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To look at things is very different from seeing it – Oscar Wilde

Torrey Pines Gliderport

SONY DSLR-A900, f/9, 1/200 sec, ISO 200

I have been looking out for some new spots to take some sunset pictures – today, I visited the Torrey Pines Gliderport.

This is another fascinating location in San Diego and I’m confident this wasn’t my last visit to take some pictures. Hopefully there will be more gliders next time.

The Torrey Pines Gliderport is located on the scenic cliffs above Black’s Beach, next to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. From the gliderport you can see spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and La Jolla, San Diego, California. Nearby is the Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course, Torrey Pines State Beach, Torrey Pines State Reserve, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of California, San Diego. The popular trail to Black’s Beach begins on the cliffs just south of the gliderport.

The Torrey Pines cliffs have featured soaring aircraft since the 1930s with many famous aviators earning their wings on the strong ocean breezes.
Many aviation pioneers flew at Torrey Pines. Charles A. Lindbergh flew along the coast from Mt. Soledad to Del Mar in a Bowlus sailplane on February 24, 1930. Woody Brown was the first to launch from the top of the Torrey Pines cliff and come back to land at the same place when he did so in 1936. Other notables include Hawley Bowlus, Bud Perl, Bill Beuby, John Robinson, Dick Essery, Bill Ivans, Helen Dick, Richard Johnson, and Paul MacCready.
During World War II, the gliderport and its surrounds were transformed into U.S. Army Camp Callan, an anti-aircraft artillery training facility.
The site has been the location of several national and international soaring records since 1946.

Source: Wikipedia

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