紐約私人機場飛行記

全美國大約有20000個小機場，其中將近15000個為私人所有，它們在航空地圖上都以P字母標注，非許可外人免進。然而，實際上絕大部分的私人機場并沒有聽起來那么神秘莫測、高不可攀。這次來到私人自建的F機場，是受到了Tim先生的邀請。

機場是個“大玩具”

到了機場，我們在跑道邊的小餐廳見面，只點了簡單的咖啡和“100美元的漢堡包”。“100美元的漢堡包”是飛行界半開玩笑的行話，特指小機場餐廳里的簡餐。漢堡包本身雖然不貴，但算上機主自己飛過來的飛機與油耗成本，一個漢堡包平均下來至少得花上100美元的高價了。

到機場后不久，M先生被引薦給我們，原來他就是這片具有硬面跑道與草坪跑道的機場主人，同時也是個積極的航展特技飛行員、古董飛機收藏家。M先生的金發(fā)修剪得極短，頗具軍人風采，藍眼睛炯炯有神。

“他可是航空界的名人吶。”Tim拍拍M先生的肩膀，轉(zhuǎn)而對我們說，“你們待會兒可要好好看看他的收藏。”

“擁有自己機場的話，投資收得回來嗎？要多久？”做商法的我和做金融的R先生都忍不住職業(yè)病地發(fā)問。

“老實說，不賺錢。維護一次跑道的費用就得以百萬美金為單位啊。”M先生搖搖頭，又笑了，“不過當錢對你來說不那么重要的時候，有個大玩具也不壞。”

“那收藏古董飛機呢？聽說你收藏了不少二戰(zhàn)時候的珍稀型號呢。”

“我的warbirds（戰(zhàn)斗鳥類，此處為飛行行話，指戰(zhàn)斗機）倒是挺爭氣的。”M先生朝身邊的朋友笑笑—后來我才知道他們都是飛行員兼認證航空機械師—“我們自己負責所有的修理維護工作，雖然很花時間，但是樂在其中，所以并無金錢上的持有成本。加上這幾年市場也爭氣，我的飛機從來沒有貶值過。雖然我并不打算賣掉它們。”

M先生和Tim交換了眼神，說道：“不如，來看看我的收藏吧！你們把飛機放在這里，搭我們的飛機飛過去。”

“飛過去？去哪里？”我不禁在心中疑惑了一下。

等到了空中才發(fā)現(xiàn)這里并不只是個一般意義上的小機場，而是一整片相當廣闊的私人土地。在我們降落的普通硬面跑道數(shù)里之外，還有一條美麗的草皮軟跑道，跑道旁坐落著一片機庫和幾棟簡樸可愛的小房子—那里是M先生與他家人居住的地方。很多靠近居民區(qū)的小機場都有相關(guān)的嚴格的噪音管理條例，一般人選居住地點也會盡量遠離機場以求清靜。然而對于飛行愛好者而言，飛機引擎的動人轟鳴聲完全不遜于大都會歌劇院（MET）首席女高音的婉轉(zhuǎn)歌喉，選擇居所當然是離跑道越近越好。我甚至可以想象在清晨的陽光里，他驕傲的母親和妻子是如何微笑著站在窗邊，目送著這位心中充滿激情的可愛大孩子飛入云霄。

我先搭乘Tim的飛機前往機庫。這是一架自己裝配的兩座全仿古雙座小飛機，高翼，半封閉式機艙，非常老式的線纜傳動（cable drive），木質(zhì)螺旋槳，飛行術(shù)語上稱為Home-Built，只要滿足FAA的安全標準，就可以自由上天飛行。由于擁有相當大的組合自由與滿足自己的裝配樂趣，這一形式在具有機械知識和動手熱情的飛行員中十分受歡迎。

收藏機庫在數(shù)里外的草坪跑道旁邊。我們稍微繞行了一下，Tim先生為我們展示了機場后方美麗的大片冰湖—只可惜春來回暖，冰層太薄，已經(jīng)不能在湖面上降落了—“要是早來兩個星期，這里還凍得嚴嚴實實的，我們就可以在冰面上停下來玩一會兒啦。”Tim先生降低了高度，以接近降落的距離飛掠過冰面，半是驕傲，半是遺憾地說道。

