A quick VFR flight (no GPS and no flight following) online without any airspace incursions (that's a feat in Socal haha!)  Went from KPOC to KSNA...

sna_b350 by ryan b, on Flickr

I love the takeoff out of John Wayne, which many pilots prepare the pax for ahead of time.  To comply with noise abatement the aircraft climb steeply to 1000 feet AGL, then chop the thrust and retract the flaps, causing a great sensation of weightlessness for a few seconds to the oohs and ahhs of the pax.  My daughter would love it as I would pick Santa Ana as our airport for trips to Disneyland/California adventure.  Especially great were the completion of the HOV lanes direct to the park, which cut the taxi ride from 45 minutes in traffic to around 15, especially given the near airliner speeds taxi drivers would drive at.  I preferred a taxi with family vs. the airport bus because the price worked around the same, but the taxi would take us direct to our hotel or motel. 

We usually tried to pick a motel because we could be directly across the street from the Disney entrance, I would also pick it if I chose to drive from Phoenix, if I was up to the trip and could time it to avoid rush hour traffic in Socal.  My wife always marveled that I knew the way by heart and I taught her the route so she could eventually take my daughter there, taught her the route and how to handle California drivers assertively but not aggressively which California drivers (after all I learned my driving chops in California) appreciate. 

Phoenix drivers are also pros when it comes to politeness on our freeways, which just means keeping up with traffic, using turn signals, and not impeding merging traffic on the freeway or when merging, fitting into a slot in a predictable manner.  I commuted tens of thousands of miles without incident on the freeways, since I live 30 miles from Scottsdale where I worked for five years.

I was recently rear ended just slightly, without car damage on a surface street and was surprised when I pulled into a parking lot to inspect the car, the driver who bumped me came to check on me.  He was scared out of his mind I would lose my temper but I told him "no harm, no foul".  We chatted briefly and I thanked him for checking on me, we shook hands and he went on his way.

That is the nature of most Phoenix and California drivers, since we are drivers who are transplants from the midwest and back east, the land of manners, and of the courteous south too.  You have to avoid road rage--flipping the bird at someone even if they do that to you is considered a crime in Phoenix and road rage and can be punishable as assault.  You just do not escalate however the temptation--apply piloting skills when driving and you always come out on top.

Sadly after I was run over in a pedestrian accident I had to give up my car and driving, because my ankles have been healing ever so slowly.  When I receive my insurance settlement in about a month, I will consider then whether to buy a new car or just an ebike for local trips, and using a cab or the bus for longer trips.  I am at that age now where driving reflexes slow a bit, still almost twenty years from being elderly but I have to respect my reflexes and drive less now.  I figure I can always rent a car if needed since I have no blots on my driving record of over 35 years.

John

Sweet Shot!!!

Excellent perspective shot, Ryan. No GPS/FMS here...I like it. Glad you did not get cited for any airspace incursions....

Nice shot!

John

Thanks all