Experimental Electric 4-passenger plane at Hollister!

Friday and Saturday flights included those of this Pipistrel Taurus G4:

http://www.ecofriend.com/entry/pipistrel-taurus-g4-twin-fuselage-electric-seater-airplane/

It is built to carry four passengers but for these test flights only the test-pilot Dave Morss flew in the plane.

With two of the mechanics from its birthplace, Slovenia, walking the wings, Dave taxis the Taurus F4 to the runway for takeoff:

Two glider pilots watch the aircraft taxi off the runway after landing:

"Boys and their toys"

Saturday 8/27/11 rides

Tammie and Rick had a Silver Hawk ride:

Rebecca & Mohammad chose the Mile High Mountain ride and after landing posed for this glamorous pic:

Gayle had two glider rides in her recent past and wanted to expose her neice to aviation and show her "the best way to get high"!

After landing they do look pleased:

John and Ryan enjoyed some maneuvering as well as the view on a Hollister Hop:

Friday 8/26/11 rides

Grace came in with her grand-father, father and mother for a Monterey Bay Adventure Acro ride before going away to MN for college:

Susan and Bill took the Silver Hawk ride over Henrietta Peak(just past the peak visible on the right in the above pic).

Regis and Ken had a Mile High Ride over the Quien Sabe Valley in the Diablos:

Zach and Tim choose to go over Fremont Peak for their Mile High ride:

The swank farms corn maze is starting to stand out more:

Saturday 8/20/11

The morning overcast gave me some time for some ramp pics.

Here is a British 60-year-old trainer, the 1951 Dehavilland DHC-1 CHIPMUNK

The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s. 

The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is a biplane used as a military trainer aircraft, of which at least 9,783 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. Stearman Aircraft became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934. Widely known as the Stearman,Boeing Stearman or Kaydet, it served as a primary trainer for the USAAF, as a basic trainer for the USN (as the NS & N2S), and with the RCAF as the Kaydet throughout World War II. After the conflict was over, thousands of surplus aircraft were sold on the civil market. In the immediate post-war years they became popular as crop dusters and as sports planes.

The converted to turboprop Navy S-2 firebombers and the OV-10 Bronco "spotter" were ready but not used today.

Daniel brought Laura in for a Hollister Hop.  He had two rides in the past and wanted to share!

As anyone can see, Laura was enjoying her ride and the view from the front seat:

Jeanette and Tom were next for Hollister Hop to 3000'

A view of the ramp shows the line of Stearmans in yellow and the CalFire planes at the top right.  Glider trailers are in a line at the lower right edge behind three gliders still tied down:

Here's the 2011 Swank Farms Corn Maze, farm stand and "kiddie" park just north of runway 24:

Jessica and Timothy took the Mile High Mountain Ride to 6000' over the Quien Sabe Valley in the Diablos east of Hollister seen here during the "wet" season:

  On the way back we did some "maneuvering" which they both enjoyed!

Mark and Mark took the Silver Hawk Ride to 4500' towards Fremont Peak and they could see the trails of the Hollister Hills Off-Road Park where they ride motorcycles.  On the way back we flew over their new house and circled so they could see it.

Matt and Andres enjoyed their Hollister Hop!

While I was giving rides, my friend Kurt was exposing a visiting German friend to cross-country soaring in the high-perfomance DG-505 during a 3 hour flight down the Diablos and back!  Below is the flight trace of a similar flight:

Here they are after their landing: 

This sailplane/glider, N505KM, is owned by a club of pilots whose members enjoy dual flights in either of our two-place ships and solo flights in our three single-place "birds"(as the Brits call 'em!).  During the spring-summer-fall soaring season half the fleet is based in Truckee for flights over Lake Tahoe and along the Sierras.  There are also commercial rides available at the Truckee and Minden, NV airports.

Saturday 8/13/11

Jim came in with a family group, got in the front seat and launched with me in the rear for a Silver Hawk ride to the east hills hoping to see the eagles.  The view was great but it was too early for the birds although we saw a red-tailed hawk while we were in the pattern for landing.

Saturdays are busy with training and weekend pilots.

