#Many of which are based on ones from AQW

[cyten0]

A Symphony in Crimson

Act 2: A Movement in White

Chapter 1-B

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You sit in the house. Hoping. Praying to change itself that any second now, someone will knock on your door with… ANY news about Bonnie. Finding out you were frozen for 6 months… Anything could have happened to them! You can’t lose them…

Crab it, you can’t wait any longer. It’s only been a day, but that still feels too crabbing long! You need something, ANYTHING!!!

Not like the others around here would give you any info. Change damn it, you’ll just go ask around again.

>>>

UGH. Nothing! You’ve been around half the town so far, and most of them won’t even give you the time of day. The few that did didn’t have anything, and weren’t interested in helping… They’d leave them to possibly die out there… Ugh, you really hate this crabbing town.

♪ “Hey there, heard you were looking for someone? Need help?”

You turn to face the woman… She’s a strange one. Long, lightless hair, an eyepatch, covered in scars. She's a bit taller then you, but not by much. Fairly lithe, but clearly fit. Wearing a metal chestplate, but otherwise dressed very casually, but with odd fabrics. Some jeans, short sleeves, and an odd tattered cape. Her outfit is decorated with this odd shape, like if a diamond and a cross got mixed, and there are metal wings on some of it.

Hm. She’s clearly not from around here. Maybe some bounty hunter or something, can’t think of why else they’d come up to you out of nowhere... Oh well, if she asks for pay, might as well hear her out, not like anyone else will help.

❁ “Might. Helped my younger sibling book it when town got froze 6 months back. Got no news what happened.”

♪ “Dang. Hm… Names La, Think I can help out. My friend has crafts for this kind of thing, I can grab her if you’d like?”

❁ “sigh Aight, how much will this cost?”

♪ “Hm? Nah, don’t worry, it’s on me. Give me just a sec.”

What? No pay? Bullcrab, there’s gotta be a catch.

She pulls out a weird metal thing, and taps it a few times, before a weird voice starts speaking out of it.

♯ “LA!!! Oh my stars, PLEASE tell me you found SOMETHING!!! I’m loosing my mind here!!”

♪ “Hey Re, Nothing on Fa, sadly. But there is someone who could use your help. Missing sibling, apparently separated from that timecraft stuff.”

♯ “I’ll take it! Be there in 5.”

Hm. ‘Nothing on Fa’?

❁ “Who’s Fa?”

♪ “Friend of ours. We haven't seen them in years. Got no leads ourselves, honestly… Actually, given that look of distrust on your face, let’s make this fair. You could tell us if you know anything? Even if it’s nothing.”

Crab, read you like a book.

♪ “They’ve been in Vaugarde for a few years so they might have a whole new identity at this point, but.. They should have a distinctive white cloak, with pins with this star symbol, and probably a pointy hat with a wing on it?”

She points to that weird shape in her eye-patch. Star shaped? Hm…

You kinda run your memory a bit. That does sound familiar. Oh crab, wait there’s no way!

❁ “… The phantom child?”

♯ “The phantom what?”

GAH!! What the!

Another strange lady. More musculur, about your height, cheerful expression on her face. Wearing a long sleeved crop top and jeans, hair in a ponytail, metal shoulderpad and legs. More of that ‘star’ shape on her outfit. Looks a little manic. Where did she even come from?!

♯ “Oh, Hi! Sorry! Names Re! You must be the one who needs help?”

♪ “Calm down Re. Well, since your here, why don’t you lead us to the last point you saw your sibling, and we can talk about this Phantom Child on the way?”

Sigh… Fair enough. You guess since you have info they need, you can believe this deal a bit more. You start leading them the way out of town.

❁ “Right, so it’s not much, but people round here sometimes talk about the so called ‘phantom child’. Stranger dressed in white, cloak and pointy hat, barely spoke a word, would vanish into the woods and never leave a trace. But that was about five-ish years back since the last appearance.”

♯ “That’s gotta be Fa! Means they at least made it here okay! Any idea what happened to them?”

❁ “Wait, question. Rumors say a kid. Why you tracking them?”

La looks off to the side for a bit.

♪ “...It’s complicated but. Short version is we didn’t have a way to get to Vaugarde till recently. We have to make sure their okay.”

Complicated huh? Uh huh. Yeah, you don’t buy it. A kid alone for five-ish years ain’t okay no matter what could have stopped them.

❁ “Well, anyways, nobody knows what happened to them. One day they just stopped showing up. Nobody ever found a trace.”

♯ “… Well, less info then I’d hoped, but least it’s something! Thanks!”

As you enter the woods, La suddenly moves faster then you can blink and a blast of craft fires into the trees!

♪ “Sadness down.”

♯ “Aw c'mon! Could have pointed them out to me!”

What?.. Sure enough, if you squint really hard, you can see a sadness dissolving. How the crab did she even see that? Also what the crab was that craft??

Yeah these people must be bounty hunters or SOMETHING. Keep your secrets close.

❁ “Huh. Okay… Anyways, just a few feet away.”

You lead them over to the spot. You remember this clearing pretty well, woke up in it just yesterday.

♯ “My turn!… Hm. Okay, focus on your sibling, and your desire to protect them. I’ll do the rest!”

You see her focusing. Eyes closed, breathing in. Looks completely different from her weirdly manic enthusiasm from before. You don’t know what she’s doing but. Fine. You just hope you don’t regret this later...

You picture Bonnie in your mind. Their cheerful smile, the food they’d make when you let them, the way they’d try and help people out… That scared face when you last saw them, as they were fleeing. Crab. You really, REALLY crabbing hope this works, or you’ll charge out after them anyways!

♯ “Got it! Let me get you a visual!”

The woman, Re? She places her hand down, eyes still closed. A misty trail filled with white lights flows out from her hand into the woods.

♯ “...Long distance, very far. Probs at LEAST a few towns away, hard to tell from here. But... Still healthy. No injuries. You can tell from the stars… Noting a few other scents joining their path, must have been a significant encounter. Friendly, so bet their protecting them...”

❁ “How the crab do you know that?”

♯ “Hehe. My little special trick! I just take that need to save them, and focus it into something that works! And because their safety is what’s important, things factoring into it show up more clearly… Wait. Hold on. One of those scents…”

Some thin streams of mist flow back down the trail towards the strange lady. She breathes in.

And then leaps up, hopping around like a child!

♯ “YESYESYES OH MY STARS!!!!”

♪ “What’s up?”

♯ “It’s Fa! They met Fa!”

What! Okay, that’s a hell of a coincidence… Suspicious.

♪ “Hm. Seems the Universe is on our side.”

‘La’ turns to you, oddly cheerful.

♪ “Looks like our goals align. Since we’re gonna be following this trail for our friend, want us to find your sibling too?”

...You don’t trust these people as far as you can throw them. Too crabbing strange. Goals are a bit too odd. Got secrets. And now Bonnie’s involved. They know about where they are now, so…

Crab, You can’t afford to let them out of your sight. Got no choice now.

❁ “Fine, but I’m comin with.”

La looks at you. Wait, is she suspect of you? That’s a new one, people tend not to care what you think.

She stares directly in your eyes and… Just for a second, you swear you feel something in the back of your mind. Like she’s staring through you…

She then smiles and chuckles a bit?

♪ “All right, fair enough. We’re staying in the Inn, Feel free to grab anything you need for the trip and meet us there. We’ll be with the rest of our group.”

That's it? Well, that makes things easy… But just adds to your suspicion. Even Re seems to raise an eyebrow at that… La is def hiding some bullcrab, if even her ‘friend’ is suspicious of her... You haven't forgotten how she came up to you unprompted.

The two head off into the woods. You suppose you’d better head back to your house. Grab your stuff… You’re def grabbing your hammer. Just in case. You know better then to trust them.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

You walk back with Re, and she waits till you're out of earshot of your new friend to berate you.

♯ “Did you REALLY just scan them? They looked like they're barely 20, and not even a fighter. What the stars are you worried about? pickpocketing?”

♪ “If they're coming with us, I’d best do my due diligence.”

♯ “Just seems excessive! Honestly, You even sure that’s a good idea? It’ll probs be dangerous, what with everything. Sadnesses everywhere, desperate people. Might be best they just wait-”

♪ “They don’t have any other family. Their alone.”

Re instantly stops. Her more childish demeanor drops, for just a second. A serious, pained look crosses over her. Memories of worse times... Before she goes back to her smiling, childish self.

♯ “Okaaaayyy Fine, You’ve convinced me! GUESS it’s better with us then. Least we can protect them!”

