Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
291
Biplane, Air Combat & Warbird Adventures: The
Thrill of a Lifetime
For anyone with a thirst f or adrenaline-pumping excitement, boy have I got a
recommendation for you. At a small airpor t in the c oastal town of C arlsbad,
about 30 miles nor th of San Diego, is a company called Biplane, Air Combat &
Warbird Adventures, run b y husband-and-wife team Kate and Tom. Turning a
passion for old planes into a thriving business, this cheerful duo offers a knock-
out pack age of nostalg ia, r omance, fun, and—f or the truly adv enturous—a
mind-blowing chanc e t o fly a World War II fight er plane , an open- cockpit
biplane, or a modern combat aircraft (or all three!).
For the mild-manner ed, the 1920s- era biplane ride is pur e romance: Couples
wearing soft leather headgear and goggles (think Snoop y vs. The Red Bar on) sit
side-by-side at the front of the open cockpit while the pilot—seated in the back—
flies a leisurely route along the sunny coast. At your request, the pilot will perform
a few dips and lazy eights to add a touch of excitement, but nothing compares to
the loops and rolls you'll perform (yes, you, who's never flown a plane in y our life)
in their big blue A T-6 Texan, a 600-horsepo wer fight er air craft equipped with
machine-gun barrels that looks like a k iller and flies like a pussy cat. “Okay, it's your
plane,” are four words you'll remember forever as the pilot, seat ed in front, calmly
talks you through the aerobatic procedures, which are surprisingly easy to perform.
(It's one of the most incredible things I've ever done.)
Other toys on the tarmac include a pair of modern prop-driven dogfighters.
Real fighter pilots from the nearby marine base will give you a preflight lesson
on aerial combat maneuvers, then get you airborne and let you fly the plane as
you try to blast your partner—flying the “enemy” plane—out of the sk y (figu-
ratively, of course). For more information about Biplane, Air Combat & Warbird
Adventures, call
&
800/SKY-LOOP
(800/759-5667) or 760/930-0903. And be
sure to visit their website—www.barnstorming.com—for special Internet rates
and package deals.
11
the main commercial street, is lined with small shops and cafes that eoke a New England
fishing village. Shaved ices sold by sidewalk vendors will relieve the heat of summer.
Balboa Pavilion & F un Z one
Kids
This historic cupola-topped str ucture, a
California Historical Landmark, was built in 1906 as a bathhouse for swimmers in their
ankle-length bathing costumes. Later, during the Big Band era, dancers rocked the Pavil-
ion doing the B alboa Hop. Now it ser ves as the terminal for Catalina I sland passenger
service, harbor and whale-watching cruises, and fishing charters. The surrounding board-
walk is called the Balboa Fun Zone (
&
949/673-0408;
www.thebalboafunzone.com), a
collection of carnival rides, game arcades, and vendors of hot dogs and cotton candy. For
Newport Harbor or Catalina cruise information, call
&
949/673-5245;
for sport fishing
and whale-watching, call
&
949/673-1434.
600 E. Bay Ave., Balboa, Newport Beach.
&
949/675-1905.
www.balboapavilion.com. From Calif. 1, turn
south onto Newport Blvd. (which becomes Balboa Blvd. on the peninsula); turn left at Main St.