在空中得以縱觀全貌，我才注意到來時不曾留意的周邊地形。這里有群山，有大湖，有草坪，有樹林，是個完美的荒野飛行（backcountry flying） 練習場。與都市周邊的周末飛行大不相同，荒野飛行直接傳承自早期探險浪漫飛行時代的古老血脈。“To boldly go where no man has gone before.（勇踏前人未至之境）”我不禁在心中復(fù)誦起這句當年點燃我飛行理想的名句。

飛機收藏家

“你真應(yīng)該建個博物館啊！”我們在綠草的跑道上降落，轉(zhuǎn)而步入M先生的機庫。一進門我就不禁感嘆起來。

這是一片占地數(shù)十畝的大型機庫群，依坡而建，并利用坡度自然地把機庫分為地上和地下兩層，有視功能需要而特殊設(shè)計的挑高大機庫和收藏小飛機的（相對）袖珍倉，連環(huán)相通，柳暗花明。其收藏對象以二戰(zhàn)和現(xiàn)役軍機為主，范圍涵蓋空海軍專用戰(zhàn)斗機型和直升機型。另外也有供主人飛行特技的雙座哈士奇和復(fù)古雙翼單座小飛機，以及適合商務(wù)或家庭出行的豪華多座現(xiàn)代噴氣機。

我曾經(jīng)去過的華盛頓NASA國家航天航空博物館，然而如果要親眼看到，親手觸摸，甚至可以親身乘坐到如此之多維護得極好，且尚在飛行服役期的古董飛機們，華盛頓的公眾博物館可不及這個幽居野外的私人收藏庫。

在這片連環(huán)大機庫的地下，M先生還得意地向我們展示了一條橫穿跑道正下方，通往自己住處的水泥密道。

最后我們來到最大的機庫，這里是工作間。M先生與他的機械師朋友正在機頭部位忙碌著。“這架飛機你一定認識。”R先生回頭對我笑笑。

我當然認識。這可是傳奇的“Crazy Hourse （野馬）”式單座戰(zhàn)斗機，P-51D。二戰(zhàn)時期美軍援華的機型之一。在那個硝煙動蕩的年代，它見證了多少英年犧牲的無畏靈魂，又見證了多少得到拯救的無辜百姓。

此時，這架傳奇的美麗造物正靜靜地休憩在我面前。我爬上工作梯，機頭的引擎蓋打開了。出于安全以及性能因素的考慮，原本屬于這架飛機，也被廣泛使用于二戰(zhàn)戰(zhàn)斗機的Allison V-1710老式引擎已經(jīng)被小心地替換掉。取而代之的是一臺嶄新的勞斯萊斯隼式（Merlin），PKRD-ROLL V1650引擎，馬力高達1490匹。如此恢弘的動力源，足夠保證這架略顯巨大的舊式飛機在世界各大航展上勝任各種復(fù)雜操作的特技飛行。所有的零部件都被仔細地修繕清理，翻新上油，和任何一件被妥善愛護的珍貴藝術(shù)品一樣，這位近70歲“高齡“的戰(zhàn)斗淑女正驕傲地閃爍著金屬的冷光，‘她’在M先生的手下重煥了青春。

要知道，全美境內(nèi)，還有資格飛這架飛機的飛行員不會超過150個。“而你不僅能開，還會修。太了不起啦！” 我情不自禁地感嘆道。

M先生十分謙遜地忽視了我的盛贊，眨眨眼，“還有時間，我們再去飛一圈。”“這次我可以跟你飛嗎？”我不失時機地要求道。“咱們飛飛特技。”

“我一般不帶人飛特技，怕嚇到他們。”M先生揚揚下巴，“不過你是飛行員，我想沒問題的。對嗎？”“非常榮幸。”我微笑著回答。

There are around 20，000 small airports in the United States， 15，000 of them are privately owned. Marked as “P” on aviation maps， these airports are inaccessible to outsiders. But at closer look， most of them are not as mystic as it is perceived. At the invitation of Tim， I got this opportunity to visit F， a private airport in New York.

A “big toy”

Tim greeted Mr. R and me at a diner by the runway and ordered us coffee and Hundred-Dollar Hamburgers. “Hundred-Dollar Hamburger\" is a phrase jokingly used by pilots for eating at airport restaurants. The hamburger itself is not expensive， but when you add up the cost of flying there， each hamburger costs at least a hundred dollars.

Shortly after， I was introduced to Mr. M， the owner of the airport. A short-cut blond with bright blue eyes， M is also an active air show performer and an antique aircraft collector.

