Where: Fly to Marsh Harbor (MYAM) located on Abaco in the Bahamas. Captain Robbie of Pura Vida will pick you up at the Boat Harbor Marina and take you to Lubbers Cay to enjoy your own private island paradise. Perfect!

When: Anytime you need a break

How: If you are not familiar with how to make international flights to the Bahamas then we recommend you get involved with Bahamas Habitat to learn the ropes of flying to the island. They have a pilot briefing video on their website. Sign up for their info for notices about future group flights.

What to do: The flying is beautiful, the boating on crystal clear waters is devine, diving, snorkeling, beaching, shelling, exploring and the local seafood are all outstanding. If you are into fishing then you have found the best. Captain Robbie and his well equipped “Freespool” sport fishing boat stand ready at the dock to ply the deep blue of the Atlantic for billfish and delicious dinner! There is also a 4 bedroom catamaran available by the day or week. Everything you need for the ultimate adventure getaway!

Visit for more details: http://www.puravidacottages.com/thecottages.htm

The way these planes are produced with this “magic material” is fascinating. This video shows how the process works at the Diamond Aircraft factory. Any one considering the purchase of an aircraft will usually come to the logical conclusion that glass is the only way to go once they understand all its unique advantages of safety, durability, economy and usability.

One of the most enjoyable things we get to do here at GlassPilot.com is actually use these wonderful airplanes we are always talking about and providing for sale. We search out special fly-in destinations and adventures to alert our readers so they can take full advantage of the lifestyle changing potential of their aircraft.  Today we are here to tell you that if you have not flown to Maine then you need to add that to your list of things to do!

Over Labor Day this year I needed to pick up a Diamond DA40 XLS I had bought that was based in New Hampshire. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to combine a little business with pleasure so my wife and I packed up and headed North. The aircraft was ready to go and in outstanding shape (Aircraft for sale: see photos & details). We took off from the old Pease Airforce Base KPSM in Portsmouth NH which used to be a Strategic Air Command base so the runway is only 11,321ft!

Upon departure we stayed at 1000ft all the way up the coast to KBHB – Bar Harbor Maine. This is simple a “must do flight”. The coast is so scenic and dramatic with its lighthouses, rocky shore, mountains, quaint villages, boats and lots of lobster pots. My wife was simply pointing and saying wow the whole way. You’ll pass Kennebunkport, Portland, Rockland and numerous villages which all look so quaint and classic Maine from the air with their boat packed harbors and lobster pot buoys dotting every inch of water. The extreme visibility the Diamond DA40 XLS offers makes a trip like this a truly magical experience.

When you arrive at KBHB it is a must to circle Acadia National Park and see the splendor of the pink granite peaks of Cadillac Mountain on Mount Desert Island. If we still used film this would be the preverbal ”Film Gobbler!” Take time to study the island from the air as you’ll be exploring it by foot, bike, car or bus during your visit. Passing to the north you’ll fly in over Frenchman’s Bay with Bar Harbor on your left and the airport just a bit further to the west. Be on the alert for traffic including biplane sight seeing craft, gliders and of course other private and some commuter aircraft coming in to KBHB.

As fly-in destinations go you’ll find few better than Bar Harbor. The amazing  scenery is complimented by a great airport and easy access to transportation. There are two car rental agencies in the little terminal and the FREE buses run on a regular schedule to take you on to the island. The free busses are there to encourage you to skip the car and enjoy the island by  bus and bikes. The propane powered buses all have bike racks to make the process work wonderfully. Several shops in Bar Harbor offer “comfort mountain bikes” that are truly comfortable with soft seats and suspensions. Not having a car was a blessing for us and made moving around easy. If you are in a hurry grab a cab as the airport bus does up to 45 minutes due to the stops along the way. The cab is less than $40 and is over in about 15 minutes.

There are beautiful carriage trails throughout the park that are fantastic for touring the park. You can take the bus out to a starting point and ride till you’ve had enough and catch the bus back. They are all graded so none of the hills are extreme and there are lots of easy and flat loops. What could be better?

You’ll have your choice of Bed & Breakfast Inn’s and various motel & hotel options to suit many different styles. The village of Bar Harbor has lots of fun shops, great food and plenty of exploring to do by foot or bike. After two days all we could say was, “we have got to plan to come back!”. Next time we’ll take advantage of whale watching tours, kayaking and some more hiking.

If you are looking for an active adventure for the whole family or a romantic get away for you and your partner you could do no better than a flight to Bar Harbor Maine. I’ve included some photos here and a link to our entire suite of photos. Feel free to leave comments or questions.

Join in the relief efforts of Bahamas Habitat in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

The organization is coordinating pilots, volunteers, donors and others to mount a response to the remote islands of the Bahamas.

I assure you that if you support this group financially, your funds will be well used. You see I am the President and Chairman of the organization! Your donations are tax deductible.

