Aerial Photography of the Bay Area by John Ballou
Pictures from Leavitt Peak (11,570 feet PLUS!!!)
Picture of SF Bay in the Afternoon from Above Vollmer Peak
Note: Large Picture - Some Browsers Will Not Display Properly
Son of SF Bay Panoramic Picture from above Pinole, CA
Note: Large Picture - Some Browsers Will Not Display Properly
Uncle of Son of SF Bay Panoramic Picture from above Moraga, CA
Note: VERY Large Picture - Some Browsers Will Not Display Properly
Life Sciences Building Construction Progress - Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.
3-Meter Glider Project Pictures
Orinda Intermediate School Science Department Rocket Launch 2003
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Here's a panorama of part of Big Sur, looking to the north, on a rare, clear day.
The picture below is of Vollmer Peak, from the east. In the haze over
the hill you can see the bay, Oakland, and Berkeley.
This is a shot of the flying site from the south, with San Pablo Reservoir
in the background, and the towers in the foreground.
Here is Vollmer Peak from the north, showing Round Top in the background.
This is a photo taken of Mt. Diablo from above Vollmer Peak.
Here is a photo of the flying field used by the Concord Model Engineers,
at Court Lane in Concord. The parking area is where the white car is in
the lower left of the picture, and you can see a sign to the right of
the end of the road. The back of this sign has a cord attached to it for
a primitive "Frequency Board". Be sure to bring a clothespin
with your name and frequency on it. I launched the "Local Hawk"
from the ridge to the north on this day, so I wanted to make sure that
no one would try to use channel 36. Make sure you check before you
turn on your transmitter!
I went to the Electric Fun Fly at Half Moon Bay September 28, 2002,
and took a few pictures from above. The one below shows the field,
and you can see part of the Golf Links at the top of the frame.
The next day, I went to the Fun Fly at the DVRC field in Pittsburg. It was pretty windy,
but I got some good shots. This one shows the field, clubhouse, and environs.
On December 7, 2002, I attended the "Toys for Tots" event at BARCS. It was a somewhat
hazy day, but here is a shot of their field. I really enjoyed myself there, and seems
like a great group of guys. There were some tremendous models there, especially an
F-4U Corsair and a nice biplane flown by Derek Koopowitz, who is their webmaster.
This picture is of Acalanes Ridge, also from the east. For scale,
I am standing on the ridge, near the middle. The trail to the
flying site can be seen to the right.
Here's a panorama of Walnut Creek taken from above Acalanes Ridge.
This one is a self portrait from Vollmer Peak. You can see the gate at
the back, including the rubber hose that protects vital body parts as
we step over onto the site. You can also see my slightly apprehensive
posture, a result of too many flying mishaps.
Here is a triptych I put together from some photos I took in the late
afternoon from Vollmer Peak.
Below is a stereo pair of me with the LocalHawk IIL. This is the culmination
of two years of experimentation with different configurations of wings,
motor systems, camera placements, construction techniques, and lots of luck.
There is another plane that I've been using, which I built by electrifying
a Great Planes size 40 Cub. I covered and decorated it as a J-3 spotter
plane that I found a picture of in Stephen Ambrose's "Citizen Soldiers".
In the book, it was on its back after the pilot was shot from the
ground. I figure that someday it'll end up the same way, though from pilot
error, not hostile fire from the ground. Following the picture are some
pics I took of the USS Hornet, which is a floating museum in Alameda, CA.
The airfield is the Naval Air Station, and the other pic is of Alameda,
showing the long beach that is on the bay.
The following images I got from flying the "Local Hawk" near
Port Costa. The main item of interest is the Carquinez Straits Bridges,
and you can see the construction on the new span, which will be
suspension instead of cantilever. Also, an odd shape can be seen on
the ridge in the foreground.
visitors since 2-14-04