Category Archives: Travel

What Else Does LAX Offer?

Aside from chasing a few A380s, LAX has the advantage of a mix of aircraft from all over the place. It also has a good selection of spots from which to take pictures. While I was there (at various times over a few days) I managed to get a few different shots. It is a lot easier to do this today than it was in the past.

Websites that list flight movements combined with a smart phone allow you to be a lot more aware of what is coming and what is due out. No longer do you wonder whether you can move on only to see something amazing arrive just as you drive down the street. The data isn’t always accurate but it does make things a lot easier.

At this time of year, one of the favored spots by the In’n’Out burger joint is not ideal for the sun. However, walking a short distance down the street can overcome this. It also gives you a vantage point from almost directly underneath the aircraft (or right under them if you prefer) from which you can get something a little different. I tried a bunch of these out while I was there.

Nothing much else to say about the location so here are some of the shots to enjoy.

Planes of Fame

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With a day to spare during my trip to Los Angeles, I wasn’t short of places to go that would satisfy the aviation fan within. One museum an hours drive from my hotel was on my list of places I really ought to have been to already. That was Chino’s Planes of Fame museum. With a better forecast than for the previous day in store, I made an early start.

The museum opened at 10am on Sunday’s and the drive was supposed to be an hour so I planned to arrive just as it opened. Traffic was playing ball and I did indeed get there just after the doors had opened. There were three cars in the parking lot. Mine, the person running the shop and one of the volunteers, Stephen Andridge, who arrived at the same time that I did. For the time-being, the museum was going to be mine.

Stephen said hello when I came into the shop and, since he didn’t have a tour booked until later in the day, he offered to wander around with me and show me the collection. This worked out very well for me. I could effectively do two tours of the facility. The first with Stephen would show me the sum of everything that was on site. The second would allow me to go back around with the camera and take the shots of the things that had caught my attention the first time.

Stephen and I ended up taking a long time as we went around the museum. There is plenty to see and we had a lot to talk about as we went around. We had nearly finished everything when he realized that the time was up for him to go and take his tour around. I have no idea where the time went to but I am certainly grateful to him for being such a great host.

The collection is certainly very varied. There are a range of vintage aircraft from the US with a lot of second world war aircraft as well as jets. However, other countries are well represented. There are a few old British aircraft that caught my eye as well as some rare Japanese aircraft. They also have a FW-190 built using components from a supplier in Germany. A Buchon is also undergoing restoration. I prefer 109s to have the original BMW engine but Buchons are still great to see.

There are other interesting bits in the collection. An original Bell P-59 Airacomet is undergoing restoration, possibly to fly. While it is historic as America’s first jet fighter, everything I have read about it says it was a pretty useless fighter. However, its place in history is important. Also in the hangar is the fake propeller that was mounted to its nose to disguise its, then secret, technology.

Most of the aircraft in the hangars are in great condition. However, one airframe is a wreck that was brought back from the jungle. I was impressed that, in this case, they chose to display it as it crashed. The layout with scenery around it and the airframe on the ground is pretty impressive and a great reminder of how so many aircraft actually ended up in those days.

There are some very significant aircraft also on display. One that caught my interest was the Douglas Skyrocket. One of the three airframes built is on display. A major part of the race to expand the speed envelope, the Skyrocket is often overlooked against the Bell X-1 series but it was the first aircraft to exceed Mach 2. I didn’t find out exactly what this particular airframe had done in the program but that hardly really matters compared to it being there at all.

Aside from the display aircraft in the hangars, there is also a boneyard in the museum. This includes a variety of aircraft including some more modern jet fighters. An F-104 from Belgium, an A-7 and F-8 facing each other, a Sabre, a Super Sabre (once a target tug at China Lake and missing some pieces as a result of a close call!), a Fury plus a bunch of disassembled airframes in racks. There were some Russian jets as well although the airworthy examples were off in Las Vegas for the Nellis show.

I have not even started to cover the collection here and there are plenty of other fascinating and noteworthy aircraft in the collection. I am not trying to provide a comprehensive overview. Instead, I hope I am providing enough temptation for you to consider a visit if ever you are nearby. If the ones I have mentioned are of interest, the rest of the collection will keep you happy for a day at least.

By the time I was done, a good chunk of the day had gone. I grabbed some late lunch at Flo’s across the field before heading back to the hotel. This had originally been part of my plan for the day but it was so enjoyable, it ended up being the whole day. I will be back, I am sure. I will definitely try and get to their annual show as well since that must be quite an event.

If you want to see more, go to the website at www.planesoffame.org.

Griffith Park Observatory

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After I paid a visit to the exhibition of Gerry Holtz’s images (which you can read about here), I had some time to spare in the vicinity of Hollywood. It wasn’t the greatest day from a weather perspective – that was one of the reasons I had chosen that day to go to the gallery – but it was still a reasonable day to be out and about. I asked Gerry whether he had any recommendations.

