October 9-10, 2026 - Maine Foliage Flight
Sky Acres to Essex Skypark

Usually, when leaving Sky Acres or coming down from Maine, I go high and fly back to Maryland on the west side of New York and Philadelphia.  But it's boring.  And airliners pass in front of you inbound to NYC or Philly which I don't enjoy.

So this time I elected to just reverse my flight up yesterday and fly down the Hudson River corridor and Jersey Shore again.  I was not bored!

Here I'm passing some big facility up in the mountains, east of West Point.
   
Back on the Hudson River heading south.
   
There's the TappanZee bridge again.
   
Then the George Washington Bridge.
   
I had an issue with my camera yesterday going northbound.  I did better today going southbound.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
Nice shot of Midtown Manhattan skyline.
   
 
   
 
   
Looking back at Midtown Manhattan.
   
Now looking at Lower Manhattan.
   
 
   
Glancing over at Bayonne, New Jersey.
   
There's Coney Island!
   
Over the Lower Bay.
   
Approaching Sandy Hook.
   
Some fabulous mansions on the Jersey Shore.
   
I cross over to the inner bay for a change of scenery.
   
 
   
I turn southwest near Ocean County Airport and head out over the Pine Barrens.
   
Woods as far as the eye can see.  In New Jersey!
   
Coyle Field sits out in the middle of the Pine Barrens.  It is private.  I believe it is used for aerial firefighting operations.
   
Nothing but trees to the southwest too.
   
Before landing at Essex Skypark, I decided to check out the progress, or lack of it, on the Key Bridge rebuild.    Here I approach Sparrows Point.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
That's a lot of cars down there.
   
I see no progress whatsoever.  After two and a half years since the bridge went down.
   

I believe they are building a $1.2 billion Sparrows Point Container Terminal in this area called Coke Point. It will handle shipping containers and is being developed by Tradepoint Atlantic and Terminal Investment Limited.

The terminal is expected to add substantial cargo capacity to the Port of Baltimore, with completion targeted around 2028–2030.
   
There is a shortage of shipyards in the U.S.  I've thought for a while now that they should build one here, where Bethlehem Steel once built ships on a huge scale.   The old graving dock still exists at lower left.
 
They listened to me!  On October 6, it was announced that Anduril Industries plans to invest $3.7 billion to build a new advanced shipbuilding facility called Arsenal-2 at Sparrows Point.  Its purpose is to expand America's submarine industrial base, particularly production supporting the U.S. Navy's Virginia-class nuclear submarines.   They will use a different approach:  advanced manufacturing and software-driven production rather than the traditional commercial shipyard of the Bethlehem era.
 
The initial mission is to manufacture critical components such as torpedo tubes and large submarine assemblies for the Navy's Virginia-class attack submarines. Those components will go to the two principal submarine builders for final assembly.
 
Anduril Industries is a relatively young defense technology company known for autonomous aircraft, underwater vehicles, surveillance systems and other military technology. This project represents a major expansion into heavy industrial manufacturing for submarines.
   
Overhead Essex Skypark where the colors have not yet turned.
   
 
   
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