So Near, Yet so Far

If you can’t lead, follow. If you can’t follow, better get some help pronto

High ceilings early in the day had, by mid-afternoon, given way to a 3,500-foot overcast and declining visibility. Below the clouds it was still decent VFR, and would remain so for several hours when some storms in advance of a cold front would hit the Florida peninsula. But a haze had settled that cut visibility to about seven miles.

I was flying the Citabria from a meeting in Venice, Fla., back home to Orlando at 2,000 feet and I had tuned in the Lakeland Tower frequency in advance of transitioning that airspace. Things were pretty quiet until an uncertain voice came on the radio.

“Uh, Lakeland. This is Bonanza 12Z calling for Lakeland. Lakeland Tower.”

“Bonanza 12Z, Lakeland Towe...