He suggested that I visit Griffith Park Observatory. Interestingly, this was one of the things that I had been contemplating so, when Gerry brought it up, it seemed like it had to be the place to go. I had seen the location in movies and TV shows at various times over the years and the view over the city seemed to be quite appealing.

Gerry gave me some directions as to the best way to get into the park and I followed these without difficulty. The route it took into the park went past some very nice houses. Given the size of the places, the way in which they had been maintained and the location near Hollywood but on a hill, I suspect those places were not for those short of cash!

Since it was a Saturday, I wasn’t the only one thinking that this might be a good place to visit. The parking lot at the observatory was closed off since it was full at the time. I ended up descending the other road to the summit which was lined with parked cars in both directions. Rather than join this idea, I turned around and went back over to the side I had ascended, found a parking bay and walked back to the top. It wasn’t a long walk and it was nice to get the heart pumping a bit after a lot of time in the car.

The observatory itself was well worth the visit. The location is impressive and the view across the city below was great although it would have been better if it weren’t such a grotty day. Of course, LA does have a reputation for smog so perhaps I was actually getting a better view than normal.

I not only had a great view of the city below but also a good angle on the Hollywood sign on the hills not far away. I had seen the sign a number of times in the distance but had never really been this close. I obviously took a few shots. Another cultural icon was commemorated here. James Dean’s film Rebel Without a Cause had some scenes filmed here and a bust of Dean is mounted on a plinth on the foreground of the observatory.

I made the most of the outside views first since I was a bit concerned that the rain might show up. Once I had satisfied my initial interest, I headed inside to see the observatory’s exhibits. It seemed to be a well laid out place and have a number of interesting presentations. It certainly seemed to be popular with a lot of people visiting. I scooted around looking at some of these but I was slightly more interested in the historical elements. There were a number of older technology items to look at including the old projector for the planetarium and the telescope.

After wandering the insides, I headed up to the roof for one final look around before heading back to the hotel. The view from up top was a nice extra addition to the visit and seemed to be less popular than the rest of the place. Maybe the trip up the stairs is more than some what to make. The rain hadn’t come but I still decided to walk back down to the car. It did have a little drop of rain as I went but nothing that caused any problems. The view back as I descended was quite appealing and I was glad to have ticked off another one of those famous places I had always intended to see.

Pearl Harbor

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We didn’t spend a lot of time on Oahu but there were a couple of things we wanted to do while we were there. One of those was making a visit to the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor. Since Pearl Harbor is such a pivotal moment in US history, it just seemed impossible to go to Honolulu and not visit the site. Obviously I am not alone in thinking this since the place is very busy and they advise that it can be quite a long wait to get there.

As it turned out, the timing was pretty good. Entry to the memorial is free (there are other exhibits nearby that do have an entrance fee but we didn’t have time to fit them all in). When you arrive, you get a timed entry card that has the time at which the visit will start. Ours was only forty minutes away when we arrived. While we were waiting, there were a number of exhibits to look at that discussed aspects of the attack and also memorials to other aspects of naval operations.

A visit to a war memorial of any sort is usually a harsh reminder of just how much loss occurs. The separation of time and experience makes it easy to lose track of just how much a global conflict does to people. There was a memorial to all of the submarines lost by the United States during WWII. It was a lot of submarines. On each stone was a brief history of the submarine and a list of the crew that were lost with the sub. Reading through the list was a sobering experience. That was going to be the theme for the whole day.

When our time slot came, we headed over the theater on the site. This was the beginning of the visit and included an introductory film that lasted approximately half an hour. This was a very well produced film that provided context for the lead up to war in the Pacific. It included the run up to the attack,the preparations that were in place at Pearl Harbor and the details of the attack itself.

The descriptions of the day and the footage that accompanied it (including film of the Arizona exploding) were so vivid, I doubt anyone in the room was not moved. It was certainly very quiet when the lights went up and everyone started filing to the boat.

The group was sized to fit on one boat to cross to the memorial and to have enough people to be on the memorial without making it too crowded. When we arrived, the previous tour boarded our boat to return. Having seen the memorial on TV many times, it was quite strange to finally see it in person. I guess I often experience this with famous landmarks.

The memorial is a very interesting place. Only one gun turret mount is visible above the surface so this is the first thing most people focus on. Then, as you move around, you start to make out more of the detail just below the surface. there are sections of the deck that are just below the surface that you can make out. (Polarized sunglasses are a benefit on this trip.) There is also still oil floating to the surface from the wreck, even after all of these years. The ship burned for three days after the attack so the fact that there is still anything coming out is amazing.

