Flaps, Slats and Turkey Feathers

In the hangar... Yokota Aero Club's open house

2011-07-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

For some odd reason when you move to a foreign country they require you to get some form of training before you're let loose on the roads. I think my stint in Tucson should qualify me for driving anywhere in the world.

So, being limited to the base has put a bit of a damper on my spotting activities but fear not! I have found an opportunity to view four local aircraft that are not your run-of-the-mill fare.

Yokota Air Base just outside of Tokyo, Japan has an Aero Club run by the 374th Services Squadron and they have four of the nicest, cleanest and most wonderfully decorated Cessna 172s I have seen. Ever. During their open house this past weekend I was able to wander around a bit and, properly escorted, photograph them on a muggy overcast morning. Two of their Cessnas are 172M models, the others are 172H which they refer to as the T-41 Mescalero (very familiar to many a military flyer from the UPT days). All are exceptionally clean, well-maintained and have up-to-date avionics (better than my Herc has one pilot quipped).

What is extraordinary about them is their paint schemes. All have a very Japanese feel to them with crashing waves on the tails and an assortment of flowers, shrines and Samurai themes. Most pleasing to look at and I'm sure they will be a joy to catch in-flight in the future.

In the land of the Rising Sun!

2011-06-19T23:52:00.000-07:00

A very quick post letting everyone know that we're now in Japan at Yokota AFB near Tokyo. Hopefully our transition into housing will be quick because I REALLY want to get the glass out. In just a couple of short days there have been B747s from Evergreen and Atlas Air as well as my old friend the ATI DC-8. It is also a little surreal to hear the WOP WOP WOP of Huey blades and not see a Border Patrol paint scheme on the airframe.

This is going to be fun. :-)

In the pipeline.... off to Japan.

2011-06-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Well the boxes are in crates and the suitcase living conditions are present so that means one thing... we're off to Japan! I must admit I am somewhat ambivalent about moving to a country that has so many issues on the front burner, but that's part of being married to the Air Force now, isn't it?

The past couple of weeks have been jam-packed with action and some of that has been on the aviation front as well. The International Society for Aviation Photography held their symposium in San Diego and was filled with opportunities to network, learn and use our skills at a variety of venues including the San Diego Air & Space Museum, MCAS Mirimar and Gillespie Field (hosted by Bill Allen no less). A great event run by a great organization.

And finally getting checked off of the bucket list was an overflight of the 309th AMARG facility a.k.a the Boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB. We've all seen the F-16 but seeing 300+ fighting Falcons lined up in the morning sun is something else altogether. Many of them will (conceivably) be used in the ramp-up of the QF-16 drone program as the last of the F-4 Phantoms are used up.

Keep checking back, we're scheduled to arrive at Yokota AB, Japan in mid-June and I hope to begin photographing upon arrival.

In awe.... the 2011 Chino Airshow

2011-05-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

I feel like I should be part of some 12-step program when I say the following. "Hello, my name is James (Hi James) and I... I've..... I've never been to the Chino Airshow." GASP!

Well gasp no more. My good friend Chuck and I spent the weekend in Southern California in awe and gawking at the amount and quality of aircraft both on the ground and in the skies over Chino during the 2011 airshow. If I had to sum up the experience in a single word it would have to be overwhelming.

Driving from Tucson, Arizona we arrived at the Planes of Fame museum and photographed the activities necessary to get your display aircraft ready to fly: washing, polishing, engine runs and test flights. Friday we visited Yanks Air Museum and later photographed arrivals and practice sessions. Saturday and Sunday... photographed. Monday we drove back and took a detour to the Palm Springs Air Museum and again photographed. Notice a pattern? To say there's a bit of processing ahead of me might just be an understatement. So I leave you with a single photo, a partial panorama of the flight line at Chino: four P-51 Mustangs, a P-63 King Cobra, two YAK-3s (one radial powered, one Allison powered), and a Mitsubishi Zero powered by the original engine no less.

My Top 10 favorite Arizona photographic moments

2011-05-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

As my time here in Arizona draws to a close I've been looking back on what I have experienced through my camera lens in the past 18 months. Trying to select ten images is tough, like trying to pick a favorite child.

#10 Beech Staggerwing at Coolidge- Coolidge holds a monthly fly-in breakfast during the cooler months of the year. The local Lion's Club comes to cook breakfast and it is a total mystery what kinds of aircraft will show up. General Aviation was not a strong point with me when I moved here, but repeated Saturdays spent there wondering what the heck was THAT has helped bring me up to speed.

#9 Snow in the Mountains- Walking out the front door of the building our church meets in (The Rock of Sahuarita) is a glorious view of the Santa Rita mountains, and when the snow levels come down far enough it blankets them and everything goes quiet. No better place to be early on a Sunday morning.

#8 UAE Desert Viper- Tucson Int'l. Airport is a place where I've seen many things for the first time but one of the most impressive was the United Arab Emirates F-16E/F Block 60 Desert Vipers. Start with an already capable and deadly aircraft and add every odd lump and bump and you get an idea of what they look like, an F-16 on Steroids. They've returned to the UAE and no longer rip open the skies in the Old Pueblo but they are certainly not forgotten.

#7 Saguaro Trails- I have a huge Saguaro cactus in my backyard. Estimates by people "in the know" figure it started growing about the time the US was suffering through the Civil War. Combine this with the incredible night skies, thanks in large part to light regulations, and you can get an idea about how my brain started to think about how to combine them into a single image. I did, and I love it.

#6 Astronauts- Williams-Gateway Airport (formerly Williams AFB) has an FBO (fixed base operator) that has a military contract to provide services to military / gov't aircraft passing through in need of gas or crew rest, mayhaps even lunch. One of those agencies utilizing this contract is NASA and they often ferry shuttle pilots back and forth. I think they're going to go THAT way.

#5 Grand Canyon- No tour in Arizona would be complete without a trip to the Big Ditch. Colors, topography and snow all combined to show us unforgettable vistas at one of America's most iconic National Park.

#4 Pima Air & Space Museum- "Nothing beats like the heart of a volunteer" and one of my most memorable volunteer opportunities occurred at PASM where I served as a Tram driver giving narrated tours to visitors, as a collections worker cataloging images and artifacts as well as helping out with their Special Events department. I have heard about what visitors did "back in the day" and had them educate me on all manner of topics. I was fortunate enough to help install exhibits and dress mannequins in flight gear (not easy!). I have also learned volumes from fellow volunteers and staff members. It was a great time.

#3 Hummingbirds- Nuff' said.

#2 Barry Goldwater Bomb and Gunnery Range- Before you go to war you have to train for war. If you are to obliterate targets with airplane built around a big honking gun in war, you have to practice with your airplane built around a big honking gun and that is why there is a Barry Goldwater Bomb & Gunnery Range. A-10s and F-16s screaming down the chute to let loose, well... hell. Glad they're on our side.

#1 Storm in a Moment- Ever wondered what a thunder storm would look like if it happened all at once? Here's a typical Arizona monsoon storm compressed from over an hour into one single image. Purple and blues in the sky result from single lightning bolts changing the clouds and rain different colors. Streaks along the road are cars returning home during the event. Image created using 27 different lightning images.

So I've come full-circle. I was born here (at Davis-Monthan no less) and many many years later I'm back here and just like before I leaving. Will there be a third time? Who knows.

Farewell Coolidge!

2011-05-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

5:00 a.m. came terribly early today considering it was Saturday. Quickly making a cup of disgusting instant decaf to get on the road was in order. Today was my last day at Coolidge. There will be more breakfast fly-ins there once the heat abates in the fall but when they do, I will be in the land of the Rising Sun exploring the aviation opportunities on offer in Japan. Today was a going away and I was eager to see what this aviation box of chocolates would present to me this day.

An hour and a quarter passes and I pull up behind the WWII hanger undergoing restoration. Once the north side was nothing more than peeling paint and shattered windows, now it is sheathed in Tyvek and surrounded by the machinery of construction. It's good to see the hanger getting a makeover after so many years, good to see it preparing to stand for another half-century. She has seen many people come and go, been host to a number of hanger flying events and the telling of tall tales, some perhaps even tainted by a drop or two of truth.

I hear the rumbling of a radial engine at idle and as I round the corner I see "Maniak" pulling to a stop, her giant machete-like propeller blades glinting in the harsh morning sun. It will be in the mid-90s before the lunch hour, but it's a dry heat after all. After two summers I don't even start complaining until we're past the century mark. Have I gotten used to the oven called Arizona? Perhaps. Then again, I may just be enjoying the lack of moisture in the air for I know the days of single digit humidity readings will soon be but a memory.

Five minutes after I arrive I get what is, for me, an image that sums up what a fly-in at Coolidge can be. A Cold War-era Soviet designed tail-dragger gleaming in the morning sun; the morning haze, unlikely to be burned off, obscuring the mountains behind her. Friends made in the past eighteen months appear and it feels like any other day standing alongside a runway tracking aircraft from tame to beastly. "Enjoy these men, these aircraft, this field while you can" I tell myself, for it will end in a short time. I will miss you Coolidge.

On the web... with FLICKR Groups

2011-05-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

I like groups. Small groups at church, groups of photographers, groups of people gathering for a pot luck, that kind of thing. I would like to think if I was an animal I'd be a wolf; not because of the "lone wolf" idea but because there is such a neat social structure they have.

I'm the same way with the photo sharing site Flickr. I enjoy being part of numerous groups and seeing how the individual contributions of many can come together in a themed group, i.e. camouflage aircraft, Federal Aviation, aircraft built by Douglas, etc. I also happen to run a small number of groups that are aviation related and I must say seeing the images that pop up is often what brings a smile to my face on a less-than-perfect day. So if you like seeing themed images of aircraft, head on over to Flickr and browse through the groups. A nice distraction from the wildfire burning on the other side of the mountains on a very windy day I assure you.

BUSH PLANES- my latest group, a group for sharing images of airplanes used to service remote locations (typically thought of as Alaska, Canada, Australia and Africa but includes many more). Planes should be easily recognizable as capable of rough-field operations requiring short-field take-off and landing techniques, bush tires, skis, floats, etc.

GEAR IN MOTION- Dedicated to landing gear at any point between fully stowed and fully extended. Not for gear up, not for gear down; it is for landing gear between up and down.

PODS: ECM, Targeting, Recce, etc.- a group dedicated to the phenomena of aircraft underwing/fuselage pods: electronic counter measures (ECM), targeting, and reconnaissance.

PROPWASH- Dedicated to the phenomenon called propwash or spiral slipstream that occurs on the tips of rotating aircraft propellers during low speed / high torque conditions a.k.a. takeoff and high speed taxi.

At the gun range.... a point-of-view video

2011-04-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

One of the groups I belong to, the Arizona Aviation Photographers or AzAP, recently held an outing to the Barry Goldwater Bomb & Gunnery Range. Originally there were two missions by F-16 squadrons out of Luke AFB but just as we were preparing to leave we also got a visit from the A-10 Warthogs of Davis-Monthan AFB. Oh happy day!

On this occasion I finally got to implement an idea I had been kicking around on how to bring my viewers into the experience of aviation photography in a different way. Being a fan of the popular 1980s show MacGyver I looked around my office and came up with a solution I think had the essence of a McGyver-esque contraption: I mounted my pocket digi-cam (with video capability) onto my ball cap. Take a look, crank it up if you're brave (or if you want to scare the snot out of your cubicle-mates).

In the office... changes in how to purchase prints

2011-04-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

Things have been quiet on the blogger front but not the photography or back-end of things. Aviation events are happening at a rapid-fire pace here in Arizona with fly-ins, airshows, open houses and individual aircraft events occurring weekly. Images are being captured and waiting for the summer slowdown for editing. This will ensure a steady stream of images for sure!

A big change is in the air (forgive the pun) and it concerns the purchasing of prints of my aviation images. Starting today print orders will now be fulfilled by MPix labs via my Zenfolio site. Prints range from 4x62 to 20x30 and can be sent loose, framed or on canvas wraps. MPix is a division of Miller's labs, a renowned professional print lab for the portrait industry since 1964. I think you will find your prints second-to-none. If you order a print of an aircraft with polished metal I strongly suggest you use the metallic paper... it is beyond belief. I personally approve each order before it goes to the lab.

General Aviation GA aircraft and business jet/prop galleries are (nearly) complete, airliners and military aircraft are being worked on but that is a large project. If you are an attendee of the Coolidge Fly-in there is a separate gallery for you folks making it easier to find your particular airplane (there is a slight backlog of this event but you're at the top of the queue). You can also use the SEARCH function to look for a particular N-number/registration. If it comes up blank, shoot me an e-mail and I'll look through the "waiting" folders.

Thanks for your patience and enjoy the new galleries!

On the podium.... Pima Air & Space Museum

2011-03-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

Last reminder that on Saturday March 19th 10am I'm speaking at the Pima Air & Space Museum on the topic of Aviation Photography. I'm going to sneak in a couple of images from my trip to Alaska which brought an amazing bounty of aircraft: FedEx 777, Antonov AN-124 (x2), Boeing Dreamlifter, Curtiss C-46 Commando, DHC-2 Beaver on skis and more.

Hope to see you there!

On the flight line..... big Russian birds.

2011-03-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

I love surprises. A day at the airport is fun enough, but when you round the corner and see not one but TWO Antonov AN-124 Ruslans sitting on the cargo ramp in 20th Anniversary colors, well... that's a surprise. To say the rest of the day was productive would be an understatement.

