Monday 8/27/12 rides

Becky brought her husband John out for a birthday ride.  They were accompanied by  friends Lance and his wife(whose name I've forgotten, sorry).

John and I put on parachutes and towed to 6250' over the Aromas quarry for a Mile High Mountain Ride/Acro.  John liked the view most of all! (That annoying reflection/refraction "swoosh" in my pics is a function of my camera operation and I don't know how to have it not be there!  We don't see it with our eyes.)  Monterey Bay is in the distance.  John is looking towards the Salinas Valley:

 
Lance took his own Mile High acro ride to best share John's celebration!  He liked the loop and wing-overs.  We towed east over the Diablos and here we are looking west over the upper Santa Clara Valley with Fremont Peak in the distance:

Ted and Lisa brought their two boys, Jack and Ryan in for Silver Hawk rides.  Here's Jack with Lisa just after we released from the towplane at 4750' over Henrietta Peak NE of the Hollister airport:

After landing, Jack tried out the front seat where he could be if he did what some others his age have done.  That is to start training when big enough to reach and operate the controls, solo at 14 and have the private-pilot check-ride and license at 16.  The first person a new young pilot wants to take for a ride is usually his mother!

Ted was a big man and couldn't fit in the rear seat with younger son Ryan and Lisa said she was a little "woozy" from her ride with Jack so I asked if Ryan could go alone in the front seat with me in the rear(we do have complete dual control when a rear stick is installed easily)!  Ryan was good-sized for his age, 9, taking after his dad and was more willing than this look would have you believe:

Here we are after release at 4550' going about 50mph and descending at 200fpm with the Hollister airport about ten miles east, the Diablos in the background.  Once Ryan realized that we had complete control without being pulled by the towplane he started to relax.  When I asked if he liked roller-coasters his response was, "yes", so that's what we did!  Afterwards, he operated the control or "joy" stick himself and by the time our ride was over he was very relaxed and happy as one can see in this pic after landing and roll-out: