Up, Up, and Away!

What's better than a carriage tour of Charleston, SC? 

Downtown Charleston

How about a flying tour of Charleston, SC?

I received a gift certificate to go flying from my brother a couple of months ago to take a flying tour over Charleston.  I just redeemed the coupon last Thursday and took a flight over Charleston.  My brother didn't want to go up, so I took a friend. You can see some of his photos from the flight at Chuckography.

Chuck and Me

The flight was operated by Flying High Over Charleston. The plane was a Cessna 172, a four seat, high wing single engine aircraft. We taxied from the executive side of the Charleston International Airport taking off on runway 33. 
 
The skies were clear, with only a few clouds, it was slightly breezy and a comfortable 82 degrees. Great weather for flying, even better for photographs!

Arthur Ravenel Bridge

 

Riverdogs Stadium

The flight lasted about 70 minutes total.  In that time, we flew over downtown Charleston, along the Arthur Ravenel bridge, across Ft. Sumter, and along the beaches from Dunes West down to Kiawah.

Our cruising altitude was around 1200 feet and we sped along at about 96 knots or 110 mph.  It definitely didn't seem that fast from our perspective.

We finally headed back to Charleston International Airport and our pilot brought us down for a very smooth landing.

Four Corners of Law

Seeing Charleston from the air was an excellent experience.  I would recommend this flight to anyone if you ever get the chance.  If you do, send me a message and let me know how it was.

 

Ft. Sumter