Chris Benson

5Leg 5 of 7FLYNG

Flying

I’m a pilot. Come fly with me!

In the cockpit, wearing a headset

The logbook

CertificatePrivate Pilot
AircraftN136LM 1975 Cessna 172M SuperHawk 180HP
Home fieldCobb County International Airport / McCollum Field (KRYY)
Flying since2009 / 2020 - present

Pilot Specialty

I’m a backcountry mountain pilot who specializes at flying close to the ground in high mountains and in deep narrow gorges, where bumpy winds and turbulence abound and wind shear and microbursts are to be expected.

From the cockpit

The Great Smoky Mountains

Chris Benson's solo flight in N136LM - a 1975 Cessna 172M­ SuperHawk with a 180HP engine - through the Great Smoky Mountains on Sunday, March 13, 2022. The video starts northbound, just south of Clingman's Dome, and proceeds northeasterly to Mount LeConte and Mount Guyot, before returning to Clingman's Dome via Mount LeConte.

Choose a flight

  1. The Great Smoky MountainsChris Benson's solo flight in N136LM - a 1975 Cessna 172M­ SuperHawk with a 180HP engine - through the Great Smoky Mountains on Sunday, March 13, 2022. The video starts northbound, just south of Clingman's Dome, and proceeds northeasterly to Mount LeConte and Mount Guyot, before returning to Clingman's Dome via Mount LeConte.
  2. Downtown & Midtown AtlantaFlying northward over Downtown & Midtown Atlanta on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
  3. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International AirportFlying northward with Athena over Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (KATL) on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
  4. Okeefenokee SwampFlying northward through the central heart of the Okeefenokee Swamp with Athena about 50 feet above the waterline on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
  5. Touch 'n Go at Cherokee County AirportTouch 'n Go at Cherokee County Airport (CNI) on May 21, 2022.
  6. Blairsville Municipal AirportTaking off into the sunset at Blairsville Municipal Airport (KDZJ).
  7. Sarasota KSRQCivil twilight landing with Athena at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (KSRQ) on Friday, July 22, 2022.
  8. Cobb County International Airport / McCollum FieldNight currency flight on Friday, August 26, 2022 at Cobb County International Airport / McCollum Field.
  9. Romanian CarpathiansRented a Cessna 172 at Ploiești-Strejnicu Airfield (LRPW) near Ploiești, Romania to fly the tops of the Romanian Carpathians on Saturday, September 24, 2022. It was my first time piloting an airplane in a foreign country.
  10. Mount Le Conte to Clingman's DomeFlying the tops of the Great Smoky Mountains on Saturday, February 12, 2022 with Scott Anna. This video covers the section between Mount Le Conte (6593 feet) in the northeast, and Clingman's Dome (6643 feet) in the southwest - the 7th highest and 3rd highest peaks east of the Rockies, respectively. You can go directly to the points in the video that you're interested in: Mount Le Conte summit - 2:15 Newfound Gap - 4:00 Clingman's Dome summit - 7:00 Total length - 8:54