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Over Altadena, CA, January 2025
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The Eaton Fire that started on January 7 was the second most destructive wildfire in California, behind the 2018 Camp Fire which destroyed the town of Paradise.
I overflew Altadena a week later, and at first, the damaged communities weren't very apparent from an altitude of 11,000 feet. I was looking for a "burned area" but the area had a mostly consistent appearance. It was a sobering realization that it was because it was *all* burned. Multiple blocks of what were once homes had been reduced to piles of debris. Only a small handful of houses in this image remain standing.
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KSQL San Carlos, CA, March 2025
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Final approach at San Carlos Airport. The airport code seems entirely apropos given the headquarters for Oracle Corporation, an early provider of SQL databases, is a short distance beyond the departure end of the runway. According to Wikipedia, however, the airport code predates the technology.
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KMHR Sacramento, CA, March 2025
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Departing Sacramento's Mather Airport after attending the California Capital Airshow.
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KMCC Sacramento, CA, May 2025
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This year, the Hayward Air Rally returned to Sacramento McClellan Airfield for the second time. I stopped in a few weeks prior while preparing for and coordinating the event.
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6S2 Florence, OR, May 2025
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I dropped into the airport with a friend for a brief visit to the town. Winds were gusting to 28 kts on arrival, and 33 kts on departure! At least they were blowing down the runway for takeoff and landing. It made fueling and taxiing more interesting than usual.
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Over El Monte, CA, May 2025
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Returning home from Redmond, OR, I had worked my way up to 17,500' to take advantage of tailwinds. I was already on VFR flight following and asked ATC if I could transition to IFR and get a clearance for FL190. The controller coordinated with the next sector and I got my clearance to fly in the flight levels!
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Over Meteor Crater, AZ, September 2025
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I flew past Meteor Crater on the way out to the Okie Derby.
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KHSD Yukon, OK, September 2025
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Final approach at Sundance Airport. My copilot (and previous Hayward Air Rally chair) and I won the Okie Derby this year! Unlike my experience in 2023, my JPI fuel totalizer behaved normally this time. Temperatures were warm, but only the high 80's as opposed to 100+!
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KCOD Cody, WY, September 2025
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After the Okie Derby, I flew my friend back to his home near Jackson, WY. I hopped over to Cody to visit the east side of Yellowstone and the Lamar Valley.
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Over Old Faithful Geyser, WY, September 2025
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I had tried in the past to see an eruption of the Old Faithful Geyser from the air. This time, the timing worked out.
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KWYS West Yellowstone, MT, September 2025
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After spending a couple days in the Lamar Valley, I relocated to West Yellowstone to visit the attractions on the west side of the park.
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O52 Oceano, CA, November 2025
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It's a short walk from Oceano Airport to the Pismo Beach Monarch Grove, where nearly a quarter million of the overwintering butterflies were tallied in 1990. In recent years, twenty thousand is a good count. On the day of this visit, there were only 470. :(
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