Welcome to the September 2014 issue of ISnAP! IN THIS ISSUE 100th Anniversary of WW I John Freedman Farnborough International Airshow Simon Fitall Thunder Over Michigan John Freedman Oshkosh AirVenture 2014 ISAP Members: Charles Burin • Jay Beckman John Freedman • Larry Grace • Sheldon Heatherington Bonnie Kratz • Kevin Kanarski AEROBATICS Air to Air with TEAM ORACLE Emmanuel Canaan Meet Our Members Mike Fizer • Hayman Tam • Jim Cavanaugh Robert Turchick • Leonardo Correa Luna Kiddie Hawk • AirVenture 2014 Stacy Elsner • Photos by Larry Grace & Bonnie Kratz Return to Fairford Mike Green Air to Air With The Marina Militare Mike Green Giving Work Away For FREE Patrick Wong Flying Legends Five Star Airshow Ramon van Opdorp FRONT COVER PHOTO: Liz Kaszynski Lockheed Martin test pilots Paul ‘Bear’ Randall and Bill ‘Gigs’ Gigliotti are at the controls during the first flight of the inaugural F-16 Fighting Falcon for the Iraq Air Force. The flight took place on May 2, 2014 out of the company’s Fort Worth, Texas, facility. The jet is the first of 36 F-16 Block 52 aircraft on order through the U.S. Department of Defense for Iraq. Liz was tasked with capturing dynamic video and photos during the first flight on a non-interference basis in order to support the upcoming Iraq rollout ceremony, and program communications. She was only given enough time to “pose” the jet for one photo, and this was the result.
CENTERFOLD: José M. Ramos-Navarrete Fenix 517 from VAQ-129 Vikings turns northward back to NAS Whidbey Island over a cloud shrouded Mount Rainier in Washington State. The image comes from a week long Det to Whidbey Island at the request of Electronic Warfare Wing to document Prowler / Growler operations as the EA-6B nears the end of its service life with the US Navy. Camera: Nikon D7100 Lens: Nikkor16-85mm f/3.5-5.7G AF-S Focal Length: 22mm Shutter Speed: 1/640 Aperture: f8 ISO: 100 Mode: Aperture Priority Format: RAW BACK COVER: Larry Grace The USAF Thunderbirds made their first-ever full air show performance at EAA 2014 Air Venture Oshkosh WI. Thunderbirds F-16 four ship diamond formation take off Camera: Nikon D4S Lens: 500 F4 Focal Length: 500 mm Shutter Speed: 1/4000 Aperture: f/4.5 ISO: 160 Mode: Aperture Priority White Balance: Auto Format: RAW Post Processing: Capture NX2 and Photoshop CC ISAP’s goal is to bring together our members who share a love of aviation, and want to preserve its history through their images. Through our organization, members can seek to enhance their artistic quality, advance technical knowledge, and improve safety for all areas of aviation photography while fostering professionalism, high ethical standards, and camaraderie. ISAP continues to help our members to better their photography skills, workflow, and set up resources to help with business questions that our members have. Updates are being made to the ISAP website and member portfolio section, and we are showcasing ISAP members’ images and accomplishments on our social media pages. Update or add your portfolio to the ISAP website. ISAP has received a lot of comments on our portfolio section and a few of our members have been contacted for job opportunities and image usage because of these portfolios. In this issue we are continuing to highlight ISAP members. I’m sure you will enjoy learning how your fellow ISAP members got started, as well as seeing some of their images and learning some tips. Remember that ISnAP is your publication to share your images, stories and tips with other members and the public. We look forward to each member sharing his or her stories with all of us. Enjoy this issue of ISnAP! Sincerely, Larry Grace, President Kevin Hong, ISnAP Editor International Society for Aviation Photography www.aviationphoto.org • www.facebook.com/ISAPorg isnap@aviationphoto.org
Kevin Hong
w e l c o m e Mark Chiolis Jason Archer Kasi Orr Kenneth Dono Theodore Avgerinos William Hutchins Emmanuel Canaan Anna Wood John Love Van HanNguyen Betsy Aguirre Richard Ruth Mike Fizer Mark Rourke David Mills John Greene Jr. Sean Wilkerson Adrian Romang Arnol Swanburg Daren Jaeger Jared Morgan
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Lenardo Correa Luna Scott Leggo Doug Saucier Rod Reilly Erik Simonsen Sharon Simonsen Mark Bennett Scott Bruce John Ford Bonnie Kratz Kenneth Hunt II Jim Wilson Kevin Kanarski Orin Johnson Derek Reynolds Keith Wood George Kounis Cliff George James Copp Stephen Zimmermann Lawrence Harmon
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Steven Jantz John Sepp David Cervenka Gary Kratz Edward Rogner Nathan Way George Kounis Charles Burin Jim Wilson Colin Bailie Mark Sutherland O L Wilkerson Adam Glowaski Karl Hugh Pat Ford Martin Leddy Julie Wegner Milan Ovecka Gail Bowen Carolyn E. Wright Mark Kettenhofen
m e m b e r s Mehdi Nazarinia Andy N . Dunaway Phili High Raphael Brescia Alec Walker John Willhoff Kenneth Cross Jennifer Jensen Albert Ross Mike Young John Ross Bryn Forbes Edward Faith Erich Linder Frank Crebas Virginia Harris John Freedman Dennis Manske
The ISnAP is a periodic publication of the International Society for Aviation Photography and is used to communicate news, functions, convention information, and other information of interest on the local, regional, and national scenes. The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and should not be construed as the views or opinions of the International Society for Aviation Photography.
100
th
Anniversary
of WW I By John Freedman
This year marks the 100th anniversary of World War One; it also marks the birth of military aviation in warfare. Aircraft started their service as aerial spotters, unarmed and flying above the fray of the conflict. Then they started to carry light weapons, and the evolution towards today’s military aviation really started. One of the best collections of flying Great War aircraft is in New Zealand at the Vintage Aviator Ltd. The collection boasts three originals; Avro 504, BE.2F, and Bristol F2B Fighter, and several replicas. What makes TVAL unique is the reproductions that they make themselves, all to original standard, with either original engines or with newly manufactured engines. Shooting these artifacts is no different to shooting any other aircraft in an air-to-air photography. It requires a thorough briefing and the overall requirement of safety. Where it does differ is in weather conditions. Many of these aircraft cannot fly in even moderately windy conditions, and they will bounce around a lot in the sky, so you cannot get the slow turning propellers blurred like you might like. The Sopwith Camel, Pup, Snipe, Nieuport 11, Fokker D.VIII are all powered by rotary engines. In a rotary engine both the cylinders and propeller spin, as such you want to try and show this in your photos. So front on angles are a must.
Like any great air-to-air session the best two ingredients are aircraft and pilots. I have been lucky in that the pilots assembled to fly these aircraft are much better at their job than I am, so all I have had to do is to layout my requests and they can exceed most of them. Very little direction was needed in the air. Without radios, any corrections to where the aircraft are, is done by hand signals. As the photo ship pilot was part of the TVAL team, there was great trust in their skills. I was wisely told before my first air-to-air shoot, to keep it simple, one camera, one lens. I have tried to follow that advice. For DX bodies I use the 18-200mm, and for FX the 28-300mm, both giving me the same range. This lets you shoot from wide to tight really well. If you need anything longer, you just are not doing it right!
The biggest thing to remember is that WW1 aircraft are slow. You will probably need flaps down in your photo ship to stay with them, and this will in high wings, have them into your shots. I was asking my pilot about raising the wing as it was in the way, and the plain answer was, I can’t! Most of my photography has been done out of Cessna 180 and 172s with the door off, seat out, and I am tethered by a harness. Sitting on the floor gets you lower and thus further away from the wing. I have done two photo shoots at Classic Fighters Omaka with Gavin Conroy where we used helicopters, a MD-500 and B-206. The helicopters can match the speed of the subject aircraft better, but the pilots report that they are affected by the rotor wash, and cannot come in too close.
.Another thing that is different with Great War era aircraft is that the reliability of the engine is an issue. If the pilot has to blip, or cut the magnetos, he runs the risk of fouling the plugs, and this could lead to the engine running rough or possible engine damage. As such, most like to stay close to the airfield. It helps when the airfield is in such outstanding scenery like that of New Zealand. New Zealand really has amazing backgrounds for photos, with farmland and hills creating great vistas for olden imagery. You are not fighting industry or freeways, or any modern clutter that would destroy the vibe. Seeing these aircraft fly is like watching a history lesson in action. During a TVAL airshow at Masterton they start with the BE.2s and Pfalz, go through Sopwith Camel and Pups, to Fokker Dr.1s, D.VII, to the final WW1 designs of the Fokker D.VIII and RAF SE5a. To see part of this collection in action they have TVAL flying days at Masterton as well as the Classic Fighters Omaka airshow in Blenheim, Easter 2015.
I am by no means an expert, so if anything I have written is in your mind wrong, please inform me and I am happy to learn better ways. Also if you own any aircraft, Great War through WW2, or modern and you want to let me photograph them I would be very, very happy to do so, PLEASE! I want to thank Gene De Marco, and the whole TVAL crew for giving me these opportunities. Thanks to Tim Sullivan and Gavin Conroy for your continued help. I hope that you enjoy the images. For more information on the amazing Vintage Aviator collection please look at www.thevintageaviator.co.nz
FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW A BRIEF VISIT TO AN OLD FRIEND By Simon Fitall
I should explain before I get into the detail; I have been attending the Farnborough Airshow ever since I was just 7 years old. In fact I have only missed two since then, even after I moved to the USA in 2002. In the old days Farnborough was a British only event. Unless it was majority made in Britain, or powered by British engines (which, of course, meant Rolls-Royce), then it couldn’t be shown at Farnborough. Well that changed along with the contraction of the British aviation industry, and FAI was born. Another major change occurred more recently; the show has alternated with the Paris airshow at Le Bourget – Paris in the odd years and Farnborough in the even. Paris is in June and Farnborough was in September, which gave an advantage ro Farnborough because the gap was bigger from Paris to Farnborough giving the British show the edge in likely first-time exhibits. Also England in early September was prone to bad weather and so the show shifted to July. I traditionally attend two or three trade days – usually the first day of the show and frequently the Thursday, followed by one of the public days – and this year my business made it possible to only attend one day, and that for only about 5 hours. This meant that I didn’t get the chance to look around the massive exhibition halls, which, although they sound a bit dull, are a fantastic source of information and photographs of some of the latest developments. No, this year I had to limit myself to the static aircraft and the (short) flying display. Farnborough (like Paris, Berlin, Singapore, Moscow) are trade shows. There is an extended airshow at the weekend when a number of the regular performers do their thing, but trade days are all about stuff
that people are trying to sell. The air display is pretty tightly managed because the airfield that used to be controlled by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (Government funded research) is now a business airport within Heathrow air traffic control. So tight timing, tight controls on the displays, and performances limited to the stuff that is for sale. As you can imagine, it is the new aircraft that you simply don’t see displayed elsewhere that are my main interest. This year that included the first show in Britain of the Airbus A350, a rare airshow performance by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, as well as totally new aircraft unlikely to be seen at public shows for sometime – more on this later. For this article I have chosen 10 photographs of the more rare pieces seen at FAI. And we start with what was for many the star of the show – Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Boeing are a regular exhibitor at Farnborough, but not since 1976 when they flew the 757 and 767 have they put an aircraft into the flying display. This one was worth waiting for; the first shot is of a much discussed maneuver that was only conducted on the first day of the show. A typically steep takeoff was followed by some flowing passes designed to show off the gorgeous lines and FBW performance. Then gear down to land, but the runway lights stayed on which meant touch-and-go – a rare airshow move. Well the “go” was very steep and immediately into a tight turn. Incredibly impressive but, according to the safety committee, not to be allowed again at the show. I’m not going to get into the rights and wrongs of that decision – way above my pay grade – but it was really cool to see. When it did come in to land the lack of noise from the huge RR engines was also very impressive (and both the 787 and A350 seem to have decided that engaging reverse thrust before the wheels are all down is now standard for an airshow performance). The 787 was at the show in 2010 and 2012 but only parked in the static area. Clearly the presence of its major rival, the A350, in the flying display prompted Boeing to display it – and I am so glad they did. The photos show the fabulous turning climb from the touch-and-go, and the reverse thrust landing. That ended the show. What started the show was, in my humble opinion, equally impressive. We’ve all heard of the Solar Impulse – a solar powered aircraft with huge wingspan and a remit to demonstrate the opportunities for solar cells in powering aircraft. Well FAI featured a battery powered single-seater, the rather unimaginatively named Airbus E-Fan. Two over-wing electric fans that whistled and a powered
