John & Anne Wiley

2011/04/30

New Haven

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,MeriTimes Adventure,People,Random,Tripp — John @ 04:29

We’ve found a new haven in CT with fun people. Our train ride from DC back to rise above it all in Tripp, provided some time for me to futz with my broken camera. Turned out it was near-sighted. Anything up to about 25 feet away would focus, but not further. Somehow I figured out that removing a thin brass washer behind the main lens fixed it!

8560 Philly Your Eyes

8560 Philly Your Eyes

So above is my first pic after the “repair” and it looks pretty good at full res, except for the fact it was dark overcast and very smoggy. So one of your eyes over our route is restored, just in time for more aerial adventures. Anne’s camera still works, though it has shortcomings of its own. Anyway, today’s flight took us past NYC on a different route than we’ve flown before. Even in the overcast and thick smog it looked pretty cool.

8576 NYC Afar A-fuzz

8576 NYC Afar A-fuzz

Another cool thing about today’s flight was going directly over JFK, easily the busiest airport we’ve ever done that at.

8583 Tripping Over JFK

8583 Tripping Over JFK

Tripp’s spiffy new “pants” (wheel fairings) looked crisp and easy above the smoggy and crowded airport. The controllers were quite helpful in sparing us a long detour around this major hub on our way up the coast. We’re excited to have the day here tomorrow with dear friends, and then to head back and explore NYC with dear friends. It’s great to be flying again!

2011/04/06

SBA & Tripp’s home

Filed under: Aviation,by Anne,Flying,Has Photos,SB Region,Tripp — Anne @ 05:12

Our Airport (SBA) is Tripp’s home base and the one we fly out of.  I left the strut of our plane in the upper left corner for context. This particular view is an unusual path, above runway 33 on the left, with the larger runway 25 at the top.  When ‘parked’ Tripp sits below with the other planes and usually there are many more giving her company.

1926 SBA runway 33

1926 SBA runway 33

Santa Barbara’s new terminal is in process, scheduled to open this summer.  The original terminal is the small top curved part of the red tile roof.  People are concerned the new terminal is too big and wrecks the flavor of SB, but it’s looking good to me and adds much needed space.  Here’s a closer view so you can decide for yourself.

1927 SBA terminal in process

1927 SBA terminal in process

Having flown in most of the country and Canada, I can say this airspace, with ocean behind and mountains ahead, is spectacularly beautiful to fly in, out, and around…but maybe especially to fly home to.

by ~Anne

2011/03/14

I Love Airplane Noise

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region,Tripp — John @ 01:41

The title of this post is on a bumper sticker our pilot friend Jo has. I thought of it from watching one of the mini videos from Anne’s compact still camera shot during our “back-taxi” on the Lethbridge runway. The dominant sound on that video is Tripp’s trusty engine, and I noticed in my heart a flood of warm enjoyment of the healthy “noises” made by that reliable Lycoming 0360.

It also got me thinking again about pix from our recent flight out to the Channel Islands, and that in turn moved me to share a few more. This time, of our approach to Ventura on our way to the fun little Santa Paula airport.

6078 High Approaching Ventura

6078 High Approaching Ventura

We were high, in several ways, as we neared Ventura. First in altitude, because though typically we fly there at around 2,000 feet this time we were probably up at 7,000 or so on a very gradual descent from the crossing. When I fly over water, I like to add the extra safety skipped by most pilots, of being high enough that in event of problems I could glide to land. Even though it’s not much of a safety issue where there are so many people, boats and rescue resources nearby and the water is relatively warm, it would break my heart to watch Tripp slipping beneath the waves after we were rescued. Also high of course, on the joys of flying and the particular magnificence of flying over the islands. This time of year when they’re so lush with plant growth and the beaches and water are alive with pinnipeds added a lot to the elevation of our spirits. Flying this high here, Ventura is spread out below and Lake Casitas shimmers in the distance.

Looking down, the harbor shapes and colors make for interesting colors and shapes, and also remind us of being down there enjoying maritime activities and probably not even noticing the music of Tripp’s engine passing above.

6081 Safe Harbor

6081 Safe Harbor

A few minutes later, I enjoyed the textures and shapes created by agriculture mingling with suburban housing tracts.

6085 Land Use Textures

6085 Land Use Textures

Human activity on our planet creates some beautiful quilts that interact with the natural terrain. What did this spot look like to a soaring condor 300 years ago?

