Brevard Post No. 6 Flight over the Blue Ridge Parkway and Brevard

A dream fulfilled!  And totally unexpected.  I had always wanted to see my favorite section of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and hope to get it flying out of Asheville, but up to this trip, no luck.  Then as I was driving back to Don's Cascade Lake house for the evening, I passed a sign that said "Transylvania Airport"  and I turned in.  A very small field, with a few private planes, parked.  I walked into the office, pretty much a double-wide trailor, and met a remarkable gentlemen who agreed to fly me over the parkway if I could be ready at short notice, given Brevard's rainstorms, high winds, etc. 
We flew up on a crystal-clear day, and the plane had a bubble canopy, not unlike fighters from WW2(in fact the plane was made by a company that made trainers for the Air Force).
The trip was just about perfect.  I would like to have gotten a picture of Whitewater Falls, but was unclear where it was from the air (I confused Table Rock with Cesar's Head).
But here are the results.

Flying north towards Asheville, and the is Mount Pisgah, just on the other side of the Pisgah Inn.
One of the great hikes on the Blue Ridge Parkway, steep, but one of the best views ever.  

Now flying south, approaching the Pisgah Inn, and with Looking Glass Rock in the distance.  There are nine tunnels between Asheville, and the Inn. The photo of the Inn is the last photo in the series (out of order because of downloading problems)

Pounding Mill Overlook, very special because this is where Don, Bruce, Barbara and I
released the ashes of Dad, and at a later date, Mom.

A spectacular view of Looking Glass Rock.  Another great hike.  Leaving from the fish hatchery, the ascent is about 3 hours, and again the results are a fantastic vista, and if you are afraid of heights, a downward view of probably 500 feet of rock face curving away from you and down.

A view of the rock face of Looking Glass, thanks to a very cooperative pilot.

And a distinctly different view of Devil's Courthouse than the one I have taken all these years (from the parking lot in the distance.

Devil's Courthouse, and looking over towards the twin peaks of Sam's Knob.
Pam Dixon and I hiked to the top of one peak, and lighting hit the other peak 100 yards away!  That was the fastest descent ever.  Any plans I had for making time with Pam evaporated!
The other Sam's Knob memory is hiking up with a group including Don MacLeod, being the first to reach the top of the first peak, and seeing the other peak covered with White Tail Dear, shouted down to the group, "Hey! Deer!" and of course by the time the rest got to the top, the deer had high-tailed it.  I thought Don was going to throw me off the mountain.

Table Rock

Coming in from the South over Brevard.  Looking Glass is in the distance to the right.

Downtown

The courthouse is at 4 O'clock at the square.  My one memory of the courthouse is facing the music after rolling the Hudson Hornet over, and when the Sheriff charged me with driving on the wrong side of the road, I retorted, "Well, I wasn't in control at that moment" and he leaped up and grabbed a bible, thrust it at me and said "Time to take an oath, boy?", and I didn't argue any further.  Dad put 100,000 miles on that car without a scratch, and I rolled it, and Don side-swiped it.
This is also the car that I spent several hours on a Friday afternoon, washing it and  polishing it for a date and meanwhile Don went if and asked if HE could use it that night.  Dad gave him the car for the evening, and said, "Doug, you are a dern fool, for going to all that trouble without asking me if you could have it!"  Ah, bitter memories.

Here is the plane.  Very, very cool.

And here is that picture of the Pisgah Inn, out of sequence.