ON his website, American pilot Bern Heimos writes, “If you think aviation is just about flying, you are missing the adventure” and what follows is an online photobook showcasing the beauty of flying in the USA and the true essence of adventure flying.
It’s often said that the feast of flight is watching the world go by and Bern has captured that feast with some beautiful imagery of the sights he’s seen. It’s turned into somewhat of a storyboard with captions under each photo letting us a bit more in on what he has seen on his travels. And, be warned, the images are truly stunning and will make the pilots amongst us green with envy.
In 2010 he flew what he’s called the Hudson River Adventure and spent seven days flying to the Hudson River and around the Statue of Liberty. He then spent the next three weeks stopping off at vintage airplane fly-ins throughout the Midwest. Before that in 2008 he flew a Southern Hospitality Adventure in 2009 and a Heartland Adventure in 2008.
Bern writes well too and he has a daily diary for each of hsi adventures giving us an extra insight in how he made the adventures happen. One extract from Day 1 of the Hudson River Adventure says,
“Few experiences on this earth are more perfect than a warm, calm morning as the takeoff roll becomes flight. Long morning shadows hide behind mountains, buildings, and trees big enough for a tire swing. As the sun takes control of the morning sky and the earth below, the bashful shadows shrink to nothing; only to be reborn the next day.”
Photos of all three adventures are on his website, including some stats from his recent flight where he flew nearly 7000 miles. More below:
*Number of days: 32
*Miles flown: 6,906 statute miles (from the Garmin 296 GPS)
*Number of legs: 75
* Longest leg: 1 hour 58 minutes
*Total flight time: 104 hours, 14 minutes
*Total fuel: 445.49 gallons
*Average gallons per hour: 4.3 G.P.H.
See the photos (and read Bern’s logbook) at www.vintageflying.com
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