Aviation Stories - Paul Pakusch VIDEOTAPE AND NIAGARA FALLS Since I started flying in 1990, I had never seen a videotape of my landings. My friend, Al, agreed to do some videotaping. My friend, David, another pilot, wanted to go along, too, to fly his club's plane for videotaping purposes. We agreed to meet at Ledgedale Airport where his plane was based. Al would fly with me from Rochester to Ledgedale. The morning of the shoot, David showed up at Rochester and asked if he could bum a ride with me to Ledgedale. Al had two videocameras with him. One was a High-8 mm and the other was a digital video camera. We taxied out to runway 28 and took off. Both Al and David were using a camera at this point. After landing at Ledgedale, David began pre-flighting his plane while I helped Al find a good position for shooting our touch and goes. After engine starts, David and I taxied one behind the other and took off. We spaced ourselves apart in the pattern for Al to videotape multiple takeoffs and landings. The scattered clouds were just right for some great background footage. It was an interesting experience. It was Al's first time videotaping airplanes and, after watching the tape later, he learned some tips on how to improve. As for me, all I can say is if you've never watched a videotape of yourself landing, have someone do it for you. You will learn something! After we finished our touch and goes, we tied down David's plane and got back in mine for a trip to Niagara Falls scenic. Viewing Niagara Falls from a general aviation airplane requires following a pattern at or above 3,500 feet. Aircraft are restricted below that altitude around the Falls. Use the New York Airport Facilities Directory, which has the pattern described near the back. You must also self-announce your position on the designated frequency. We entered the pattern near Goat Island and flew clockwise. The southwest end of the pattern goes around a railroad yard in Canada and the northeast end goes to the Rainbow Bridge. This is the point where your passengers on the right side of the plane will get the best view of the Falls as you bank into a right turn. As for the poor pilot, well, you're best off paying attention to your flying and watching for traffic. And keep an eye on that altitude! We circled the Falls two times and shot some videotape. After leaving the Falls Scenic pattern, we picked up an IFR flight plan back to Rochester. This is the part of the day I was really hoping would work out: There were scattered cumulus clouds at 5,000 feet. We flew at 5,000 feet, popping in and out of the clouds with the cameras rolling. It could not have been more scenic for the cameras if we had asked for it!