We planned the Mackinac Island fly-out for a full year. Twelve members signed up. Reservations at the hotel that doesn't allow cars on the island. Perfect August weekend on paper.
Day one: IFR from Indiana to Michigan, all day. Nobody flew.
Day two: Two aircraft came out of their respective squawk lists. We were down to five aircraft and seven pilots. Three people had to drive home. The remaining seven agreed to try again the next morning.
Day three: Clear, calm, 15-mile visibility. We flew.
What Mackinac Looks Like From the Air
The approach to KMCD on a clear morning is one of those arrival moments you don't forget. The island sits in the Straits of Mackinac, surrounded by water on every side, with the Mackinac Bridge visible to the west and the Grand Hotel's porch — the longest in the world — visible from final.
We landed at 8:15am. We were the only aircraft on the field. The lineman looked up from whatever he was doing, ambled over, and said "you guys want fuel?" like it was entirely normal for five airplanes to arrive simultaneously at a remote island airport.
We rented bikes. We ate fudge. We flew home at sunset over water that looked like glass.
The seven of us who made it have talked about doing it again next year. The five who stayed home have already signed up.
3 Comments
This is exactly why I joined a club instead of renting. The numbers worked on paper but the community is what actually keeps me flying.
Shared this with our club WhatsApp. We've been arguing about dues structure for months. This is the clearest explanation I've seen.
Nine years in flying clubs. Can confirm: the engine reserve is sacred. We learned that the hard way before we learned it the right way.