more flying last Sunday afternoon stuff...

Albatross and friends...

Putting the Cub on floats



Lakes patrol






Too much fun today...

Wow... great pics

Nice, Brad!

Man BRD, your pictures have a unique brilliance and clarity to them. I guess that's a secret you won't share with the rest of us. Wouldn't blame you. You don't need any competition.

Hey SW, I'd say the more the merrier, I like seeing everybody's images, and cameras are getting better every 6 months.

No secrets: Use good glass (no point and shoot), Shoot in image RAW, edit in Photoshop. Use Bridge to open and set initial: color, vibrance, clarity, highlight, shadows, exposure and warmth.

Then in PS use the Shadow and Highlight tool as needed, then Unsharp Mask and Crop. I also use the Imaginomics noise reduction plug in for really grainy evening shots.

Like Zane pointed out, these here are bit too amped in the green department, but that' s because this is all new growth leaves in the last couple weeks. The green will tone down from the iridescent you see here over the next two weeks. Right now it's playing havoc with the editing I'm used too making. (But also, there are REALLY great colors around here at the moment!)

Okay okay I know I said there would be no more red prop photos, but this morning was one of those very rare days when there wasn't a ripple in the air. So off I went and made about 30 off-airport landings between Spicewood and Llano TX. Here is where I landed first.


And the new prop arrived today, here it is.


On it goes tomorrow. Very excited.

I got to do some local dead stick ridge soaring, what a great weather pattern (a few days ago) soarable every day by noon, until 7 or so I didn't launch until 4, but still managed to get nearly up to 11K, after killing the engine at 9K. Most of them spent at 10K working the ridge lift, with the occasional late afternoon thermal allowing me to get even higher. Three times I left the ridge at 8 K, figuring to fly out in the valley before restarting, and then hit some thermals that allowed me to gain backup to almost 11. One of my old hang gliding buddies said the S-7 would soar even better without the big tires, but what does he know?

One notch of flaps and below 50 mph seemed to be the sweet spot lift wise, this was one of the best thermals of the afternoon. Big, and smooth, not a popcorn thermal but a big honker that any dummy could gain in, others took a little more persistence to stay in, this one was EASY. (Note to self: dust panel)

What makes the ridge behind my place so good: lots of vertical, 5K from the highest point to the valley floor, and plenty of gradual smooth up sloping terrain that seems to get all the air molecules going up, and it aims right into the afternoon breezes The view from up top, looking into the wind towards Poky and another soaring ridge through the gap to the right. At the town ridge, looking back at the Portnuef Range, pretty obvious why it is such a good soaring site. Late in flight, scratching now, but still hanging in there at 9K, 1.7 hrs before the restart at 6K

Just around the pattern, BUT NO MORE RED PROP! Now I can fly in true incognito.

MUCH BETTER!!

Tom, it's awesome all the soaring you do in your S-7. That's pretty much free flying right there, can't beat that!

Awesome soaring pics!

And that new prop looks really good. I do kinda miss the red nose though

I lifted the trusses for a new neighbor the other day, that's my place in the background.


At the end of the job, I found that I had accidentally forgot my billing invoices (ha ha...), so the next morning I had to fly on down and drop off a bill. Other then a little burst of power on takeoff, I just about glided down, very handy being that close and below. To make matters worse, despite all their tools being out and lots of rig on site, no one was about, so now I have to fly down there AGAIN. The only good news is obviously the new neighbor is cool with airplanes He will of course be getting a series of aerial pics from digging footings right up to when they lay the sod, no extra charge, probably get a ride too.

Video from recent trip to Moab. Caveman fell through so did some canyon exploring on my own. Here is one.

Flying S.Ca with a few friends.

Lakes patrol Friday night:

BRD,

I have to say, I really really like your photos!

The photo quality is amazing and the story it tells lets one drift off into a fantasy of float planes and a simple life.

Thank you for posting.

Keep em coming!

G44

BRD,

What he said!

It's part of the attraction of flying around here. Unlimited lakes to play on and a general population that has grown up with float and ski planes as just part of the background.

(last night on the ramp after a T-storm)

Lucas Lodge, Agness, OR

The bridge we have to clear to land


Over hill over dale and the county road disects the middle!!


What pilots do best.....BS


New crew for the operation of the potato gun....waiting for the Mail Boat/Jet Boat ride up the Rogue River.


Notice the parked rafts and the observers on the rocks watching.......we are waiting our turn to go up!


Between the rock walls!


Moisture in the air!
Good time had by all. Great food at Lucas Lodge!

nice 22 deg halo John!

--

rained like crazy here Saturday evening through most of the day today, so took the Cub up and blew the rain out of it. Dripped for 20 minutes!