Tag Archives: Pilot

I’ve Found My Utopia – It’s in a Biplane in the Sky

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When I first experienced a biplane adventure in southern California with Biplane Fun, I Biplane-Adventures,-Inc.didn’t know what to expect. As we plummeted toward the earth my screams of excitement could be heard for miles. My search for extreme adventure had brought me to that point and I didn’t think it would ever be matched. Then, when I was scouring the internet for bucket list items to do during my trip to Georgia, I found another biplane aerobatics company: Biplane Adventures, Inc.. Even though I’d already experienced a biplane flight, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to flip, turn, plummet, and somersault through the sky once again. After all, it was my Utopia, and this time I knew what aerobatics I enjoyed most. Continue reading →

What’s Left for Your 2012 Bucket List?

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Each year, I create a bucket list; there are way too many things I want to accomplish in myFlight Lessons California life to create just one never-ending, overwhelming list. By writing a new list every year, I have more direction and motivation to implement my perfect life. I spend hours envisioning what I want to accomplish, what’s possible, and what’s maybe a little impossible, and then I find ways to make it happen. Not everyone has a bucket list, but we all have things we want to accomplish this year. Stop! Take two minutes to write down 5 things you want to accomplish before the end of 2012. Now, share them in a comment below! If it is written, you can make it happen! We can all have our dreams come true! Share them with me, share them with others, and watch them happen.  Continue reading →

Adventure Photo Contest Contestants

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Bucket List Publications asked for your adventure photos and you responded with great enthusiasm. We narrowed it down to 12 amazing, adventure shots, it was too impossible to choose 5, but we need your help deciding which one deserves the title of Best Adventure Photo. The winner will have their photo featured in our Picture Gallery and on the Photo of the Day. A write up along with a link to their website will be included. Their photo will also be featured in a Bucket List Publications blog post.

Vote for your favorite photo by clicking here. You can view the photos below (No particular order). Continue reading →

Gliding with Southern California Soaring Academy

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Aviation, in all of its forms, has been on the top of my 2012 bucket list. Seeing LA from a helicopter was breathtakingly beautiful, but piloting a helicopter over LA during my first helicopter pilot lesson was even more spectacular. Similarly, piloting an airplane was exhilarating, but piloting an open-cockpit biplane that is purposely stalled over the ocean to spiral to what seems to be an imminent death is the most invigorating, adrenaline pumping adventure of a lifetime. Flying a jetpack opened my eyes to the limitless possibilities of flight while proving that anything truly is possible. I set the sky as the limit and soared through one adventure to the next. I only had one aviation bucket list adventure left on my 2012 list: piloting a glider. I made it happen with Southern California Soaring Academy. Darren and I, along with Darren’s Brother, Kevin, learned to fly by learning to soar.  Continue reading →

The Video Says it All! Biplane Fun

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Biplane Fun gave me the most extreme adventure yet! Combining my love for the sky with my passion for adventure was a dream come true.

A Roller Coaster in the Sky – Biplane Fun

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When it comes to adventure, rolling, spinning, flipping, and diving at 4,000 feet off the ground is hard to beat. Add an open-air cockpit and a beautifully restored 1943 WWII Stearman biplane and you have a day you’ll never forget. Biplane Fun took me on a roller coaster in the sky where adventure lingered around every cloud. This 360 degree experience was over some of the most beautiful scenery in America, and the aggressive maneuvers provided the most adrenaline-filled rush of my life. Continue reading →

Join Us on a Glider Flight in Southern California!

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I recently realized just how many California readers were following along and enjoying Bucket List Publications. It became blatantly obvious to me that there is a community of fellow adventure seekers and bucket list enthusiasts as I strolled through hundreds of comments and “likes” over the last few weeks. When I consider participating in an extreme adventure, I usually just ask Darren, my husband, and I’m certain that I’ll have a partner in crime, but I’d like to extend that welcome to all of my local readers.  On May 27th from 10am-1pm, Darren and I, along with his brother, are going to Southern California Soaring Academy for an introductory glider pilot lesson and we’d love to see you there. Continue reading →

“Destinations” Make All the Difference – Fanciful Flight Dreams Come True

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“I love flying! Ever since I was a small boy, I dreamed of flying. At age 16, I took an introductory pilot lesson at an airport in Cameron Park, California and had the experience of a lifetime. We flew around for an hour and it was amazing! Ever since then, I have resolved to one day pursue my private pilot’s license. I dreamed about being back in the pilot’s seat again.” Jason MacLean

Bucket List Publications doesn’t believe in saying, “Get your head out of the skies.”  No! We believe in putting you back where you belong and Jason MacLean of Oklahoma belongs in the sky. Continue reading →

If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It! – Air Combat USA

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What is the perfect gift for a man? No, what is the ultimate first anniversary gift for an amazing husband who has given me everything in life? My husband, Darren, and I just had our first anniversary and I wanted to come up with a unique, special gift that reflected our relationship. Surf lessons? Nah, I’m having way too much fun watching him getting his butt kicked by waves while we try to learn ourselves.  A new backpack or camping gear? Still not good enough. I wanted a different kind of present altogether: an experiential gift! I closed my eyes and imagined him scouring the skies in a real military aircraft, engaging in aerial combat, and returning to base VICTORIOUS! As a wife, I was capable of making my husband’s greatest dreams of being a fighter pilot come true with Air Combat USA. The price tag on the “Top Gun” experience offered by Air Combat USA in Fullerton is about $1,300, but the experience is priceless.  It was a worthy gift, symbolic of our first adventure-filled year together. Continue reading →

Staying in Touch with My Inner Top Gun

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My longing to be in the sky introduced me to skydiving, bungee jumping, paragliding, para-sailing, helicopter touring, airplane piloting, and helicopter piloting, but at 29 weeks pregnant, my flight experiences would have to be put on hold… or so I thought! Flightdeck Air Combat Center in Anaheim, CA is a flight simulation center that gives civilians the opportunity to pilot fighter jets in actual cockpit simulators. On Sunday, January 8th, Darren and I, along with a great friend, Albert, and four other friendly participants, flew our own authentic F-16 flight simulators as we challenged each other in a dogfight. I experienced the challenge of aerial maneuvers at 600 knots, aircraft take-offs and landings, and the excitement of air-to-air combat all while housing my soon-to-be-born baby girl. Continue reading →