You smile. You can be the untrustworthy one to them, and Re can be the one they latch onto. You get it, she’s been wronged before…

...Dealing with parents like that, running from home… From that memory, their sibling was a toddler, but they couldn’t have been more then a little over ten or so. You bet it must have been hell to live like that… You understand that suspicion they had. You remember when you were young and alone like that. Lot of people are willing to wrong you when they think you're weak...

… Sigh. You need to get out of the habit of scanning people. You know you wished for it, when you swore your oath but. Ugh. You can’t help it. Still can’t feel safe around people without SOMETHING… Even if it’s intrusive as hell, you just can’t sit still till you do.

Nevermind. She’s safe, it’s fine. Time to join the others and catch them up.

>>>

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It’s about lunchtime when you walk into the Inn. You see La and Re with a few others at a table. Lotta weird characters there. Lady in an odd coat, one imposing guy, and a person with a guitar around your age.

Re waves you over, and pulls up a chair.

♯ “Hey there! Welcome, Let me introduce you to everyone!”

Fine. Better know all these people, since you're gonna be stuck with them for a bit. You head over, and hesitantly sit down.

♯ “Everyone meet… Oh Stars, never got your name!! I’m so sorry!!!”

❁ “You can call me Nille.”

♯ “Nille! Gotcha! Okay, so you already met me and La, But let me introduce you to the others.”

You nod. You're still nervous around these strangers, but you have your hammer in reach, so it’s fine. You don’t crabbing trust these people at all. ESPECIALLY with how friendly they’ve been. They’ve gotta have secrets.

Re points to the lady in the labcoat. Looks like she's a good bit older then you, but she's still only got an inch on you height wise. She's clearly pretty unathletic, but she looks smart. Has an odd bracer on, but her outfit is pretty simple otherwise. Long white coat, dark clothes underneath, a pair of glasses on her face, next to her hair pulled back in a braid. Otherwise normal looking. She seems casually serious, but otherwise oddly uncaring. Analytical.

♯ “First up is So, right there. She/they, Highly skilled scientist.”

𝄢 “Good to make your acquaintance.”

♯ “Also can shapeshift.”

Wait what- Hold on! Her face suddenly flickers! Strange horns appear on her head, her eyes turn catlike, her teeth jagged, as she suddenly turns to Re with an absolutely Livid expression!

𝄢 “I’m sorry, I thought that was SUPPOSED to be something we keep QUIET while in town!! Or can you not hold your blinding mouth shut for five seconds?”

♪ “You’ve done it multiple times in front of people already, it’s not exactly secret.”

𝄢 “I am FULLY aware, but I’d have LIKED to keep in the habit of at least TRYING to keep that hidden? Ugh.”

Their face swaps back to it’s old form, though the horns are still in place. Her rage seemingly gone in an instant.

𝄢 “My apologies for that outburst, Nille. It has been a stressful day.”

❁ “I. Okay. How?”

𝄢 “Unsure, still researching it myself. Natural ability, lest you wonder. I’d elaborate in further detail, but the others still need introductions. Ti?”

The towering man lifts their head. His eyes are covered by a strange helmet, and his body is cloaked in armored robes. He's built like a freaking wall. A single light-ish braid comes from his helmet, otherwise obscuring any detail of their face other then his mouth. He feels like he towers over the table, as he speaks in a calm way that does not show his emotions.

𝄡 “I am Ti. If you need help, talk to me.”

♯ “Ti might not look it, but he's our local craft master! He also looks a bit scary, but he’s just really shy.”

Ti simply looks silently, and then nods his head…. You have a hard time believing that shy part. This man looks like he could crush a sadness with his bare hands.

𝄡 “Sorry if I don’t talk much.”

...Nevermind, his voice was oddly gentle? And a little nervous? Okay there might be something to it. Maybe.

𝄡 “...Mi?”

The person with the guitar suddenly perks up! They stop playing their music, which was frankly really nice, though it was an odd looking guitar. Never seen one with mechanical bits before.

They are a bit shorter then you, and also not very athletic. They look mostly normal, just wearing a kinda fancy hoodie, but now that you take a closer look at them, you do notice an odd moth-like antennae coming out of their short, near lightless hair.

♫ “Oh! Um. Hi. I’m… I’m Mi. pleasenojokesaboutthat. A-Anyways um! I. I know lots of music. And also some craft music! Uh. Oh, um, they/them! Should have led with that. I also know how to cook! Same as Ti actually!”

♯ “Good thing too, because the rest of us are utterly helpless at it.”

