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 SW@GWNTUNDRA
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

Steve B wrote:

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



Uhm, minor technical detail...

_THE_ Oshkosh air show didn't happen until 1970.

Maybe _AN_ Oshkosh air show in 1936?





--

Richard Lamb
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~cavelamb
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~sv_temptress

On 7/10/2011 12:09 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:

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

Partly just sun/shadow, and partly the strap from the helmet. It was
cinched down pretty good. When I tilted my head down for the shot, looks
like it sorta gave me chipmunk cheeks.


Jon

On Sun, 10 Jul 2011 20:22:49 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

On 7/10/2011 12:09 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:

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

Partly just sun/shadow, and partly the strap from the helmet. It was
cinched down pretty good. When I tilted my head down for the shot, looks
like it sorta gave me chipmunk cheeks.

Nah, you were braggin'bout the great Lightsomething software and I
caught the color blowout in your face in that shot and was funnin' ya.

But now that you mention it...

--
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 7/11/2011 5:11 AM, Larry Jaques wrote:

Nah, you were braggin'bout the great Lightsomething software and I
caught the color blowout in your face in that shot and was funnin' ya.

But now that you mention it...

Ah, well, imagine learning to fly in a Piper Cub, then suddenly being
turned loose in a twin engine turbo prop. It's been over 30 years since
I was shooting 35mm film with an SLR. Now I've got what is to me, a
friggin space ship, both in the camera and software. I've had both for
only a couple weeks and haven't had much time to learn either one.

I was enjoying the flight first and foremost, worrying about settings
and composition was not a priority. As for Lightroom, I need to get a
book or two. "Lightroom for Dummies" would probably be a good starting
place G. Right now I just twiddle sliders and such until the picture
looks somewhat better.
Ctl-Z (undo) is my friend...


Jon

On Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:12:44 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

On 7/11/2011 5:11 AM, Larry Jaques wrote:

Nah, you were braggin'bout the great Lightsomething software and I
caught the color blowout in your face in that shot and was funnin' ya.

But now that you mention it...

Ah, well, imagine learning to fly in a Piper Cub, then suddenly being
turned loose in a twin engine turbo prop. It's been over 30 years since
I was shooting 35mm film with an SLR. Now I've got what is to me, a
friggin space ship, both in the camera and software. I've had both for
only a couple weeks and haven't had much time to learn either one.

I was enjoying the flight first and foremost, worrying about settings
and composition was not a priority. As for Lightroom, I need to get a
book or two. "Lightroom for Dummies" would probably be a good starting
place G. Right now I just twiddle sliders and such until the picture
looks somewhat better.
Ctl-Z (undo) is my friend...

I had the same vertical learning curve with a real copy of the full
version of Photoshop back in the day. Ctrl-Z (or F12, revert) are
still my friends on occasion.

--
Win first, Fight later.

--martial principle of the Samurai

"Steve B" wrote

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.

Sorry, make that "machinist" instead of "mechanic".

Steve

Hey Jon.

Good stuff, and nice pix. Shots through the struts/wires can frame
things nicely, so don't delete them.

One question..you write "This is the last year I will be able to
attend the local airshow at the Nevada County Airpark, " Wuzzup with
that???

Take care.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

XXXXXXXXXXX

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.

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


Jon

I'd gotten a card from Buzz, my pilot for the ride. Emailed him the link
to my FB album and said any images he wanted, I'd burn to CD and mail to
him. He counteredd and said he'd be indebted to me for another ride if I
sent him all the pics on CD. Yowza, not going to pass up an offer like
that!!!


Jon