This is the last year I will be able to attend the local airshow at the
Nevada County Airpark, and finally owning a really good camera, I
decided to make a day of it. Normally I'm in and out in an hour or two,
but this year I took my time, getting some nice artsy photos.
Happened to hear about a raffle for rides in a Waco biplane, so hustled
over and bought a couple tickets. Hour or so later, I heard my name
called over the PA, the last of 4 winners! I was the first to check in,
so got the first ride. Don't know the exact year, but it was a very nice
Waco UPF7, blue with yellow wings. My dad has a lot of time in Wacos and
considers them his favorite biplane. So this was a real thrill, and my
first ride in an open cockpit plane.

There is just nothing quite like lazily cruising about 800', watching
the scenery below slowly roll past!


Jon

On Jul 9, 6:17*pm, Jon Anderson wrote:
This is the last year I will be able to attend the local airshow at the
Nevada County Airpark, and finally owning a really good camera, I
decided to make a day of it. Normally I'm in and out in an hour or two,
but this year I took my time, getting some nice artsy photos.
Happened to hear about a raffle for rides in a Waco biplane, so hustled
over and bought a couple tickets. Hour or so later, I heard my name
called over the PA, the last of 4 winners! I was the first to check in,
so got the first ride. Don't know the exact year, but it was a very nice
Waco UPF7, blue with yellow wings. My dad has a lot of time in Wacos and
considers them his favorite biplane. So this was a real thrill, and my
first ride in an open cockpit plane.

There is just nothing quite like lazily cruising about 800', watching
the scenery below slowly roll past!

Jon

That would be fun.

On Sat, 09 Jul 2011 20:17:24 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

This is the last year I will be able to attend the local airshow at the
Nevada County Airpark, and finally owning a really good camera, I
decided to make a day of it. Normally I'm in and out in an hour or two,
but this year I took my time, getting some nice artsy photos.
Happened to hear about a raffle for rides in a Waco biplane, so hustled
over and bought a couple tickets. Hour or so later, I heard my name
called over the PA, the last of 4 winners! I was the first to check in,
so got the first ride. Don't know the exact year, but it was a very nice
Waco UPF7, blue with yellow wings. My dad has a lot of time in Wacos and
considers them his favorite biplane. So this was a real thrill, and my
first ride in an open cockpit plane.

Sucha deal! Sounds like lots of fun.


There is just nothing quite like lazily cruising about 800', watching
the scenery below slowly roll past!

It's even better slower. I spent $25 1980s dollars to go up in a
bubblemachine. We took off over the Palomar Airport air show in
Carlsbad, CA and lolled around for almost half an hour. The lady pilot
had just soloed that morning and it was my first helo ride, so we both
had a blast. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_47 She was slow and
bumpy (I've since ridden in a Robinson R44 and it was much smoother,
prop-shudderwise.)

Dad let me take off and fly a Cherokee C from Oceanside airport to
Catalina Island and back, but he insisted on landing it himself. (I
had just finished Basic Aviation in high school but hadn't taken any
flying lessons.) I sure wish I'd pursued that direction, but I didn't
want Dad pushing me into the Air Force, in his footsteps. ('Course, it
would have played havoc with my alcoholism at the time, too.) I love
flying, though, and the smaller the better.

--
One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.
-- Sophocles

On Sun, 10 Jul 2011 06:11:43 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sat, 09 Jul 2011 20:17:24 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

This is the last year I will be able to attend the local airshow at the
Nevada County Airpark, and finally owning a really good camera, I
decided to make a day of it. Normally I'm in and out in an hour or two,
but this year I took my time, getting some nice artsy photos.
Happened to hear about a raffle for rides in a Waco biplane, so hustled
over and bought a couple tickets. Hour or so later, I heard my name
called over the PA, the last of 4 winners! I was the first to check in,
so got the first ride. Don't know the exact year, but it was a very nice
Waco UPF7, blue with yellow wings. My dad has a lot of time in Wacos and
considers them his favorite biplane. So this was a real thrill, and my
first ride in an open cockpit plane.

