I finally had an oportunity to take my in-laws up for a local sight-seeing flight. The coast appeared to be fogged in, so the initial plan was to do some pattern work and then head across the bay and out toward Tracy to look at the beautiful, brown, wasteland (J/K, not really) that is the East Bay.

First up was some pattern work. We started our run-up next to a Yak or something (Doesn't matter what it was. It looked like more fun than a C172 - that's all that matters...) but he quickly left to do something that was probably way cooler than what we were about to do...





My green shirt was wreaking havoc with the instrument panel...



KSFO is just off the nose, but not visible here.


Crossing the bay

However, as we got closer to Sunol Pass, I realized that the haze in that direction was thicker than I thought it might be. It can be busy near Sunol Intersection and difficult to spot aircraft even on a day with good visibiilty...

Change of plans - back to KSQL. One more trip through the patter, then we'll head up over the Woodside area west of the airport. It's still good sight seeing even if you can't pop over Skyline Ridge to head out to the coast.

The gap in the ridge on the right is where I normally pass through. Lot's of other GA aircraft are usually doing the same thing, at the same altitude (due to KSFO and KZOA airspace), going in different directions.





KSFO is just barely visible this time.


The fog bank that led me to believe (along with KHAF weather report) that the coast would be socked in.


However, we climbed up to 3500, I realized the fog was just hanging out over KHAF and there was plenty of clear coast to check out on the other side of Skyline Ridge.

Most of these shots are of the coast around San Gregorio and Pescadero beaches.

Looking north up to Hal Moon Bay.



Looking south toward Ano Nuevo, Santa Cruz, and eventually Monterey.





Crossing back over Skyline Ridge to head home


Post-flight sausage and tri-tip BBQ (tri-tip not yet on the grill).

Ain't it a ball ?

Rental 172 ?


Good pictures. If you ever get a chance, fly over what used to be Fort Ord. I'd like to see what they have made it into.

How many hours do you have since your certification ?

Is that Honda Point in the last few aerial shots?

Man, it's a blast. This was the first time in a while I'd done anything other than pattern work, and it was great to get out and just cruise around for a while.

Yeah, I rent. The club has about 5 C-172SP's at KSQL that I fly. Usually between ~ $140 - $160 per hour.

I haven't ever flown over Fort Ord, but I did race in a XC Mt Bike race there this last spring. If I ever fly into/over Monterey, I'll check it out on my way in.

I was just looking at my hours yesterday. Haven't been much since I got my certificate... about 20-30.

Honda Point is in Sothern CA, near Santa Barbara. All my shots are in the area north of Monterey/ Santa Cruz.

Malibu, did you do your instruction at KSQL ?

Yes. It was a busy, sometimes windy, and sometimes foggy place to learn, but I believe I feel more confident as a result. Lots of good practice evaluating weather conditions.

Nice pics! I very much want to visit SF and the Bay area again, I loved it when I was there last year.

I believe that's an Extra 300 in your first pic

Amazing graphics! (Someday actually our sims will look this good on our Oct-Core 10.0 ghz rigs with the NviATI 1200 card and 128 gig of memory...can't wait.)

Ya think? I thought the HDR/Bloom effects were way over done and the terrain tiles had too much of a greenish hue to them, not to mention the flight model felt very arcady!

Great shots, never made it to the wasteland that is Tracy though huh? Give a month and it will start greening up again. I really need to find the extra money to get my PPL. I still would love to become a commercial pilot but it doesn't look like the best industry to start out fresh in with no college, military background and a family to feed.

When I was still in the process of getting my certificate, I flew out to the East Bay in March (I think it was) and I felt like I was flying over Ireland. Green hills as far as I could see. A few weeks earlier it was a lovely shade of tan/brown, and a few weeks later it was all tan/brown again. I must have hit the magical window that only exists for 1 month a year!

I kid about the East Bay being a wasteland. It's fun to head out there to get out of all the overlapping Bravo and Charlie airspace and just cruise around. It's also a good place for navigation and lost procedures practice, since there aren't a ton of landmarks and a lot of it looks the same. I've been to Hayward (KHWD), Nuttree (VCB), Livermore (KLVK), Tracy (TCY), Kingdon Airpark (O20), Byron (C38), Stockton (KSCK), Modesto (KMOD), and New Jerusalem (1Q4) since I started my training.

Well, those are just East Bay/Valley destinations. I've also been to Salina (KSNS), South County (E16), Hollister (CVH), Watsonville (WVI), and Palo Alto (KPAO). Would like to get out of the area and add San Luis Obispo (KSBP) and Paso Robles (KPRB) at some point, but not in the very near future.

Beautiful scenery malibu.


Wheels

Land sharks...the worst type tri tip..yum.Cool shots Malibu