Seeing The World, By Airplane, Never Gets Old... 

By Ted Luebbers

On a sunny day in late June 2024, we happened upon Scenic Flights of Acadia based at the Hancock County- Bar Harbor Airport in Trenton, Maine, (KBHB). Located just before crossing the causeway onto Mount Desert Island, the location of Acadia National Park.

My wife Joan and I are always looking for something fun and a bit adventurous when we travel. There was nary a cloud in the sky and it looked like an ideal day for a flight to see the island, the park, the various harbors, and lighthouses that make this part of the Maine Coast so popular.

We had come up to Maine for a couple of weeks respite from the Florida heat and humidity to enjoy Maine’s more temperate climate for a few days.

I had grown up in this state and lived close enough to Acadia National Park to be quite familiar with the area.

In later life I owned a sailboat kept at Bucks Harbor in Brooksville, ME, so I had sailed into many of the harbors in this area over the years.

I thought it would be a unique experience for us to see this area from the air.

We pulled off the highway and into the parking lot of Scenic Flights of Acadia with great expectations.

Knowing that they had become very popular and busy over several years, I was concerned that maybe we would have to make a reservation and would have to come back another day.

They were very accommodating and said if we could wait a few minutes, they could fly us in one of their Cessna 172s.

Both Joan and I have spent some years writing about aviation experiences when we travel and activities at our Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 in Leesburg Florida, so this fit right into our wheelhouse.

Scenic Flights of Acadia has four planes to choose from, two Cessna 172s, a Cessna 206 and a vintage Waco Biplane.

Their pilots are all instrument-rated with commercial ratings and many hours of flight time.

Our pilot and guide for the flight was Hy Adelman, a man who also grew up in this area, so he had a good knowledge of the important things to point out during the flight. We could easily converse back and forth over the intercom with our headsets which pretty much cancelled out the engine noise.

We flew over and around Mount Desert Island, as far down east as the Schoodic Peninsula, around Cadillac Mountain and west to Blue Hill Bay.  Our altitude was about 1000 feet so we were able to make out harbors, and points of interest very easily.

Joan and I enjoyed our 50-minute flight over this familiar area and all our expectations were met.

Based on our experience we recommend stopping at Scenic Flights of Acadia whenever you find yourself in this part of Maine.

FMI: www.scenicflightsofacadia.com