Well, thank change for that. You aren’t much of a cook either, try as you might.

Guess you now know all of them. Re seems alright, from what you’ve seen, if weird. You don’t like La, they're hiding something, watching every move. From what little you’ve gotten, So seems calm, but might have an irritable side. Ti might be nice, but they're still kinda scary. And Mi… They seem nice. You like them so far.

Still don’t crabbing trust any of them though. Even people who should be nice can hurt… Anyways they're strangers, so best keep your guard up.

❁ “Well, nice to meet you all, I guess. So. When we heading out?”

𝄢 “After food. A good meal would be wise before the road.”

❁ “Won’t argue on that. Who’s paying?”

𝄢 “I will. My… Upbringing means I’m well funded. So feel free to order whatever you want.”

Really? Huh. They don't look Vaugardian, you've never heard of them, but still wealthy? Hm.

♯ “Maybe you could give suggestions? I don’t know Vaugardian food very well.”

Perfect time to ask, you need information on these people ASAP. They all know each other, and you don’t know anything about them.

❁ “Actually, I was gonna ask, where are you from? Clearly not from around here.”

They all sort of look between each other for a second, before Re just sighs and pulls something out of her pocket.

♯ “Here, put some craft in this first. Just so you don’t get a headache!”

❁ “… Not sure I trust that.”

♪ “Fine, We’re from ______”

GAH!!!! Your head feels like it’s gonna split open!!! CRAB CRAB CRAB!!!!!

Crabbing, Crab, Crab okay take a second, crabbing OW, what the Crab did that Crab La do?!?

… Okay. It doesn’t hurt as much now… What the actual bullcrab was THAT???

♯ “Geez La! That was uncalled for!”

♪ “Well now they know you weren’t lying.”

… Ugh… Guess so. You just... grab the crabbing paper. Got a weird symbol on it. Crab it. You put a little craft into it. You feel something weird in your head, but not nearly as bad as last time.

❁ “Alright, you better crabbing explain. Now.”

♯ “We’re from that Island up north. Before uh. Everyone forgot it.”

Wait… WHAT?!?!

♯ “Yeah, took Ti an AGE to come up with that little symbol. But hey, Now you'er Headache proof! At least for island stuff, it doesn’t protect from normal headaches, I tried!”

♪ “The force that made people forget? Keeps people in just as well as it keeps people out. It’s why it took so long to come for Fa. Know you were wondering about that.”

❁ “I… What happened? How-”

𝄢 “The short version is something cataclysmic happened, and several came together to seal the island off. I’d go into detail, but You’re better off without nightmares.”

You… guess you won’t ask right now. But you are GONNA ask later. Crab. CRAB What the crab have you gotten wrapped up in?

♫ “Um. Maybe you should get some food first! Should be nicer that way! Sorry if this seems a bit much.”

You nod. They can say THAT again. Ugh, and you are gonna be with these people for at least a few days. No idea how long it’ll be till you find Bonnie.

You mutter a quick prayer to the change god to maybe just MAYBE get an idea for where they are.

You order food, grabbing some nice clam chowder. You help Re find something, they settle on fried fish. When food comes onto the table, you just start chowing down. Didn’t have much to eat yesterday.

Suddenly, Re jumps up, and pulls something shaking in their pocket?! Another weird metal thing, like the one La used that one time?

♯ “Holy STARS guys, guess what? Fa just pulled up the console!”

All of them Practically jump out of their seats! So’s entire face shifts to excitement, as do the others, but less literally!

♫ “Call them call them call them!!!”

♯ “On it, Oh Universe PLEASE let them answer!! Please let it actually be them!!!”

The thing makes a ringing sound for a bit…

If… If Re was right then… Then this Fa character might be with Bonnie. If they answer. Then...

It rings… And then… On the things front, a face appears, looking back at you all.

✦ “H-Hello? W-who is this?”

✿ “Wait, is that Nille?!”

Bonnie?!?f

[jacewilliams1]

Ten things I know about flying in Massachusetts

If you have an airplane, Massachusetts is a tiny little state. Depending on what you’re flying, it’ll take less than 90 minutes to fly the 164 nm between Nantucket (ACK) and North Adams (AQW) – the longest intra-state flight. That’s what it seems to take some nights driving home from downtown Boston.

