The tradition of open-air Porsche sports cars reaches back to the company’s first one built in 1948, to this beautiful cobalt blue 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, which attracted considerable attention.
By Bill Stansbeary
Many winners celebrate the winning of a race, contest or business deal with a glass of wine to mark the occasion. Winning with wines happened on April 17 at the Porsche Business Aircraft & Jet Preview, produced by Airport Journals at Bridgeford Flying Services in Napa Valley, Calif. Bay Area Porsche dealers presented the show and vehicles.
Spring in the vineyards is a special time as the winter rains subside, leaving the fertile soils well watered for growing the grapes that form the area’s industry. Business aircraft are a real part of this scene, helping bring the buyers and sellers together. Of course, this is exactly what a Porsche Business Aircraft & Jet Preview does best.
More than 750 people attended this event to see the aircraft and Porsche cars on display along with the exhibitors. JETFINITY catering service provided delicious food.
Four Eclipse 500 very light jets were open for viewing on the ramp, along with other aircraft manufactured by Beechcraft, Cirrus, Cessna, Diamond, Flight Design, Lambada and Piaggio.
The Porsche displays drew a lot of attention. Since the very first Porsche emerged from a modest workshop in Austria 60 years ago, Porsche has always been “the” sports car. Porsche engineers have now succeeded in expanding the model offerings while preserving the excellence in design, performance and safety.
This 2008 Porsche 911 Targa 4S traces its ancestry back to 1965 when the 911 Targa pioneered a new kind of open-air experience for sports car enthusiasts with a unique removable top design capturing the best of both the coupe and the cabriolet.
Today, the Porsche model range includes the four lines of Boxster, Cayman, 911 and Cayenne. As Dr. Ferdinand Porsche and his son Ferry guided Porsche No. 1 out into the cool mountain air, they must’ve known they had a winner.
Winning in another part of the world, the cool Napa Valley is lush with grapevines, not tract housing or shopping malls. It’s maintained a rural character long lost by many other communities. Today in Napa Valley, there are 45,000 acres planted with grapevines and 300 wineries with a grape crop worth more than half a billion dollars. It’s America’s premier wine destination, with some of the world’s finest vineyards and a lifestyle that both residents and visitors value highly.
For the Jet Preview schedule, visit [http://www.jetpreview.com].
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- Khalid Halim (left) and Nathan Johnson with JETFINITY catered delicious food all day.
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- A black Porsche Cayman sports car added elegance to the scene on the display ramp.
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- Richard Buckner (left), TWA retired pilot, and Wendy O’Malley, professional pilot, enjoyed reading the latest edition of the Northern California Aviation & Business Journal.
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- Brad Akkerman (left), sales director, and Kari Fitzgerald, sales development manager, presented Bounty Hunter wine and provisions.
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- David Schoebel, (foreground) territory manager, central California, USAERO, displayed a Diamond Twin Star DA-42 (background) to prospective customers, along with a Diamond DA40 XL.
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- Jesse Ahearn (center on wing), managing partner and chief pilot for Pacific Coast Jet, was on hand to answer questions from prospective customers.
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- Mark Feldman of Napa Valley Biplane Company provides scenic flights and tours above the Napa Valley in this classic Stearman biplane.
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- Attendees browse the static displays on the ramp.
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- L to R: Mark Willey, chief executive officer of Bridgeford Flying Services, Napa Valley, meets with Katie M. Lien and Randall P. Sanada, chairman of Jet-Alliance, by the Eclipse 500 very light jet.
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- Vaughn Olson, demonstration and chief pilot for Western Aircraft, displayed this Pilatus PC-12 flown in from Boise, Idaho.
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- AvantAir proudly displayed the fuel-efficient Piaggio P180 Avanti II twin turboprop to prospective buyers in their fractional ownership program.
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- Nick Moreno shows Laurie Lips, Airport Journals, the Porsche Boxster S modern roadster, which takes the Porsche Spyder’s celebrated styling cues.