Flight Time–Immokalee

Today, I was looking for a route within Florida. I wanted it to include at least one stop a someplace new, and I wanted it to also include a stop at LaBelle. I got up early and studied the charts and eventually decided on a route. We would fly west over Marco Island, then stop at LaBelle for lunch, then fly home.

After the normal preparations, we departed Valkaria a little after 1:00 pm. The ride was low and bumpy due to a layer of clouds at 4,000 feet. After passing Okeechobee, I started to rethink the plan. I had had enough of the bumps and decided to land at Immokalee, then head straight to LaBelle.

Route to LaBelle

Immokalee is an interesting airport because its two runways are 90 degrees apart, with one being 09-27 and the other being 18-36. There was once another runway running diagonally from the northeast corner to the southwest corner, but it is now a drag racing strip.

After landing and taxing back to the departure end of runway 9, we made the short flight over to LaBelle. I had been there before with Andrew, and we enjoyed it. I was hoping to grab a bite at Short Cakes, but they were closed. Instead, we made the short walk to the nearby Winn-Dixie and found something to eat in their deli. We brought the food back to the airport and ate at a table on the long ramp-side porch. The only other activity was a pair of planes from a flight school at Merritt Island.

Outside LaBelle Airport

While eating, I noticed a Commander parked on the ramp. After eating, we walked over for a closer look. Looking closer, I discovered that it was a 112. I looked it up when I got home and it hasn’t been airworthy since May 2000, but most of the information on the FAA website is incorrect, so who knows if that is correct. By the looks of the plane, it may just be.

Commander 112 For Sale

I did a quick preflight, then we departed LaBelle, heading northeast back to Valkaria. After the bumpy ride over, Susan suggested that we climb above the clouds, given that we were currently in a clear section of sky. I climbed to 5,500 feet and we continued toward Okeechobee. Based on our earlier flight, we knew that the clouds ended at the beach. The ride on top was smooth and beautiful, with the sun slowly dropping below the broken cloud layer. We continued northeast to Fort Pierce, then followed the intercoastal up to Valkaria.

Route back to Valkaria

Flight Time: 3.0 hours
Total Time: 537 hours