UPS 767 getting a little de-icing action before departure.

On the lake... Alaskan style!

2011-03-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

Lake Hood is one of the busiest float plane bases in the country and when it gets cold many of the planes trade their floats for skis and carry on! K2 Aviation's De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver coming in for a landing, what a fantastic place Anchorage is for heavies at the international airport and a short drive away to Lake Hood for the bush planes.

And when the light starts to fade, there's always the Chugatch Mountains looming over the Anchorage skyline to keep you occupied. More when I thaw out, it was a crisp 2 degrees in the parking lot this morning!

On the bookshelves... Aviation Photography: A Pictorial Guide

2011-03-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

I am quite proud to announce that my book Aviation Photography: A Pictorial Guide is now available for purchase! Over a year in the making it is filled with images taken from Alaska to Arizona, California to England and many places in-between. Full-color throughout, it is a great introduction to photographing aircraft as well as figuring out where they are (or will be), selecting equipment to take on your aviation excursions as well as strategies on figuring out which aircraft you just photographed. Forward by Joe Copalman, co-founder of the Arizona Aviation Photographers.

Coincidentally I will be speaking on the topic of Aviation Photography on March 19th at the Pima Air & Space Museum for their monthly Volunteer Presentation Series. The talk will be held in the Stitt Auditorium (see map below) starting at 10am. The talk is free with your paid admission to the museum; Arizona Aerospace Foundation members are admitted free and there are discounts for Pima County residents, seniors, children (6 and under admitted for free) as well as military members. There will be a Q&A session afterward and I will have prints, the book and equipment available for viewing so come on down and let's talk airplanes!

On the ramp..... Herc style

2011-03-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

There's something about old planes that soldier on (forgive the pun). Who'd have thought that aircraft built in the 1950s would still be the workhorses for organizations big and small around the world in 2011? The particular plane I'm referencing for this piece is the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

I've been fortunate enough to walk among some of the older examples of the Hercules flying in the United States.
International Air Response IAR, operating out of the World War II flying field at Coolidge Municipal in southern Arizona, is one such organization. They use their Hercs for exactly what they were designed do: everything. IAR uses them as quick response platforms to perform a number of missions: aerial spraying (agricultural as well as oil dispersant), parachute training, test and evaluation platforms and fire fighters among other things.

Walking among them in the early hours of a crisp winter morning makes me wish they could lapse into a "there I was" story mode. Considering many of these aircraft date from the 1950s, there must be a tale or two in those airframes. Don't despair at their appearance; many are undergoing heavy maintenance by a dedicated crew of mechanical wizards. They fly. They'll keep flying... because that's what Hercs do.

On the edge.... Heritage Flight Conference

2011-03-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

And by on the edge I really mean on the edge of insanity because of the HUGE numbers of images one could obtain during the weekend. I was able to attend only Friday and Saturday and this is a listing of what flew and in what combination (excluding solo demonstrations):

Friday March 4

F-22 Raptor- 09-4127FF
P-51 Mustang- "February"

F-4 Phantom II- 74-1627 HD
P-38 Lightning- "Thoughts of Midnight"

F-4 Phantom II- 74-1638 TD
P-51 Mustang- "Bum Steer"

A-10 Thunderbolt II- FT
P-51 Mustang- "Fragile but Agile"

F-16 Fighting Falcon- 89-2083 HL
P-40 Warhawk- Planes of Fame 79

F-4 Phantom II- 71-2373 TD
P-51 Mustang- Bum Steer
F-22 Raptor- 09-4172 FF

F-4 Phantom II- 74-1627 HD
P-51 Mustang- "Fragile but Agile"
F-16 Fighting Falcon- 91-0398 SW

P-51 Mustang- "Fragile but Agile"
F-4 Phantom II- 237 TD
F-22 Raptor- 09-4172 FF

And another flight that left afterwards that I missed. Sad face.

Saturday March 5

F-22 Raptor- 08-171 FF
F-16 Fighting Falcon- 89-2083 HL
P-51 Mustang- "Fragile but Agile"
P-38 "Thoughts of Midnight"

F-4 Phantom II- 74-1627 HD
F-16 Fighting Falcon- 92-8923 SW
P-51 Mustang- "February"
P-40 Warhawk- Planes of Fame 79

A-10 Thunderbolt II- 80-0278 DM
P-51 Mustang- "February"
F-22 Raptor- 08-171 FF

P-38 Lightning- "Thoughts of Midnight"
P-51 Mustang- "Fragile but Agile"
F-4 Phantom II- 74-1627 HD
F-16 Fighting Falcon- 89-2083 HL

F-4 Phantom II- 74-1638 TD
F-16 Fighting Falcon- 92-8923 SW
P-51 Mustang- "February"
P-40 Warhawk- Planes of Fame 79

As you can see, there were a lot of planes in a lot of combinations which equals a lot of images. Here's a very, very small sample. And a big shout out to the new friends we made over the two days, it was great hanging out with you all! Please excuse my whispry Clint Eastwood voice, I'm just now able to speak after a nasty bout with the laryngitis gremlins.

On the edge... growing pains at D-M.

2011-03-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

You know how you feel when someone tells you things will be uncomfortable but later on life will be much, much better? You know, that little sick feeling in your tummy?

Well, that's how things are right now for the local (and visiting) spotter to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson. DM is preparing to re-surface their 12,643-foot runway next month and to get ready for that they're shortened the runway by 3,000 feet. Still a nice long runway but the end they shortened was on the end where the best photography is for aircraft landing on runway 12. Aircraft now come in higher (bad) and break much earlier for final (bad as well) making for, well.... less than flattering images. Unless you like bellies, then this will be the place to be!

Now normally I'm a roll-with-the-punches kind of guy but this is no ordinary weekend. This is Heritage Flight Conference weekend. Heritage Flight is the coupling of current Air Force jet aircraft with older jet or prop aircraft and they meet annually to practice their routines and work out the kinks for the upcoming airshow season. This will be my first and last Heritage Flight Conference. Last year I was on the runway at NAF El Centro, California (love you guys!) and next year I'll be in Japan.

So enjoy a collection of undersides. I'm sure it will all be worth it when it's over. Right?

A-10C Warthog landing with an engine malfunction and the emergency crews on alert.

Colorful Navy trainer.

Eglin A-10C that can fly on biofuel. Note probe on nose.

Viper West demo team bird diving for the runway.

If you have to shoot a belly-shot, this is the one to do it on! QF-4E in SE Asia colors from Holloman AFB.

On the range... Barry Goldwater Gunnery Range

2011-02-11T23:47:00.000-08:00

If you live in the vicinity of an active military aerodrome it can be easy to forget that many of the aircraft you see are built with some very effective offensive capabilities. Recently I was invited to experience first-hand what one particular type of aircraft does when it disappears into the vast desert ranges west of Tucson. On this day I would witness what the mighty A-10C Thunderbolt II could do with the massive General Electric GAU-8/A 30mm cannon at the Barry Goldwater Gunnery Range just south of Gila Bend, Arizona. But let me tell you right up front that nobody calls the airplane Thunderbolt II. Everyone I know calls it the Warthog.

Before leaving there was the obligatory "If you die while doing this it's not our fault" paperwork which always sets the tone for the day. A short 2 1/2 hour drive later and we arrive at Range 1, the sign above letting us know that perhaps there was a good reason we signed our lives away. Minutes after our arrival we were greeted by a 4-ship calling into the range control tower and then the show was on courtesy of the 358th Fighter Squadron "Lobos".

Breaking from formation into a racetrack pattern the Warthogs passed the tower then began working a derelict vehicle with their BDU-33 practice bombs which mimic the flight characteristics of the 500-pound bombs frequently carried during operational missions. Then came the moment we had driven so long for, lead fell into a sharp bank down to the deck and lined up with the target. At that moment, the sky was torn open.

At full-size there are nine 30mm rounds visible making their way to the target in the photo above!

The small blurry lines you see in front of the smoking Hawg are the 30mm bullets racing towards the target at about 3500 ft/sec. Pitch-ups after each run afforded a unique perspective of the top of the aircraft. Flares we sometimes dispensed with a subdued popping/sizzling sound.

When the formation started hitting the target, rounds were ripping up the earth every 30-45 seconds. Hard breaks away to regroup and then it happened again. And again. And again. It was glorious.

With the rounds expended the aircraft gathered back together and performed a series of "panel checks" just to make sure nothing had been loosened during the violent process of firing the Warthog's massive Gatling-style cannon. Probably coincidental that the aircraft had to get close to our position for the range controllers to view said panels. Oh, darn the luck!

After the final pass the jets turned hard and departed the range, bound for home on a low-level route just above the desert floor. And then it was quiet; a state I wasn't sure would ever be possible after having seen "The Tank Killers" working their gun skills into razor-sharp perfection.

A big, huge, gigantic thank you again to the Lobos for the invitation, especially Grumpski and Snookie. What a remarkable day, my cameras are always at your disposal!

ADDITIONAL IMAGE: found during the editing process is this A-10C Warthog caught with 12 30mm rounds en-route to the target! Click to see the full-size image.

On the runway... Coolidge, Arizona fly-in!

2011-02-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

Fly-ins happen all across the country and are a time for local aviators to gather and talk , have breakfast and in general act like a community should act. Coolidge, Arizona is no exception and I should add that many of the attendees are quite accommodating towards the gaggle of photographers that can show up on occasion. I feel like a kid in a candy store there; numerous aircraft to photograph from warbirds to brand new kit-build planes and there's never a shortage of people to talk to about their pride and joy. February was no different with a fantastic turnout, a small taste of which you see below.

Grumman TBM Avenger beginning the wing-fold sequence due to a very crowded ramp.

North American Harvard in South African Air Force colors making a pass.

Team Rocket F1 kit plane on a screaming run down the runway.

Grumman TBM Avenger going wheels-up after takeoff.

And a little bit of nostalgia, the Grumman TBM Avenger flown by Pat McGarry in from of the WWII hangar at Coolidge. What a treat it was to see this aircraft up close and enjoy the sound of that big wobbly radial engine.

Thank you again Coolidge, hope to see you again next month!

On the computer....

2011-01-27T06:47:00.000-08:00

Things have been quiet here but not for a lack of activity going on! I had a great visit to Luke AFB, AZ recently that yielded some great images but the item on the front burner is a big push to finalize my upcoming book:

Aviation Photography: a pictorial guide

Here's a sneak-peak at the cover image, February should be a very interesting month around here!

Gabby leaves Tucson

2011-01-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

Representative Gabrielle Giffords left Davis-Monthan AFB today bound for a rehabilitation center in Houston. She was accompanied by her husband Astronaut Mark Kelly, Gabrielle's mother, members of a medical team as well as some of her personal office staff. They left aboard a Canadair Challenger CL-600 registered to Summit Seafood Supply of Houston, Texas.

Best wishes to Gabby and her family, friends and staff as they work through the challenging times to come.

On the wrong end! Gah!

2011-01-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

I dislike uncertainty. In fact I work hard to minimize uncertainty in my life. I greatly enjoy solving a problem but when the answer comes down to the flip of a coin I start grinding my teeth. When I can make a valid argument for each of two opposing points of view I'm not a happy camper.

Take the arrival of the President of the United States in Tucson for example. Talking with people who have witnessed the arrival of Air Force One in the past and melding that information with my own personal observations I came to the conclusion that I had a valid shot of catching it from either end of the runway. Sitting in between wasn't a viable option due to access and traffic, so I would have to commit one way or the other.

Not happy. Not happy at all.

Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you. I guess today was my turn to be a grizzly appetizer. Despite the positive sign of helicopters circling above my position we heard exactly one radio call.

"Air Force One, cleared to land runway 30 check gear down."

Well crap. I was at the end of runway 12. I did get one image of SAM 28000 a.k.a. Air Force One when the POTUS is on board but I was nearly 3.5 miles away. All was not lost though. I did get to listen to wonderful lady, a retired social worker, talk about taking her kids to see this aircraft when President Clinton came to Tucson and the joy and wonderment when those boys saw it in the air. Hearing her remember that moment was a privilege, a stranger sharing one of her precious memories with me. And I realized that of all the problems the world was dealing with at that particular moment, not getting the image really wasn't that big of a deal.

Can you ID this aircraft?

2011-01-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

This image is taken from my Dad's archives that were discovered after his death so there's no context to go with the image. If you can help ID which aircraft it might be it would be greatly appreciated. Below is the little bit of information I have been able to gather from some helpful folks.

The patch on the 2-star's flight suit is from the 72nd Bombardment Wing that flew KC-135s and B-52s from 1959-1971 out of Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico.

UPDATE: Joe Copalman, fellow aviation fanatic from up in the wilds of Phoenix, cross-referenced it with a photo of a Looking Glass EC-135 and we have a match folks. Many thanks Joe, your next meal in Tucson is on me!

What a bloody great year!

2010-12-31T18:20:00.000-08:00

It is with a heavy heart that I write this, my last aviation blog post for 2010. It was a great year filled with new friends, great photographic opportunities and many chances to combine the two. So in typical "year in review" style I will bid adieu to 2010 with a look at some of the great times I was blessed to be part of. May God bless you and your families in the upcoming year and GET OUT THERE AND PHOTOGRAPH SOMETHING IN THE AIR!!!!!!

NOTE: this is a very long post with OVER 120 images, please allow time for it to load.

