 |
A visitor from Ohio gets a taste of Santa
Cruz from the air. That's the pier below us.
We're up so high, you can notice the curvature of the earth.
Not!
|
 |
The latest view from Chiquita, courtesy
of the factory's new camera boom. The Pajaro River meets the
Pacific Ocean.
|
 |
Some of the agricultural fields that
surround Santa Cruz county. Always interesting to bank to
the right and look to the left . . .
|
 |
A shot of the Elkhorn Slough, which is a
natural preserve near Watsonville.
|
|
With Paul De Zan riding shotgun and
handling the camera, Chiquita heads for the barn. Paul is
now building his own Air Cam up at Rio Vista airport.
|
|
On the look out for sea lions, otters,
eagles, dolphins, whales and nudists. Another tough day in
Santa Cruz.
|
|
My brother Matt takes his first flight over the
Monterey Bay and loves it. "Don't you think we're flying too low" he
asked?
|
|
Detail on Chiquita's Throttle
assembly. Some people actually think this is serious!
|
|
The FAA required labeling, with an
addendum added that expresses my true feelings.
|
|
The view forward on a clear day, cruising at
200' over the Moss Landing beach. We circled over four dolphins playing in surf
below us. At first I thought they were sharks, about to attack some
surfers on the other side of the shore break.
|
|
Here is Chiquita roving the
hills of Watsonville. The required California attire: leather jacket and
shorts. You can't see the Birkenstocks.
|
|
We get lots of local morning fog. No
problem to fly over the tops with the security of two engines. Hey, if
one quits, you're back to a single.
|
|
The Santa Cruz wharf and amusement park.
We're just floating around in Chiquita at 4,000 r.p.m.,
which is about 45% on the power setting.
|
|
Gnarley, man. Almost between sets of
waves, my brother and I pick our way down the coast at 100'. Not a nice place to
ditch. Some of the waves appeared higher than the plan.
|
|
It gets cold even in California. Wearing a
ski suit in the back is just the ticket, says Matt. I purchased
a WearGuard suit over the internet for $140, complete with
monogram.
|
|
A tough decision coming up: should we fly
between the towers of the bridge, under the bridge, or ??? A great
site, even if you've seen it a hundred times.
|
|
We flew eight circuits around the Golden Gate,
looking for the right angle. A rare day of severe clear up in San Francisco.
|
|
About
as close as I want to get to Alcatraz. I remember as
a kid the fear that they would shoot our boat's sails if
we sailed near. Taken with a 21mm.
Objects are much closer than they appear.
|
|
Pidgeon Point Lighthouse, between Santa Cruz and
San Francisco. The HMS Pidgeon sank here and could have used a light house.
|
|
A local grass strip near Hollister.
The author, using
the patented Air Cam TireSeat™
|
|
Perfect whale watching weather: overcast
and smooth waters. Four were found near Pebble Beach.
|
|
After a
recent flight, where the Coast Guard thought that we had ditched because
we flew so low.
|
|
The view forward, taken
with a 19mm wide angle. If you're taking shots from the wing
or rear cockpit, you really need a 19mm or wider lens to
capture the plane and scenery.
|
|
|
See more photos in
CACA section!
|
