Did you know that Bernal Heights has an air force? We do! Happily, it’s not the militarized sort — at least not yet. (Take note, uppity La Lengua separatists!) There are several pilots who live in the ‘Wood, and they take to the skies when the view from atop Bernal Hill just isn’t high enough.

I went flying with one Bernal aviator last weekend; a gentleman whom I met via this blog. Wing Commander Fiid lives in South Bernal, and after driving down to Palo Alto Airport, we took off in a cozy Cessna 172, bound for the Central Valley town of Willows, about 170 miles north.

Here’s Wing Commander Fiid, confirming our flight path with BERSAC (Bernalwood Strategic Air Command):

Alas, we had to bypass Bernal Heights itself, as our lovely neighborhood was covered in a thick and unphotogenic blanket of fog. So instead, our flightpath took us to the east, along I-680, where we looked eye-to-eye with Mt. Diablo:

Then we circled a few times over the mothball fleet at Suisun Bay, capturing some great angles on the battleship USS Iowa:

Luckily, other Bernal aeronauts have swooped over the neighborhood on days when the skies were more cooperative. Here are some photos taken by aerial photographer and Bernal resident Jon Hope that capture the scene above our eastern frontier, looking north from Cortland:

Here’s an intimate portrait of the giant bald spot atop the Lowe’s store on Bayshore. “Rogaine on Aisle Six!!”

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics and John Hope