COOLIDGE, AZ

TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AZ (CIVILIAN)

TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AZ (MILITARY)

EL CENTRO NAF, CA BLUE ANGEL'S WINTER PRACTICE

NELLIS AFB, NV RED FLAG 10-3

ARIZONA AVIATION & AEROSPACE DAYS at DAVIS-MONTHAN AFB, AZ

DAVIS-MONTHAN AFB, AZ HOME TO THE A-10 WARTHOG and the 309th AMARG BONEYARD

NAF EL CENTRO, CA FALL PHOTOCALL

THE MARANA TA-4J (MANY THANKS MAJ.!!!!)

As you can see 2010 was a fantastic year, I am truly blessed! Here's to an even better 2011 for everyone and I hope we meet (again or for the first time) on a flight line somewhere soon!

God bless you,

James

On the fenceline...... welcome the Dutch back to Tucson!

2010-12-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

On Monday 20DEC2010 the Royal Netherlands Air Force RNLAF (a.k.a. the Dutch) resumed flight operations at Tucson Int'l. Airport, Arizona after a 3-year hiatus. Arrival of the General Dynamics F-16A/B MLU aircraft began last month and after a short bed-down period they are back in the air. They are hosted by the 162nd Fighter Wing, a unit of the Arizona Air National Guard that is tasked with providing international forces flying the F-16 with flight training and support. Total number of aircraft will be 14 for the unit.

RNLAF are no strangers to the mountainous desert terrain in southern Arizona. From 1989 to 2007 Dutch crews trained here until a 3-year stint with the 178th fighter Wing at Springfield, Ohio took place. Now back in the desert, the Dutch Vipers will again operate in the heat and strength-sapping conditions that accompany the excellent flying conditions present in Tucson. Though the aircraft are mostly 1980's vintage Falcons they have gone through the Mid-Life Update MLU process with the avionics and cockpit instrumentation on-par with the modern Block 50 versions.

Welkom terug tot Tucson!

In the hangar.... Fighting Classics TA-4J

2010-12-17T08:54:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of trying to live out The Golden Rule in my life: treat folks like you want to be treated for the sake of doing the right thing. No ulterior motive, just doing right for rights' sake. If you get connected with others that think along that line as well then sometimes a phone call out of the blue turns into the start of some very memorable times.

Such was the case a couple of weeks ago. A series of e-mails that started out being fairly speculative in nature quickly led to me standing outside of a nondescript hanger at the Marana Regional Airport north of Tucson, Arizona. On the other side was a lovely sight:

Three guys working on a showroom-polished McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk. And when I say showroom I'm not kidding. As panels were opened for inspections you could see crisp clean wiring assemblies running through pristine compartments and intricately shaped hydraulic lines carefully winding through their assigned openings. She was, as we would say in the South, purdy. Mike "Maj" McDougall and his crew were working methodically to get her ready to fly. Yes, this polished and painted beauty was going to take to the skies. Volunteering at the Pima Air & Space Museum allows me to see a bevy of beautiful aircraft but they are for display only. This one, equally stunning as any display aircraft I've ever seen, was going up where she belonged!

As you can tell this isn't the Skyhawk from the days of the Vietnam War. The front fuselage is from a TA-4 with the rear section being an A-4L. For propulsion she is fitted with a robust Pratt & Whitney J52-P8B axial-flow turbojet instead of the more commonly found Wright J65. Both front and rear cockpits feature modern-day glass instrumentation, GPS, radar altimeter, the works. The canopy can be operated without the need for hydraulic power and you can start it using just a "huffer" as electrical power can be supplied by a re-designed battery system. Very well thought out. She was towed out for additional checks and before too long the huffer was started and things began to get exciting. Don Keating would be taking her up with Maj. in the back for a test flight of the oxygen and pressurization system.

And what a glorious noise that little Scooter made rocketing past us on take off and, a few minutes later, on a low-pass past our position near the windsock. The Skyhawk has a odd-shaped "ovalish" fuselage that is unlike the modern fighters usually seen through my viewfinder. It took a little getting used to but I enjoyed the challenge of trying to find this lil' guy in the pattern. It was easy to see why the Navy chose them as adversary aircraft at Top Gun: fast, nimble and hard to see! A quick crew change and she was ready for flight number two with the sun diving for the horizon.

Off again into the Golden Hour skies of Arizona, the chill in the air momentarily driven back by the exhaust of N518TA as she streaked by and lept into the air to do what she does best: slipping the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God. What a glorious sight and one I was truly honored to be part of, even if just as a spectator peeking into a world that started out 5 long years ago as an idea and a dream. Many thanks to the crew of Fighting Classics for having me out, especially the graciousness of Maj and Don. Without even being aware you and your crew allowed me to have a memorable day with my feet planted firmly on the ground.

For more technical information on Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk N518TA (or perhaps to start the acquisition process) visit the listing page at Courtesy Aircraft.

Fly In!

2010-12-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

It has been said I have a unique way of thinking, especially when it comes to combining events thus allowing me to be "efficient" (or at least appear so). And so it was Saturday morning at 6:10 a.m. as I woke up my son, wished him Happy 21st Birthday and instructed to get in the van, we were going for a ride. A modicum of hemming and hawing followed, expertly ignored by me, and a short time later we were off into the crisp morning air with stars still hanging in the pre-dawn Arizona sky. Fourty-five minutes later Zac gave a little smile as I turned off the I-10 and onto AZ87 with the sign noting this was the way to Coolidge. I was taking him to the fly-in.

I had taken his younger brother to Coolidge but classes and schedules had always clashed until this day. With clear-ish skies and the element of surprise everything had come together. He was a bit miffed when I passed a McDonald's but it cleared when we arrived and rounded the corner of the hangar to see the local civic group offering a pancake breakfast which was greatly enjoyed by him. He later made the long journey across the airfield to where I had joined some of the other photographers I expected to encounter (I walked towards the little black specks he said later). I reached into the camera bag, pulled out my backup camera body with a nice long lens attached and handed it over.

"You might see something worth photographing in the next hour or so" I said with a smile on my face. And so we did.

On the line... NAF El Centro, California

2010-11-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

There are circumstances that conspire, from time to time, to put me in what I call my "happy place". Often that involves large expanses of wilderness such as on our property in Alaska or on a hillside overlooking a quaint European village nestled among snow-capped mountains. At those moments, all seems right with the world; everything is in its proper place.

Then again, another one of my "happy places" is crouched on hard rocky soil with the smell of jet exhaust wrapped around my head with heat and jet blast pelting me with flying debris. Yes, THAT is a happy place as well. That, my friends, is NAF El Centro in southern California.

I've written about NAFEC before primarily because they have, hands-down, one of the best Public Affairs Officers on the planet. Because of her and the staff at NAFEC I get the chance, along with a handful of other equally enthusiastic aviation photographers, to sit ring-side at the greatest show on earth: flight line operations of US Naval and Marine Corps military aircraft. NAFECs mission is to get squadrons ready for deployment around the world and, because the flying weather is good to excellent most of the year, the intense flying schedules are easily maintained. In addition, squadrons rotate on deployments so there's always a good chance you'll see something new, just as we did on this trip.

You know you're getting close as the USMC Harrier IIs and Super Cobras bank hard over your head.

Ground-zero for the afternoon: the Landing Signal Officer's shack, a.k.a. the LSO shack. This is where the LSOs, responsible for guiding the aircraft to a safe landing on a heaving pitching carrier deck, stand in their work-up phase for deployments. The give instructions to approaching aircraft at sea ensuring they get a good trap, snaring the thick arresting gear cables on the deck and bringing the aircraft to a halt. On this day we are directly across from it on runway 8.

One of the activities that pilots take part in is something called "bouncing" and involves flying the plane around the pattern (often called pattern bashing) practicing their approaches, but often they will only touch down on their main landing gear and bounce back up for another go-around. An amazing bit of aerial ballet with an aircraft weighing upwards of 65,000 lbs. max takeoff weight.

Another part of the workup is getting the old bombing skills into shape, which is great news for us meaning they'll take off with us alongside for the ride. Sometimes the big boys, the Super Hornets, can give your stability a run for its money with their jet wash. This is usually accompanied by big smiles all around.

On of the great joys of the day was the appearance of the Prowlers: Vietnam-era designed electronic jamming aircraft based on the venerable Grumman A-6 Intruder. As if that weren't good enough they brought along their "color bird". Why other branches haven't embraced this concept is beyond me. What a wonderful way to get the word out about your flight program than a big colorful aircraft image shared over and over again!

The Marines were also there in force with both Legacy Hornets (older A-models) as well as their Jump Jets. You have to love the attitude of a pilot that wears ground-matching camouflage on his helmet!

And as if that wasn't enough we got the report that a squadron of Canadian Hornets was inbound from Nellis, some of them carrying the SNIPER advanced targeting pod!

And so we close yet another fantastic day on the line at NAFEC, pockets bulging with full memory cards and a fine coating of desert dust from head to toe and on every piece of exposed equipment. There will be many an hour spent in front of the computer, often accompanied by gasps or perhaps giggles from the images extracted, and fond memories of yet another day in the sunny desert of southern California.

A big huge thanks to the NAFEC staff for making this possible, you guys ROCK!

Thanks ISAP!

2010-11-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

One of the organizations I belong to is the International Society for Aviation Photography ISAP. I am a big fan of organized groups because I firmly believe that in such a group, the sum is greater than the parts. By this I mean that, while there are some wonderfully talented individuals within its ranks, all of them contribute to a collective body of knowledge that is extensive and valuable. At my first ISAP symposium held in Las Vegas I was able to sit in a room with some of the greatest aviation photographers, writers and the like in the world and gather in a huge amount of information. Some was presented in lecture format while others were simply trading old "there I was" stories (which I am easily sucked into) and I was fortunate to be on the periphery. I was in serious "sponge mode" trying to soak it all in!

I mention this because the folks at ISAP have done me the great honor of publishing in their December newsletter a short article I originally wrote for the ISAP forum about aviation photography opportunities available in the Tucson, Arizona area. I wrote the article for two reasons. One, I enjoy sharing what information I have with anyone interested in what I do. Over the years I have been befriended by some fantastic photographers who shared a nugget of information here and there to help out. I do the same when I'm given the opportunity. Second, it gives me a chance to talk more about ISAP and recruit members into the organization that I hope will contribute to the collective body of knowledge within the ranks. If every member contributes just one nugget of info, next thing you know there's a big old pile o' nuggets which can help us all become better photographers if we accept that gift afforded to us.

So thank you ISAP for giving me so much and, more importantly, for allowing me to give back.You can now view the entire PDF file HERE.

Galley Cart Sticker Project- NOV update

2010-11-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I wrote about the galley cart so here's an update:

It looks awesome!!!!

First, a giant huge thanks to those of you that have sent in stickers/decals for the cart. To check the mail with my kids and pull out an envelope that might have a sticker in it is pretty neat, especially considering some of the postmarks they came here with. The other great part of this is I can point to each one and tell the story of how it arrived here. Being of Irish heritage, an object by itself isn't really anything special. An item with a story to tell is a treasure beyond measure. Because of the ties I'm able to make through my photography friendships are created and since we move every 2-3 years I get to make a lot of new friends. And many of you have, on occasion, come across the stickers that are making this project happen. So here's the updated look:

And to answer a couple of questions right off the bat:

1. Yes, those are remote controls. The cart sits next to my desk in my office and is one of the best pieces of furniture I own as it fits into my aviation-related decor.

2. Yes, that is an antenna. Specifically it is off of a Boeing 737. There is a corner in the gift shop of the Pima Air & Space Museum (where I spend a little time as a volunteer) and in that corner you can purchase aircraft parts. Now they're not from the aircraft at the museum, they're scavenged from the local scrap yards that surround the 309th AMARG facility (they don't like to be called the Boneyard) as well as sprinkled across southern Arizona. Lee visits these places and picks some amazing items out of the heaps of, well.... junk. One of those items was the galley cart itself, another was the B737 antenna. If you can't get to the Pima museum to sort through the goodies you can browse some of his offerings at his website Boneyard 2 U.

3. Can I send you a sticker/decal? OF COURSE YOU CAN! Send me an e-mail for my mailing address if you would like to contribute an aviation-related sticker/decal or, if you know me, something that would have a tale connected to it. james AT jamesorear DOT com

This is the end.....

2010-11-17T14:45:00.000-08:00

The end of an era of operations of the Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Block 60 Desert Vipers at Tucson Int'l. Airport, Arizona that is. Today the last three Desert Vipers assigned to the 148th Fighter Squadron "Kicking Ass" left for the long trip back to their home base at Al Dahfra AB, United Arab Emirates.

The Block 60s were built specifically for the UAE and, so far, are the only operator of the variant. They wear conformal fuel tanks CFTs on top of the aircraft for more fuel capacity and have all manner of lumps and bumps that are antennae and sensors. A partially integrated variant of the SNIPER targeting pod hangs on the left-hand intake station and adds to the sinister look.

On departure they not only had the CFTs but also a midline tank and two unusually large 600 gallon underwing tanks! The massive fuel load combined with the most powerful engine of any F-16 variant made for a nice long takeoff roll. So long Desert Vipers, the spotters visiting Tucson Int'l. Airport will miss you greatly!

A day in the life....

2010-11-16T17:46:00.000-08:00

0300- Awake.... cold and allergies... ugh

0445- Please see 0300 entry.

0600- Awake... make coffee... lay on couch.

0630- Awake again... coffee made... kids to school... cold and allergy medication with coffee... couch looks good... again.

0645- Realize the only flying B-29 Superfortress is just up the road and supposed to fly at noon yet my butt is on the couch... sigh..... FINE!