central undercarriage wheel – all powered by onboard batteries. Range is said to be about an hour, but a fascinating development and one can easily imagine a small two-seat version could be developed and turned into an incredibly cheap way to fly short distances – like in training. Well the tiny Airbus contribution was immediately followed by the largest – the A380. Watching for the first time in 2010 was amazing, and it hasn’t lost its effect. Seeing this huge machine pulling rate 2 turns and figure 8 passes all within the airfield boundary is still, quite simply remarkable. The shot shows the now familiar high Alpha pass, cruising along downwind just above the stall just before returning to the pattern for landing. The A400M is, like so many multinational military projects, over budget and late. The CEO of Airbus is on record as saying “never again” – but this is an impressive piece of machinery. For reference it is bigger than a C130 and smaller than a C17, and some of the display moves are remarkable. Banking through the vertical is a favourite trick and although it doesn’t barrel role like the C27, it is a fabulous machine. Four huge TP400 turboprops, each rated at 11,000 SHP (for reference the AE2100 in the C130J are each rated at 4,637 SHP) powering seriously good looking 8-bladed propellors, and some of the images are quite dramatic. This shot shows the dramatic over-90 degree bank. Don’t you just love competition? The A350 was, at one time, going to be a pretty straightforward development of the A330. But then Boeing
announced the 787 and everything changed. Redesigns all over the place, huge increase in the use of composites, new engines, redesigned wings and you get the new A350. Hundreds on order already, but of course competitive pressures there as well, but nonetheless an impressive display. Airbus has been displaying their aircraft at shows ever since they launched with the A300. All their types have been shown and they have done a fine job of perfecting the display routine. Now that Boeing are in there as well we can only hope that the displays become a bit more dynamic because, to be honest, there was very little to choose between the A380/A350/B787 when it comes to the flying (except for the forbidden touch-and-go). The A350 was showing a little of its newness – engines a little more smoky than usual – but still a terrific show. This shot shows off the lines of this very elegant looking aircraft.
selected as the new aircraft for the Frecce Tricolori – and this is the first aircraft to be painted in FT colours). Alenia Aermacchi and Agusta may be the leaders of the Italian aircraft industry, but Blackshape are now becoming a serious player with their range of light sports aircraft – illustrated by the presence of the BS100 at FAI. The only “fighter takeoff” of the display saw it climb to all of 10’ for half the length of the runway before climbing into its passes – and yours for around $200k!
Turkish Aircraft Industries are the latest local company to produce their own attack helicopter. Called the T129 Atak it is, as you would expect, a development of the AgustaWestland A129CBT with new engines and developed everything else. It is a great reason why I go to Farnborough because it is really unlikely to go to conventional airshows for a long time and it flew for the first time this year. Being so new its display was not very lively, completing just a few straightforward passes.
Talking of cost-effective options, my last selection from FAI is the Textron Airland Scorpion. I have to admit to a small cheat at this point; as the Scorpion did not take part on the flying display at FAI I have included a shot of its departure from the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford the previous evening. A very interesting design, this is highly reminiscent of the F20 Tigershark – developed as a private venture, the F20 eventually died through lack of demand. Designed for ground attack and reconnaissance, the Scorpion is built with a lot of parts from other aircraft (especially Cessnas) and they claim operational costs of only $3k per hour. I can’t tell you how it flies because all I saw was a departure, but it is certainly an interesting concept.
Alenia Aermacchi are the Italian manufacturer of the M-345 and M-346. The smaller 345 is an advanced trainer whilst the larger 346 adds light attack to the capabilities. Purchased by Singapore and Israel to replace their Skyhawks, deliveries of the 346 are underway and, as they have been doing for many years with aircraft like the 326 and 336, they put on a nice display. Here the 345 trails the 326 (note that the 345 has been
So my biannual visit for an airshow weekend in England ended at Farnborough. I had spent the Saturday at Duxford absorbing lots of WW2 sounds – especially Merlins, Sunday was a grey and dreary day at Fairford enjoying the grunt of modern military aircraft, and Monday at Farnborough. I’ll be posting my full set of pictures to my website – I hope you enjoy them. (www.fitallphotos.zenfolio.com)
THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN 2 0 1 4 By John Freedman
OSHKOSH A I R V E N T U R E
2 0 1 4
Special thanks to the contributing photographers for Oshkosh Airventure 2014 Bonnie Kratz
Jay Beckman
Kevin Kanarski
Sheldon Heatherington
Chuck Burin
John Freedman
Larry Grace
AEROBATICS AIR TO AIR WITH
TEAM ORACLE by Emmanuel Canaan
There’s a special something about air-to-air photography that excites me like no other side of aviation photography. The feeling of being up in the air, mere feet away from a powerful machine in its element is difficult to describe in words. The best I can do is with this one word: Bliss. My first experience with air-to-air a couple of years ago, is what made me realize that aviation photography was the photography specialty I really wanted to pursue. While I shoot aircraft whenever I get the chance, air-to-air is that rare experience that I certainly don’t get to do every day. When an opportunity came up to shoot air-to-air photography with the Team Oracle aerobatic flight team, I jumped at the chance. I went into the experience expecting to ride in Team Oracle’s media aircraft (a Piper Seneca) while it flew in formation with their Extra 300L. I had a similar experience with the team in 2012, and that alone was amazing. My mind was completely blown, however, when Sean D. Tucker, who knew of my passion for air-to-air photography, offered me an unbelievable opportunity to not only do that, but also to fly a separate flight with him and his multi-talented teammate Chuck Coleman (in Chuck’s Extra 300L) as they performed synchronized formation aerobatics over Minnesota.
