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We’ve ridden in commercial airplanes, hot air balloons, and helicopters, but until our most recent adventure, we had yet to ride in a 1920s open cockpit biplane!
With a gift certificate from Cloud 9 Living, the ultimate site for experiential gift giving, we booked a scenic flight that would take us over the beautiful Southern California coastline in a meticulously restored classic biplane.
The San Diego weather couldn’t have been more perfect for our time in the sky! The air was crisp and clear from the occasional fog that tends to hug the coastline.
After signing the typical waiver that comes with embarking on such an adventure, we quickly loaded into the cockpit, covered our noggins with the oh-so-stylish flight caps and headsets, and fastened our seat belts!
We found it delightfully unnerving that the pilot was actually located in the cockpit behind us! Made us feel like we were flying the plane… without any controls, of course!
Even with the headsets on, the plane was LOUD! Sitting just a few feet from the engine and propeller made sure that we’d have no deep in-flight conversations! However, the headsets were mic’d in the event that we did want to briefly talk to each other or to the pilot.
Within seconds of taking off, we could see the Pacific Ocean. And in case you were wondering, A LOT of people reside in San Diego! Look at all of the houses! We even passed Qualcomm Stadium, home to the San Diego Chargers, on our way to one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines!
Given the wires and cables necessary to construct a bi-plane, it was pretty much impossible to avoid their presence in most of our in-flight pictures. Fine with us; it added dimension and perspective!
We flew over Torrey Pines State Park…
… and the La Jolla Pier.
Our route took us over the reefs and sea caves accessible from the La Jolla shores.
We’ve visited La Jolla many times in our 8 years of living in Southern California, but had never seen it from above. The views were spectacular!
Again, it helped that there was hardly a cloud in the sky. The water was so crystal blue below; we could see the definition of the reefs just beneath the surface.
Although our flight only lasted about 30 minutes, it created memories that we’ll cherish for a lifetime. We won’t call Southern California ‘home’ for much longer, so this experience was a wonderful way for us to capture some of our final shots of ‘America’s Finest City’.
We spent much of the duration of our flight over the coastline, so when the plane turned inland, we knew our journey in the sky was coming to an end. Every second was memorable and we’re so grateful to have had the experience of seeing San Diego from above.
Check out a quick video of our awesome flight below!
This scenic flight was a gift from Cloud 9 Living, a company that encourages gifting experiences, rather than ‘things’. If you’re looking for a unique gift for a friend, family member, or loved one, consider giving them an experience they won’t soon forget. Cloud 9 Living provides 1,800 unique experiential gifts for men, women & couples in 48 regions around the United States. Experiences range from luxurious spa treatments, flying adventures, city tours, food and wine tastings, and extreme driving adventures, to name a few! There’s something for everyone, so spread the joy that comes from having a memorable adventure!