Aerial Archives - Page 3 of 9 - Aerial Photography Library

Clear Lake Splash In Dates For 2020: September 17-20, 2020

October 23, 2019 October 31, 2019 / By Herb Lingl / Events, Seaplanes

ICON Aircraft chief pilot, Rich Bookbinder, demonstrates the ICON A5 amphibious light sport aircraft at the Clear Lake Seaplane Splash In, Lakeport, Lake County, California
Image ID: AHLC3945
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com

The 41st annual Clear Lake Splash In is scheduled to take place from Thursday, September 17, through Sunday, September 20, 2020 in Lakeport, California.

The Clear Lake Splash In carries on the long tradition of seaplane operations at Clear Lake.

The Pan American Airlines Clipper flying boats which operated a Trans Pacific service in the 1920s and 1930s used Clear Lake as a back up landing location when the San Francisco Bay Area was too foggy for operations into the the Pan American seaplane harbor at Treasure Island. The Pan Am Clear Lake ramp was in Lakeport not far from the location of the Splash In.

Over the years, the Clear Lake Splash In has evolved into the largest seaplane fly-in event in the western United States.

The event has hosted a wide variety of seaplanes over the years including some of the largest seaplanes in the world, such as the Grumman Albatross (one year two Albatrosses participated), impeccably restored seaplanes of unique historical significance, rare seaplanes, and some of the latest innovations in the field of seaplane flying.

The event has also featured seminars about aviation and seaplane flying which impart unique information, sometimes difficult to obtain elsewhere.

The 2019 event featured three presentations by Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) ambassador Kay Sundaram.

The seminar entitled Career Opportunities In Aviation outlined the bright opportunities for young people in aviation. The seminar supported efforts by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and others in northern California to build interest in the adoption of the AOPA High School aviation curriculum by Lake County High schools. AOPA makes this comprehensive curriculum available at no cost to high schools who apply and are accepted to participate in the program.

Kay also presented two other seminars, one entitled Maximum Fun, Minimum Cost: How to Start and Run a Flying Club and You Can Be a Pilot a fast paced, inspiring video presentation for prospective flyers.

As has been the tradition each year, Splash In volunteers provided a free shuttle service between Lampson Field (102), the closest general aviation airport to the event (only 4 miles away), and the Natural High School grounds where the event takes place for those who choose to fly land planes to the event.

Volunteers from the community have been essential to producing this event. In addition, members of community organizations have volunteered to help produce the event. The Lake County chapter of the Sea Scouts, for example, provided ramp safety services. Volunteers from the Lake County Amateur Radio Society provided communication services and shuttle services from Lampson Field.

If you’re interested in this event and would like to participate as a pilot, volunteer or sponsor for the 2020 Clear Lake Splash In, please get in touch. You can use the contact link on the top right of this page or the contacts available at the web pages referenced in the links below.

Areas where volunteers would be invaluable for next year’s event include help with event planning and fund raising, social media, seminar planning and event marketing.

If you’re a seaplane pilot and have ideas for next year’s event, please pass those along.

To view photographs of the 2019 and previous Splash In events, please visit Clear Lake Splash In photographs.

To follow the Clear Lake Splash In on Facebook, please visit Clear Lake Seaplane Splash In on Facebook.

Middletown Art Center: 4th Anniversary Fire Commemoration | September 13-November 17, 2019

September 12, 2019 September 16, 2019 / By Herb Lingl / Aerial Photographs, Aerial Photography

This aerial photograph of homes burned to their foundations in the Fountaingrove neighborhood of Santa Rosa, California as a result of the Tubbs Fire, which was one of numerous wildfires burning during the October, 2017 North Bay Firestorm, is part of an exhibit about the wildfire experience that opens September 13, 2019 at the Middletown Art Center and runs through November 17. The exhibit, entitled *All That Is Now: The 4th Fire Anniversary Commemoration* features work by a diverse group of artists inspired by the Valley Fire that started September 12, 2015 near Cobb and ultimately burned over 76,000 acres, killed five people and destroyed almost 2000 buildings before it was fully contained on October 15, 2015. The Valley Fire and subsequent fires in Lake County have burned over 50% of the County’s land mass and caused almost every county resident to evacuate at least once over the past four years. The aerial photograph shown above is one of six pieces in the exhibit created by Aerial Archives photographer, Herb Lingl. The exhibit opening reception is scheduled for September 13 from 6 to 9pm . The opening reception includes the performance of a concert of songs and recitation of poetry by community members. The Middletown Art Center gallery is located at 21456 State Highway, Middletown, CA.
Image ID: AHLE0299

For additional information about the Middletown Art Center please visit
Middletown Art Center.