Chuck Coleman of Team Oracle takes me on an amazing ride in his Extra 300L while in formation with the aerobatic superstar Sean D. Tucker over the skies of Minnesota. Left Photo Sean D. Tucker is all smiles when the smoke is on as he and Chuck Coleman find some sun through a break in the clouds and use it to show off their beautiful flying machines.
Team Oracle’s photo ship treats a group of photographers to a blissfully smooth ride while Sean D. Tucker and Chuck Coleman fly in tight formation.
I really couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but I knew Sean was serious when he took me aside and drilled me on how I would need to be able to twist my neck past 90 degrees while being strapped into my harness, and also hold my camera steady during heavy positive Gs. As he peppered me with questions and advice, I realized the incredible level of trust he was placing in me not to make a mistake that could kill us all. One slip of my camera into the control stick when we were in close formation, could have been catastrophic. His parting words to me as he headed towards his Extra, “Don’t you dare scratch that canopy with your lens.” Okay, no pressure. On the topics of pressure and trust, I have to say that each member of Team Oracle is exemplary in this regard. Each one of the pilots handles pressure with aplomb, and knows very well that each rider is entrusting them with their lives. They make what is undeniably a very dangerous activity, seem like a walk in the park; never betraying any nervousness or fear to their riders. I’d like to thank each any every member of Team Oracle (pilots, and ground crew alike) for doing what they do every day so well, and with such confidence. I also appreciate them offering me the same trust that I place in them. As we taxied out for takeoff, I repeatedly practice twisting in place, and took the opportunity to take some shots of Chuck Coleman. Always maintaining a jovial attitude, Chuck laughed at the unusual site of a DSLR lens just inches from his face. I kicked myself repeatedly as we did the pre-takeoff run-up for not having a truly wide-angle lens. Not knowing in advance that I would have the opportunity to do this, the only appropriate lens I had with me was my go-to 24-105mm L lens on my APS-C Canon body. Not ideal, but it would have to do. I knew I may never get another chance to do this. Surreal to me, was just days before I had watched a video by the Air Force Thunderbirds’ photographer and wished I could do something like that. If only I had taken his advice of wearing a black cloth over the harness! Word to the wise: Pulling buckle reflections out of the canopy in post is seriously unpleasant. Regrets aside, I was determined to make the most of the experience, and started concentrating hard on what I was doing. I realized very quickly that I had to turn off my normal “back button” method of focusing as I couldn’t reach the rear buttons while simultaneously twisting hard in my seat and reaching for the shutter. I also couldn’t always reach the shutter with the index finger I normally use, so I had to depress it with whatever finger I could reach with.
Sean D. Tucker powers Team Oracle’s Extra 300L through a loop over Minnesota in tandem with Chuck Coleman’s Extra 300L.
For a good portion of my flight I also couldn’t see through the viewfinder very well. When twisting 180 degrees to take shots of Chuck, I actually couldn’t see more than about 25% of the viewfinder image. Kind of a problem for a photographer! Given the incredibly slow focusing of Live View on my camera body, I had no choice but to take many shots half blind, often seeing only enough of the viewfinder to hope that my focal point was on the subject, then doing some very quick chimping to see if I had gotten the shot. As for camera settings, I shot the whole flight on shutter-priority, spinning between 1/100th and 1/250th depending on how stable we were. For the portions of the flight where we flew in formation with the Piper Seneca media aircraft, I usually hovered around 1/100th as the pilots held us steady. For the aerobatic maneuvers I was usually at 1/200th or 1/250th, risking a break in the nice smooth prop arc in return for a greater chance of a crisp shot. I also shot in RAW despite my camera’s inability to sustain a long burst in RAW. What makes me laugh when I think back on the experience, is that I get so focused sometimes on my subject that the rest of the world tends to dissolve away and become silent. Perhaps a blessing at times and a curse at others, I was so focused on composing the shots and holding
When in formation, the pilots of Team Oracle have a laser-like focus on the lead aircraft. Here Sean D. Tucker stares intently at my photo ship as Chuck Coleman deftly pilots it.
The masters of aerobatics at Team Oracle, treat riders to the flight of their lives over Minnesota. From the top: Chad Colberg piloting the Piper Seneca, Sean D. Tucker piloting the Extra 300L, and Chuck Coleman piloting his own Extra 300L from which I am shooting from.
steady, that I was only distantly aware of the specific maneuvers the pilots were doing. A loop translated into this annoying force trying to pull the camera from my eyes, followed by a few seconds of blissful negative Gs as we reached the apex of the loop. At one point I paused to enjoy the majestic view outside the canopy before thinking, “What am I doing? I need to get whatever shots I can!” Embarrassingly, I managed to miss half of our final loop as I did a quick focus check. I was so absorbed in the camera that I managed to miss heavy positive Gs until we started to come back down. In the end, I think I got some great shots, and I hope you will agree. I’ve also learned a great many lessons on what I can do better next time. Want to do this yourself, but maybe you think you might be afraid? Don’t worry. I’m actually terrified of heights, but still managed to have the time of my life and would do it again without hesitation. My only time of fear came as they strapped the parachute onto me before the flight. That fear immediately dissolved when I realized I’d be flying with one of the most professional and talented group of aviators in the world. Thank you to Team Oracle once again for taking good care of me and all of the other photographers whose dreams you bring to life each day.
Sean D. Tucker showing just how much he loves having the best job in the world, while giving a ride to a very lucky passenger.
Sean D. Tucker and Chuck Coleman show off their impressive, spot-on ability to hold their aircraft in unusual attitudes while maintaining tight formation with our photo ship.
Sean D. Tucker reaches the apex of his loop over Minnesota while Chuck Coleman and I ride alongside.
Chuck Coleman wears many hats. From Virgin Galactic instructor to airshow performer, Chuck is seen here wearing his Team Oracle hat while simultaneously posing and performing an aerobatic maneuver over Minnesota.
Photo by José M. Ramos-Navarrete
Enter Our Second Annual Photo Contest! Send us your best shot by September 30 and win cash prizes.
