OCMD to Wilmington

We departed early Sunday morning due to wx heading up the Chesapeake Bay. We loaded 08Romeo on the ramp then parked our airport car back in the main lot.  Preflight completed we got the fan turning and taxied out for departure.

I had filed just in case but the wx looked good enough to make a VFR flight home. We launched of runway one four and climbed out to the north. I had some mist at one thousand and it looked thicker up ahead and despite maybe 5-6 miles visibility the horizon was now lost.

I made a call to Dover and opened my instrument flight plan. I was cleared to ILG from present position direct DQO, climb and maintain 5000. I made a nice climb to altitude at 90 knots indicated and ground speed of 111 knots.  I leveled off at five and we road a very nice tail wind to the tune of 130 knots. As we approached Dover I heard other traffic reporting IMC at six and above. I could just start to make out the Salem nuclear plant steam and soon had the cooling towers in view.

Dover handed me off to Philly and I checked in with five thousand level and had the wx at ILG. Philly stepped me down to four then down to three which put us just east of the middle of the belching cooling tower and a few good bumps. I reported the field in sight an was dumped of to the Wilmington tower for the visual runway one nine.  A super smooth landing and taxi to tie down ended our beach weekend.