Information about Herb Lingl’s wildfire aerial photography on display at the Middletown Art Center is available at Herb Lingl | California Wildfires.

To view a selection of Herb’s California wildfire aerial photography, please visit: aerial photography of California wildfires.

Clear Lake Splash In | 2019

August 25, 2019 August 25, 2019 / By Herb Lingl / Aircraft, Seaplanes

A Grumman twin engine seaplane, docked at the Skylark Resort in Lakeport, California at dawn during the Clear Lake Splash In. Mount Konocti is visible in the background.
Image ID: AHLC3202

This year’s Clear Lake Splash In, which takes place from Friday, September 6 through Saturday, September 7, marks the 40th consecutive year the event has been held in Lakeport, California.

The City of Lakeport is again opening a special ramp for amphibious seaplanes to be able to taxi onto a large open lawn area in the heart of Lakeport, within walking distance of restaurants and numerous shopping opportunities.

The Skylark Resort is also making its docks right at the hotel available to seaplanes.

Among this year’s Splash In highlights are a pilots’ dinner at Lampson Field airport on Friday night.

Saturday features a display of seaplanes, opportunities to go for a ride or receive training in a seaplane, seminars about flying and a display of remote controlled aircraft by the Clearlake Modelers club.

Steve Bateman, the Director of the Aircraft Owner and Pilot Association’s Flying Club Initiative is leading three seminars during the Splash In.

The seminar Maximum Fun, Minimum Cost: How to Start and Run a Flying Club takes place at 10am at the Natural High School in Lakeport. The Clear Lake Flying Club, which is hosting this seminar, will present several candidate seaplanes which could be made available to members for rental or training. ICON Aircraft will be at the seminar to answer questions about its amphibious A5 light sport aircraft, and is bringing an A5 to the Splash In.

The seminar You Can Be a Pilot takes place at 11am in the same location. You Can Be a Pilot is a fast paced, inspirational session designed to increase awareness that obtaining a pilot certificate is a realistic and achievable objective.

The Career Opportunities in Aviation seminar takes place at 2pm. It examines the exciting prospects for young people in aviation. In addition to outlining the specific careers available in aviation, the Career Opportunities seminar presents details about the high school curriculum for aviation education that the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) makes available at no cost to high schools. Professional pilots, mechanics, avionics technicians and flight instructors will be on hand to answer questions that students and parents may have.

At the end of the Career Opportunities seminar, Splash In organizers will be raffling off to students who have attended the seminar aviation related prizes donated by sponsors of the Splash In including a ride in a seaplane, an aerial photograph of Lampson Field, a poster of an aerial photograph of a Giants game in San Francisco, aviation related apparel and a model of a German seaplane used in World War II.

Saturday evening’s program includes a wine tasting featuring some of Lake County’s highly acclaimed vintages, a barbecue dinner and a screening of a rare film about the history of seaplanes.

In addition to accommodating seaplanes by providing a ramp for access to the Lakeport waterfront, the Splash In provides a free shuttle service for land aircraft that fly into Lampson Field airport (1O2) for the event and a chance for the public to see seaplanes first hand and interact with seaplane pilots.

For additional details about the event, please contact the Lake County Chamber of Commerce at 707.263.5092 or visit the following web pages:

Clear Lake Splash In

Lake County Chamber of Commerce Splash In Media Release

Clear Lake Splash In Facebook Page

Maximum Fun, Minimum Cost: How to Start & Run a Flying Club Seminar

You can see photographs of previous Clear Lake Splash In events:

Clear Lake Splash In photography.

ICON A5 Amphibious Light Sport Aircraft

July 7, 2019 July 9, 2019 / By Herb Lingl / Aircraft, Seaplanes

An ICON A5 amphibious aircraft with folded wings folded is being towed into the hangar at ICON Aircraft headquarters at the Nut Tree airport in Vacaville, Solano County.
Image ID: AHLC3881
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com

When I visited the ICON manufacturing facility at the Nut Tree Airport (VCB) in mid-June, this ICON A5 amphibious aircraft had just completed a training flight and had its wings folded in order to be towed back into the ICON hangar.

Two successful entrepreneurs and a prospective CFI joined me on the tour. The tour of the ICON facility was led by Bret Davenport, ICON’s Flight Sciences Manager and Engineering Test Pilot and Leah Sullivan, an executive assistant at ICON working with ICON’s VP of Engineering, VP of Manufacturing and Director of Quality.

