There was a time when flying meant an open cockpit airplane. Pilots and passengers alike were in intimate contact with the airplane and the air it flew through. It was a magical time, accented by an equally magical experience. For the most part, those days are gone. But luckily they're not gone entirely.  

​

In the Eastern United States, there is a brand new time machine that can take even the most cynical, jaded techno junkie to those days. Even if only for a brief visit, as a passenger in the finest tradition of the barnstormers of the golden age of aviation. The time machine is in the form of a 1928 Travel Air biplane. Taking the name of its twin-engine big brother, a 1946 Beech D-18-S, The Bird Of Paradise has undergone a three-year complete restoration that has breathed new life into an airplane that was a classic even when it was brand new.   

​

The Travel Air was designed with passenger service in mind. The front cockpit, which has basic instrumentation in the panel, was built for two average-size passengers. Extra-large passengers may be surprised to find that they are in roomy, comfortable surroundings when they fly alone in the front seat. 

http://www.vansantairport.com/