You’d be wise to watch out for air traffic. Really. I mean, you’re talking about the busiest airspace in the world, and it may be a big sky, but it’s not THAT big.

No shit, there i was, deftly piloting a small aircraft down the Hudson at midnight on a mission to buzz Lady Liberty. I swear we made the night watchman spill his coffee on the flyby. And to think my Dad used to give me shit about ‘wasting’ money playing Afterburner.

NYC really is quite breathtaking to see at night from 1500 ft, especailly in a small cessna where one can take their time and actually take an extrended gander at the glittey brilliance beneath. We tried to make a full circle around Manhattan but La Guardia ATC wasn’t having it, so twice around The Statue and back up the Hudson we flew.

And yes, i really did fly the plane for 95% of the trip. I even managed not to hit any mountains on the way home, thus avoiding the need for cannibalism.