David Becker of St. George, Utah, was a finalist in last year’s Civilian category for his shot of a SkyWest EMB 120 taking off in a downpour. (David Becker) Outstanding photography has always been a hallmark of Air & Space/ Smithsonian magazine. For every issue, we review hundreds of photographs and select the best ones to help tell a story, capture a moment in history, or just make readers say Wow. Now it’s your turn. If you’ve photographed a favorite airplane at an airshow, taken a stunning picture of a celestial body from your backyard, or snapped a picture to capture a moment of your own history with airplanes, we’d like to see your photographs. More importantly, if they make us say Wow, we’d like to show them off—and we’ll pay for the privilege. If you are 18 years or older, you can enter your photographs in any of four categories—Military, Civilian, People & Planes, and Astronomy— and compete to win cash prizes. Winning photographs will appear in the magazine and on the website. Review our contest rules and list of frequently asked questions, then send us your best shots using our entry form. For inspiration, you may want to take a look at our gallery of winners from last year. Photographs must have been taken between January 1, 2011 and September 30, 2014. The contest is open until September 30, 2014, at midnight, EST. Category winners will receive $100. The Grand Prize winner will receive $500. All winners will be announced in our February/March 2015 issue.
Categories: Civilian Photographs of any aircraft or spacecraft, vintage or modern; everything from homebuilts to rockets to aerobatic craft to airliners. Military Images of fixed-wing or rotary aircraft, or UAVs—in any category from combat to cargo—currently operated or operated in the past by any armed service. People & Planes Images of pilots or enthusiasts with the airplanes they love. Astronomy Photographs of celestial bodies, whether taken in your backyard with your camera or through a telescope. Readers’ Choice Starting in December 2014, visitors to our website will be able to vote for their favorite photographs. The photograph with the most votes will receive a $100 prize. Read more: http://www.airspacemag.com/multimedia/enter-ourannual-photo-contest-4873623/#kj4DMTf9B3Bbor0D.99 Save 47% when you subscribe to Air & Space magazine http://bit.ly/NaSX4X Follow us: @AirSpaceMag on Twitter
PHOTO REQUEST! Open to all ISAP Members
Mark Bennett from BDN AEROSPACE MARKETING has a request for images. Over time we have spoken with Mark on this subject and at this time he would like to extend this request to ISAP members. Our clients do not necessarily have specific needs at this moment, which is why we’re reaching out now — because when a need arises, it’s often with a very short fuse. Two clients for whom we provide a full gamut of marketing, advertising, and PR support have products for a range of Beechcraft King Air aircraft, from the older model 90 to the near-new model 200. Our requirements for photography are, thus, varied — since BDN supports those many aspects of marketing support, we use photos from small online banners to 20-foot exhibit graphics, and the range of applicable aircraft is broad. In short, we are interested in at least reviewing images that might help us help these clients. As always, quality in composition, lighting, and noise (a lack thereof) are important, and the more pixels the better for most applications. If we find good imagery, we will of course discuss licensing, though the details of such a license would most likely wait until a specific need is in hand. Here are a few examples of reasonable photography that we can make use of. I include a ground-to-air, since it’s possible to get something that way, but here the shutter speed stops not just the blur of the airframe, but of the props too, which is less than ideal. I include a ground-to-ground because we sometimes use them and I don’t want to say “no” to that approach without seeing what might be offered. Note, though, that the airplane is not encumbered with flags and plugs, and the background is relatively simple. I wish the ground were less textured, but sometimes you use what you have… Note, too, that these images show the full aircraft, nose-to-tail and wingtip-to-wingtip. Of course, more closely cropped images can work, but for versatility it’s best to have the whole thing in frame. Cropping is easy — adding a missing wing is hard. So, if you have good shots of King Airs, BDN would be interested in reviewing what you would be willing to license and, if we see things we like and can come to agreeable terms, it will be win-win time! Thanks, Mark Mark Bennett can be contact at: BDN AEROSPACE MARKETING 505 S Val Vista Drive Mesa AZ 85204 USA Tel: 480.924.0690 Cel: 480.694.4913 mark@bdnaerospace.com www.bdnaerospace.com
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MEET OUR MEMBERS I always shoot Raw, then meta-tag and process with Photo Mechanic and Lightroom, with finishing touches in Photoshop. Currently my static work includes a 32-bit workflow with Merge-to-HDR out Lightroom into Photoshop, I can’t recommend this enough. I’m not tone-mapping per se, but the flexibility of the files justifies the extra work involved. ISAP’s charter is based members sharing experiences and information, a purpose I whole-heartedly support. Over the years I’ve been contacted by shooters interested in our line of work, ISAP is the first stop on my list of recommendations.
Mike Fizer I’ve spent my photography career as an aviation specialist based in Wichita, Kansas. In 1979 I was lucky to land a job assisting a hot shot named Paul Bowen, and after three years of his tutelage started my own business in 1984. As luck would have it, I landed two accounts that would allow me to survive; Flying magazine and Flight Training International. In 1988 I was offered a position with AOPA Pilot magazine and have remained there since; I’m currently Senior Photographer for AOPA Media. It’s hard to describe how fortunate I feel. AOPA’s a wonderful organization; I work with great people, do somewhat exciting things, and am provided the resources to do a decent job. What else does one need? My work over the years has not included airshow assignments, so my hat goes off to the wonderful images I’ve seen ISAP members produce over the years. My assignments are geared towards general aviation, which includes some classic and warbird stories. My advice to a photographer interested commercial or editorial photography isn’t that much different though—shoot as many aircraft as you can and bone up on Photoshop. To gain aerial experience, acquaint yourself with experienced formation pilots, learn how to brief, and safely execute, an air-to-air mission. As much fun as it is, air-to-air shoots alone do not make a story. Art directors want to see ground, interior, and portrait work in a portfolio. I will add that having some basic video experience will help with today’s multi-media appetite. Since 1996 I’ve shot with Canon gear, currently a 1DmkIV and 5DmkIII. I have the usual zooms; the 17-40mm f/4, 24-70mm IS f/4 and a 70-200mm f/2.8. Since I don’t own any big glass, I use the 1.4x tele-extender. My 180mm f/2.8 macro comes in handy for tight work, the TS-90mm f/3.5 and a couple of Zeiss primes fill out the rest my bag. Probably the next important piece of gear is a Kenlab KS-6 gyro; this substantially increases my “hit rate” for those gorgeous prop arcs. Since video is now a requirement, I’ve added an EOS C100 cinema camera to my kit, along with some basic audio gear.
