Day 12… Trip to Tehachapi
After a short but great visit with Charles, we had breakfast and headed out to the airport. My next stop is Tehachapi which is about 1.1 hrs (direct), but I elected to fly along the coast if possible which added about 40 minutes to the flight.
The weather didn’t burn off until almost 11 am and after a short flight to the coast to Monterey and I found it to be still shrouded in sea fog. Only a few towers on the coast could be seen.
After flying inland for 30 minutes I tried once again to headfor the coast near San Lousi Obispo and was able to take some nice shots of the shore line at 2500 ft.
After just a few miles it was necessary to head due east to for the 30 min flight inland to Tehachapi. As I was flying inland, it occurred to me I was finally starting to feel comfortable in the plane. I think it takes about a hundred hours of so with a new plane to finally start to trust it and understand its’ particular quirks and personality. Every time I rebuild mine or build a new project, I am alway nervous for a quite a while. This bird is nice…
Tim Lumpp met me at the airport and when he opened the hangar it looked like a museum with planes hanging in the ceiling. I had read about plane lifts but never saw one. It was amazing to park the bird under two other planes.
Tim gave me a quick tour of the area and I was just blown away at how beautiful it was. I had only been to the Mohave Desert where Scaled Composites is based which is where Tim and Marc work. I thought they were crazy for working in such a desolate place. Tehachapi is about 2000 ft above the desert floor and has its own micro climate. It is just beautiful here.
This is the locally famous train loop. The grade is too steep for the trains so it enters the loop via a tunnel and loops around on itself to gain elevation before it heads over the pass. Very cool
Tim’s wife, Karen, cooked a fantastic dinner for Marc, Deanie and I and we chatted for a few hours. It always amazes me how warm and giving the pilots in our canard community are. I feel really lucky to be involved in such a great sport which had given me a chance to travel, see wonderful sights and make new friends.