified model.

An advanced autopilot flight management system ties everything together with a simplified user interface, enabling remote supervision of all phases of flight in all operating conditions.

The system is designed and will be certified for a wide variety of aircraft and applications. But the company intends to start by retrofitting Cessna Caravans and launching automated air cargo operations in the U.S.

So far, Reliable conducted flight demonstrations in May for the Air Force through a contract to study the automation of large, multiengine jets. It also has a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) agreement to demonstrate the performance of remotely piloted aircraft for the department.

That campaign followed prior flights with NASA as part of the agency’s AAM National Campaign. These included detect-and-avoid encounter flights of Cessna 172 and Cessna 208 aircraft to help NASA validate the use of existing FAA primary surveillance radars.

Reliable is working to commercialize its technology for Part 23 cargo and Part 25 passenger aircraft. It’s currently going through the process defined in Part 21 and FAA Order 8110.4C for certifying new aircraft, engines, and propellers and is seeking Part 23 supplemental type certification. That means it will certify to well-known airworthiness requirements for normal category airplanes. This is similar to the process used currently for autothrottle and autoland STC development in piloted aircraft.

Notably, the company’s design certification plan will not require special conditions or exemptions. Its solution will not be treated as a new type design—instead, it will leverage existing regulations for normal and transport category aircraft, modifying them slightly.

Reliable is seeking approval for operations across the entire coterminous U.S. plus Alaska, with no exemptions, special conditions, or equivalent level of safety findings. Recently, it’s made a few key executive appointments to improve its chances.

Hackenberg joined the company in May after nearly two decades with NASA. There, he served as AAM Mission Manager and spent many years leading a project to integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace system, among other tasks.

Reliable also brought on Lee Moak and Steve Alterman as strategic advisors in December. Moak served on the Department of Transportation’s Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee and the Postal Service Board of Governors; Alterman led the Cargo Airline Association for four decades as president.

Another important addition was Scott O’Brien as vice president of legislative affairs in October. O’Brien was previously senior director of public policy and advocacy for the National Business Aviation Association and worked on legislative strategy for the organization’s AAM Roundtable.

Other appointments include a veteran engineer of Virgin Orbit, Lockheed Martin, and Paragon Labs as chief engineer, and the former leader of remotely piloted aircraft system integration efforts for General Atomics as vice president of UAS integration.

Reliable recently provided input on the House FAA Reauthorization Bill, lauding the legislation for giving the FAA more authority and resources to advance certification of autonomous flight systems. The bill calls for the creation of an FAA Office of Innovation that will work directly with agency leadership to support innovation, as well as incentives for broader ADS-B usage to prevent midair collisions.

We will see if these provisions remain in the legislation by September 30, the deadline for FAA reauthorization. But if they do, Reliable’s credibility will be on the rise.

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The post Reliable Robotics Demos Automated Flight System in FAA Trials appeared first on FLYING Magazine.