0715- Cameras loaded, ladder loaded, on-the-go breakfast of string cheese and protein bars loaded, GPS (a.k.a. British Betty because of her accent) pointed towards destination, coffee in hand and thermos close-by.

0730- Leaving Sahuarita and headed through Tucson and then on to Deer Valley Airport on the north end of Phoenix.

0800- I dislike traffic.

0810- Dislike is not a strong enough word. Contemplate alternatives.

0815- Alternative term HATE arrived at.

0820- Receive text message that National Science Foundation EC-130Q Hercules will be at Williams Gateway Airport (a.k.a. Willie), an ex-Air Force Base now small airport on the east side of Phoenix at 10-ish. Poke British Betty to find said airport.

0900- Breakfast burritos x2 from the dollar menu.

0945- British Betty wants me to turn down a railroad track but having been through this before I decide not to.

1005- Arrive at said airport, hear aircraft has dropped off of tracking website and may still be in Colorado. sigh Poke British Betty to get my to Deer Valley again, should work well as B-29 will fly at noon.

1020- EC-130Q lands at Willie. sigh Perhaps on the way back.

1045- Phoenix is just too damn big!

1049- Arrive at Deer Valley just in time to see large vintage 4-engined prop-driven silver bomber-esque aircraft coming perpendicular to runways. sigh

1049:30- Notice traffic pattern, gamble on finding an approach end location to photograph from at an airport I've never been to.

1054- B-29 Fifi comes into view: flaps down, gear down, sun on the "good" side for where I'm standing. Guy driving truck full of cinder blocks I'm next to gives me the WTH look then is distracted by large vintage 4-engined prop-driven silver bomber-esque aircraft going right over his head. Big smile. Both of us.

1115- Conclude every person in Deer Valley is at the airport and occupying all available parking spaces just to spite me. Reminiscent of a mall the morning of Black Friday with people driving around, fangs out, ready to pounce on an open space. I see a spot coming open and in a horrible act of self-preservation stick my hand into the sky as if pointing at something (to distract my opposition). It worked, I win a parking space!

Once through the Cutter Aviation complex (big thanks for hosting by the way) treated to three CAF aircraft: B-25 Maid in the Shade, B-17 Sentimental Journey and B-29 Fifi. I am suddenly in my happy place despite the resonating effects of hay fever and my cold every time I take a step. Meet three other Arizona Aviation Photographers members (Chris K., Bill and Walt) on the ramp. You can see us reflected in the prop spinner, I'm wearing the blue shirt making sniffling noises.

1205- Find out no flights that day, decide to try and catch the Herc back at Williams one last time.

1235- Phoenix is just too damn big! I'd be totally hosed if I ever lived someplace insanely huge like Los Angeles or Tokyo.

1255- Phone call- chocks pulled! *&#@!$%^%*^#$@

1305- Arrive at Willie. As I exit the van the #3 prop starts to spin. I win again!

1314- Wheels up. After two "you look like hell" comments I decide to pack it in and head home.

1345- Gas and McDonald's. Notice the gas price and think Phoenix is too damn expensive!

1500- Even at mid-afternoon I hate traffic. Perhaps its poor drivers but nonetheless....

1530- Driveway at my home sweet home. Download images, start blog entry. Medication and coffee. Yum. Pick images for blog, edit and compile for upload. Thank the good Lord for keeping me safe as it was a 400 mile day.

1835- Done and dusted. Enjoy.

.

On the line- Tucson, AZ and the 162nd FW

2010-11-15T21:10:00.000-08:00

Photographing aircraft can be quite enjoyable. When the sun's not being oppressive and the wind has just a hint of bite to it, it is great. Tons of crafted metal going from a standstill to airborne with scores of passengers on board is a magical moment.

Photographing aircraft when you're CLOSE can be even more enjoyable. I recently had the chance to do just that courtesy of the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing in Tucson, Arizona. Many thanks to the Public Affairs staff for being so gracious to us.

The 162nd is the largest Guard flying unit in the USA with upwards of 70 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft on its 92 acres at any given time. It is host to three fighter squadrons: the 148th "Kicking Ass", the 152nd "Tigers", the 195th "Warhawks" as well as a handful of Vipers (the unofficial nickname for the F-16) from the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Test Center or AATC. If you like Vipers, this is a darn good place to be.

One of these squadrons, the 148th FS, is a training squadron for the aircraft I was most eager to photograph: the Block 60. Modifications to the basic F-16 design are divided into Blocks with the Block 60 being the pinnacle of the evolutionary ladder for the Viper. Also known as the F-16E and F models, they have the onerous nickname of Desert Vipers. Built for the United Arab Emirates they feature the most powerful engine of any production F-16 and have more bumps and bulges for various antennae than one could think possible. From the front they look like a linebacker ready to pounce. But the sad part is that their days are numbered with the 148th as the UAE training program is slated to cease operations in the fall of 2010 and the jets returning to their home which is a long, long way from Tucson.

Luckily for the handful of us there they decided to come out and play. Enjoy a few images of the 162nd Fighter Wing F-16 Fighting Falcons and Desert Vipers.

Catching up 1 of 3: ISAP IX convention Las Vegas

2010-05-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

*Part one of three in an attempt to get up to date with my aviation photography exploits*

One of the organizations I recently joined after moving back to the States was the International Association for Aviation Photography- ISAP. I heard about it from an Arizona Aviation Photographers member (Dave Shields, its all his fault) and I was on-board. I later found out that they were having their convention in Las Vegas and that there was a field trip to *gasp* Nellis AFB during a Red Flag exercise. Oh, happy day!

Long story short: I sat in a room with some of the biggest names in aviation photography for 3 solid days: Paul Bowen, Denny Lombard, Jay Miller, Chad Slattery as well as a couple guys I didn't know were into aircraft: Moose Peterson and George Lepp. In addition I was able to listen, learn and talk to some of the most talented photographers in the aviation field. The time spent basking in this environment contained within a conference room was an adventure in itself, but the cherry on top of it all was a trip out to Nellis during one of the last launches of Red Flag 10-3.

As you can see from the small amount of images posted, membership his its privileges! No matter what your interest, find a group that enjoys that field of photography and get involved.You never know what kind of adventures it might lead to!

Slideshow available

2010-04-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more miserable in life than a kidney stone. Let me amend that: a kidney stone when you have a lot of stuff to do!

Knowing I was limited to where I could travel I decided to put together a slide show of some of my favorite military aviation images accompanied by my typical fast-paced high-energy taste in music. Being here allowed my to crawl into the corner and softly whimper as the situation dictated. So here's the link, feel free to download it and pass it around as you see fit. It is a PC-based .exe file in a ZIP folder, just double-click it, crank up the volume and enjoy. If you need a MAC version let me know, I can make a version for you and post it as well.

UPDATE: MAC version now available for download here.

Galley Cart Sticker Project

2010-04-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Aviation fans will understand that which I am about to expound upon. Others.... may not get it. But read on my friend.

On Wednesdays I volunteer as a tram driver at the Pima Air & Space Museum here in Tucson, Arizona taking visitors around the museum grounds and telling them a bit about each of the 150+ aircraft we have on display outside on the grounds. The visitors are great, I never fail to meet someone each week with a story to share about an aircraft they (or their dad/grandfather/uncle) flew/crewed/traveled on. The volunteers are just the same: so many stories, so little time. I need 4 pair of ears really. It is just an incredible place to spend an entire day every week.

At the end of each day I have to turn in my radio and often that means taking it into a very dangerous place at the museum (for me anyways): the gift shop. Rows upon rows of aircraft-specific reference books, histories of long forgotten commands and bases, DVDs, aviation apparel and the like. Most days I walk through with my hands in my pockets and my head down trying to resist the gauntlet of temptation that have to run.

Yesterday I looked up. The first step on the slippery slope, so to say.

The MOST dangerous place in the gift shop has a collection of various parts scavenged from surplus aircraft (not museum aircraft mind you) that inhabit the numerous storage facilities around the country. Small parts like spent shell casings, remove before flight flags, pitot tube assemblies and even the occasional technical manual. I glanced over and saw a few manuals for the OH-6A and realized they were sitting on something and upon closer inspection I saw IT.

A fully intact, all the drawers accounted for, present in decent condition airline galley cart. You know, the beverage cart that comes down the aisle. It was love at first sight. What a perfect addition for my office! I mean, as much as we move around, what are the chances of THIS getting damaged by the moving company? It's built to fly for crying out loud! And to my lovely wife's credit, she indulges me from time to time. I think she could hear in my voice when I called her to describe what I found she detected that little bit of "kid" in the voice that this was COOL! And believe it or not IT FOLLOWED ME HOME!!!!!

It is constructed out of stainless steel, aluminum and Formica (or the industrial equivalent) and has all the included drawers complete with dividers for those teeny-tiny liquor bottles. The keys for each door are present, cup holders work, fold out table folds out and overall is one snazzy looking piece of industrial utilitarian equipment.

But it lacks "soul" and this is where I am asking for YOUR help. If you've read my previous posts you know how I love stories; passing down a memory from one person to another. I would love to do that with this piece of equipment, but the cart is just the vehicle for the story. The stories will be represented by aviation stickers. Military, civilian, airline, manufacturer, whatever! For example, the first sticker on the cart that you can see on the photo is a USAF Thunderbird sticker. They're very common, handed out at airshows and school visits in what I imagine are unbelievable numbers. But this sticker is special for me. I obtained this sticker when I was touring the Thunderbird headquarters at Nellis AFB, Nevada as part of the ISAP IX convention. Having spent a couple of hours standing in between the runways during a Red Flag exercise photographing jet after jet leaving for a mission (F-22 Raptors, EA-6B Prowlers, F/A-18 Hornets (from the US and Australia), British Harriers, B-1 Lancers and the F-15s and F-16s of the Aggressor squadrons in their Soviet-inspired paint schemes) the cherry on top of the day was me in the hanger of the Thunderbirds. A very ordinary sticker but the story behind it is what makes it special.

Now every sticker won't be a "I did a fly-by on Penny Benjamin at Mach 3 with my hair on fire" but even a sticker that says HEAVY LIFT can have a human connection to it and that's the kind of stuff I love to experience and share. I would love to have this covered in stickers that, someday, I could sit in front of and point to each one saying "This sticker came from my friend Mike who lived on a small island with us in the Atlantic" or "This sticker came from a guy I knew from Flickr where we shared photos and one day he was......".

So if you have something you'd like to share, slip it in an envelope and send it my way. If there's a story behind it, let me know! I'd love to post them as they arrive to share with others readers of this blog.

My mailing address is:

James O'Rear
14290 S. Via Del Moro
Sahuarita, Arizona 85629
USA

Sssshhhhhhh, You'll scare the airplanes.

2010-04-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

Been pretty quiet here lately, eh? Here's why:

OK, perhaps "quiet" isn't the best description. Spring is airshow season in the Southwest and as you can see I'm hell-bent on wearing out the newly replaced shutter assembly on my camera. I've promised myself that I'll get caught up and then make the proper individual blog entries for Red Flag 10-3 at Nellis AFB, Nevada; the Coolidge Fly-in; normal operations at Tucson Int'l Airport as well as the Aerospace & Arizona Days 2010 at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.

I'm also trying out a new format for the blog in order to better showcase the images (especially for those with those big fancy flat-screen monitors). Drop me a line with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down when you get a moment.

Why the tears? It's just a plane.

2010-03-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

I have often told people, both in personal conversations and in more formal settings, that I don't want to be known as someone who takes "pretty pictures". I much prefer the term "visual instigator". For me, the biggest compliment is when the viewing of my work triggers a memory in someone and they then share it with another person. To pass that memory from one generation to another in order to keep that small piece of time alive and in the lives of those far removed from the actual event is what makes me smile and realize that all the machinations I go though to make an image are worth it.

Sometimes it hits very close to home.

Today I was attending the Aerospace & Arizona Days at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona. Tucson is a bit special to me; I was born here. On the base in fact, during the time when long, skinny black jets (the Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady) roared up towards heaven like arrows in flight and my Dad worked with them. I didn't stay here long since, as an Air Force brat, you never stay ANYWHERE for very long. Long story short my Air Force wife gets orders to D-M and I'm back where I started, as it were. And now I find myself on the flight line watching planes fly overhead. Very cool, eh?

So I'm waiting for the flying events to start when I hear the announcer list off the general flying schedule when he said something that sounded a lot like an overflight by a U-2 Dragon Lady. I looked at the guy next to me to confirm I heard correctly and that my liberal slathering of sun block on my pasty Irish flesh hadn't made my brain go all jiggly in the middle.

"Yep, that's what I heard, too."

Holy cow. I'm going to see a U-2. I never thought I'd see one outside of a museum and now there's going to be one in the air! Here of all places.

I caught my first sight of U-2R 80-1093 circling north of the base with the mountains underneath as she went about punching slow lazy circles in the sky. Then she made a final turn towards the base and, if I'm totally honest, I nearly screwed the entire moment up. You see, I was having trouble telling what my camera settings were because there were these big wet globs of salty water messing up my vision. Tears streaming down my face because I realized my Dad, now gone, stood on this base over 4 decades ago and saw a plane like this coming home; coming back to have her efforts whisked to a stench-filled room as long rolls of celluloid were worked upon in a wizardly fashion to eek out the vital details of a vision seen from the edge of space.

So I pressed the shutter release and hoped for the best.

A perplexed stranger next to me stared and said "Why the tears? It's just a plane."

