Monthly Archives: December 2013

P-40 Tomahawk

wpid8396-AU0E8973.jpgArriving in a new part of the world means a lot of new aeronautical experiences are waiting to be had.  Those who have lived here a while know where the good things are to be seen but I don’t.  Therefore, it is best to take advantage of the knowledge that is already there.  Fortunately, I already know a few people out this way but also, courtesy of friends back in the Midwest, I have been introduced to some new people who are very familiar with the local aviation scene.

wpid8435-C59F1166.jpgMy friend Paul was in the area for work and we wanted to take a trip out.  I dropped a line to Roger, one person that I had been put in contact with, to see what he could suggest.  He said Sonoma would be the place to go.  There are two airfields very close to each other and we shall hear more of one of them another day.  On this day, we spent our time at Sonoma Valley or, as it seems to be more familiarly known, Schellville.  They hold an open day once a month and this was one of those days.

wpid8370-C59F0448.jpgWe arrived and things looked pretty quiet but it was early in the day.  We weren’t sure whether we had come to the right spot at first so made a quick recce down the street.  Finding nothing (at least nothing that made us feel like we were in the right place!), we came back to where we had started and there on the ramp where, only a few minutes previously, nothing had been now sat a P-40 Tomahawk.  This came as quite a surprise.

wpid8390-C59F0681.jpgAs we were looking over the fence at it, out comes a P-51 Mustang and parks next to it.  Towing them around was a guy called Chris who willingly told us about the day, what he was planning to fly and a good spot for us to go and put our stuff which would provide a good view of proceedings and some shade and seating!  Result.  We had a wander around before getting ourselves in position for the planned flight of the P-40.

wpid8394-AU0E8970.jpgA guy from Silicon Valley was having the flight as a birthday treat.  We watched them taxi out and depart before running in across the field.  Then they headed off to fly around the local area.  Not a bad start to the day!

Painswick

wpid7927-C59F9072.jpgAnother famous Cotswold village about which I knew nothing is Painswick.  I am beginning to think that I am clueless about my own country!  Even so, I managed to get us there (even if a little GPS assistance was involved).

wpid7925-C59F9071.jpgPainswick is another of those old towns that boomed in a time before industrialization when the local production and access to a river meant it was well suited to commerce.  Apparently the town flourished in more than one area if the local signs are anything to go by but if you want to know the details, Google will be more helpful to you than I.  The town has an interesting selection of old buildings a winding streets but the area that was of most interest to me was around the church.

wpid7917-C59F9021-Edit.jpgAs befits a community that had a lot of cash, they had a big church.  The idea of buying your way into heaven has obviously been around a long time!  While the church is impressive, what really catches the eye is the topiary collection in the churchyard.  There are many yew trees that have been trimmed and shaped together over a long period of time.  The result is many shapes and archways across the paths all formed from the trees.  The town may not be the booming center it once was but it still knows how to take care of itself and these displays really impress.

wpid7923-C59F9058-Edit.jpgThe rest of the town is worth a wander around too and that is what we did for a couple of hours.  If you are in the area, pay it a visit.  Then you will know as much about it as me!

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Foggy Golden Gate Bridge

wpid8186-AU0E8669.jpgMoving means you don’t always have a lot of time for having fun.  However, when your move includes a time when you are in limbo between two places and staying in temporary accommodation, you actually have more time than you think.  Sitting around in a hotel room can get old pretty quickly so scheduling some exploration makes a lot more sense.  One place that a colleague had mentioned was out on the Marin headlands.  There are a number of areas out there that caught my interest including one that wasn’t open on this day so will be the subject of a return trip and a future blog post I hope.

wpid8196-AU0E8706.jpgWe had plenty to look forward to and the forecast was promising so off we headed.  Of course, we hadn’t counted on the fickle Bay Area weather.  Leaving the East Bay in glorious sunshine, we got to the Bay Bridge and drove into a wall of fog.  I had chosen this route as I had yet to travel over the new bridge having seen it under construction for a number of years.  This time I did get to drive over it but I didn’t get to see it!  Oh well, on through the city of San Francisco towards the Golden Gate Bridge and straight back into the fog.

wpid8190-AU0E8710.jpgAgain we drove over a bridge we couldn’t see.  Then we turned out onto the Marin headlands.  The drive up the coast took us out of the fog and into glorious sunshine.  Looking back at the city and the bridge, it was a different story.  Below us was a thick bank of fog.  It also lay over some of the parts we intended to explore.  As it happened, we explored some parts and saved others for another day.  The fog didn’t thin while we were there.  If anything, it got worse while we were there.  Now we have a reason to go back – if we can forecast the weather better than we did this time!

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Bleriot XI

wpid8340-AU0E9517.jpgI was kindly invited up to Sonoma Skypark by Eric Presten to have a look at his Bleriot XI.  This is a replica that Eric and his family built in a short time span and that spends a lot of time in Wisconsin.  Therefore, it was quite unusual for it to be in California and in one piece.  It was about to be disassembled so I was keen to see it before it came apart again.

wpid8342-AU0E9519.jpgEric flies the aircraft occasionally but will happily tell you that it is not a particularly fun aircraft to fly.  It has wing warping rather than ailerons which are not the most effective – particularly at the speeds which this aircraft operates at.  However, it is a cool replica and one I would like to see fly at some point.  Eric kindly had the aircraft pulled out for me to get some shots.  Thanks for the great hospitality.

wpid8344-AU0E9529.jpgEric is an aviation photographer himself and has an outstanding collection of images of more aircraft than I knew existed.  He will happily sell you copies of his books so head to http://www.prewarpublications.com/Home.html to see his work.

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Flying With Pete

wpid7822-C59F8276.jpgMy relative Pete is the sort of friend I was destined to have.  Pete likes lots of fun things but at the heart of it for him (aside from his family of course) is flying.  Pete has been flying all of his life and today he spends his working time at the pointy end of a 747.  However, in the mean time, he owns a Piper Arrow which he spends as much time as possible flying.

wpid7818-C59F8236.jpgI have told about our trip in some previous posts.  However, I didn’t ever show you the beast itself – I am talking about the Arrow rather than Pete.  After we had finished our trip, he had to take it across to Bournemouth for some maintenance so I hung around long enough to catch him departing from Sandown.  Here, then, are some shots of Pete and his plane.  Thanks for a great time mate.

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