By Mike Busch |  5-9-2018

My friend Andy Rubin invited me for a plane ride to check out the beach between Old Inlet and Fire Island Pines on Tuesday May 8th.  Conditions were good with mostly clear skies and light winds as we departed Brookhaven Airport around 6:00 p.m. in his beautifully maintained Cessna Cardinal.  Unlike many other small aircraft, the Cardinal wings are above the cabin with no supports getting in the way, giving the pilot and passenger an unobstructed view below.  Because of the time of day I had some issues with glare through the canopy but otherwise it was an excellent flight.  Andy is an excellent pilot with an impressive attention to detail.

I took up two cameras and a cell phone attached to a gimbal for steady video and ended up with over 800 images and a few videos of take off and landing.

Below is the first part of the flight over Old Inlet and Bellport Bay, I will follow-up with images covering Bellport Beach, Watch Hill, Davis Park, Water Island, and Fire Island Pines once I get through all the photos.

As you can see below, there is a tremendous amount of sand fanning into the bay and the channel leading to the Ocean seems to filling in, slowing the water transfer between the Bay and the Ocean.  For an expert opinion of what is happening, check out the latest report from Dr. Flagg of Stony Brook posted last week here:  Old Inlet Flyover Update From Dr. Charles Flagg. 

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More Images on Pages 2 and 3