You love a lot of things if you live around them, but there isn't any woman and there isn't any horse, not any before not any after that is lovely as a great airplane" ~Ernest Hemingway
About your pilot
Capt’n Nick Baker was born in London, England, living his youth as any other future pilot - dreaming of flying like a bird. When he was 14 years old, he joined the Air Training Corps., as a cadet, where he trained on the DeHavilland Chipmunk. By age 17, Nick was fully engulfed by aviation and was now parachuting over the countryside of England. He earned his Private Pilot’s license from High Wycombe Airport, in England, at age 22, before trekking over to America for a sightseeing tour.
What started out as a vacation, turned into a living reality. He traveled around the United States, meeting more aviation enthusiasts and friends, while sightseeing, parachuting, and flying planes. He couldn’t resist the beauty and the opportunities of America and decided to make his home in California. Here, he worked two jobs at a time, to pay for his aviation training while he earned his instrument, commercial, and flight instructor ratings. At this time, he learned to fly the Waco UPF7 and the Stearman and became skilled at towing banners and gliders. He was still in his early twenties.
Throughout his 25 year career as a pilot, Nick has worked for various passenger and freight airlines, flying yesterday’s older planes as well as today’s newer jets. Currently he is employed by NetJet’s Aviation, a share ownership corporation, which offers luxurious flights to an elite group of people, all over the world.
Nick’s real passion, however, lies with yesterday’s biplanes. He is often heard saying he wishes he had been alive during the early part of the 20th Century, when aviation was exciting and new. There’s something about the sight of a tail dragger which brings a sparkle to his eye. This twinkle is reflected to his customers when he talks about the Tiger Moth and the Waco . That’s the first thing everyone notices when they take a flight with him.
Capt’n Nick began his Vintage Biplane Rides in 2002 at Cable Airport, after noticing an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm from spectators every time he took his restored 1940 Tiger Moth out for a spin. This particular plane has a famous history to it which initiates even more excitement. Cable Airport, the Daily Bulletin, and the nearby communities have been extremely supportive of Nick’s efforts to keep the business running. He offers a novelty experience for all people seeking a memory of days gone by; or for people looking for a thrill to brighten up their day. Customers always go home with smiles on their faces.
In 2004, Nick added the second plane, the WACO UPF7, to accommodate those people who would like to fly with another passenger. Or so he says...it might be that he couldn’t resist having another biplane! Especially a Waco....the very plane he learned to fly when he first arrived in America. What a memory for him. What’s next? We’ll see.....