It’s New England so we get our share of weather from snow to thunderstorms, but things tend to blow through quickly and the vast majority of the 60+ days I flew here last year were VMC. If I had to pick one season as my favorite, I would definitely select fall. Other than occasional frost on the wings in the early morning, conditions are generally perfect for flying. And watching the foliage change from the air is a sight to see. Here are 10 other things to do while flying in my adopted state of Massachusetts.

1. Cape Cod

Starting from anywhere in the Boston area, head out over Provincetown, then down along the eastern shoreline to take in spectacular views of Cape Cod – a uniquely shaped sand bar that is visible from space and instantly recognizable on any map. You’ll see Cape Cod Bay, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and the Cape Cod Canal. Seals sunning on the beach are a common sight and you might even find a whale or two in the open water (look for the whale watching boats).

Be aware that most of Cape Cod appears on the charts with blue dots designating it as a wildlife/wilderness/National Park area so – per the FAA’s AIM – pilots are requested to fly at least 2,000 feet overhead. Along the way, stop for a meal at ACK, MVY, or Chatham (CQX). If you have more time, land at the New Bedford Airport (EWB) and head over to the New England Whaling Museum (less than 5 miles from the airport). Afterwards, catch a meal at the Moby Dick Brewing Company (located at the museum).

2. Katama Airpark on MVY

Katama Airpark is a throwback.

A visit to Katama Airpark (1B2) should be on every pilot’s bucket list. This airport on the eastern edge of Martha’s Vineyard is a throwback to an earlier era with three excellent turf runways, one 3,700 feet long. There is a small breakfast/lunch cafe on the field (but no fuel). One of the best parts is that the airport has a second parking area right next to the shoreline so you can taxi out, hit the beach, and then fly home. Located just outside the MVY Class D airspace, be on the lookout for scenic flights along the shoreline. There is a $10 landing fee plus $15 to park at the beach. For an unforgettable day, combine this with the Cape Cod scenic route.

3. City tour

While not quite the VFR Corridor next to New York City, Boston Approach will allow a scenic flight that takes you over the Charles River at 1,500 feet and affords amazing views of downtown, the Prudential Center, Fenway Park, MIT, Cambridge, and Harvard. Known to ATC as “The City Tour,” this will only be approved if Boston Logan (BOS) is landing north/south, but you’ll likely have the airspace to yourself and won’t have to keep your head on a swivel like the NYC VFR corridor.

The protocol is to contact Boston Approach (124.4) outside the Class Bravo in the vicinity of the Intersection of Rt 128 (I-95) and the Mass Pike with “Request transit Class Bravo for City Tour, Charles River to Back Bay, then return westbound.” You then follow the Charles River/Pike eastbound until you get to the Charles River basin. You might be instructed to cut things short and make a 180-degree turn at the BU or Mass Ave Bridges so it’s critical to be able to recognize landmarks. For first timers, this is best done with someone who has local knowledge.

4. Military activity

Massachusetts lost many military facilities during the base closing exercise but still has several reserve units. Westover Airport (CEF) is home to the Westover Air Reserve Base while Barnes Airport (BAF), just eight miles to the west, hosts the Massachusetts Air National Guard.

Both Barnes and Westover are now mixed uses. Although there are no guarantees, I frequently see F-15s at Barnes when eating at SOK’S Runway Cafe, which overlooks the field. And on a recent visit to Westover, I witnessed the amazing sight of a C-5B Galaxy transport doing touch and gos on the 10,000+ foot runway.

5. Curious Navaids

Back in the day, some FAA planner must have been a Three Stooges fan as my home airport of Norwood (OWD) has both STOGE and CURLI intersections (I am not sure what happened to Shemp or Moe). The Cape has a Marconi VOR (LFV) named for Guglielmo Marconi and placed near the site of the first transcontinental radio communication between America and Europe in 1903. Of course, there are departures from Boston Logan that feature waypoints named for all five of our sports teams – BRUWN, CELTK, SSOXS, PATSS, and REVSS. And I just love hearing a controller with a strong Boston Accent clear someone direct to the nearby MNSTA or LBSTA waypoints.

6. Boston Logan (BOS)

Logan Airport packs a lot of runway into a tight spot.

I’ve flown into Logan dozen of times on Angel Flights. The controllers are very helpful and accommodating, but it’s busy airspace so you need to be on your game. Expect to be asked to keep your speed up until five miles out. If the weather allows visual approaches, they may be landing on parallel runways. Be aware that, due to the proximity of the runways, you must confirm that you see traffic landing on the parallel and acknowledge that you will maintain visual separation. The fees are quite high so best to do on a charity flight, which gets the fees waived. Like all busy airports, study the diagram to identify the Signature’s FBO location before you land and switch over to ground immediately after being instructed by the tower.