Yeah, just a plane.

Oddball days

2010-01-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

There are times while out looking for aircraft to fly in front of your lens that things are just, well... weird. I should probably admit that my day started off on a sour note discovering my lovely wife's car had blown a head gasket which comes with a bill close to half the cost of a really nice Canon super telephoto lens and my mood was commensurate with such news. Grumble grumble grumble.....

Arrived at the usual spot with aircraft operating in the normal pattern using runway 12; a 6-ship of Vipers had just landed and I figured they would be up again a time or two today. T-37 in the pattern and then the sky split open as two of the 162FW Vipers on alert for Operation Noble Eagle go screaming into the sky in Zone 5. Those flights depart from 30 as they sit alert on the far end of the airfield so they were right overhead whilst going zoom-zoom. Somewhat of a double-edged sword though as you don't know if it's an exercise or if they're TCB*. I often wonder if the general public realizes that there are armed aircraft sitting at the ready inside the US borders ready to protect and defend at a moment's notice.

*TCB- taking care of business; as in intercepting bad guys

And then the thing that makes spotting aircraft a real pain: a runway flip. The wind shifted and since most aircraft like to point their noses into the wind on takeoff and landing the decision was made to utilize 30 for flight ops. Off to the other end of the field we go! Then things get real weird. Planes taking off from one direction, then the other. Not exactly sure where to look or point the camera. Frustrating, but that's sometimes how it goes. "Classic Iron" from the 171st made my day on final to 30 then a couple of the New Jersey Devils in Zone 5 and even Pave Hawks doing sling load flights.

And then what to my wondering eyes did appear? A flipping P-3 Orion departing towards me with Brazilian markings! From the opposite direction! Good grief!!!!

152168 was originally a Lockheed P-3A-55-LO Orion built in the mid-60s and was last assigned to VP-69 "Totems" NAS Whidby Island, WA when she was relegated to the 309th AMARG a.k.a. the Boneyard on 17JAN1990 as AA2P0034. As a result of a Foreign Military Sale FMS she was upgraded to P-3AM status and given the Brazilian Air Force designation 7209. Brazilian P-3AMs have been fitted with the CASA FITS (Fully Integrated Tactical System) and perform not only maritime patrol duties but also border patrol and aerial rescue missions as needed. Being sent to AMARG isn't necessarily a death sentence, especially if you can stay on the west side of Kolb Road!

A few more Vipers, a herd of Warthogs and the light finally began to dim. So ended another day of spotting at little old Davis-Monthan AFB. Let the editing begin.

Yet another odd Herc encounter

2010-01-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

Monday I went to see if I could catch some of the visiting aircraft at Davis-Monthan AFB for the first 2010 Operation Snowbird exercise. Operation Snowbird is actually run by the AZ ANG folks over at Tucson Int'l Airport to get Guard units prepared for deployments to Southeast Asia by the similar conditions of the area. There are squadrons of F-16 visiting from both the New Jersey and Vermont ANG units and seeing Vipers in the air again (especially with the GE engines) is a sight for sore eyes. Don't get me wrong: I love the AZ guard jets but variety is the spice of life, right?

At the same time the Vipers are here there is also a contingent of A-10 Warthogs (Thunderbolt IIs if you're a name purist) from Selfridge ANG Base in Michigan preparing for their first deployment as a Hawg unit since switching from the F-16C/D due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) recommendations. So there's plenty to look at with 3 visiting squadrons and the locally based aircraft mix of A-10s, F-16C/D/E/Fs, EC-130/HC-130s and other assorted military and federal law enforcement fixed and rotary wing assets.

It had been a productive day, a little thin on the visiting Hawg-front but quite a bit of great stuff. My buddy Ned had left for the day and I was prepared to tough it out until 3:30 or until something uber-spectacular came along. Well at 3:07 local time I saw a pale blue shape moving through the trees. Initially I thought it was a MArince Herc because they that kind of blue-green color but the color just wasn't right. Making sure I was set to get the props blurred she made her way onto short final emerging from the palo verde trees and I can't imagine how deeply furrowed my brow was because there was a big red blob on the side of the fuselage....

"Holy cow. It's a Japanese Herc." Except I didn't saw cow. Sorry Mom.

click click click click click click click click click click click

Built as a C-130H on contract number 88-1800, construction number 382-5170 she was one of three Hercs built for Japan (88-1801 and 88-1802 the others) in this batch. This one was assigned the number 95-1081 and because of the incredible networking that can occur on the internet I learned that she is assigned to 401 Hikotai, 1 Yuso Kokutai. To be honest, I have no idea what that means but I'm assuming it is an equivalent to a wing/squadron designation. I have no idea why it flew into D-M, but I'm sure glad it did. So 88-1801 and 88-1802, if you're listening, I'd sure love to have a matching set of Japanese C-130 photos.

Another brush with aviation history

2010-01-02T21:55:00.000-08:00

Unexpected things can happen in the most curious places. Today I spent the morning at a small airfield in the Arizona desert outside the town of Coolidge with the airport code of P08. Coolidge is what's referred to as an uncontrolled field meaning there aren't any fancy control towers or air traffic controllers; the traffic in and around the field announce their positions to each other as they jockey for position on the two runways and the small flight line. It reminds me of the many rural strips around Alaska where you can hear non-stop radio calls to dirt strips and gravel bars. Once a month Coolidge has a fly-in which simply means the local Lions Club sets up a breakfast service and pilots and aviation lovers gather to tell stories and gaze at a gathering of assorted aircraft. It was my kind of place.

Tucked over in a corner of the tarmac was an unusual looking C-130. Now Hercs are one of my favorite aircraft because of their seemingly unlimited ability to be adapted to a variety of missions. This one has a spray system affixed to it and closer examination showed it to be part of the Marine Spill Response Corporation, an organization created to spray oil dispersant products over spills from ocean going vessels to help limit the environmental damage that may occur. I was able to make some images using both normal lenses as well as my Lensbaby 3G system and went about enjoying the rest of the fly-in participants which included such jewels as Aviat Huskies, Super Cubs, various Cessna and Beech aircraft and a couple of surprises for me like a P-51D, UC-78, T-28, YAK-11, CJ-6A and more.

So after the drive home and the usual muss and fuss of getting batteries charged, images downloaded and gear cleaned I began my research to properly identify each of the aircraft I'd photographed and well.... what do we have here? That Herc I photographed on arrival, N117TG, was originally 54-1631 meaning it was contracted to be built in 1954. C-130s first rolled off the line in Marietta, GA in 1955. A bit more research shed the very interesting possibility that she is most likely the oldest operating Herc in the world. The 10 previous serial numbers in that order have all been scrapped, shot down or are museum pieces. Ain't that something?

To put that in perspective, the following aircraft types were also ordered in 1954: F-105 Thunderchiefs (retired) C-133 Cargomasters (retired) C-121 Super Constellations (retired) F-89 Scorpions (retired) RB-66 Destroyers (retired) C-123 Providers (retired) F-86 Sabres (retired) F-102 Delta Daggers (retired) F-101 Voodoos (retired) F-100 Super Sabres (retired) T-33s (retired) H-37 Mojaves (retired) and last but not least, B-52C Stratofortress (retired as well). So she's got a bit of staying power you see.

So a short trip to enjoy the company of some aviation enthusiasts and perhaps have a freshly cooked breakfast couple of cups of coffee turned into quite the little encounter. And that's just one of the aircraft that were there.

Holiday Wishes!

2009-12-24T15:01:00.000-08:00

It is the supreme hope of myself, my wife and our family that you and yours have a wonderful Christmas holiday and that 2010 will be a year of growth, discovery and prosperity. Have a Happy New Year and be safe as you celebrate, I hope to share my aviation adventures with you in the future.

James & family
Sahuarita, Arizona

End of the year catch-up

2009-12-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

I swear I blinked and time sped up, I can hardly believe the year is quickly coming to an end. 2009 was, to say the least, a crazy year what with moving from England to Arizona and attempting to take advantage of the numerous opportunities afforded by the aviation traffic in this area of the country.

One great bit of news is that my image of an RF-4 Phantom in the pattern over Davis-Monthan AFB was included in the December issue of COMBAT AIRCRAFT magazine. Seen in an earlier blog post I can't tell you what a joy it is to see these great aircraft resurrected from the Boneyard of the 309th AMARG (even though they'll be shot down for testing & training purposes).

Another pat on the back is that an image I took while on a "residency maintenance" trip to Anchorage was picked by my fellow Arizona Aviation Photographer members as their DEC '09 Photo of the Month. Some seriously talented folks there so I'm quite honored.

A scheduled trip to the Yuma, AZ and El Centro, CA areas yielded many fantastic images. Yuma is home to the sole Marine Aggressor squadron as well as Harrier, Super Stallion and Huey squadrons. El Centro is a very busy training base as well as the training home for the Blue Angels. Here's a quick peek, still more images in the queue:

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year's holiday. Keep your head on a swivel, you never know whene those pesky aircraft might sneak up behind you to demonstrate a little tactical surprise.

You win some, you lose some.

2009-10-18T23:11:00.000-07:00

Frustration can often be the unwelcome companion when spotting aircraft, especially those of the pointy-nosed zoom-zoom variety flown by the military. Given the post 9/11 society we're all part of, catching the latest and greatest military hardware can often be an exercise in futility or, at best, a collection of so-so images.

Such was the case last week when I was up in Anchorage, Alaska where Elmendorf AFB has some of those sleek sexy F-22 Raptors. The main 06/24 runway is quite a distance from any good viewpoint and unfortunately they didn't utilize 16/34 at all during my time there. Red Flag 10-1 was going on but weather, family commitments and the plain lack of decent viewpoints made this the anti-climax of my week. Supper with some old friends confirmed what I had heard: the arrival of the Raptors had also brought lots of locked gates. But the time wasn't a total bust for the military birds. On two seperate days I caught movements into Elmendorf while photographing over at the Anchorage Airport: One a JSDF E-767 AWACS and the other a very marginal F-22.

Now the happy moment for the mil planes was when this lovely Coast Guard HC-130H pulled off the runway at Anchorage Int'l popping the tail strobe, throwing propwash around and leaving the tell-tale trail from the 4 turboprop engines. Big smiles all around when 1708 came past.

So while the military end of things was not exactly a screaming success I did get one nice Coastie image and have my work cut out for my next trip up yonder.

Good friends, good fun and a jet or two.

2009-10-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

While still living in England I began to make connections with spotters living in Arizona. Through them I became a member of the Arizona Aviation Photographers organization which had humble beginnings as a Flickr group. Today AzAP has 40 or so members and hosts its own aviation forum with monthly photo challenges and gobs of info if you are looking for "the planes" in Arizona. I have to add that there is an amazing amount of talent represented within this group from hobbyists to professionals, all with a genuine love of aircraft.

Recently there was a meeting held at Williams Gateway airport KIWA near Phoenix and about a dozen of us gathered to have your usual club-type meeting under the shade-throwing gazeebo of the dedicated aircraft spotting area (yes, they have their OWN spotting area at KIWA). Willie, as it's know, has an FBO that also fuels government aircraft on the weekends so its a pretty busy spot on a Saturday for government and military planes and I wasn't disappointed on my first visit. On arrival we saw a beautifully sexy gloss-black Northrop T-38A with the red letters of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, CA and a gaggle of white and orange Navy T-45s on the ramp in various stages of coming and going. I was able to have a quick conversation with a couple of pilots on how to visually distinguish the A and C models of the T-45 Goshawk and then the big happy moment of the day for me: inbound was a NASA T-38A(N).

To say I was a happy camper when the white Talon parked right next to the black one would be somewhat of an understatement. Not only was there a visual contrast I could explore but there's just enough of a difference in the two models to make a great image showing what makes the NASA bird deserving of the (N) designation. The T-38A(N) underwent the PMP upgrade changing the GE J85-5A afterburning turbojets in for the GE J85-5R which explains the difference in the exhaust nozzles (intakes were also changed but couldn't get the angle to show that) resulting in a significant increase in power. They also have a sleek aircraft-specific travel pod.

I enjoy this group. The guys are all nice and very willing to share information, there seems to be a go-to guy about most areas of aviation. I can't wait until the next meeting.

A box of chocolates in the Arizona sun

2009-09-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

When it comes to photographing arrivals at Davis-Monthan AFB it helps to realize that this base is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're going to get. DM, as we call it, has a few things going for it when it comes to unpredictability:

Operation Snowbird- a winter program where units preparing to go to their operational locations come to get "ramped up" for deployment and where you can see any number of squadrons (and not just US-based) as the this part of the country closely mimics conditions found in certain Southwest Asia areas of responsibility..

309th AMARG- a.k.a. the Boneyard, home to an ever-changing number of aircraft that come to be stored, retired/scrapped and some even rise from the dead (like the F-4 FSAT- Full-Sized Aerial Target program and some FMS- Foreign Military Sales). AMARG also has programs like the A-10 SLEP (service life extension program), C-130 PDM (Programmed Depot Maintenance) and B-1 Sniper pod installations which puts associated aircraft in the skies.

Location- DM is on a major east-west transit route which brings in visitors for cross-country check rides and gas-n-go stops. Being conveniently located to the US-Mexican border DM is also a major operations hub for US Customs and Border Patrol aircraft.

So with all that said, spotters here can expect to find, well... the unexpected. It pays to have your head on a swivel even when you're eating a big juicy roast beef sandwich from Luke's as you just might catch a retiring F-15A from the Oregon ANG on short final.

