Thoughts & Ramblings: Flight Time

For today’s flight, I decided to go to a new airport on the Gulf Coast – Naples Municipal. The flight west was smooth at 4,500 feet in mostly clear skies. The weather at Naples, however, was going through some transitions. When we first listened to the Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS), the airport was landing runway 32. A few minutes later, I heard Naples Tower tell someone they were cleared to land runway 23. At first, I thought the controller had misspoken, so I listened to ATIS again, and sure enough, the winds had changed.

I contacted Tower about 8 miles out and was told to report a 5-mile final. Due to the runway change, I was already aligned to runway 23. Tower told me to slow down so that he could get a departure out in front of me, and I complied.

On the ground, I contacted Ground and asked to taxi to Naples Aviation. I was cleared to taxi and followed the Follow Me golf cart past several bizjets to a spot near the FBO.

Naples Aviation

The FBO was fabulous and luxurious. The first thing I noticed when entering the door was a freezer full of complimentary ice cream bars. Nice. We walked to the fuel desk and talked to the attendant about our options. They charged a ramp fee but waived it if you got fuel. I chose to do the self-service option. The attendant then took us on a quick tour of the FBO, showing us their store, eating area, lounge, and relaxation rooms. Andrew and I ate our snacks in the eating area and discussed what to do next.

The front desk at Naples Aviation

After eating, I asked another attendant if there were things to do within walking distance. She suggested Tin City, then offered us access to a crew car. I sheepishly asked if that was a free service and she said yes. I filled out the required paperwork and she handed me the keys to a brand new Chevrolet Malibu.

Andrew punched Tin City into his phone and off we drove. We noted the time, because the car was only ours for 90 minutes. We arrived within 15 minutes.

Tin City is a collection of shops along in an indoor walkway along the old piers. When I first walked in, I was reminded of Pikes Place Market, in Seattle.

Tin City

The shops inside Tin City

After touring the shops, we went outside and walked along the river. There was an underpass under the main highway and views of other shops and condos.

The Riverside Walk near Tin City

Shops and condominiums along the river

After an hour, we returned to the airport and dropped off the car. Back in the plane, we taxied to the self-service pumps and topped the tanks. Soon we were on our way.

Departing Naples Municipal

We left Naples and flew north along the coast. Soon we passed Fort Myers. Then we turned to the west and followed the shoreline of Sanibel Island. After passing Venice, I contacted Tampa Approach and asked for permission to transition the Sarasota Class C airspace along the beach at 2,500 feet. I was granted permission and continued. As we neared Sarasota, we were told to turn to a heading of 270, which took us far out over the Gulf of Mexico. Once clear of the Sarasota Class C and Tampa Class B airspace, Approach turned us back on course. Soon we passed the Skyway Bridge that spans the Tampa Bay inlet as part of Interstate 275.

Beautiful water, with Skyway Bridge in the distance

We continued along the coast all the way past Clearwater, then began turning overland to return to Valkaria. We crossed Tarpon Springs, then Odessa, before flying directly towards home. As we turned at Odessa, a Southwest 737 flew over us on its way to Tampa. Further along the route, we passed by all the now-familiar landmarks that make up the Sun ‘n Fun approach into Lakeland.

Looking back on the flight, I was surprised at how nice and friendly Naples Aviation was. Although they had a ramp fee, it was waived with the purchase of fuel. Their self-service price was nearly the cheapest in the area. And the crew car was brand new. I also got more experience talking to ATC and flying as directed. The sights were great and the weather was beautiful. And spending time with Andrew is always a joy.

Below are the flight tracks for today’s flight.