Bret’s background includes serving as a flight test engineer for numerous aircraft at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent River between June 2004 and September 2015 before joining ICON. ICON has assembled a unique group of talented aviation and industry professionals, many of whom spent time developing their skills in the military.

Among the highlights of the tour were having the opportunity to examine individual carbon fiber components, to see how solid the folding wing mechanics of the aircraft are and how quickly the wings can be folded, to receive a briefing regarding ICON’s angle of attack sensors and to learn more about ICON’s approach to manufacturing. ICON is integrating technology into every aspect of production from tracking the location of each tool to optimizing the production capability of its aircraft assembly line.

ICON A5 assembly production line at the Nut Tree Airport, Vacaville, CA

I first learned about ICON Aircraft when the company was scouting possible locations for its manufacturing facility and its director of strategy and business development contacted me regarding the possibility of shooting aerial photography to evaluate Nut Tree Airport as a possible location for its manufacturing facility. Although ICON eventually used in house talent to shoot those scouting shots, I stayed in touch with ICON and watched the company’s progress in developing the A5 and bringing it into production.

While doing seaplane training in San Diego Bay this past April I had a chance to take a demo flight in an ICON A5 with Noah Collins, ICON’s Regional Sales Director for California. Like other ICON employees, Noah has an impressive background which includes 9 years as a naval aviator and 2 and half years as a business development executive with Siemens. The A5 was remarkably stable on the water and in the air.

ICON A5 at Lake Powell.

Despite the challenges that any technology company is likely to experience during its development, ICON is continuing to execute on its mission to create a state of the art aircraft that’s fun to fly, and since it’s certified as a light sport aircraft by the FAA, it’s accessible as a flying option to many people.

Founder Kirk Hawkins, a Stanford Business School graduate who flew F-16s for the US Air Force and Boeing 767s for American Airlines, has assembled an impressive management team. The Board of Directors includes Phil Condit, former chairman and CEO of Boeing and Linden Blue, Vice Chairman of General Atomics. Thomas Wiener, ICON’s president and chief operating officer, previously served management roles at Bombardier Recreational Products, Audi and Daimler Benz.

Interested in owning an ICON A5?

ICON A5 on the step at Lake Berryessa
Photo by: Tyson Riniger

If you want to buy one outright and go for a demo flight, contact California’s Regional Sales Director, Noah Collins.

Interested in owning a share in an ICON A5?

A partnership to own an A5 is forming in northern California with San Francisco Bay and Clear Lake locations. For more details please visit:

ICON-A5-Aircraft-Partnership.

Details about the ICON A5 are available directly from the ICON web site at:

ICON Aircraft

Outstanding videos about the A5 include:

Flying the ICON A5 and

The ICON Angle of Attack System.

Malibu Hills Wildflower Bloom after the Woolsey Fire

April 19, 2019 October 7, 2020 / By Herb Lingl / Aerial Photographs, Aerial Photography

Malibu Hills, wildflower bloom, spring, Woolsey Fire aftermath, AHLE0391 — This aerial photograph of the Malibu Hills in Los Angeles County, California shows the wildflower bloom during the spring of 2019.
Image ID: AHLE0391
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com

This was the first spring after the Woolsey wildfire passed through the area. The fire and subsequent winter rains caused an exceptionally intense bloom. Many of the flowers were the yellow black mustard plant, which quickly established itself after the fire and presents a challenge to some native plants.

The Woolsey Fire burned over 96,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura County from November 8-21, 2018. It caused 3 fatalities and destroyed 1,643 structures including houses owned by Neil Young and Kim Bassinger.

The fire started on the Santa Susana Field Laboratory property, which is a complex of industrial research and development facilities that is owned by Boeing. It is located in the Santa Susana Mountains above the Simi Valley.

Hundreds of homes in Malibu were destroyed on both sides of the Pacific Coast Highway. One home in the Malibu Hills which burned to the foundation is visible in the foreground of this aerial photograph adjacent to two homes which survived. In the far distance, downtown Los Angeles is visible through a thin layer of haze.

The Aerial Archives library contains numerous additional aerial photographs of the aftermath of the Woolsey Fire and the Malibu Hills wildflower bloom the following spring.

License this photograph or purchase a print.

More aerial photography of California wildfires and their aftermath.

More aerial photography of Los Angeles County, California.

Additional information about the collection Los Angeles County aerial photography.