There was a park ranger on the memorial available to answer questions. While he seemed to enjoy presenting things in a dramatic style, he was a great source of additional information. The introductory presentations suggest that the reason that the crew were left in the boat was because it was a memorial. When he discussed exactly what happened during the explosion, you realize that there really wasn’t anything left to try and find. It was a horrifying end.

This brings me to something I was rather perplexed about. I took a lot of pictures while there (as is apparent from those attached to this post). I wanted to have something to remember the whole thing by. Obviously, everyone was taking a lot of pictures. However, what I couldn’t understand was people taking pictures of themselves on the memorial. I don’t normally ask people to comment but in this case, if you do have any thoughts, I would be interested to hear them.

I am happy to take our picture in front of scenic landscapes and famous cityscapes. However, when visiting a memorial to the death of over 1,100 people, it seems to me that having me grinning in front of it is an inappropriate thing to do. It is like people have forgotten exactly where they are for a moment. The mood on the memorial was generally what you would expect but this just seemed odd to me. Maybe I am out of touch on this.

This was a very interesting visit to make. I am very glad to have been there and would certainly recommend you go if you are in the area. It won’t be something that you necessarily “enjoy” but you will probably find it a very moving and thought-provoking experience.

Diamond Head Hike

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Just beyond Waikiki in Honolulu rises the remains of an extinct volcano. Diamond Head is the most obvious geological feature in the vicinity of the city and is a famous landmark. The crater (not such to be honest whether it counts as a crater or caldera but who is keeping score?) is home to a park. You can drive in to the park through a tunnel and then park up to climb to the top.

We took the advice of the guide books and went early in the day. Given how hot we got, I hate to think what those who went later in the day and had the midday sun to deal with felt like. It is quite an exertion. I don’t consider myself an athlete but I am not too out of shape either. This was quite a climb. There is a trail that is well maintained and the final stages include several flights of stairs – some quite steep.

When we reached the top, we were both pretty relieved to be there. It was worth it since the view across the city was very good. We enjoyed it a lot and anyone who suggests that our extended viewing was an excuse to take a rest can’t prove anything. The trip down was a lot better than the climb up!

Aerial Waterfall Adventure

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One thing you won’t be short of if taking a tour of Kauai is waterfalls. You have an island that has a lot of high terrain and a regularity of rainfall (including the wettest place on the planet) so that means there is lots of water making its way from the high ground to the sea. Sometimes that means taking the quickest route – off the edge.

Some of these falls can be seen from ground level and that is certainly worth doing. However, taking to the air gives you two advantages. First, you are above the terrain and can get a better view of the falls themselves. Second, since you are no longer constrained by the location of roads or trails, you have access to the more remote locations which also tend to be the sites of the more interesting falls.

We saw a lot of falls while we were up in the helicopter. Some of them we had seen on the ground but plenty of others we hadn’t. In truth, we saw so many we lost track of them. In some locations the water was running down in multiple locations so you couldn’t even say which bit was “The” fall. Others were a bit more obvious.

In the end, who cares. They all looked amazing. The scale of the scenery is such that a photograph can never truly convey what it was like to be there but hopefully they provide a taste.

Ziplining

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Recently, I bought myself a GoPro camera. They seem to be ubiquitous these days showing up on TV shows on a regular basis to provide the footage from unusual angles or mounted on fast moving items. They make good cockpit cameras as well and are really very affordable.

As part of the Kauai trip, we spent a few hours riding zip lines at Princeville Ranch Adventures. I took the GoPro along with us in case a good opportunity came up to use it. I was not alone as another person in our group had one. Originally, I had intended to get a head strap for the camera for use on the lines. Unfortunately, I didn’t order one in time before we left and couldn’t get one locally. GoPro stuff seems to sell out very quickly so I guess I am not alone in liking the gear.

As it was, I think this proved to be a lucky break. Since I didn’t have a mount, my only option was to handhold the camera. Since it has a very wide field of view, this can be done without needing too much accuracy in pointing. I could also then point the camera in any direction I wanted. Having a fixed wide view is not always ideal but it seemed to work pretty well.

From the footage I shot that day, I have put together a short video of the ziplining adventure. I don’t think it is going to win any awards and those people I know who are real editors will, no doubt, cringe at the quality of my cutting but it is a vacation memento at the end of the day so I am not going to get too bothered about it. Besides, as Vincent Laforet said in a recent interview, when you need editing done properly, get a proper editor to do it. You can’t do everything!

Here is the video. Hope it gives you a bit of a feel for a great day out.

Waimea from the Air

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For those of you following the posts closely – aren’t you all? – I previously reported on Waimea Canyon as seen from the ground, sometimes while wearing disintegrating hiking boots! I also mentioned that we were going back in a slightly faster form of transportation.

