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DESTINATION - BOSTON CITY TOUR

4/29/2021

Experience spectacular sights of the world-famous and history-rich hub of the Northeast suspended 1000ft above the city streets! You’ll have the opportunity to hover over Fenway Park, the BU Bridge and Boston Common while orbiting downtown to get the best angles. You and your friends will find yourselves taking selfies with the Prudential and John Hancock skyscrapers as a backdrop!

Flying Boston City tour need a permission from Boston approach, I cannot tell until airborne.

I usually contact Boston approach (124.4) from the west of Needham towers'.

"Boston approach, Aircraft 1234 circling Needham tower at 2000
Request VFR transit Class Bravo for City Tour, Charles River to Back Bay, then exit westbound"

Usually they'll assign a squawk code and hand you off to Boston tower or Boston skyway (the helicopter controller, 124.725). Then wait until you hear the magical words "Aircraft 1234, you are cleared into Boston Class Bravo at or below 1500"

The rest is easy part, I generally level off at 1200' and fly down the river until abeam the Prudential or Hancock building (except when they only clear me as far as Mass. Ave.), then turn around to the left heading towards Cambridge / Sommerville (over MIT, Encore Casio, and Harvard) then a right hand turn at the Bunker Hill Monument to South; down Boston inner Harbor (Coast Guard Station, North End, and Financial District). Logan will be on your left.

None of this works during Boston Red Sox games. Under the general post-9/11 principle that only one American business can be functioning at a time, aviation within downtown Boston, aside from scheduled airlines, is shut down from 1 hour prior to a game until 1 hour after it ends.

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How much to purchase a Aircraft?

4/23/2021

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Piston Single Engine

2014 CESSNA 172S SKYHAWK SP

$350,000
The model Hanson earned his private pilot license
Most popular training aircraft

2021 DIAMOND DA40 NG

$553,024
Hanson's dream aircraft

Diamond DA40

Jet

2008 DASSAULT FALCON 900EX EASY

$14,495,000
Owned by Taylor Swift
Dassault is also known for Engineering modeling software SolidWorks

2001 BOMBARDIER CHALLENGER 850

$5,395,000
Owned by 赵本山，马化腾，Jay-Z and Beyonce
Celine Dion, Steven Spielberg and Bill Gates also opting for the Bombardier private jet in a different model (BD700)

2019 GULFSTREAM G500

$38,950,000
Owned by Tom Cruise, 李嘉诚，马云，许家印，王健林，李彦宏

Commercial Airliner

2005 BOEING 737-800

$21,000,000

2012 BOEING 747-8

$95,000,000

2017 BOEING 787-8

$122,000,000

Ever considering be an aircraft owner? Check this website: https://www.controller.com/

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The $100 Hamburger

4/22/2021

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What exactly is a $100 hamburger? It is a burger consisting of Japanese Wagyu beef that has been infused with white truffle butter, topped with James Montgomery cheddar cheese, and a fried quail egg.

To my crazy flying experience and pilots everywhere, the $100 hamburger is aviation slang for any burger served in a non-local small airport restaurant(less than two hours). The high price tag doesn’t have anything to do with the burger’s quality, and it has more to do with flying round-trip. And no, pilots don’t always order a burger.

If Hanson ask your intention for a $100 Hamburger, just acknowledged and hop on his Cessna.

New England $100 hamburger destinations: HERE

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DESTINATION - NYC HUDSON RIVER CORRIDOR

4/22/2021

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Every pilot has a bucket list slightly different than others, but what if you could show people you flew under the skyline of New York City? Well, you can!

New York’s airspace is one of the busiest in the world, but offers such a great experience for those that go on this adventure. The FAA has a downloadable kneeboard reference guide to lay out all of the requirements for the flight.

As you fly northward on the eastern side of the Hudson River, you will call out each landmark as you pass it while stating your flight’s information. Below is an example:

"Cessna, Statue of Liberty, 1,000 feet, Northbound."

You must state your aircraft type, the checkpoint, your altitude, and North/Southbound (whichever way you are headed). As you get to the Alpine Tower, you must turn Southbound and head back down the Hudson River.

The entire trip would take 30 mins including departure and landing from Teterboro Airport, NJ (TEB). If you departure from Boston commute to NYC and take a tour along the way, it would take two hours one way.

Sights Include:

Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
One World Trade Center
9/11 Memorial Site
Brooklyn Bridge
Battery Park
Wall Street
Empire State Building
Chrysler Building
Madison Square Garden
U.S.S. Intrepid Museum
Times Square
Central Park
Columbia University
Grant’s Tomb
George Washington Bridge (GWB)
Harlem and Harlem River
The Bronx and Yankee Stadium
Palisades Cliffs
Spuyten Duyvil Bridge
Plus
- Verrazano Bridge (VB)
- Staten Island

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DESTINATION - SPA @ Northampton MA

4/21/2021

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Trip planning:

Destination Airport:

Northampton Airport (7B2)
Local Weather

Transportation:

Rental Car:
- Enterprise
- Lia Toyota Car Rental
Taxi:
- GoGreenCab 413-586-0707
- Cosmic Cab Company, Jeff @ 413-230-6119

Things to do:

Explore Northampton
Spa: East Heaven
- TripAdvisor review
- Make an appointment
Thornes Marketplace:
- TripAdvisor review

Smith College Botanic Garden:
- TripAdvisor review

Mount Tom State Reservation:
- TripA dvisor review

Iteration proposal：

Noon: Boston -> Northampton
1400 - 1600: Hiking @ State Park
1630 - 1830: Browsing downtown, Botanic Garden, Thornes Marketplace
1900: Dinning
2030: Spa @ East Heaven
2300: Fly back to Boston

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Cost of Private Pilot Training

4/19/2021

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I definately tossed more $$$ on private pilot training because of 8 months staying on the ground thanks to New England winter and COVID-19 pandemic. I nearly lose 90% of muscle memory after normal training schedule resumed. The consequence is an additional 20 hours of basic maneuvering and landing commitment with CFI. I will post another blog to share my personal advice and tips on how to save private pilot training fee in New England.

The following breakdown is based on Cessna 172SP G1000 pilot, at Hanscom Airport(KBED), Bedford, MA, who could commit two to three flying sessions per week.

Training Cost Breakdown:

Dual Flight (30 Hour FAA Requirement):	$7350
Dual Flight (36.5 Hour Additional Training):	$8942.5
Solo Flight (10 Hour FAA Requirement):	$1750
Books / Supplies (Private Pilot Study Kit):	$200
Bose A20 Aviation Headset:	$1095
Foreign pilot registration fee:	$130
FAA Written Exam:	$160
FAA Medical (Estimate, Paid to Provider):	$150
FAA Practical Test (Examiner Fee):	$500
FAA Practical Test (Aircraft rental – Approx. 1.5 Hrs):	$263
Total(76.5 Hour Private Pilot):	$20,540.5

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Pro Pilot Noobie Blogger

DESTINATION - BOSTON CITY TOUR

How much to purchase a Aircraft?

Piston Single Engine

Jet

Commercial Airliner

The $100 Hamburger

DESTINATION - NYC HUDSON RIVER CORRIDOR

DESTINATION - SPA @ Northampton MA

Trip planning:

Cost of Private Pilot Training

Training Cost Breakdown:

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