Great weather in Halifax

It was mid-winter and we were returning home from Paris on a Pan American flight. Our ticket called for a stop in New York and a connecting flight to Atlanta where a warm bed awaited. But that was not to be. About 8 hours out the pilot announced that due to blizzard conditions in New York all airports were closed and we would be making an unscheduled stop at Halifax, Nova Scotia. However, he assured us that there was no reason for anxiety and, in fact, that the Halifax weather was fine. After landing we were told that we could get off the airplane if we ... [Read More]

Paddling across the Atlantic

Some years ago my daughter Laura and I undertook to fly our single-engine Mooney across the Atlantic via Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland. To get a permit to depart Canada we were required to fly to Monkton, New Brunswick and pass an inspection of our airplane, emergency gear and flying experience. They carefully checked a list of required equipment, including a life raft and, believe it or not, a paddle. In flight we discussed this. Around Greenland the waters were filled with ice bergs. If the engine quit and we had to go down there our biggest fear was that we would smash into a berg. No ... [Read More]