“He is an aviation celebrity”， Tim patted M on the shoulder and turned to us， “you got to see his collections.”

“Can you get your investment back from the airport， how long does it takes？” R and me asked out of professional curiosity， as R works in finance and me in business law.

“Frankly， it is not making me money. It cost over a million to just maintain the runways.” M shook his head， then laughed， “But it is not bad to have a big toy， when money means not so much to you”

“What about your collections？ I was told you collected quite a few rare WWII aircraft.”

“My warbirds are paying off”. M beamed to his friend， who I later learned is also a pilot and certified aircraft technician like M. “We take care of all repairs and maintenance， which takes time， but we enjoyed it. So there is no maintenance cost， and with a booming market， my planes never depreciated， though I don’t plan to sell them.

M exchanged a look with Tim， “Come on， let me show you my collections！ You can park here， I will fly you there.”

“Fly？ Where？” I could not help wondering.

Seeing from the sky， the airport is part of an expansive piece of private land. Miles away from the hard surface runway we landed on is a grass runway， and by its side， a row of hangars and several houses， where M and his family live. Many private airports implement strict rules on noise， and surrounding residents would live far way from airports. But for lovers of flying， the humming of aircraft engines is as beautiful as the singing of a soprano at Metropolitan Opera House. I could picture in my mind how every sunny morning， his mother and wife would stand by the window and proudly saw their beloved one soaring into the sky. Tim flied me to the hanger on a vintage double seat plane assembled by himself. High wing， cable drive， with wood propeller， “home-built “ planes are popular among pilots with engineering know-how and a passion for DIY assembly. Home-built planes can fly if it meets FAA safety standards.

The hangars housing his collections are miles away from the grass runway. Tim took a detour to show me the beautiful frozen lake behind the airport. “If you were here two weeks earlier， we could have landed on the ice，” he explained with pride as he glides off the surface of the lake.

From this height， I got to see the topography surrounding the airport. The mountains， lake， grasslands， and woods make this area a perfect backcountry flying field. Unlike weekend flying on the suburbs of metropolis， backcountry flying inherits its spirit from the early pioneering aviators. I was reminded of the quote that ignited my flying dreams， “To boldly go where no man has gone before”.

Aircraft Collector

“You should build a museum”， I acclaimed the moment I entered the hangar at the far end of the grass runway.

In front my eyes are a cluster of hangars covering nearly a hectare. Built alongside the hill， each hangar falls naturally into a surface and an underground floor. High rising hangars and small warehouses connect with each other to house big and small aircraft alike. M mainly collects WWII fighters and military aircraft in service， including marine fighters and helicopters， alongside which are his two-seater Husky for acrobatic flying， a vintage double-wing single-seat airplane， and several luxury modern business jets for business and leisure travel.

I have been to the NASA Museum in Washington， but in terms of personally touching and experiencing these well maintained antique planes that are still in operation mode， the public museum is a far cry from what you can enjoy here.

Underground， M proudly pointed to a secret passageway leading from his house to the hangar along the runway.

We concluded our tour at the biggest hangar where M and his technician friend were busy working on the cockpit. “You must know this one”， R turned back and challenged me.

Of course I do. What R pointed to is the legendary single seat P-51 D Crazy Hours ， the aircraft that US air force flew to assist China during WWII. In those turbulent warring years， it must have witnessed the sacrifice of so many brave young souls and the salvation of so many innocent civilians.

And now， this beautiful creature resides silently in front me. I climbed up to the cockpit. The engine case was open， and the original Allison V-1710 inside was replaced by a more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin V1650 for high safety and better performance. The 1490 hour-power Merlin enables this aged aircraft to perform any acrobatic moves at air shows. Its components are carefully repaired， renovated and oiled like preserved pieces of artwork. Under M’s caring hands， this 70-year-old fighting lady was fully revitalized， emanating a cold metal shine.

Knowing that there are no more than 150 pilots in the country who can fly this aircraft， I could not help but exclaiming， “You knows not only how to fly it， but also how to repair it. That’s brilliant.”

M humbly ignored my compliments and blinked， ”we still got time， let’s go for another round.” “Can I fly with you this time，” I immediately seized the opportunity， “for acrobatic flying？” “Normally I don’t take passengers，” M replied with his lips curved， “but you are a pilot， I guess you will be fine， right？” “It is my honor”， I smiled back.