Blue-Water Ops on Lake George

Shooting the pilot episode of "On the Lake," is keeping PilotGirl really busy this week - so much so I haven't any time to blog.

A better part of this morning was spent 3000 feet in the air with Flight Instructor Jim Barrett of Glens Falls Floyd D. Bennett-Warren County Airport. I tried flying with Jim a few days ago but the weather was lousy so the crew returned today under better, albeit hotter, conditions.

Loading my huge honking camera atop my shoulder in a wee-little aircraft isn't the most comfortable thing to do. I kept knocking poor Jim in the face as he tried to navigate the narrows of Lake George. The skin on my left arm went weak with wind burn and the right shoulder lost sensation after 2 hours of bracing the beast from falling out the window.

We circled several islands, the Sagamore Hotel, Rogers Rock, Fort Ticonderoga and Fort William Henry. Despite the planes' wing, wheels and support brace peeping into the shots I think we were able to capture all there is to love about Lake George.

PilotGirl has shot in helicopters and planes dozens of times but the thrill never wears away. Watching Jim's single engine cast a shadow down on the deep blue waters of Lake George, busy with boaters, divers, skiers and para-gliders, is a wonderful experience.