MEET THE MEMBERS
MEET THE MEMBERS
Hayman Tam
ward to developing.
I am a semipro here in the San Francisco Bay Area, where one can attend quite a few decent airshows within the region. Like many ISAP members, I fell in love with airplanes early in life, manifesting itself thru countless childhood drawings and then evolving into model airplanes. This interest carried me into college where I received my degree in Aeronautical Engineering.
My effort to be more serious about this hobby led me to ISAP in 2008. Joining this organization has allowed me to meet some truly gifted photographers, create some great friendships and learn more about this craft. It is certainly very cool to see a great photograph, read the credits and realize that I have met that person! My first ISAP field trip was memorable, shooting alongside those who were names on photography books in my collection. The movie phrase “I’m not worthy” springs to mind often, but I am impressed by how the spirit of ISAP brings together photographers of all levels and makes everyone feel welcome.
While in college, I learned to shoot 35mm using my father’s vintage Kodak Retina while everyone else used 110 cameras (ugh!). After graduation, I treated myself to a used Olympus OM-1 with some Vivitar lenses and started going to airshows. Figuring out how to pan and hold focus using those old, slow lenses was a real challenge (f4.5 with a 2X, talk about dark!). As a mechanical engineer at Lockheed Martin, I was fortunate to work on Hubble Space Telescope launch processing in Florida for six months with awesome photographic access to the Space Shuttle during processing and on the launch pad. It was during that time that I really started to enjoy the joys and challenges of aerospace photography. I got distracted during the early days of digital, starting with a Nikon Coolpix 900. Armed with a newer Coolpix 4500, I finally made it to the Paris Air Show in 2003. How I wish I had a better camera at the time! 15 years of volunteering at the Hiller Aviation Museum at nearby San Carlos airport has also provided me some great access to aircraft, especially during their helicopter airshows. It was back in 2008 that I decided to get serious and bought myself two used Nikon D70’s and some secondhand F2.8 lenses. During this time, Air & Space magazine published one of my photos (their “Photos from the Attic” series) and it was a huge confidence booster. Beginning my freelancer status, I began writing airshow reviews to go along with my photos and now manage to get them published in airport publications on a semi-regular basis. Last year I was thrilled with a second place finish in the renowned Aviation Week photo contest, so I guess I am improving. I now shoot with a D300/D7000 bodies and finally have contemporary lenses to go with them. I try to get to at least six airshow events each season and have gone as far as Hawaii and Maryland to add some variety to the shoots. I have been trying to develop a style to call my own. I see many talented folks capturing beautiful ground-to-air shots, but for now I am concentrating more on the static aircraft and try to capture a fresh perspective. I’m enjoying how HDR can be employed in aviation photography, along with the associated post-processing. Air-to-air photography is a skill I look for-
MEET THE MEMBERS
Jim Cavanaugh I am a full time professional photographer based in Buffalo, NY. I graduated from the New England School of Photography in 1975 and started my business in September of that year. Early in my career I was a photographic generalist doing everything from weddings to multiimage slide shows for corporate clients. Today, my primary business is architectural interior and exterior photography and aerial photography. My clients consist primarily of architects, contractors, engineers and real estate developers. I have been an aviation enthusiast since I saw the Blue Angels at the age of 5! I finally became a licensed pilot in 1980. Photography and aviation naturally blended together, both in my aerial photography and aviation photography. However, aviation photography is more of a personal pursuit rather than a commercial endeavor. (I do sell occasional aviation prints and license aviation images for stock use.) I have been using Nikon cameras since the early 1970’s when I was in high school. Currently, I am using the Nikon D3s and D-700 cameras. I will be moving to the new Nikon D-810. I have lenses ranging from 14mm through 500mm. Most are zoom lenses. For my architectural work my primary lenses are the Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 and the Nikon 24-120mm f4. For my aerial photography my primary lens is my 24-120mm and occasionally my Nikon 80-200mm f2.8. For my work at air shows, I currently use two camera bodies. The D-700 has my 24-120mm lens and my D3s has my Sigma 150-500mm lens. I photograph exclusively in RAW format. This is simply for the extensive editing flexibility in post-production. All of my post work is done in Bridge/ACR and Photoshop. I have never liked the workflow in Lightroom. I joined ISAP in 2012 after seeing the outstanding work by many ISAP members in social media. I have also been an active member of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) since 1986. I have been actively involved in photographic education for many years. I served as a National Director of ASMP for 12 years including a year as President of the society. I lectured extensively around the country on subjects including Business Practices, Copyright, Marketing and New Business Models. I also taught Professional Business Practices for Photographers for 6 years at Villa Maria College in Buffalo, NY and have been a frequent guest lecturer at the School of Photographic Arts at RIT.
My advice to those new to the photography business is to become well versed in the business issues concerning photographers including, Copyright, contracts, insurance, pricing & licensing and tax and employment issues.