2011/03/06

Colors

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region,Tripp,White North Adventure — John @ 04:27

It started when Anne looked out the window this morning in San Jose and shouted “There’s so much Color!” Then she turned to me, and pointing to her eyes said  “My rods and cones are flooding!” She was talking of course about seeing bright colors for the first time in weeks, because snow covers and dims colors as do overcast skies. After a warm time with sisters, brother-in-law and niece in San Jose, we got a late start and flew Tripp relatively fast (120kias) and high (7.5kagl) to arrive abeam Lompoc just as the sun slipped into the relatively warm Pacific.

5906 Sunset Welcome

5906 Sunset Welcome

Coming out of San Jose, ATC asked me to make a rapid climb to help another pilot, and Tripp so easily obliged he was startled (not knowing when I told him she’s a 172, that she’s a Q model and that makes a big difference when we want to go up quickly). Most people familiar with planes have never heard of a 172Q, so it’s fun to show her off. Two pilots casually looking her over at the Spokane airport asked about the “Cutlass II” logo on her side. “Isn’t that a retractable?” “No, the nickname for that type is ‘Gutless’ due to all the extra weight of the landing gear mechanism.” It was fun watching their eyes get big when I quoted them some of Tripp’s performance statistics. Then they looked at her again with admiring expressions, imagining having that performance and the 172’s frugal operating expenses.

Now our Trusty Tripp (as we sometimes call her) has brought us home to SBA. Driving home from the airport felt familiar, as if today’s flight were just around town. It was great to see our place all tidy and welcoming thanks to friends. We’ve turned the gas, water softener and assorted electronics back on, the fan’s running to air the place out, and we’re having fun doing the first round of unpacking.

Though tired we’re energized with an inner glow. Our hearts, minds and eyes are overflowing with colorful memories of people, places and flying. Now the notion of flying into hard Winter no longer seems exotic. Like having flown from San Diego to Maine to Florida and back on our Big Adventure, or from here to Sault Ste. Marie to Alaska and back on our NxNW Adventure, such things seem almost as familiar as a hop over to look at Neverland Ranch.

Which is better: to go on an adventure, or to arrive home from one?

Seems to me each is made more wonderful by the other, and both gain immensely from sharing with the Perfect Partner. 🙂

2011/03/05

Change

Filed under: Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,Tripp,White North Adventure — John @ 17:59

Sometimes things turn out differently than we imagine. We start the day dreaming of a stop in Boise for lunch with our precious friend, and an interesting easy flight to San Jose. Looking out the window of our Spokane hotel, noticing the gathering clouds we begin to wonder what will come from this difference from the forecast. Looking online, it soon became clear the day would involve some change.

After a quick tour through beautiful Spokane on the way back to the airport, we changed to a nearly direct route to San Jose.

5864 Farewell Spokane

5864 Farewell Spokane

We soon discovered another change from the forecast: strong headwinds. Flying at our normal speed we weren’t going much faster than cars on the freeway. Of course, they had to bend many miles this way and that while our route was a straight line in most places. When we went through mountains, I more closely followed the highways as an extra safety measure. In that terrain with lots of snow and trees, it adds landing options near helpful people and most airports are dotted along highways. Sometimes I imagine what it was like for barnstormers whose planes weren’t so reliable and when highways and airports were very rare. Unlike the forecast, we only saw the sun a few times. But we did of course see lots of spectacular sights from a vantage point those cars on the highway couldn’t imagine.

5868 Lake Abert

5868 Lake Abert

We started off with ample fuel to reach San Jose, because Tripp gets great mileage and has large tanks. The headwinds of course changed that, and we decided to stop in Alturas, CA near the Oregon border just South of Goose Lake at the eastern corner. Opening the door my vision of warm California instantly changed to remembering Winter in high desert is not warm (15mph wind blowing across snowy fields at 35F). A shortcut we planned from there through Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Forrest changed when I noted the road wasn’t plowed, so we didn’t turn direct to San Jose until near Redding. By then it was getting dark, so the brilliant lights of I-5 were a welcome sight.

This morning waking in San Jose, the sun was out. What a change this is! Balmy air and brilliant colors! Anne was literally jumping up and down when we opened the window in our sister’s cozy home. Change makes life interesting. 🙂

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