Sunday, July 11, 2010

Flight to Mt. Baldy

Photos taken by my son (with his Palm Pre cell phone) from his solo flight in a sailplane (i.e. glider) along the San Gabriel Mountains a couple of weekends ago. The first photo is of Mt. Baldy, with the clouds over the LA basin. He started with a tow from Crystalaire in Llano (SoCal Soaring Academy) and then found lift that took him higher and farther.

14 comments:

Wanda said...

Oh I would have loved to join you on this flight. I love small planes. My dad had his pilot license when I was young, and took us up in a small plane.

Then years ago, my husband and I were able to fly from Paris CA, to Portland MA. in a 4 passenger Sesna.

What an experience.

Oakland Daily Photo said...

Dramatic photos. But your heart must be in your throat every time your son goes up in the air.

Cezar and Léia said...

How cool that he is a pilot!And very talented, these pictures are wonderful.Breathtaking view, the mountains are beautiful!
*** I'm taking my breakfast here 8am and I've publish my post and saw your comment.You should be sleeping there! LOL I imagine we had about 8 hours of time difference.
Have a great week
and thanks for your always kind visits! :)
Hugs
Léia

brattcat said...

Amazing, amazing. My heart is thumping with excitement just looking at these.

Merisi said...

Fantastic!
I am glad, though, that you took the picture,
and it was not me, sitting in a small aircraft.
I am so scared of them.

Almost Precious said...

Amazing aerial photography ! I never realized that a glider could attain such elevation, what a breath taking vista that must be to have the world literally at your feet. I am also always impressed with the quality of photos that people get with those incredible little cell phones.

Anonymous said...

Your son is a constant amazement. These are beautiful; I've hiked to the top of Mt Baldy many times, so I really enjoy seeing it from this perspective.

Lois said...

Breathtaking pictures Tash!

Paula said...

These are amazing, and so is your son. I can't imagine myself being composed enough under the circumstances to have managed such photos...or any for that matter, what with eyes closed and hanging on for dear life!

Carla said...

Fantastic images from the plane,
really enjoyed perusing your blog,

CARLA
www.carlacoulson.com

Pasadena Adjacent said...

that first photo with the plane wing and it's underside in shadow) mimics the storm clouds in much the same way. I really like this; not just because I like Baldy but because it's an exceptional photo.

Linda said...

Your son seems so at home in the air. I can imagine him casually taking that shot on his phone while doing something technical with the glider controls.

Louis la Vache said...

Mt. Baldy?!
Leave «Louis'» (lack of) hair-do out of this!

Powell River Books said...

When Wayne and I used to take the Mt. SAC Flying Team on national competitions they would always ask "Where in Texas is Mt. San Antonio College located?" We always had to explain that we were from California, despite our Texas sounding name. And how does this relate to your post your readers ask, the nickname for Mt. San Antonio in the San Gabriel Mountains is "Mt. Baldy." Great shots of an old friend. Glad you son is having so much fun flying. - Margy