Here is the second solo landing by one of our students with a nice smooth flare just above the runway:

Five seconds later, a nice light touchdown on the main wheel as the airspeed and energy dissipated:

Only 100 of the Italian Caproni side-by-side high-performance sailplanes were built.  Here the Pedro de la Serna father-son team launches behind the Piper Pawnee for an afternoon pleasure flight:

Gustavo and Juan enjoyed their flight together.  During the flight I sensed that Juan was a pilot and would enjoy another ride sitting in the front seat with the stick in his hand!  

Friday 8/12/11 rides

Paul wanted to take his visiting Aunt for a glider ride so off we went to the East Hills for a Mile High ride:

From our vantage point, 6000' over the Diablo Range, we could see the snow on top of the Sierras way out east over the San Joaquin Valley:

 My little snapshot camera really doesn't do justice to the view we had!  

My next ride was with the mother of a young man who rode with his girlfriend 7/16.  Cody and Kayla must have shared their enjoyment, persuading Deb to take #2 son, Jacob, for a ride or maybe it was the other way around! 

Nilda and Johnny are ready to go but our towpilot, Paul, a retired UAL Captain, is still conversing.  Weekdays give us more time to visit and enjoy a slower pace.

  

8/11 rides

Sonya and her son David enjoyed a Silver Hawk ride.  Here they are on the runway waiting for me to hook up the towrope and get in the front seat:

And here is a nice pic of mother and son enjoying the ride at 4500' over Hollister:

We looked at the Swank Farms corn maze to see it beginning to "stand" out and be seen from the air quite nicely:

Later in the day Tim and Susan arrived for their Monterey Bay Adventure ride and by that time the fog had begun to come back in over the bay and Prunedale so we flew northwest towards the Santa Cruz Mtns. and then across the Santa Clara Valley to the Diablos and back to Hollister.

Here's Tim and Susan just after we released from the towplane at 8250':

Saturday 8/6/11 rides

The sky cleared at 11 but we still got a late start!  Julia didn't hesitate for her Mile High Mountain Ride: 

She took many pictures of her own but here's a nice one of her:

My next ride was made very interesting as it was being recorded by a professional for a special "wish" operation whose details escaped me.  The photographer mounted a small Go Pro camera to record my passengers reactions during the flight:

Carol and her daughter Mary enjoy their Monterey Bay Adventure:

Tony, the photographer, filmed interviews before and after our flight but then disappeared like the "Lone Ranger"!  I'll try to track him down and get some info to post a better story later.  

The day became very busy with the parachute-jumping plane's trips, private planes, instructional flights and two fire-fighting missions carried out by our CalFire fire-bombers and spotter plane!

Orion, only 12,  flew the glider as if he were a 14 year-old student pilot about to solo(which can be done at that age)!

Orion's flight included watching CalFire put out a local fire just east of our airport:

The smoke is coming from the fire in the black, burned area just above the black cultivated farm field.  We watched as the two bombers made their low-level runs to lay down the red fire-retardant as directed by the spotter plane orbiting above.  We took care to remain clear of their operations.

Orion's father, Cedar, was next to fly and he put the parachute on for some acro flight:

He enjoyed flying the glider himself more than having me demonstrate its acro capabilities.  I saw then where his son got his talent!  Many students and passengers have difficulty at first but this father/son team had "the right stuff".  I hope to see them pursued flight training.

My last flight of the day was with Leslie, a woman who entertained me by turning her apprehension into enjoyment.  The birthday-gift acro-ride began to excite her negatively when she donned the parachute and received my not-so-diplomatic required bailout briefing!  Some claustrophobic feelings disappeared when she felt how much room we actually had under the clear canopy.  With every passing minute she became more relaxed and pleased to have accepted the opportunity to get "high in the sky"!  After releasing from the towplane we did some turns, a little roller-coaster, some wing-overs and then because she was ready and willing, the LOOP!  The rest of our flight was serene and scenic in the low-lying sun.   

While we were flying out of Hollister, two friends were flying cross-country, out and return glider flights from Truckee in the Sierras: