Lockheed SR-71

People might tell you there’s nothing to do in Atwater, CA, which is kind of in the middle of nowhere southeast of San Francisco.  But those people are wrong, especially if you are a person who loves airplanes.  Vintage airplanes, to be more specific.

Castle Air Museum was created after Castle Air Force Base was closed in 1994.  Local enthusiasts formed an organization with the help of the Air Force’s Heritage Program to save the old airplanes at the base, and opened the site up for the public to be able to see and learn from them.  The Museum’s collection includes over 50 restored aircraft which represent the years from World War II to present day, from a B-25 bomber to an SR-71.  If you know what those things are, this is the museum for you. Read More »

It happens every year around this time in America’s Heartland.  The dead of winter is full-on, white as far as they eye can see, temperatures hovering in in the mid 20s (on the warm days) and if you’re like me, a house full of kids that have grown weary of the winter wonder-lust.  Cabin fever has infected every member of our household, it’s effects devastating what was left of my sanity before the winter began.  The kids have staged a coup.  Fortunately, I have a counter with a little help from the United States Air Force.

The National Museum of the United States Air Force

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Haven’t we all read the Peanuts books or watched the television specials that showed Snoopy fearlessly flying across the fields into enemy territory? I for one recall sitting in my bunk bed when my grandmother would babysit, and pretend I was Snoopy chasing the Red Baron across France. Ra-ta-ta-ta-tat!

Last spring I got to live out my fantasy and ride in a red open cockpit bi-plane. Vintage Aircraft Company has been around for ages. If you drive to the wine country on a regular basis, you will recognize them because their sign and location is on Highway 121 just before the final turn towards Napa Valley.

They have several different vintage planes including a World War II Warbird. My choice was definitely one of their Boeing PT-17 Stearmans, and on the day I went up they had a bright and shiny red one ready for me! It can accommodate two passengers but I wasn’t about to share this ride, so I had a great time sliding about the 32″ seat.

When we got there I learned they offered aerobatics for an additional fee of $50 on any of the planes including my open cockpit bi-plane. Of course I said yes to that and I think they gave me a “famous Cuban Eight” but I couldn’t tell you because unlike regular planes, you don’t get a headset with a mike connected to the pilot. It is a bit like water skiing, just tap your head to ask them to slow down or give the slashing across the neck if you are done.

My 20 minute tour over the beautiful Sonoma Valley was the best. After I stopped thinking about the reality of my possible death, I loved soaring just a few hundred feet above the fields and vineyards.

If you want more they also offer 40 minute flights:

The Wine Country tour: Catch an Eagle’s View of the world renowned vineyards of the Sonoma and
Napa Valleys, heading east across the bucolic Carneros region to Napa, Turn north to St. Helena, West
to glen Ellen then back south through the lush Sonoma Valley. Grapes galore.

West to the Pacific: Aviate over rolling hills and open pastures of Sonoma, Novato and Petaluma;
then head out to Tomales Bay and absorb the Majestic magnificence of the Pacific Ocean.

Spires of “The City”: Drift south toward San Francisco. A panoramic outlook of the Sausalito and
Tiburon Harbors: outlying views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands,
then circle Mt. Tamalpais en route to Point Reyes and your safe Sonoma return.

And this adventure is also available for kids too. They can accommodate a child about 40 inches tall with their booster cushion, though all kids under 10 years must fly with an adult.

When your ride is over there are lots of great Sonoma Valley restaurants nearby or drive a little further into Napa Valley for world class restaurants or maybe just a slice of pie at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen.

Here is me "Amelia Snoopy Earhart" in my shiny Boeing PT-17 Stearman