MEET THE MEMBERS
Robert Turchick I’m the owner/operator of yipDog Studios located in Mesa, AZ for the last ten years. yipDog Studios is a video/photography/audio production company which has clients nation-wide. So I am a full-time professional though just starting out in the aviation community. As for my background, I am a classically-trained musician/composer and have a degree in music production and engineering as well as performance. That translated into my working at a recording studio in NY for 11 years producing music and commercial audio including audio for video. I came to Phoenix to head up an audio studio. After a few years I decided to learn video editing and was hired as a senior editor for a startup in Scottsdale, AZ. I learned video shooting as I was also responsible for the company’s marketing material. Fast forward a few years and starting yipDog to cover some independent jobs I purchased my first pro video camera. When the DSLR craze took hold of the video world with the 5D mk2 and 7D I jumped on that train. It wasn’t too long before I realized the DSLR’s and my growing lens collection could do more than video! I’d always been a shutterbug but this was the first time I’d had a really nice camera so I decided to dive in and learn. I am self-taught. Mostly from trial and error and tons of research and reading forums. I also have to mention Jay Beckman as he’s given me a great deal of advice over the couple of years I’ve known him. As for my aviation addiction, my father was in the USAF so I’ve lived all over the country and have been around aircraft all my life. I was one of those kids who knew what kind of airplane by the sound of the engines! I don’t have a pilot’s license but have made it a point to become friends with those who do. I have been flying RC planes and helicopters for over 20 years and have been a member of the NY state show team and was an instructor for many years. I use Canon’s 1Dx, 5D mk3, 70D and C100. For ground to air I use Canon’s 500mm f4 II and 300mm f4 II. For air to air and static I use a 24-70 f2.8 II and 70-200 f2.8 II most often. I only shoot raw as it gives me the most flexibility in post. I use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop with NIK and Red Giant plugins. I was using Aperture until I discovered Lightroom was better suited to the control I wanted over each image. I have used Apple computers for almost 30 years. AZAP (Arizona Aviation Photographers) was one of the first groups I joined which led to finding and joining ISAP. I learn best by seeing what others are doing as well as reading forums. ISAP has some of the best aviation photographers in the world so I decided to join and see what I
could learn. I am also a member of the Photographers Adventure Club which covers all areas of photography. I try to offer what I’ve learned to anyone willing to listen. I am a gear nut and constantly research tech and techniques. I am a believer in “the rules” but feel that progress can’t be made unless you try to break them. That said, when it comes to aviation photography, the number one concern is safety. Whether on the ground or in the air, it’s really the only thing that matters. Advice to photographers in general would also include words on professionalism. Whether paid or not, being professional in attitude is ultra important. When things go right it’s easy. When they go south...attitude and honesty is everything. My other areas of interest photography-wise include storms/lightning, macro of bugs, and birds.
MEET THE MEMBERS
Leonardo Correa Luna I was born in Uruguay 40 years ago in a family of pilots, and also a family with a lot of artistic interests, in my childhood I used to paint and design a lot, then started to play with cameras (still have my fathers old Canonette) and in the last 5 years I become really serious about photography. My aviation career includes already 7 airlines living in 6 countries being the last one China were I live for the past 6 years with my wife and daughter flying as an A320 Captain.
Nikon D800 70-200 1/100 f5.6 ISO 100
batteries, format cards (basic right? but how many times we make mistakes about this…is the card in your camera??) Have a plan and also be ready for the unexpected and find your own path and style don’t copy, just be you and follow your passion and shoot shoot and shoot is digital! More you shoot more you learn.
China is a very different place and that was the last drop I needed to push my photography forward as I love to be a photojournalist and capture all what happens around in my “China Life” as I call it. I have been working commercially in China for different companies and also for Getty Images, other field I love to work is portraiture, unfortunately General Aviation doesn’t exists in China which restricts a lot what I can shoot related to aviation but I have been a journalist of my airline life capturing many stories that are particular to the aviation in China, and that is what photography is to me, is all about capture the moment that tells a story and will never be the same. I use a Nikon D800 and D700 with 70-200 f2.8, 24-70 f2.8 and 14mm f2.8, I love to shoot close and wide, my everyday camera when at work is the fantastic Sony RX1R 35mm, and the iPhone . My format is RAW as you have more control in the post processing and to get the full potential of the big files of the D800, my lab is Lightroom as I like to work fast and when I take a photo I already have in mind what process I will do and have a lot of pre sets already created that allows me to work very fast usually no more than a couple of minutes per photo. My friend and fantastic photographer Max Haynes recommend me to join ISAP to be more connected with the aviation photography community, besides the usual social media like flickr, FB and my own site I don’t belong to other groups. I am always open to share as most of what I know is thanks to the generosity of other photographers that have been always open to share tips and techniques so I must pass the ball and share when possible. Preparation is the key, read, study, check videos and photos of other photographers, prepare your equipment, clean your sensor, charge
Nikon D800 1/320 f5.6 ISO 900
Nikon D4, 28-300, ISO 200, 300mm, f/16, 1/80
Nikon D800 70-200 1/320 f2.8 ISO100
GoPro Hero3 Bkack 1/700 f2.8 ISO100
Nikon D800 24-70 1/400 f5.6 ISO 100
Nikon D4, 200-400mm, ISO 400, 400mm, f/18, 1/160
Nikon D800 14mm f11 1/125 ISO 1100
Nikon D700 14mm 1/3200 f5.6 ISO 100
Nikon D700 14mm 1/100 f16 ISO 800
Sony RX1R 35mm f2 1/200 ISO 200
kiddie hawk A I R
A C A D E M Y
AT A I R V E N T U R E
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By Stacey Elsner Photos by Larry Grace/Bonnie Kratz
It is always a pleasure for Kiddie Hawk Air Academy and the Living Legends of Aviation to be a part of KidVenture at AirVenture EAA Oshkosh, and this year was no exception! We introduced several new components to our display this year at Oshkosh and they were all received with great enthusiasm by children and Legends alike. The first major addition to our display was our brand new Kiddie Hawk Trainer which was built and donated to Kiddie Hawk by Factory Direct Models. This new Trainer has amazing detail and the interior is stunning. We will be adding more of these new Trainers to our fleet and will be able to teach children even more about the components on aircraft and what each does to help the airplane fly. Our next major addition was our new RV Toyhauler that we were able to purchase thanks to the very generous donations of Si and Betty Robin of Sensor Systems as well as Barron Hilton and The Conrad Hilton Foundation. Our STEM and Higher Education Partner, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, helped us to obtain the beautiful Kiddie Hawk and Living Legends graphics and we are now able to more effectively and efficiently transport Kiddie Hawk Trainers around the country, reaching more children than ever before! We also introduced our new aviation/aerospace workshops for children ages 4-9 during our time at KidVenture. Through our partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University we had 2 different aviation based workshops that were offered to the kids throughout the week that were taught by high achieving Embry-Riddle students alongside many of our Living Legends. Having the Embry-Riddle students and our Legends work directly with the younger kids allowed the young ones to realize that their aviation and aerospace dreams were attainable as they learned from students who were achieving them. In addition to this wonderful learning opportunity, we also had our new “Helicopters are Fun and Exciting” learning coloring book that each child receives complimentary along with our “Airplanes are Fun and Exciting” edition thanks to the generous support of Aspen Avionics. We truly are blessed to have such amazing support from our Legends and sponsors so that we can truly engage and inspire children from all walks of life without financial ability being a factor. Our Legends also joined us throughout the week to speak to the kids at our Legends and Guest stage and the stories never disappoint! Legends such as Dick Rutan, Kermit Weeks, John Uczekaj, Chuck Aaron, Steve and Suzanne Oliver, Ed Bolen and Dale Klapmeier shared stories of their aviation dreams as children, mentors that inspired and helped them along the way and answered questions as quickly as the children could ask them about what they do and how they do it. As the Legends wrapped up their stories of fun and inspiration each child could get a special Kiddie Hawk Air Academy and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University t-shirt signed by each Legend and by the end of the week, we saw many children walking through the crowds of AirVenture with several of our Legends signatures on their bright yellow shirts! If you plan to be at the Reno Air Races, Oregon International Air Show or Embry-Riddle’s Wings and Waves events please stop by and let us inspire and encourage your young ones in the freedom, mystery and wonder that is flight!
