The summer weather in Florida presents challenges, but early morning flights usually offer a serene escape from turbulent clouds and thunderstorms. Today I chose one of those mornings to fly. Although visibility was not perfect compared to later in the day, it remained acceptable.
I cherish these morning flights for their tranquility, cooler temperatures, and the flexibility to take off from any runway because of no wind at all.
Apopka Airport, with its single asphalt runway running parallel to the railway and close to a major highway, paints a picturesque scene from above.
Navigation in Florida is a breeze, thanks to abundant landmarks. It is almost impossible to get lost here, but even if you managed to get of the route somehow, you can just fly to the West until you see a shoreline.
The “Crystal River – Apopka” route stands out as exceptionally straightforward, guided by a large concrete runway of Inverness airport, and then some very distinguishable lakes and highways. Even for those who are really bad with a paper map navigation, it’s easy to find a route, and for me paper maps and VORs were the main source of information for a while since our cessna does not have a GPS 🙂
Despite the early hour, signs of activity dotted the airspace, for example, rather active radio communication on the Winter Haven frequency. It seems I’m not alone in relishing the tranquility of early morning flights!
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