Flying Over San Diego

America's Finest City From the Air

By Andy Johnson III

December 8^th, 2019

During a recent trip to San Diego, my pilot friend Reuben asked if I was interested in joining him for an early morning flight. I was thrilled when the weather cooperated and he confirmed that we could fly. Driving to Montgomery Field, I joined Rueben on a beautiful morning as he prepared the small 1979 Cessna 172 for the flight. I used to live in San Diego so I've experienced many commercial flights but this my first flight in a smaller plan allowing me to encounter San Diego from the air.

Flying Along the Coast

We took off from Montgomery Field and then flew toward the coast. From the passenger side of the plane, my view to the north unveiled Scripps Pier before we turned south passing by La Jolla and along San Diego's legendary coastline en route to downtown.

Downtown San DIego

I've always loved the Coronado Bridge connecting downtown San Diego to Coronado Island. The view across the bay, the bridge and downtown is extraordinary. I used to live on a sailboat tied to a mooring along Harbor Drive so the highlight of the flight for me was looking down over where my boat once served as home. Flying over the planes lining up to take off from Lindbergh Field provided another unique vantage point.

Mission Bay & Pacific Beach

I found the lines and shapes of Mission Bay fascinating as we flew overhead. The beautiful Mission Beach flowing into Pacific Peach and punctuated by the pier filled my view as we flew back north along the coast.

La Jolla

The La Jolla Cove and surrounding village are one of my favorite areas of San Diego. Seal Beach, the cove and its sea lions, the beautiful green that once inspired Dr. Seuss and the incredible waterfront filled with memories were all so fun for me to see from the air!

The Landing

Turning back inland, we flew back to Montgomery Field and landed the plane. What an incredible flight with such perfect weather and visibility for experiencing San Diego from the air! I'm so grateful that Reuben invited me to tag along for a flight that I will never forget!

Flight instruments

As a big fan of design and watches, I'm fascinated by flight instruments and their layouts. The Cessna 172 featured a combination of new and old equipment and the instruments pictured were the ones I found most visually interesting. I also enjoyed taking the Glycine Airman Base 22 up for this flight, a classic aviation watch tracking multiple time zones for pilots since 1953.