I have posted already about the article I was writing about Mauna Loa Helicopters, the company that we were using for our trip. I won’t duplicate much from the article – if you are interested, you can still see that piece here. Instead, I will just give you a selection of shots taken from the helicopter. We flew across the canyon later in the afternoon so the light was lower and a lot more attractive.

That time of day is also a time when clouds can start to build up so we did get some cloud cover as we flew in. However, that did not detract in any way from how amazing the place looked. Sometimes high overlooks provide a vantage point that doesn’t look too dissimilar from the view from a helicopter when you are flying in the canyon. However, I can assure you that the variety of views and the sights that are inaccessible from the road are one of the things that makes the flight so worthwhile. Having no doors only enhances the experience (and the photography!).

We spotted a number of locations we had seen previously. The rocky outcrop we came out onto was one we could see and the full falls that we had been near the top of were so much more impressive from this angle.

If money and time were no object, I would try this trip a number of times and at different times of day. There must be an ever changing variety of effects to see given the chance!

Waimea Canyon

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The Grand Canyon of the Pacific – that is one of the names that is given to Waimea Canyon on Kauai. It is a dramatic geological formation that runs through the middle of the island. The drive there is not a short one but it certainly is worthwhile. The scenery is dramatic and there are plenty of good locations close to the road from which to take it all in.

Over and above the easily accessible areas, there are plenty of hiking options available to take advantage of and, despite the fact the peak of the tourist season had passed, there were still a lot of people taking a walk through the wilds.

Our hiking activities did not necessarily go according to plan. We had picked a couple of trails that we wanted to explore, one before lunch and one after. We got to the first trail quite early as a result of starting out from the hotel promptly. There was an option to drive the first section if you had a 4×4 but we skipped that and trekked off. After the track ended and we were on the trail itself, we descended the hillside. All of this descending is one of those things you can’t help but be aware of when you know you are going to be coming back up the same way!

A little while later one of my boots suddenly felt like something was stuck on it. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Instead, the sole of the boot was coming away from the rest of the boot. No option but to turn around and head back to the car. The climb back up was just as I had imagined it would be. Meanwhile, the second boot was starting to disintegrate as well. These were boots I had owned for many years but hadn’t used for a while. I guess the material had aged and couldn’t hold together any longer. The separation of the sole got worse and we headed back up and one sole was gone by the time we reached the car and the other was almost done.

A change of shoes and we now went for a second effort. The time we had taken meant the sun was a bit higher in the sky and the temperature was a bit higher. We passed bits of the sole of my boots as we went and then got into new territory. Eventually we came out on an exposed area of rock with some excellent views of the surrounding canyon. A bit more of a descent and we came to the top of some waterfalls.

The return trip was a bit more effort than we were really ready for. The climb up was a steady effort but the higher sun was now making us a lot warmer. That, combined with having already made a round trip for part of the hike, meant we were feeling absolutely wiped out by the time the car came into welcome view. A short drive to a cafe and we ate and drank like we hadn’t seen food and drink for days! Needless to say, our enthusiasm for the second – harder – hike had waned and so we spent the rest of the time checking out overlooks closer to the road and enjoying the views from there.

Some of the overlooks had been bypassed on the way up but checking them out as we went back down the roads was very worthwhile. Some stunning scenery and some better views than from the very top of the canyon. We also watched a few of the touring helicopters which was part of our plan for the following day. I shall tell more about that in a coming post!

Evil Frigates

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Early in our visit to Kauai, we paid a visit to the lighthouse and wildlife refuge at Kilauea Point. We were there to see the lighthouse and the surrounding coast but the wildlife element was an interesting addition. There were tons of birds in the area. Along the cliffs we saw a lot of Red Footed Boobies. These are a pretty decent sized bird that is akin to a small albatross. The boards also mentioned the presence of frigate-birds. These weren’t close in but appeared to be out towards the lighthouse.

Once we got out on the peninsula on which the lighthouse sits, we became a lot more familiar with the frigate-birds. It turns out that they are something I have seen on one of the TV nature programs that the BBC produces in great detail every five years or so. Frigate-birds are a prehistoric looking creature. Their wings make them look like a pterodactyl and their beaks have a most evil looking hook on the end.

The thing that the TV show explained and that we got to see in action is their preferred method of getting food. The boobies head off out to see to catch fish. They bring the fish back in a pouch in their throat and then use it to feed the chicks. The frigate-birds are not so interested in making much of an effort so they hang around and wait for the boobies to return. They then attack them trying to make them spit out their catch. Nice, huh?

Anyway, we got to see this at close range. The frigate-birds would pick a target and go for them, sometimes in pairs. The attack would continue for some time as the boobies tried desperately to get out of the way. If they got close enough to the shore, that seemed to be good enough and they could get back to their roost. Otherwise, the frigate-birds would be pretty tenacious. Quite something to witness at close quarters!