F-16C Fighting Falcon Block 25 Wing King of the Minnesota ANG 148th Fighter Wing / 179th fighter Squadron "Bulldogs"

Cessna Citation II 550 N1254X of the US Customs Service

Volga-Dnepr Airlines AN-124-100 Ruslan RA-82074

Who said civies are boring?

2009-09-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

As in most areas of life, for whatever reason, lines can be drawn. We're all familiar with the arguments:

Ford vs. Chevy

Gibson vs. Fender

Puffed vs. Crunchy (Cheetos I'm referring to, of course).

Sadly the aviation spotter community isn't immune from this. I've spoken in the past with photographers who "only" track military aircraft as well as an equal number who look at the "drab colored pointy nose" aircraft with an equal amount of disdain.

Personally, I don't understand it. For me, the sight of anything weighing anywhere from a few hundred pounds (think of a 1,000 pound Super Cub) to several hundred thousand pounds (think of a C-5 Galaxy at max. ramp weight of 840,000 lbs.) banking and soaring like some mighty mechanical bird is utterly mesmerizing. I have stood in the approach lights at Anchorage's Ted Stevens Airport with MD-11s and 747s skimming above me and thinking there was no better place in the world to be. At that moment. I've stood in the Welsh hills with front line RAF fighters screaming past below my position at the speed of heat and thinking there was no better place in the world to be. At that moment.

Wednesday I was able to gather with some of the other members of the Arizona Aviation Photographers group in Tucson for a day of spotting aircraft. For some reason the AZ ANG / UAEAF folks weren't flying but there were some interesting Civilian jets come in: a Mexico registered Raytheon Hawker 800XP that's not been documented much (apparently), a Canadair Regional Jet that has been pulled from storage to fly with Mesa Airlines with a plain-Jane white paint scheme and (perhaps because of all the whining we do about seeing only Sheldon the turtle) a Frontier Airbus A318 with Benny the grizzly on the tail. There was no better place in the world to be. At that moment.

Bittersweet Spotting at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ

2009-09-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

All by itself Tucson, Arizona is a special place. Nestled among a scattered series of mountains and over half-a-mile in altitude it plays host to a range of cultural activities: wild west fairs, art shows, rodeos and restaurants that will blow your socks off. If you're a nature photographer then paradise is right outside your door: Sabino Canyon, the Catalina, Santa Rita, Tucson and Rincon mountain ranges and of course, the lightning storms. But if aviation is your game then this is the place to be, especially when it comes to sighting historical aircraft and events.

Tucson is home to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the 355th Fighter Wing which hosts 3 squadrons of freshly converted A-10C Thunderbolt IIs (two dedicated to training the Air Force's newest crop of Warthog drivers), the 563rd Rescue Group flying the HH-60 Pave Hawk and the HC-130P/E Hercules and the 55th Electronic Combat Group with their EC-130H Compass Calls. But nestled to the east of the airfield is a special place known blandly as the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group or AMARG. While not officially endorsed by the powers that be, it is known far and wide as The Boneyard.

The name boneyard comes from the legend of a place in Africa where old elephants go to die, a place said to be like a eerie forest with ribs and tusks instead of trees. And to be honest, some parts of AMARG look just like that: hulks of C-141 Starlifters cocked to one side missing pieces of their fuselage like some giant pack of metal-eating hyenas just finished it off. Tails of C-5A Galaxies blotting out the sun and leaving ragged shadows on the compacted soil. Aircraft come here to be put into long-term storage for possible re-use or, in many cases, cannibalized so their parts can keep other healthier members of their kind in the air and ready for action.

But another part of the 309th's mission is regeneration. Bringing the dead back to life as it were. There was a time when the USAF sent large numbers of A-10A Thunderbolt IIs here, but then a little thing called Desert Storm happened and now, many years later, many of those Warthogs pulled from the Boneyard have been upgraded to A-10C status and re-winged to fly and fight for many years to come.

So with this background information we come to a spotting day that was bittersweet for me. Bitter was the sight of three McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagles from the 33rd
Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, FL on final approach. A tight and near-perfect 3-ship formation broke to land and a part of aviation history unfolded before me: the last aircraft of a 30-year legacy of F-15 Eagle operations at Eglin had touched down for a final rest at the 309th.

The sweet part of the day was a howl from behind and it took a moment for me to realize that what I was seeing was a legend: a Phantom from the past. Specifically, an RF-4C Phantom II 69-0356 in the markings of Bergstrom AFB, TX in which it was admitted to AMARG, completing a test flight to be returned to operational status as a QRF-4C drone used to train today's military pilots in live-fire instruction sorties. Hearing those J79 engines howling as the pilots pulled the reins to slow for landing is one of those sounds that makes your heart go pitty-pat if you love aircraft. I savored every moment as it turned to final knowing this might be the only chance I get to see this Recce Rhino. And then he went around again and a team of horses couldn't have pulled the smile off of my face. Here's hoping for more bittersweet days to come.

2009-09-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

If I said it has been a busy couple of months I would be guilty of quite the understatement. We packed up everything we owned (again), moved from one continent to another (again) and got settled into a new house with new schools and new neighbors (again). And if I said I had taken a couple of months off from aviation photography I'd be a liar! So here's the quick update:

Last time I wrote I was still living in England and as we were leaving we spent the day in London and oh, it's so sad I can hardly say it: our room overlooked the departure runway at Heathrow. I know, I know... horrible. So I spent most of my last day photographing commercial jets with the biggest surprise being an arriving A380 (the largest passenger plane flying) touching down waaaaaay on the other side of the airfield.

So now we're in sunny Arizona and after taking a bit of time to get settled I connected up with a local photographer who offered to show me the hot spots (pardon the pun) for aircraft spotting in the Tucson area. I've also gotten plugged into a great organization, the Arizona Aviation Photographers AzAP. So nice to be in yet another great spotter community! So there's already been a couple of spotting sessions with some great aircraft caught and a field trip or two in the works.

Here's to more aviation adventures from our new home!

Slipped out for a bit...

2009-05-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

Deluged by photos from my holiday cruising around the Med I had to take a break and slip away for a little local spotting action and was fortunate enough to enjoy one of the RAF Mildenhall MC0130P Combat Shadows working the pattern for the afternoon. Nice to be able to get some angles you normally wouldn't chance photographing since you know this one will be making pass after pass. Thanks SOG!

A little spotting while on holiday anyone?

2009-04-15T02:21:00.001-07:00

Yes, I was on holiday (vacation) for the past two weeks but if there's a plane in the air I have this uncontrollable tendency to point my camera at it despite not have the "big glass" to bring them in close. Photographing jets is always fun and challenging but doing so from a ship (with it's associated pitching and motion) makes it even more, well... fun is not the word I would use.

But with that said I was able to catch a couple of aircraft while in the Mediterranean. The Jet2 "Yorkshire" was on final to Barcelona as we were leaving the port while the Carabinieri helo was circling the ship while we were in Palermo, Sicily, Italy.

As an aside, I am now moving my featured images from this site to a monthly rotating basis for the time being in order to allow me to get caught-up with the mound of images I collected while away.

Enjoy!

This Week's Featured Image

2009-03-24T00:36:00.000-07:00

This week's featured image comes from, surprise surprise, the Azores.

Terceira Island lies some 900 miles off the coast of Portugal and is part of the Azores Archipelago, a small group of islands thrust up from the ocean floor by volcanic activity. Terceira is home to Lajes Field, an American tenant unit that sits on Air Base no.4 and run by the Portuguese Air Force FAP. Because of it's location Lajes is a frequent host for aircraft transiting between Europe and North or South America. Many of these stopovers are planned but sadly, some are not.

IFE's or in flight emergencies occur for technical reasons but more often than not are declared for a medical emergency of a passenger or crew member. In this case the combined medical personnel of the American and Portuguese forces respond to render aid. With the presence of a modern hospital most outcomes can be successfully managed. With some effort from the local airport facilities the plane can be underway in just a few hours.

On this day there was just such an IFE and Lajes Field played host to a visiting Iberia Airways Boeing 747-412 TF-AMA in a splendid color scheme. Aside from the weekly cargo shipment 747s are infrequent visitors to Lajes so to see this one was quite a treat. Treated to a watercolor-style treatment the vibrant colors accentuate the lines of the Jumbo jet rotating for liftoff with the air traffic control tower behind.

As my Featured Image of the week you are able to purchase the base print for a reduced price for this week only from my preferred top-quality printing e-commerce partner ImageKind. Normal matting and framing prices apply. To see this image at my ImageKind gallery page please click here.

Please check back next week to see a new Featured Image from my image collection of "Unique Imagery From Around the World".

Ghosts from the past

2009-03-18T01:22:00.000-07:00

I am still in the process of sorting through and scanning slides found in my Dad's attic after he passed away. I continue to be amazed at their significance to certain groups of people out in the world. Two aircraft have been received with great joy at sites attempting to document the existence of the type and were previously unknown in photo form. A couple of others are proving to be a bit more mysterious as they are (as of this writing) proving difficult to track down who was flying them even though it is quite obvious they were flown by someone!

In addition I have found some street scenes from Saigon circa 1967-68 that I find interesting, like stepping into the "way back" machine and looking at a world that exists only in the memories of those who live it. The most amazing part is that the Flickr community has been very helpful in giving names to planes and street locations. Amazing, it really boggles the mind sometimes. You never know what you'll find in a box from the attic nor that someone half-way around the world might know exactly when or where that photo occurred.

Featured Image

2009-03-16T04:50:00.000-07:00

Today I start what will be a (hopefully) regular feature of my blog: the weekly Featured Image!

For residency requirements I need to visit my home state of Alaska periodically (feel free to collectively moan at this time). Anchorage has one of the busiest air cargo hubs in the United States at Ted Steven's International Airport PANC. On any given day there can be 700+ movements with a large number of them what are often called "heavies" Boeing 747s, McDonnell Douglas MD-11s and the like. When they come in to land it can be quite spectacular with the snow-covered Alaska Range mountains behind them as you can see here:

As my Featured Image of the week you are able to purchase the base print for a reduced price for this week only from my preferred top-quality e-commerce partner ImageKind. Normal matting and framing prices apply. To see this image at my ImageKind gallery page please click here.

Please check back next week to see a new Featured Image from my image collection of "Unique Imagery From Around the World".

The summer of change...again.

2009-03-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time again, time to start thinking about packing up our home and moving 1/2 way across the planet. Again. Out time living in England is coming to an end and this summer we'll be experiencing a new climate we've never experienced before: the desert.

Yes, three years in Tucson, Arizona.

I know, I know. How horrible to have to be located for 3 long years at the USAF's A-10 training base, the largest depository of civilian and military surplus aircraft and gorgeous desert scenery.

I shall try to endure.

Frozen and wind blown

2009-02-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

Every now and again I get a chance to get away from things and get out on my own and such was the case earlier in the week when I made a date with the Welsh hills. Truthfully I wasn't sure if I should risk it as for the two days prior to my departure the doom and gloom sayers at BBC (known as weather forecasters) were telling us the Island of Britain would be a solid mass of ice with possible mammoth sightings. OK, a little exaggeration on my part but honestly they were using words like WEATHER WARNING and SEVERE WINTER CONDITIONS on the screen. Unfazed, I hauled out my winter survival gear that has sat dormant in my shed and started off at a lovely 0230 to discover there actually WAS white stuff coming down from the sky!

Now because the majority of folks here haven't spent time in Alaska driving in snow on a daily basis the traffic was, well... nuts. Even starting at the crazy hour I did the traffic (and not the road conditions, the roads were darn near perfect by Alaska standards) my usual 5-hour trip to Wales took a leisurely 7 1/2 hours. But in typical Wales style the wind was blowing, the snow flying and the hills, oh those Welsh hills were a beautiful sight to behold. The purpose of this trip was to capture the Royal Air Force and US Air Force jets utilizing Low Fly Area 7 (LFA7) with the snow covered hills beneath them and the scanner told me what I already knew: all areas unfit for use. No jets on this day. But I was not here just to photograph but to test myself and get in some much needed fieldcraft time, so up to icy trail of Mynydd Gwerngreig I went and making the normal 45-minute hike in a lazy 1 1/2-hours in a biting wind. Later I did enjoy a hot lunch cooked Scout style on the side of the road while I took in great gulps of the fresh mountain air. A hot lamb shank supper later that night at the Dolbrodmaeth along with a frosty Guinness would have to do until the next day. The day the weather was supposed to get worse.

Morning dawned with much less snow that I had expected yet a quick look at the telly showed that most of England was shut down due to heavy snow. The area of Wales I was in was pretty much unscathed yet the weather was said to be moving in. To me this meant no jets for a second day so I might as well get some more time in on the hills and off I went. This time I headed to the rocky area of Craig y y Bwlch. Despite it being a short 10 minute drive from my hotel at Dinas Mawddwy when I reached the pass the deck was down to nothing, the wind howling and snowflakes the size of a 50-pence piece. In Alaska we call this... spring. So up I went. I pitched my tent and reclined inside with a sweeping view of the spot where aircraft converge from 3 different directions and with any luck bolt down towards Tal-y-llyn lake. But not today.

After coming down I drove the route through the valleys that the jets take and was able to explore little nooks and crannies I had not seen before and at one point watched amazed as a pair of juvenile red kites played around a stand of trees and rode the winds that swirled around the area.

