I must say that I am not used to aircraft that can be towed by a golf cart. But this all looks fun! At Crystalaire airport in Llano in the high desert of Los Angeles.
It is National Aviation Day, August 19th. Established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939. While I wasn’t around back then (lol), at 9 years old, I was already building model airplanes and hanging them from my bedroom ceiling. Fast forward, and I’ve had the incredible opportunity to fly in all kinds of World War II warbirds, biplanes, a jet fighter trainer, and both military and civilian helicopters. Aviation has truly been an amazing part of my life journey!
The long-awaited “Masters Of The Air” miniseries is released on Apple TV! It depicts the Airmen of the Eighth Air Force and the 100th Bomb Group flying B-17’s at Thorpe Abbotts England during World War II.
Here is some of my GoPro video flying in a B-17 Flying Fortress as it lands at the airport in Palm Springs California. Turn your sound up and watch for the ground shadow!
This is a good view of the airport in Thermal from flying Saturday. It is actually Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport. It is being considered for the new location for the Reno Air Races. 01-06-2024 Thermal California
Flying out of the airport in Thermal takes you over the BMW Performance Center where people can drive high performance BMW’s on these two tracks. The circular track is highly polished concrete which can be sprayed with water. The cars easily hydroplane and spin. I have done it and it is almost as much fun as flying. 01-06-2024 Thermal California
Flying around the Salton Sea… One of eleven power stations of the Imperial Valley Geothermal Project. The area is the second largest Geothermal field in the United States. Lithium extraction and Geothermal power are expected to provide the financial resources to restore the Salton Sea and huge economic benefits to the region. 01-06-2024
A business empire built on beef jerky. The must stop attraction along the 15 freeway in Baker California. Alien Fresh Jerky with it’s UFO, spaceship designed store, a walk-up stop in the parking lot and the under construction UFO Hotel. I was last there in 2019 when Baker was on our locations for a photo excursion. When I go to and from Las Vegas I usually drive the roads through the Mojave National Preserve, not the freeway. From my photo archives.
A Dragonfly flying over a swimming pool. This might be the hardest thing to photograph I have ever attempted lol. Less than 20ft away with a 400mm lens. My second time trying, the first was a blowout. This time I figured out a way to do it, but this was still the only good one out of 252 frames. This is our resident pool Dragonfly so I will be going for some better shots soon.
Flying in the right seat of the Ford Trimotor 5-AT-B, “City Of Wichita”passenger aircraft. It first flew on December 1 1928. The Ford Trimotors were nicknamed the “Tin Goose”. Sound on for the sounds of the engines and flying. No music added. I really dislike adding music to videos like this.
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