Pilots with planes have the opportunity to fly missions delivering relief supplies. Signup on their website www.bahamashabitat.org now for updates and mission notifications.

Loren French of Eagle Colorado purchased his DA20 through John Armstrong our GlassPilot publisher and filmed this great video of his pick up and flight from Maryland to his home base in Colorado over 1300 nautical miles.

You’ll see from the video the DA20 is quite the performer. Congratulations Loren! Enjoy your new plane!

One benefit of being in the general aviation aircraft sales business is it seems I have the job every one wants. Last fall I had the chance to bring my readers the experience of flying the KC135 tanker because I met the pilot and he wanted to learn more about what I do so he invited me along! It was an awesome experience that resulted in amazing pictures from the cockpit and refueling station.

Well folks, today we have another thrilling experience for you…a flight in a Marine Corp Harrier! It all started at Sun n Fun when a young Marine pilot offered a tour… I pulled out my calendar and booked it right then!

On Good Friday I took my two sons, Thomas age 12 and Ben age 16, and we made our way to the Cherry Point main gate at 0930 to meet our favorite new pilot friend. I am fairly confident that I was the most excited of our little troop. With our friends clearance we proceeded through the main Harrier flight line where, due to a retirement ceremony, they had halted training for an hour so we got to see dozens of Harriers lined up very businesslike on the ramp.

Inside the maintenance hangar we got to inspect up close the whole plane including the Mechanisms that control the hover, Gatling gun and other weapons systems. For a machine designed in the 1960′s I have to say I was amazed and impressed with the mechanical control system and how it all works.

The cockpit is made up of two video screens with all comms in the middle and a heads up video display that provides all the needed flight instruments and weapon systems. The HeadsUp display was something I was really looking forward to trying.

After watching flight ops including slow approaches and amazing hovers we headed to the Harrier simulator. This was no desktop training aid. The building was the size of a gymnasium and under tight security. I would have given anything to have been able to carry in my video camera to show you folks how cool this experience was closeup but that was not allowed.

The sim is controlled by an operator that sits behind a twelve foot long console with double decker screen arrays filling the whole space. The “aircraft” is around the corner encased in a two story tall metal room that surrounds the cockpit with 360 degree projection. The cockpit is the real thing.

Ben took the controls first and with a short briefing he performed his first performance take off in the Harrier. Considering he had just soloed the J3 Cub earlier in the week I felt certain that would qualify as the fastest “transition” on record!

I fully expected that he would be all over the sky and would not be able to hover…wow, was I surprised. He conducted a perfect flight including several take offs, landings and hover procedures. I was quite impressed. I was even more impressed when my 12 year old did the same albeit not as smooth.

When Dad finally got his turn I was prepared having watched and listened intently. I truly thought the bird would be much more difficult to fly. The transition from hover to flight in take off was a blast and very smooth. The transition from flight to hover on approach was much trickier but something I could have had fun doing for hours. The realization of the 360 degree sim was amazing.

Of course I had to try and show off and earned the honor of the only one to crash the sim. Just remember you can’t spin real fast in a hover or a wing drops and it gets ugly fast!

I was fully impressed with the base, everyone we met there and they way they kept the facilities. My son who is considering joining up went away even more excited dreaming of being a Harrier pilot.

Many thanks to our new friends at Cherry Point Marine Air Station!

Next… I’m gunning to get a visit to an aircraft carrier!

John Fielding, a flying friend from Virginia called me on that Saturday and said, “Are you at home in Raleigh? If so, get in the closet!” Sure enough the dark red on the radar was coming our way. We watched as it grazed past our home to the East unfortunately causing some significant damage along its path. It made it’s way up the East side of Raleigh and on to Louisburg where my friend, Steve Merritt, manages the Triangle North Airport (KLHZ).

After the storm passed, the sky cleared to bright blue without a cloud in the sky. I took to the skies in a great Husky I just listed for sale and flew low and slow to take pictures of the path. Of course the Husky is the perfect plane for the mission! The airport faired well but a few hangar doors caused damage on one of my customer’s aircraft and a poor Tomahawk flew off its tie down and sailed into another plane. The weather is great now and we are looking forward to a great flying season putting all this behind us!  Check out my aerial pictures…

By now everyone has heard about the tornado that whipped through Sun N Fun 2011 on March 31st damaging over 40 aircraft, flooding the grounds and injuring 7 people. Most news outlets focused on the damage but what happened next that is the truly remarkable story. I went the next day expecting the worst and for the rest of the show to either be scrubbed or painfully slow and unattended. Boy, was I surprised. The Sun N Fun crew had done a fantastic job getting the place back into shape over night and the next several days were beautiful weather, crowds came out and it was very busy and successful event! Check out our video update from the next day, April 1st, 2011.

continue to see photos

From one of the pictures it appears the Diamond Booth may have slipped by unscathed.