There is an amazing little airport located in Riverside, CA, called Flabob Airport. It is one of the oldest airports in the state and is truly a small community. I am lucky to have made nice with a number of people who keep airplanes or operate businesses there, so I am welcomed and recognized when I show up. I was a bit restless after opening gifts and eating breakfast this morning (12/25/2021), so I loaded up the car with my basic photography kit and dashed off to Flabob.
When I arrived, I found that it was as empty as I thought it would be, so I parked and walked around. A beautiful, brightly-painted Vultee BT-13 was parked off the taxiway and I went over to it to photograph it. The clouds were dark and full of rain, but they held while I shot the Vultee. It's not often that we get such impressive clouds in southern California and it was even nicer because there was some sun peaking out and providing a nice, muted light. I took about 12 pictures and then walked around in search of anything else of interest.
In minutes, I came across a guy that I had not met before. I must admit that I noticed the 1960s International pick-up truck and the bright red MG that were parked outside of his hangar. His name was Demetrius and we soon struck up a nice conversation. He is an A&P certified mechanic and I soon discovered that he was very proficient with automobiles, too. I told him that I'd love to shoot his truck and to my surprise, he suggested that we drive out to the taxiway and shoot it now. I had time, a camera and a couple lenses, so off we went. We positioned the truck in a great spot and I soon took about 15 pictures. I was happy with them and knew that I had some winners there. Whenever I photograph something, my goal is to get at least five pictures that are worth editing and two that are worth framing. I got more than that on this day and while I'm not saying that all of the photos here are frame-worthy, there are two or three that I will be printing off.
Demetrius suggested that I drove back the truck back to the hangar and after a bit of tutoring on double-clutching (it had been a while) we made our way back. I hung out for a few more minutes before giving him my card and departing. You know how you meet someone and have a feeling that you're going to hang out in the future? This was one of those days.
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