Monday, January 26, 2009

Sailing in the sky - Llano, CA

That's our son!
On Saturday, we left the rainy LA basin and headed around those mountains to the desert at Pearblossom Valley where our son has been taking sailplane lessons, off and on, for about two years. We were greeted with clear, sunny skies and clear views that made for fun soaring even without much lift. The sailplane school has recently reopened as the Southern California Soaring Academy and offers sightseeing rides ... so for all you locals, come out and give it a try.
My husband, a veteran sailplane pilot, got to try out his skills also.

17 comments:

Abby Lanes said...

That's a beautiful shot, and it looks like fun!

Powell River Books said...

With all my flying I've never been in a glider. Wayne has, but a long time ago. Looks like fun though. - Margy

Maya said...

Fun! My dad would be envious of y'all! He likes to go up in sailplanes too. He tried to get me to do it once, but I am claustrophobic and just couldn't sit in the tiny space!

humanobserver said...

kudos....Brilliant capture...

magiceye said...

must have been fun!

Pat said...

Beautiful photos, as must also be the view from up there, but I am frightened to go up in small planes... :<(

Unknown said...

Great captures! And congratulations to your son! :-)

Lori Lynn said...

Oh how neat. Congrats to your son.
LL

Jane Hards Photography said...

I had a flying lesson for Birthday a few years back. Even took the controls. It was heavenly. Great shooting and congrats to your lad.

Anonymous said...

Wow! This takes so much skill plus knowledge of wind currents. I just recently found out it is possible to sailplane from state to state. Boggles my mind. Don't you like the silence up there? So much nicer than hearing the engine.

Anonymous said...

Must be great to gain altitude together with the birds.

I just read a book about two Finnish guys who flew from Helsinki across Europe, Middle-East and Africa to Cape Town using one of those.

That might have been a lot easier earlier when the skies were not as busy as they are today. They had an engine in the plane as well. Unfortunately they had to use it quite a lot to meet the requirements of the modern world.

Pasadena Adjacent said...

I'm over at Pasadena Adjacent. Is it illegal to fly sailplanes over National Parks? Do you ever go up with your son or husband?

angela said...

Those gliders are so graceful and elegant. Nice shot..Have you ever tried it, Tash?

Thanks for sharing the meme. It's always great to get to know people better..

Marie-Noyale said...

So you are the only one who did not try? Will you?
It must be fun to see your son gliding in the air and coming back safely!!

marley said...

That looks fun. We call them Gliders over here, but it is the same thing.

PJ said...

What a wonderful pursuit for your family to share, Tash. You must be very proud of them - and the scenery ain't bad either!

Petrea Burchard said...

That first shot is a stunner. Actually, they both are.