7. Shortest runway of any Class B airport

Boston has two sets of parallel runways. The 4/22 runways (R & L) are used the vast majority of the time due to the prevailing north/south winds – and even if there is a slight crosswind. But when the wind blows strong east/west, they start landing the big boys on the 10,083-foot 15R/33L. And for the rest of us, we’re assigned the 2,557 foot 15L/33R. Used strictly for visual approaches by smaller aircraft (with instructions to jog out the approach so you won’t overfly planes departing on runway 27,) the length might scare you off but since 15/33 is only used when the winds are strong you should have no trouble sticking it!

In preparing this writeup, I studied the taxi diagrams for all 37 Class B airports and the only other Class B runway shorter than 5,000 feet is Salt Lake City’s (SLC) runway 14/32 at 4,893.

8. Restricted airspace

The good news is that – other than Boston’s Class Bravo – there simply isn’t much! Just to the west of Boston is a tiny area that is primarily active on Saturdays for weekend activity of the Massachusetts National Guard. To the east of Boston on Cape Cod is the Otis Air National Guard base with a small area that is restricted seven days a week. Enclosed within that airspace is the Pave Paws Radar – a Cold War-era early detection system where flight below 4,500 feet is not permitted even if the area is cold. And although it is not restricted airspace, to the south of Marth’s Vineyard is the appropriately named Nomans Land, an island that was used by the US Navy from 1943 to 1996 for aerial target practice. After a cleanup in 1998, the island was turned over to the US Fish & Wildlife Department as a wildlife refuge but access to the island is still prohibited – after 43 years of bombing practice, there’s sure to be ordinance left behind, although the birds don’t seem to mind at all.

9. Airport restaurants

On-field restaurants come and go. In preparing this write-up, I verified that the following is accurate as of November 2019 and even found several restaurants that I did not know about so I have a few more destinations for my $100 hamburgers. (B=breakfast, L=Lunch, and D=Dinner). All are open 7 days a week except where noted.

Barnes – BAF (LD x 5, B x 1)

Chatham – CQX (BL x 5)

Hopedale – 1B6 (LD)

Katama – 1B2 (BL-Seasonal)

Lawrence – LWM (BL)

Mansfield 1B9 – (BL)

Martha’s Vineyard – MVY (BLD)

Nantucket – ACK (BLD)

New Bedford – EWB (LD)

Norwood – OWD – (LD x 6)

Orange – ORE (BL x 6)

Plymouth – PYM (BL)

Southbridge – 3B0 – (BL x 3, BLD x 2)

Stow / Minute Man – 6B6 (BL x 3, BLD x 2)

Marlboro is gone, but not forgotten.

10. Marlboro Airport (9B1)

An oldies DJ used to say, “Gone from the charts but not from our hearts, let’s hear it for the platters that matter.” I could say the same thing about the recently closed Marlboro Airport which – until last year – was the oldest continually operated airport in Massachusetts (opening one year before Boston Logan). When I evaluated where to begin my pilot training in 1988, the two closest options were the super-busy Hanscom Field in Bedford (BED) or little ole’ Marlboro. And I do mean little as the uncontrolled field had a single runway just 1,659 feet long. Not only that, but one runway had the proverbial 80-foot tree off the end while the other had a 4-foot chain link fence next to a busy road (look out for the passing box truck). What my training lacked in radio communications, it more than compensated with short field technique, as every flight required you to nail either the climbout or the approach in order to miss that tree (there were actually two large trees and you aimed for the V in between).

I eventually got my private pilot license flying out of Marlboro but soon went into a partnership at another airport and only came back once, many years later, to prove that I still had “what it takes” to get into a 1,659-foot field. But over the years, fewer and fewer people followed my path to Marlboro for flying lessons and once the flight school closed the die was cast. Like the family ski area, the economics no longer seems to work for sleepy little airports but while Marlboro will soon be marked with an X on the charts, it will always have a place in my heart.

This is another entry in our “What I know about flying in…” series. If you’d like to write about your home state or country, email us: editor@airfactsjournal.com

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from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2019/11/ten-things-i-know-about-flying-in-massachusetts/