Sucha deal! Sounds like lots of fun.


There is just nothing quite like lazily cruising about 800', watching
the scenery below slowly roll past!

It's even better slower. I spent $25 1980s dollars to go up in a
bubblemachine. We took off over the Palomar Airport air show in
Carlsbad, CA and lolled around for almost half an hour. The lady pilot
had just soloed that morning and it was my first helo ride, so we both
had a blast. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_47 She was slow and
bumpy (I've since ridden in a Robinson R44 and it was much smoother,
prop-shudderwise.)

Dad let me take off and fly a Cherokee C from Oceanside airport to
Catalina Island and back, but he insisted on landing it himself. (I
had just finished Basic Aviation in high school but hadn't taken any
flying lessons.) I sure wish I'd pursued that direction, but I didn't
want Dad pushing me into the Air Force, in his footsteps. ('Course, it
would have played havoc with my alcoholism at the time, too.) I love
flying, though, and the smaller the better.


So, your an Air Force brat also. I soloed on my 16th birthday. Soon
as things start going better I want to start building a plane, haven't
figured the style yet. Got to have some loud prop chop and aerobatic
capability though. Never flown an open cockpit, that would be
interesting. Had the canopy open in a Grumman Tiger at night with a
Canadian friend and use to take up the scared doctor's and attorney's
arocoupes with the canopies back just so ya don't cook, those things
are next to impossible to do anything with BTW.

Suppose I'll be asked to do Oshkosh this year again. Just seems
painful and a waist of time to see up close what the loaded are up to.


SW

"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...
This is the last year I will be able to attend the local airshow at the
Nevada County Airpark, and finally owning a really good camera, I decided
to make a day of it. Normally I'm in and out in an hour or two, but this
year I took my time, getting some nice artsy photos.
Happened to hear about a raffle for rides in a Waco biplane, so hustled
over and bought a couple tickets. Hour or so later, I heard my name called
over the PA, the last of 4 winners! I was the first to check in, so got
the first ride. Don't know the exact year, but it was a very nice Waco
UPF7, blue with yellow wings. My dad has a lot of time in Wacos and
considers them his favorite biplane. So this was a real thrill, and my
first ride in an open cockpit plane.

There is just nothing quite like lazily cruising about 800', watching the
scenery below slowly roll past!


Jon

My dad had a fascination with planes. He went to the Oshkosh Air Show in
1936, the year he graduated from high school, and paid for a ride in an old
WWI vintage biplane. He said he immediately knew what he wanted to do in
life. He was in the US Air Corps as a sergeant, a flight engineer. He had
previously been a mechanic at oilfield businesses in Pennsylvania, starting
out in Grandpa's garage making bootleg equipment. (My Polish Grandpa was
quite famous for his "shine". Dad wanted to go on to commercial aviation,
but had contracted malaria in the South Pacific, and they would not take
him. Wish there were more cheap flights available. But with today's
market, and insurance and parts and all, they are quite spendy.

One's whole life can change with something as simple as one mosquito bite.

Steve

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 09 Jul 2011 20:17:24 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

This is the last year I will be able to attend the local airshow at the
Nevada County Airpark, and finally owning a really good camera, I
decided to make a day of it. Normally I'm in and out in an hour or two,
but this year I took my time, getting some nice artsy photos.
Happened to hear about a raffle for rides in a Waco biplane, so hustled
over and bought a couple tickets. Hour or so later, I heard my name
called over the PA, the last of 4 winners! I was the first to check in,
so got the first ride. Don't know the exact year, but it was a very nice
Waco UPF7, blue with yellow wings. My dad has a lot of time in Wacos and
considers them his favorite biplane. So this was a real thrill, and my
first ride in an open cockpit plane.

Sucha deal! Sounds like lots of fun.


There is just nothing quite like lazily cruising about 800', watching
the scenery below slowly roll past!

