Transit East

I helped begin the transit east by flying along with Mandy from Long Beach to near Phoenix, AZ today. It was a gorgeous day and just about a picture perfect flight as you can see from the pictures above. It was nice to be back in the seat again.

There were a bunch of highlights today. It began with getting to valve helium for the first time to get us over the mountain passes. In order to climb the airship higher then its pressure height, you need to vent helium from the ship which takes careful planning on the pilot's part as you loose lift as a result. A moment that really made me feel special today was flying over a school yard full of kids on recess that were all waving to me. Really a neat feeling getting to wave back to them from the blimp. I wish I could have got a picture. Next, flying through the Banning Pass with its hundreds of turbine windmills is impressive from the ground but even more so in the air. Finally, enjoying sunset just outside of the greater Phoenix area as the sun dipped below the mountains was just gorgeous. A perfect end to an enjoyable day.

The adventure all continues tomorrow. Not sure if I'll be flying but its always an adventure either way. The view is just a little better up top. :)