Hey, Roger,

NExt time you going to a AP mission, let me know. I want to go too.

Brian, an EAJ

Will do Brian, now that we are (hopefully) done with winter, the opportunities will start opening up around here.

BTW, here's a shot of Pier 39!

-Roger

Back in the late 1800's, about 1000 acres of sand dunes began a slow transformation into a lush park and is said to be the largest urban park in the continental US (bigger than Central Park in NYC!). Comprised mostly of Pine, Eucalyptus and Cypress, it is rather impressive to see that some of the 'old growth' trees have matured into 100'+ giants...all on top of former sand dunes! Now how's that for a green thumb?

While the park itself holds activity centers that are as diverse as the demographics that make up this City by the Bay, towards the western end of the park (towards ocean beach) there are a few places that I'd like to share with all of you.

The horse stables on the northern edge of the great Polo Field was a place one could rent a horse for a guided ride through the park. Sadly, the facility had been closed down since 2001 due to much needed repairs. Unfortunately, the money needed to bring the entire facility back to a useable condition far exceeds the approximate 1.5 million dollars having already been allocated back in 2003.

Just to the north of the stables and across JFK drive is Spreckels Lake. Home to the San Francisco Model Yacht Club, one can watch gorgeous hand-made sailboats navigate its waters as the club's enthusiasts fend them away from the lake's wooden lined edges with long staffs. R/C power boats (gas and electric), submarines and even steam powered craft are also run on the lake in the weekend morning hours too.

That's it for now.

-Roger

Nice Roger,

I love seeing your area.

What was your platform this time out?

--Scott

Hi Scott,

Thanks, I am fortunate to live in an area that offers so many 'points of interest' and I'm glad to be able to share some of it with everyone here. As this thread matures, I hope more AP'ers from the Bay Area will contribute to it as there's so much more to see from these parts. Come on folks!

Oh yes, I used the Banchee again as I had a problem with my helicopter camera mount. It wasn't a disastrous event, rather a slight design oversight on my part and I'm glad I caught it before spooling up the heli... that's what I get for rushing things...

-Roger

Originally Posted by RMihara

Hi Scott,

Thanks, I am fortunate to live in an area that offers so many 'points of interest' and I'm glad to be able to share some of it with everyone here. As this thread matures, I hope more AP'ers from the Bay Area will contribute to it as there's so much more to see from these parts. Come on folks!

Oh yes, I used the Banchee again as I had a problem with my helicopter camera mount. It wasn't a disastrous event, rather a slight design oversight on my part and I'm glad I caught it before spooling up the heli... that's what I get for rushing things...

-Roger

Was that going to go on your ion?

Was this going to be your first time with a camera on it?

Thanks,

Scott

Hi Scott,

Yes, the mount currently is fitted to a spare landing gear set that I have. The plan is to swap out the L.G. assembly, as a whole, so that I can double the fun of the Ion.

Ideally, the heli should be reconfigured (gear ratio, pack cell count, and main blade size is just a start) to compensate for the added weight of the camera set-up which right now stands at about 300 grams AUW. I designed the mount to be able to hoist up to 5 lbs without fear of it buckling under maximum collective or a hard landing which is overkill for a 4.5 oz DSC but I'm hoping to move up to a higher performance 8 MP camera someday.

-Roger

As this thread continues to grow, finding pictures of interest will become troublesome. To help in that regard, I just added an index to the first post of this thread so that everyone can zip to locations of interest quickly.

-Roger

Roger,

I will try to contribute as much as I can. It can be differcult as you always beat me to it. If you need a co-pilot to drive your camera on the heli, let me know.

Brian, an EAJ

Hi Brian,

Hey I don't mean to hog up the territory! Besides, you got in some great locations yourself! Same goes for everyone else too. Hey SD, how about some more from the north bay? If it helps folks feel better, I am working on several photo shoot locations that could use more than one pilot (for better coverage). As soon as I get word back I'll let you and anyone else who would like to participate know of the date/time.

BTW, the upcoming BBOB should be a fun A.P. assignment!

-Roger

SF Zoo, The windmill at GG Park, PacBell(or whatever they call it now) Park, Bay Bridge, Olympic Club, the antenna on Twin Peak, The Mint, TransAm building, the Ferry Building, the Randall Museum, Mission Delores, Chinatown, Colt Tower, Lombard Street, Palace of Fine Arts, Marina.....many places to pick from just in SF. Sausalito, Mill Valley, Tiburon, Angel Island, Treasure Island, Yuba Buena......

Brian, an EAJ

super wow!

Wow,

Cont.
SD

Wow SD, those are absolutely stunning images!