It's even better slower. I spent $25 1980s dollars to go up in a
bubblemachine. We took off over the Palomar Airport air show in
Carlsbad, CA and lolled around for almost half an hour. The lady pilot
had just soloed that morning and it was my first helo ride, so we both
had a blast. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_47 She was slow and
bumpy (I've since ridden in a Robinson R44 and it was much smoother,
prop-shudderwise.)

Dad let me take off and fly a Cherokee C from Oceanside airport to
Catalina Island and back, but he insisted on landing it himself. (I
had just finished Basic Aviation in high school but hadn't taken any
flying lessons.) I sure wish I'd pursued that direction, but I didn't
want Dad pushing me into the Air Force, in his footsteps. ('Course, it
would have played havoc with my alcoholism at the time, too.) I love
flying, though, and the smaller the better.


I rode in helicopters hundreds of times in the oilfields. I always enjoyed
it, save one downwind landing when we almost went into the Gulf of Mexico.

I like being to see all around.

Steve

How nice it is to finally have a good camera (Sony A700) and decent
photo processing software (Lightroom 3). Here's the album I posted to FB
last night:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.238488479509077.64664.100000437806967&l=eef 6268787


Jon

On 7/10/2011 9:38 AM, Jon Anderson wrote:
How nice it is to finally have a good camera (Sony A700) and decent
photo processing software (Lightroom 3). Here's the album I posted to FB
last night:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.238488479509077.64664.100000437806967&l=eef 6268787



Jon
GReat pictures, Jon. Thanks for the ride.

Paul

On Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:04:33 -0500, Sunworshipper [email protected]
wrote:

On Sun, 10 Jul 2011 06:11:43 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

Dad let me take off and fly a Cherokee C from Oceanside airport to
Catalina Island and back, but he insisted on landing it himself. (I
had just finished Basic Aviation in high school but hadn't taken any
flying lessons.) I sure wish I'd pursued that direction, but I didn't
want Dad pushing me into the Air Force, in his footsteps. ('Course, it
would have played havoc with my alcoholism at the time, too.) I love
flying, though, and the smaller the better.


So, your an Air Force brat also. I soloed on my 16th birthday. Soon

"Ayup." and "Congrats!", respectively.


as things start going better I want to start building a plane, haven't
figured the style yet. Got to have some loud prop chop and aerobatic
capability though.

Screw props. Go BD-5.
http://www.bd5.com/Expo2002pics/DSCN1223.jpg booful, wot?


Never flown an open cockpit, that would be interesting.

I think it'd be fun once or twice, but I'd rather fly around a bit
faster, and that'd be hell to always be in the wind and weather.


Had the canopy open in a Grumman Tiger at night with a
Canadian friend and use to take up the scared doctor's and attorney's
arocoupes with the canopies back just so ya don't cook, those things
are next to impossible to do anything with BTW.

Same putterer as a Cherokee.


Suppose I'll be asked to do Oshkosh this year again. Just seems
painful and a waist of time to see up close what the loaded are up to.

Aw, c'mon. You know you drool over their expensive toys, despite the
pain. It's fun to see how the other half (80%?) live. Would you pass
up a chance to see, and climb aboard, SpaceShipOne or SpaceShipTwo?

--
Progress is the product of human agency. Things get better because we
make them better. Things go wrong when we get too comfortable, when we
fail to take risks or seize opportunities.
-- Susan Rice

On Sun, 10 Jul 2011 08:38:04 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

How nice it is to finally have a good camera (Sony A700) and decent
photo processing software (Lightroom 3). Here's the album I posted to FB
last night:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.238488479509077.64664.100000437806967&l=eef 6268787

Cool.

P.S: Say, what happened to your chin/cheek in the closeup pic?

--
Progress is the product of human agency. Things get better because we
make them better. Things go wrong when we get too comfortable, when we
fail to take risks or seize opportunities.
-- Susan Rice