judypilot
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Richard said:
Actually, I had my camera last time, but I can reduce the image size only so much, and to post the pictures I have to reduce them even more and I just have not had the time to do that.
Judy
green light for launch
- Thread starter judypilot
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Actually, I had my camera last time, but I can reduce the image size only so much, and to post the pictures I have to reduce them even more and I just have not had the time to do that.
Judy
judypilot
Cleared for Takeoff
Dinner with Jeff and his lovely bride was great. Next day, Eric and I had three appointments. A little time in between a couple allowed for a walk on Seal Beach. Eric is a very formal young man; the staff are always kidding him that he wears a tie in the shower. I made sure to get a picture of him walking on Seal Beach in his tie and black dress shoes. He's got a good sense of humor (I was wearing slacks and running shoes, though the latter only because I forgot to pack my dress shoes--oops).
Our last contact took Eric to the metro station so he could get his flight back from LAX, and I drove back to FUL. Next stop, CMA. Best route is up over El Monte, then west over Burbank. Not sweat, amazingly little traffic again. Maybe people have given up flying in the LA Basin? I was heading west from Burbank right at rush hour along the Ventura Freeway, which was, of course, a parking lot. I confess I yielded to my baser instincts and mentally sent a "nyah nyah" down there.
By the time I reached CMA, I was flying straight into the sun, and that was the landing direction. I got lined up.....for the taxiway, which was reflecting the sunlight. As I got closer, it started looking less and less like a runway, so I kept looking around and looking around and that was all I could see. About a half-mile out I just didn't like what I was seeing and even though I STILL couldn't see a runway, executed a go-around to think about things. It wasn't until I was abeam the runway that I could see it. It was surfaced in light-absorbing asphalt--weirdest thing I've ever seen. Tower knew immediately what had happened, and jumped on and said "don't feel bad, a Challenger did the same thing 15 minutes ago". Turns out they just resurfaced, and they've even had people land on the taxiway. Seems like they'd do something, like turn on the REILs early. I sure would have seen them because I was really looking. After I came around, I still couldn't see the runway, but at least knew where it was. Didn't see it for real until I was over the blast zone at the approach end.
Oh well. Nice dinner with a friend who has been through some rough times; relieved to see he's starting to recover. Very nice lunch with my last contact the next morning, then off to the Bay Area. Rough flight up, but that's par for the course sometimes.
I'm in the BA for my parents' 80th birthday, and yesterday, my brother and I flew up to Lassen to get my younger niece, who is doing and internship up there. Beautiful flight up and back. Stopped in Napa to get lunch at Jonesy's, a well-know pilot stop. Back to PAO, and this morning my parents got up to find their front door decorated (by my nieces) with balloons, crepe paper, and flowers.
Judy
Our last contact took Eric to the metro station so he could get his flight back from LAX, and I drove back to FUL. Next stop, CMA. Best route is up over El Monte, then west over Burbank. Not sweat, amazingly little traffic again. Maybe people have given up flying in the LA Basin? I was heading west from Burbank right at rush hour along the Ventura Freeway, which was, of course, a parking lot. I confess I yielded to my baser instincts and mentally sent a "nyah nyah" down there.
By the time I reached CMA, I was flying straight into the sun, and that was the landing direction. I got lined up.....for the taxiway, which was reflecting the sunlight. As I got closer, it started looking less and less like a runway, so I kept looking around and looking around and that was all I could see. About a half-mile out I just didn't like what I was seeing and even though I STILL couldn't see a runway, executed a go-around to think about things. It wasn't until I was abeam the runway that I could see it. It was surfaced in light-absorbing asphalt--weirdest thing I've ever seen. Tower knew immediately what had happened, and jumped on and said "don't feel bad, a Challenger did the same thing 15 minutes ago". Turns out they just resurfaced, and they've even had people land on the taxiway. Seems like they'd do something, like turn on the REILs early. I sure would have seen them because I was really looking. After I came around, I still couldn't see the runway, but at least knew where it was. Didn't see it for real until I was over the blast zone at the approach end.
Oh well. Nice dinner with a friend who has been through some rough times; relieved to see he's starting to recover. Very nice lunch with my last contact the next morning, then off to the Bay Area. Rough flight up, but that's par for the course sometimes.
I'm in the BA for my parents' 80th birthday, and yesterday, my brother and I flew up to Lassen to get my younger niece, who is doing and internship up there. Beautiful flight up and back. Stopped in Napa to get lunch at Jonesy's, a well-know pilot stop. Back to PAO, and this morning my parents got up to find their front door decorated (by my nieces) with balloons, crepe paper, and flowers.
Judy
DeeG
Cleared for Takeoff
Judy,
How did you like Seal Beach? We're you out by the pier? I lived there for about three years, in an apt on the beach on the north end. Used to walk over the the 'old marina' about 1/4 mile farther north and have dinner there, and then walk along and look at all the boats tied up.
I loved it there. (Except for all the summer time idiots that would park in my driveway.)
Dee
How did you like Seal Beach? We're you out by the pier? I lived there for about three years, in an apt on the beach on the north end. Used to walk over the the 'old marina' about 1/4 mile farther north and have dinner there, and then walk along and look at all the boats tied up.
I loved it there. (Except for all the summer time idiots that would park in my driveway.)
Dee
DeeG
Cleared for Takeoff
Sorry you felt that way about it. You must have been closer to downtown. Summertime gets that way, people are just slobs. And yes, buildings everywhere, and way too close together. At the time, about 17 years ago, I loved it. I would probably go mental after about three days now, I like not having any neighbors. I just liked it because I could sit on my couch and look out towards the Queen Mary, watch the fireworks at night, lay by the pool, or walk out the gate and be in the sand.
Dee
Dee
judypilot
Cleared for Takeoff
I'm back. After a wonderful birthday celebration, I flew my niece back to Lassen and then myself home. Good trip except for the closest near-collision I've ever experienced. Things are completely nuts coming out of Palo Alto, and I didn't want to try to go through SFO and OAK airspace with fog still lingering around, so I went out to the northeast first. We both had our eyeballs out and spotted lots of airplanes around us, but one coming straight at us from about 1:30-2 o'clock didn't become visible until he turned away from us. Seemed like he was about 100 yds away--much, much too close.
Here's the even scarier part, though. He turned LEFT! Note this was almost a head-on. If I'd seen him, I'd have turned right--and straight into him, unless I was fast enough to realize he was turning the wrong way or he was fast enough to realize he was.
Tomorrow I head to Red Lodge, MT. This is vacation. Then to Utah next week--more work.
Judy
Here's the even scarier part, though. He turned LEFT! Note this was almost a head-on. If I'd seen him, I'd have turned right--and straight into him, unless I was fast enough to realize he was turning the wrong way or he was fast enough to realize he was.
Tomorrow I head to Red Lodge, MT. This is vacation. Then to Utah next week--more work.
Judy