On a recent trip to southern California, a friend and I took biplane rides from a company called Barnstorming Adventures (see link to their website below). They fly out of Montgomery Field, which is in the northern suburbs of San Diego. The flights were in vintage biplanes that dated to the 1920's. They began life as Travel Air 2000's, fitted with inline engines. They have since been fitted with more reliable radial engines, and as such would be considered to be Travel Air 4000's. They are painted in the original factory color scheme of navy blue and orange.

I have tried to map the course of my own flight with the "map this" feature. The two planes flew close together part of the time, and separately part of the time. It was great fun, and I highly recommend this to any of you planning a visit to the area. Check the company out at:

http://www.barnstorming.com/index.html

The company offers a wide range of flights, not just in biplanes, but also in an SNJ-4 'Texan' (a WWII advanced trainer) and in Varga VG-21s (for simulated aerial combat).
Gallery pages:  <  1  2  3  4  5  6  >  >>
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arctangent > Beach at Del Mar, CA, with the Del Mar race track at the top. The point of land due west of the race track is the James Scripps Bluff Preserve. I've map tagged the strangely shaped building on the bluff.
arctangent > California coastline just north of Soledad Creek (upper right). Torrey Pines State Preserve lies just out of the picture in the upper right.
arctangent > Out of the blue...converted Travel Air 2000 sporting a radial engine in place of the original inline engine.
arctangent > The north end of Torrey Pines State Preserve, just north of La Jolla. Soledad Creek, seen in an earlier picture, joins the ocean out of this picture to the left. Its estuary is the flat area behind and to the left of the cliffs. I've map tagged the parking lot just beyond the leading edge of the lower wing.
arctangent > Trails through Torrey Pines State Preserve.
arctangent > Torrey Pines Gliderport. The cliffs here are 350 feet high, rising above Black's Beach (a formerly clothing optional beach). Hang-gliders, sailplanes, and RC airplanes share the facility. Just out of the picture to the right there are steep trails, some official and some unofficial, down to the beach. They seem to be used mainly by surfers. Torrey Pines Golf Course lies out of the picture to the top left.
arctangent > Gliders sailing just south of the Torrey Pines Gliderport. Note the steps in the trail leading down (way down!) to the beach. I counted three paragliders. Can you see more?
arctangent > Somewhere between Torrey Pines and La Jolla.
arctangent > Metropolitan sprawl, somewhere between San Diego and La Jolla.
Beach at Del Mar, CA, with the Del Mar race track at the top. The point of land due west of the race track is the James Scripps Bluff Preserve.

I've map tagged the strangely shaped building on the bluff.
> Beach at Del Mar, CA, with the Del Mar race track at the top. The point of land due west of the race track is the James Scripps Bluff Preserve. I've map tagged the strangely shaped building on the bluff.
Beach at Del Mar, CA, with the Del Mar race track at the top. The point of land due west of the race track is the James Scripps Bluff Preserve.

I've map tagged the strangely shaped building on the bluff.
Gallery pages:  <  1  2  3  4  5  6  >  >>
< 28 of 64 >

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