Finally, after 2 days of being "skunked" the rumor was strong in the air that today would be a good day to see fast-moving pointy-ended things come swooping down the valleys. Lowfly spotters were out on both hills (we had met at the Bwlch but the weather was just too inhospitable there). So we waited, perched on the sides of of steep snow-covered hills ans joking between sips of hot drinks. The shouts of HAWK would break us out of the mood but the end result was 3 Hawks and another 3-ship of Haws too high to even point the lens at. But when they blast through the narrow valley at 500+ knots it is a powerful moment in time.

So was it a success or a bust? I'd have to say a little of both. Luckily I enjoy the mountains, I enjoy winter and I enjoy when my outdoor skills are challenged and put to the test. If I can take a workable image or two in the process that's good. If I can have my socks blown off my a modern piece of military hardware that's even better. So a hearty THANKS to all the guys who were on the slope with me that last day, as usual the company of rock rats is some of the best in the world no matter the number of movements.

Bones at the 'Hall

2009-01-24T11:49:00.000-08:00

Today a wonderful visit by a couple of the USAF's most impressive aircraft: the Rockwell B-1B Lancer bomber came to an end. Originally conceived as high-altitude nuclear bombers in the Regan era, today they are utilized for pinpoint tactical strikes and can hug the surface of the planet while going the speed-o-heat.

The visitors that departed on this cold and frosty morning are from Dyess AFB, Texas and from the 28th Bomb Squadron. The Bone as it's called, takes off under full afterburner from it's four massive engines, like a fighter on steroids. Love 'em, wish I could see more of them.

Good crowd showing up at John's Field on a frosty Saturday morning.

Did you hear that?

2009-01-15T02:52:00.000-08:00

That great big SIGH as I finished my backlog of digital aircraft shots? Well I assure you it was a very big sigh. Now I still have a small queue of images from my time here in the UK but as far as digital files go, I'm caught up! I say digital as I still have a bunch of film-based images, most notable from a tour of the F-16 ramp at Moody AFB and a cruise on the USS Enterprise to sort through, but that's another project for the future.

So, feel free to follow this link to my Flickr page and browse through some of my favorite shots from a fantastic time spent at Lajes Field in the Azores, Portugal. There are both civilian as well as military aircraft, enough to keep you busy for a bit of time. And here's just a couple of examples for you:

2009 brings?????

2009-01-13T01:05:00.000-08:00

For me, 2008 was a fantastic year photographing aircraft. I made some great friends and discovered some well-kept secrets allowing me to get some fantastic images. I fear 2009 will be the same!

At the same time the world is changing and the attitude from certain sectors of the public towards photographers (in general) is still frosty and with continuing changes in the area of world security, aircraft spotters specifically are seeing an increase in unwarranted harassment. But, as usual, these are opportunities to educate the public and to create relationships that will put our profession in a positive light.

2009 will see me in the Welsh hills again chasing the one prize I wish more than any other: the elusive Strike Eagle through LFA7 with tail number 334 being the ultimate prize. While my wife was deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan this past summer she had a US flag flown for her on a combat mission in that aircraft and to capture it "in the weeds" to accompany it in a display would be, well... beyond words almost. So the hunt is on!

So check six, make sure your takeoffs equal your landings and is you see me out and about please say hello!

Cheers,

James

Loads of Images

2008-11-17T12:22:00.000-08:00

Couple of different options for you folks:

View the embedded slideshow of selected images by viewing below

OR

Visit my flickr pages to see many more images in easy to navigate folders.

Either way, I'm adding a good number to the images available for viewing every week. Check back often.

Just one

2008-10-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I spent half a day photographing at the Ted Stevens International Airport here in Anchorage and there's just one word, overused as it is, that applies: AWESOME. Here's one of the hundreds I was able to capture that day of a Cathay Pacific Cargo 747 beginning to taxi for departure. Cathay Pacific has a series of beautifully maintained silver jumbos that look just stunning in Alaska's low-level sun. Time permitting I'll post a couple more before we begin the loooong trip back to England.

There's planes in Alaska, too!

2008-10-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

Alaska offers one of the largest variety of aircraf to be seen if you're into that kind of thing) than most anywhere else in the world. Today on a very short outing around the international airport of Anchorage and neighboring floatplane base Lake Hood I saw everything from Super Cubs on skis and floats to MD-11s and 747s dedicated to ferrying cargo around the world and nearly everything in between. The air is crisp and cold here, snow is just starting to cover the ground and I am in my element. Here's one small sample of what can be seen here, a FedEx MD-11 rotating and sowing off all kinds of heat artifacts and "ribbons" owing to the weather conditions. I expect more to come, stay tuned!

Lots of Photos

2008-10-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

As odd as it sounds, now that I've travelled half-way around the world I have a little time to post some images I have been meaning to show you. My family and I have flown from our home in England to our "real" home in Alaska for a short holiday (and anything short of living here is a short holiday) but I've got a little time to share these images.

First up is a couple of "waving shots" from my first time to LFA7 in Wales. One is the backseater of a Tornado waving and the other a Hawk backseater who might be waving, might be unfolding a map or perhaps trying to get into a bacon sarnie (sandwich).

Next is a new plane in my catalog, a 1950's era bomber turned into a weather reconnaisance bird flown by NASA: the WB-57. Caught departing from RAF Mildenhall on a typically misty/murky day.

And finally fr0m the previous weekend when we were in Wales. My family had never been so we took a 3-day jaunt over to see the sights. On our final day I was able to convince them to dump me off at Dinas Bwlch while they explored some area attractions and during my 3 hours up on the middle shelf got a couple of cracking images of the Saudi Tornado blasting through the Blwch (complete with a herd of sheep in one of them!) after enduring about an hour of pretty horrible weather. But first, what must be a crime if you're an aviation photographer; a 2-seat Hawk going through Mach Loop with an empty back seat.

And a great big THANKS to the 3 men up on the Blwch with me that day, you made a miserable day a memorable experience with your company. See you soon.

ROLE demo at RAF Mildenhall

2008-10-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

I was so dumbfounded by my trip to Wales that I totally forgot that the day BEFORE I left I was able to photograph an unusual event with my friend Nigel at RAF Mildenhall: an civilian orientation event used to familiarize those in the community with the worklings of a military lifestyle. Part of that orientation involved a small demonstration of the airfield assault capabilities utilizing F-15Es from Lakenheath, F-16s and A-10s from Spangdalem, Germany and an MC-130H Combat Talon II from the hosting facilty.

This C-17 Globemaster III snuck in before the airfield closed to traffic. And they even had pyro!

We weren't in the best position and the light was, well... crap. But, we did our best and I did get this nice image not normally photograph-able from the ground...

And now that I've gotten these posted, perhaps this week I can show you the images of the 1950s-era aircraft that passed through on a misty murky morning. :-)

Species Assimilation or... I Become a Rock Rat

2008-10-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been in the midst of doing something you love and someone comes along only to inform you that yes, it really CAN be better? So began my friendship with Nigel Blake who informed me one day whilst photographing F-15E Strike Eagles outside of RAF Lakenheath. For his side of the story, please read his entry hereabout our adventures this past week. But let's get to the meat of why we're here... AIRPLANES!

Rumor had it there was a mystical place in Wales where one could stand on a mountain as military jets went screaming by you at the speed-o-heat and, making it even better, even with or perhaps BELOW your level giving you a unique perspective. Always up for a good adventure I joined Nigel at O'stupid-thirty one day and we were off to Wales.

Arriving at about 8am Nigel kindly informed me we were entering the domain of the Rock Rats.

"Uh, Rock Rats?"

"Yeah, we have a nickname. Lowfly spotters have been called Rock Rats on the freqs."

I'd never been called a rat before (OK, that's a lie) but I somehow felt good about this title I was trying to earn. We parked in the lay-by and donned our gear: 90% camera equipment, 6% snacks and 4% gear for when everything went wrong (which it didn't thankfully). Crossing the stile we began a lovely ankle-twisting trek up a sheep path to ascend around 300 feet or so to our perch noted by a small star on the following photo.

From this point I noticed a couple of things: it was windy, it was cloudy and there was a decided lack of fast-moving pointy-things. Yes, I know that was three things but don't get technical. Something else I noticed is that as usual, the people present to watch the planes were friendly and helpful even with my glaringly obvious non-UK accent. Spotters are an unusually friendly crowd but when you narrow it down to a sub-group that like to climb into the mountains to view them the commaraderie goes off the scale. I dare say I immediately felt at home among these blokes.

So there's banter and joking and the orienting of the new guy to what comes squirting out of where when someone yells HERC 2-SHIP! and I thought I would wet myself. I felt like a rabbit when he's discovered, I really didn't know where to look but then I saw two small yet familiar shapes curving around from the left and I went HOLY COW then they were past me, down the valley towards the lake and Tal y llyn and then they were gone.

I thought my face would crack I was smiling so hard...

I was now a Rock Rat... And the day went on, sometimes dragging while at times it flew by as type after type was added to my collection of aircraft photographed "in the weeds" from CAD West.

And next thing I knew, the day was over. Was I nuts?!?!?! Oh yeah... Tomorrow couldn't come too soon for me.

We spent the night in a lovely river-side hotel called The Dolbrodmaeth and had a grand rack of lamb meal at The Royal Ship Inn. Please consider them should you be in the area. I'd stay and eat at both which is about as high a recommendation you'll get from me!

Day two began with my first ever full-English breakfast at the Dolbrodmaeth and I simply cannot believe I ate the whole thing. A fried egg, sausages, a rasher of bacon, baked beans, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, toast and the hottest coffee I have ever had. How I was going to get it up another hill was beyond me.

This day we would be on the opposite side of the valley on Cad East. A little higher and on a brilliant day would seem to loose some of the afternoon light but today was spotty on the sunshine so the sky acted like a giant softbox. It was the right choice. And it would prove to be just as challenging as I was yet again new to the spot and had to quickly figure out where to point my lense and the fast-moving pointy-things.

Luckily it was a Herc that started the day to help me get my panning form warmed-up. This time a C-mod even if he was a little high. It has got to be a real pucker to sling one of those through the Loop.

More hawks doing some great maneuvering through the valley and then my treat for the day: a single Typhoon followed by a 2-ship of those speed-demon Harriers.

And we were done. The light had gone to pot and as we were packing up a single J-model Herc passed through but we were finished and resigned ourselves to waving with our trekking poles as he blew past us. Arriving home after a long, long drive found me spent and exhausted (OK, a giant burger at Little Chef probably didn't help matters) but at the same time I knew I was hooked. 11 hours of driving, nearly twenty hours standing on the exposed edges of the Welsh hills to experience two minutes and fifty-four seconds of possible exposure time. Any chance I'd go back?

Well, I hear there's F-15s in them thar hills...

Many thanks to my good friend Nigel Blake for making this trip possible and all the Rock Rats I met during my two days in Wales. Your hospitality was wonderful, your knowledge freely given and your tolerance of a newcomer greatly appreciated. But I must warn you, I'll be back!

Unexpected Surprise

2008-08-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I attended a large festival at the Lincolnshire Campground called Grapevine with my family. As we were setting up camp I heard a low rumble in the distance and saw this little dark speck growing bigger and bigger and from one of our party I heard a most excited voice yell "IT'S A VULCAN!" (The voice turned out to be attached to our Pastor who grew up watching Vulcans and B-52s around the area on a regular basis, he hadn't seen a Vulcan in the air since the early 1980's.)

And so it was. It made a low pass perpendicular to the runway at RAF Scampton (home to the Red Arrows) and circled around for a gear-up approach. I lost it in the trees and then, in a glorious knife-edge style it emerged, clawing into the sky and continuing to some unknown destination.

It was marvelous and I was fortunate enough to have my wife's Canon S3 handy to get a couple of images. The Vulcan XH558 is privately funded by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust and more information about the struggle to put this cold-war bomber back into the sky can be obtained by visiting their website here.

License my images at PhotoShelter!

2008-07-11T12:46:00.001-07:00

PhotoShelter: Fresh Stock Photos Served Daily

Open Skies Departure

2008-06-16T04:16:00.000-07:00

Some of you know I have a particular affinity for anything based on the KC-135 airframe, so I was quite pleased to photograph an OC-135B 61-2672 OPEN SKIES aircraft departing RAF Mildenhall this morning. These aircraft fly unarmed reconaissance missions to ensure compliance with international weapons treaties. Beautiful sunny day in Suffolk county BTW.

Worth the Wait I Hope

2008-06-11T23:47:00.000-07:00

Well, between moving and sending folks downrange and blah blah blah.... I haven't been able to get in a lot of spotting. But, living where I do I was in close proximity to the flight corridor being used to practice some formation flying for the Queen's upcoming birthday celebration. A typical blah grey day but some good photos and nice poeple (as always). Nice to meet you, Barry and Stewart! I only wish my spotter compatriots from around the world could have been there: Nigel, Neil, Joao, Ludgero, Miguel- these are for you my friends!

13-pigeon escort

2008-03-22T15:51:00.001-07:00

FedEx MD-11 after a tricky landing in 30+ knot crosswinds getting the 13-pigeon escort as it taxis off the active at RAF Mildenhall. C-17s were diverted to Ramstein (and Norwich due to fuel concerns) as their landing envelopes were severely"violated" by the gusts.

Quick Shots

2008-03-21T01:15:00.000-07:00

Caught a few nice examples of the diverse aircraft action appearing at Mildenhall lately:

FedEx MD-11 arriving, best stretch of weather for the afternoon as this one came in.

Good old Tennessee ANG Herc departing, nice propwash if you squint through the bright sky.

