In military aviation terms, a “PT” is a “Primary Trainer.” These are the planes in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s that kids would learn to fly in. Open cockpit, about 200 horsepower, fixed landing gear, nothing too fancy. After they mastered the PT they would move up to an SNJ or Texan or Harvard, depending on the branch of service. (They’re pretty much all the same plane.) If you didn’t wash out there, you got to go fly fighters.
Today we had three paid rides scheduled for our PT-19, but only two of the riders showed up. The plane and pilot were ready to go, with no one to sit in the back seat as a passenger. It was determined that I wasn’t having enough fun and I was “ordered” to get in and go flying.
Who am I to disobey an order?
Out on the right, looking east, Thousand Oaks and the Canejo Valley.
Out on the left, looking south, the top of the Canejo Grade (a steep, four mile section of the 101 Freeway connecting the Camarillo coastal plain with the Canejo Valley.
The hills between Camarillo and Thousand Oaks.
Camarillo, on about three-mile final.
Note that it might look like the sky is showing reflections off of a window – no window, it’s an open cockpit plane. Make sure you don’t drop your phone!!
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 