A nice lineup of heavies: Kalitta Air 747-100, FecEx MD-11 anf a USAF C-5A Galaxy.

Getting a little long in the tooth is a Kalitta Air 747-100 cargo hauler. Callsign "Connie" after the owner Connie Kalitta (yes, the drag racer guy). Fantastic to see this one at the 'Hall, I imagine there's a few hours on this airframe.

Quick Shots

2008-03-11T14:58:00.001-07:00

With the closing of Incirlik AFB, Turkey while their runway is being refurbished RAF Mildenhall has become quite the hub of activity. C-17s from McCord, Travis and Charleston lined the ramp as well as KC-135s from Fairchild and despite having to make a second landing attempt due to low level wind shear there was also a 747 from Atlas Air. Biggest score for the day: departure of an AC-130 SPECTRE gunship. Look out bad guys, here comes a little "death from above" headed your way.

Catch-up Time

2008-02-29T11:12:00.000-08:00

Seems time flies when you're working hard! I've had some nice sightings the past few days but don't think I've had two hours together for spotting at all! From the 27th a little Eagle landing action from the 'Heath.

Now for something a bit unusual. I heard a familiar noise near my home, the sound of a small helicopter hovering about and maneuvering but the notion of such happening in close proximity to where I lay my head down at night made me very curious. We don't often get the like hovering about the farm with any great fequency. A little peeking around farm buildings revealed a EuroCopter Squirrel in National Grid livery (a large UK utility company) obviously inspecting the high-rension power lines that run to the north of us. The helo had a nifty nose-mounted camera assembly not unlike that seen dangling from police units. Odd how it often ended up pointed at me even though I was located opposite of the power line.

And believe it or not, the day would end even better than imagined: the B-1B Lancer mentioned by my buddy Nigel on his blog caught in the dark of night departing RAF Mildenhall. It was dark, it was cold and I don't mind telling you that I struggled like crazy to get a couple the images you see. The blur of lights in the top image is an Air Force vehicle clearing the runway of vermin that might affect the departure by getting sucked into one of the Bone's four massive engines. Takeoff was full afterburner the entire length of the runway and more than a minute after liftoff and parts of my body physically ached during such. I can wait until it returns!

Not a Common Sight

2008-02-29T09:50:00.000-08:00

(Originally posted to American Yank in England on 25 February 2008)

Couple of quick images to post, then off to more work. First image is an unusual sight (for me at least) as it is a US Army RC-12K Huron Guardrail signals aircraft which is a souped-up variant of the Beech 200 King Air.

Here's a nice head-on shot of one of the Pave Hawk rescue helos out of Lakenheath on a dismally grey day for aircraft spotting...

And finally a C-17A Globemaster III from McChord AFB, Washington rotating off of Mildenhall's runway. Lots of bird activity here today, even saw one of the nebulous blobs of starlings while talking to my good friend and fellow spotter Nigel.

My First 06 Departures

2008-02-29T09:12:00.000-08:00

(Originally posted to American Yank in England on 11 February 2008)

A rather eventful day today. We started with a fog delay, visibility was down to less than a quarter mile and so school and work started 2 hours later then usual. Kids slept in, I got to work a little more than usual before heading the kids off to school. The day got MUCH better when I passed by RAF Lakenheath and saw that the jets were departing runway 06 which the very seldom do. Quick run to do the errands and quick back to the favored muddy patch (as my daughter calls it) and viola'... fantastic F-15 images.

I like this one the best, he's straight above my head with the back seater looking down at me as he screams over.

Long Day Between Bases

2008-02-29T07:40:00.001-08:00

(Originally posted to American Yank in England on 8 February 2008)

OK, back with just a little time to spare before the afternoon activities kick off. These were all shot yesterday at both RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath. First image was made noon with the last captured about eight-thirty.

C-130J from Little Rock, Arkansas. This is the first active-duty Air Force squadron to fly the new J-model into combat areas. The J-model has six curved propellors instead of the usual 4 square-tipped variety found on other Hercules and it has a sound all to itself. Kind of like those many-bladed room fans, not as cool as the old 3-blade jobs.

These two images were the surprise of the day, a pair of Italian HH-3F Pelican SAR (search and rescue) helicopters that stopped over for the evening. I had just climbed over a fence and they came around the trees causing me to go "WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!" and discovered the top of the fence has barbed-wire on it. Dang close to being dark, no tail numbers on these.

And the reason I was crawling over a fence and into a cow field? Strike Eagles doing night-ops. I scouted this location out a few days ago and just happened to be in the right place at the right time so off I went. The pair of lines in the distance is the first of a four-ship formation jumping into the sky with full afterburners.

Similar situation but now it's REALLY dark. It was at this point the herd of cattle decided my orange jacket tasted good and I spent the next 45 minutes shooing them away as I waited for the jets to return for the last planned shot of the night.

Which is this one, Strike Eagle coming in to land. Luckily they were only using the low-intensity approach lights. The group after this used the "high beams" and strobes which is just something I will have to work with another time.

Nice Couple of Days

2008-02-29T04:28:00.000-08:00

Originally posted to American Yank in England on 5 Februrary 2008)

Today there was a bear of a wind that would shift direction without notice and made the last bit of the final approach a little hairy. This F-15C Eagle, one of the lucky still flying after the big longeron snafu (see this post for more info) caught a nice gust as he crossed the fence to the airfield and ended up going around. robably had less to do with the wind and more to do with the previous aircraft not yet clear for a safe landing. Then again, he might have just been wanting to get his photo taken again!

Some great passes by a 2-ship of F-15E strike Eagles that were kind enough to go 'round the pattern a couple of times, allowing for many nice images.

And finally, the reason traffic often gets jammed up around the end of the runway: F-15s you could almost touch right over the road!

Bad Day? Try a Little Perspective...

2008-02-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

(Originally posted at American Yank in England on 25 January 2008.)

Some days just aren't worth getting out of bed for. I work quite a bit on my computers (more than I wish, really) so I run them pretty hard. Three days ago I came down to start the day and when the computer powered up I heard a POP followed by that all-to-familiar smell of fried electronics.

"Oh, what the..."

A quick inspection found that I had blown out the power supply. Well, poo. Unlike some previous assignments it was relatively easy to trek the 25 miles to the base and pick up a new CPU. Well, since I have a large backlog of images on my working drive I now have to transfer all of them over. Oh, updates for the new computer as well. And re-installing a program or two(million) and all of their updates. So to say the past few hours have been not only non-productive but taxing is pretty accurate from my point of view. A bad day at the office.

Now, how about having a bad day at the office when your "office" is moving. Really, a moving office. Well today we saw one of these flying offices zipping by and HE was having a MAJOR BAD DAY. You see, his office is an F-15E Strike Eagle and his bad day was happening while trying to land.

Aircraft mission (called sorties) are best when they involved an even number of takeoffs and landings. As this bird was coming home something went wrong and the nose landing gear was down all by its lonesome. Not good. I'm guessing that when he extended his gear to land he didn't get the proper indicator light saying everything was OK in the landing gear department, so he would cycle the system to try for the green light. Yet something else went wrong and as the main gear retracted, there's that pesky nose gear hanging out again.** About this time the pucker factor starts to crank up I imagine (beware of some strong language in the link to the explanation of pucker factor).

As me and my two spotting cohorts were trekking through a stand of trees to reach our desired field I only got a couple of frames when we realized there was something wrong with the jet as it shot past for a fly-by of the tower. Eventually everything went according to plan (we're assuming) and there was no major incident response to indicate anything other than a regular conclusion to a day at the office of a Strike Eagle crew. The jet remained intact, no violent ejections occured, no destruction of life and property to the public. All of these are possible outcomes when things go wrong in a fighter jet.

In retrospect, my day wasn't so bad after all.

**This is all conjecture on my part, if you can comment on the actual incident feel free to contact me so I can set the record straight!**

Be Prepared!

2008-02-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

(Originally posted to American Yank in England on 20 January 2008)

Just like a Boy Scout, a photographer should always be prepared for who-knows-what to come around the corner. Now you don't have to lug all your gear around 24/7 (although it might pay off) but the state of smaller, pocket-sized digital cameras is growing in sophistication on an almost daily basis.

Luckily I DID happen to have the right equipment when I saw this NATO E-3 AWACS jet in the pattern around RAF Lakenheath on Friday. NATO E-3As are based out of Geilenkirchen, Germany which is really just a hop, skip and jump away from the UK when flying at 500mph. I was able to time my arrival at my favorite spotting location knowing the "normal" circuit time when doing touch-and-go's and with just a couple of minutes to spare I was set.

One pass, 12 images, and they were off for home. Good thing I was prepared, eh?

Endangered Eagles are Back!

2008-02-28T14:13:00.000-08:00

(Originally posted to American Yank in England on 15 January 2008)

Finally... after the resolution of the Air Force-wide no-fly order for urgent in-depth inspections after an in-flight airframe failure in the USA, the F-15C/D air superiority birds are back in the air and shattering the silence around RAF Lakenheath! After spending part of my morning talking to my accountant** about my first-ever UK tax return (ugh... taxes in TWO nations!) I needed a little relaxation and there's not much more relaxing to me than stalking an "eagle" for a quick couple of photos. (**I must say that Keith is the nicest guy, but really, it's taxes.)

Imagine my happiness when the flagship for the 493rd Fighter Squadron "Grim Reapers" taxied past my spot before blowing down the runway. Glad to have you guys back in the air!

Tornado Watch

2008-02-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

(Originally posted to American Yank in England on 14 January 2008)

Today, my youngest daughter and I went chasing tornadoes. Not the type that prowl the mid-western United States but those that prowl the skies where Her Majesty's presence is needed. RAF Marham is an MOD (air) base just 6 short miles from our house and home to 4 squadrons of the Tornado in both the attack and reconnaissance role. On certain days we can see the aircraft making their turn to final from our kitchen window! And it was today that I decided I wanted a closer look and was not disappointed.

Thanks to the Internet it was a fairly quick exercise to locate some of the better observation points and 10 minutes later we were set. Within minutes the roar of twin jet engines filled the air and we were treated to an hour of off-again on-again sightings of Tornadoes as well as a pair of Merlin helicopters. The biggest treat of the day was seeing the Tornado done up in a special paint scheme celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the RAF flying the Tornado.

Turns out our timing was perfect, a very large storm front is moving over England and the weather is expected to be fairly dismal for the next couple of days. Well, dismal for spotting RAF tornadoes at least.

A Miserably (yet enjoyable) Day

2008-02-28T12:50:00.000-08:00

(Originally posted to American Yank in England on 11 January 2008)

As the saying goes, misery loves company. That is true when you run across people who have a passion for almost any pursuit, but is even more applicable when it comes to aircraft spotters. Not many places will you find a gathering of people huddled around a small dirt patch at the end of a runway waiting for the appearance of, well.... just the rumor of an arrival will bring us out. I've been fortunate to have spotted at many locations around the world and almost without exception spotters are hearty, friendly people.

Today was no exception with both attributes I mentioned being about in abundance. The weather was crap; first fog limiting your visibility to 100 yards then driving rain and gusty winds and a temperature combination that was perfect for hypothermia. As a small handful of us stood in the rain (yep, not smart enough to get out of the rain) the stories and jokes flew back and forth to fill in the silent gaps where jet aircraft should have been splitting our ears.

Persistence and eventually a change of location paid off. Friendships were made and strengthened and a few nice images were added to the catalogs of some die-hard aviation fans. Miserable to be sure as our numb fingers and sniffling noses attest to, but enjoyable none the less.

Birds in the Sky

2008-02-28T08:38:00.000-08:00

No, not THOSE kind of birds... big, loud, death-from-above kind of birds! The helicopter flew over the farm on their way to "work" after leaving RAF Lakenheath, I always love it when you hear them coming and I have just enough time to grab the camera gear for 4 or 5 shots before they're gone. When they're REALLY low I usually don't even get that many frames in before they're gone behind the barns.

Today after my daughter's speech therapy appointment and getting a van-load of groceries I had, oh... 5 or 6 minutes to do a little aircraft spotting before me ice cream bars melted and my frozen pizza became unfrozen. Luckily the Strike Eagles didn't disappoint and were ripping it up right as I got to the pullout. Good news is that I hear the flying halt for the older F-15C/D models is lifted and we should see those Eagles in the sky very soon. Every bird in the sky is a better chance of getting a great photo.

Amazing Technology

2008-02-28T07:46:00.000-08:00

(Originally posted at American Yank in England on 19 December 2007)

Sorry folks, I'm going to go super-geeky on you today. The wizards over at Stanford University have come up with an amazing little program that converts raster-based images into vector-based images. What the heck does that mean and why should I care? Um, actually I'm not really sure why the majority of you should care. Unless you're an artist or designer or the like, it probably won't change the way you go about your daily business. But if you ARE one of those folks, it is very cool. Raster images like photographs and some drawings are based on the position and relationship of individual pixels. They tend to get ugly when you transform them (especially upwards) and can be difficult to print because of fine gradations in tone. Vector images, on the other hand, are based on geometric relationships (lines, curves, etc.) and can be up/down-sized at will without degrading the image quality and for certain printing processes such as fabric/screen prints the process is much easier. Just for fun, I tested the program out on a small section of an image I made of a USAF F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet as it moved on the taxiway for takeoff. Lots of heat behind made for interesting detail that I was sure would give the software a challenge. And the results?

Nice. Very nice. When things slow down after the holidays I expect to play more and create more.

Want to play yourself? VectorMagic