R E T U R N
T O
The last time that Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses deployed to RAF Fairford was back in March 2003 during the second Gulf War. As Europe’s only Forward Operating Location (FOL) for USAF’s Global Strike Command’s bomber fleet, Fairford had at one time seen almost annual deployments of both B-1 and B-52 bombers to the base. Rumours had been circulating within the ‘aviation community’ for some months that a deployment may take place; and so it was that three B-52H’s arrived at RAF Fairford on 4th June. One aircraft each from the 20th, 23rd and 96th Bomb Squadrons (BS), with the call-signs “Exult 11” (61-0004/LA), “Exult 12” (60-0059/LA) and “Exult 13” (60-0017/MT) landed between 10.45am and 11.00 am local time. During their two week deployment as part of the 2nd Air Expeditionary Group, the B-52’s conducted daily missions lasting 7-8 hours, during which they took the opportunity to get some air to air refuelling practice in with the 100ARW from RAF Mildenhall. Crews from the three different B-52 squadrons that supported the deployment to Fairford were rotated on a daily basis, two aircraft being involved each day with just a single crew on board each one. The crews performed navigation missions which generally involved flying up the East Coast of England into Scottish air space, then tracking west-bound before heading south over Wales and down to Cornwall, then north-east over Yeovilton prior to landing back at RAF Fairford. Having been asked by the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall if I wanted a flight that would involve refuelling the B-52’s, I think it took all of about 1 second to decide!
F A I R F O R D By Mike Green
So, 11th June saw me at Mildenhall’s main gate for a very early morning start. Flying on board “Quid 80” (Boeing KC-135R, 58-0001, named “Wolf Pack”), our aircraft commander Captain Tim Gerne got us airborne at 09.33 local time for our 5+ hour mission, which saw us head north along the East Coast of the United Kingdom and over RAF Leuchars, before tracking west to the Isle of Skye. We refuelled “Doom 11” and “Doom 12” before heading south via Benbecula, DIKAS and into Air Refuelling Area-10West (ARA-10W) over south-west England, where we also refuelled “Spirit 01” (B-2 Spirit 93-1088), before heading back via Yeovilton to RAF Mildenhall and a 14.48 landing. For me, this was the opportunity of a lifetime. The BUFF has always been one of my favourite aircraft and one that I always enjoy seeing and photographing. To get the opportunity to catch them air to air was something I never thought I would achieve. I have done many air to air, but this really was a dream come true! You can read and see a more in depth photo report, including some of the B-2’s that deployed on my website at jetwashaviationphotos.com
AIR TO AIR WITH THE
MARINA MILITARE By Mike Green
Culminating in spending some time aboard the aircraft carrier ITS Cavour back in September 2013, after having spent many years (and that’s not an exaggeration!) trying to build a relationship with the Marina Militare Italiana (MMI), I once again had the honour to spend some time with the MMI, this time at Luni-La Spezia air base, north-west Italy. Luni is home to 1 Gruppo Elicoterri (Grupelicot) flying the AgustaWestland EH.101-ASH utility helicopter and also 5 Gruppo Elicoterri, flying what is currently the most important and modern helicopter currently entering service with a number of NATO countries, the NH Industries SH.90. The SH.90A, which operates with 5 Grupelicot is an Anti-Submarine/AntiSurface Warfare (ASW/ASuW) helicopter and is based on theNH.90-NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) version of the helicopter. After having spent a day photographing on base on 21st May, we arranged some air to air work with two of the helicopters, one SH.90 and one EH.101. We spent 45 minutes in the first aircraft whilst flying along the Italian coastline photographing the other helicopter. With a return to base we quickly jumped from one helo’ to the other and once again went out along the coastline to ‘shoot’ the other aircraft. Weather during our sorties was excellent, with clear skies and no worries with mist or low cloud to cause us any problems; and having already discussed our requirements with the crews regarding distance and photo opportunities we were glad to get everything we needed. I’ve worked with many armed forces over the years and have to say that the two occasions that I have worked with the Italians has been an absolute pleasure. Nothing is a problem, nothing is too much trouble and they are without doubt the friendliest of hosts. I look forward to going back in August when I am working for the first time with the Italian Air Force.
GIVING AWAY YOUR WORK
FOR FREE! By Patrick Wong
The article was originally posted on the ASMP/Architecture forum by Austin architectural photographer Patrick Wong of Atelier Wong Photography. It was in response to the almost daily inquiries that architectural photographers receive to “use photographs for free.” ISAP member Jim Cavanaugh shared this information on our Facebook page and asked his friend and fellow architectural photographer Patrick Wong to allow us to reproduced this article with his permission: Some of these request come from small firms NGO’s or Not for profits that claim they have no budget for photography. Some come from others who tell photographers that by giving the photographs to them for free that they will get “great exposure.” And then there are the people who become belligerent when told there is a fee for the use and then tell the photographer they were already paid for the photograph, why should they have to pay a second time! Before you give away your time, talent and treasure for Exposure you might want to ask what kind of Exposure is promised and is that Exposure the right kind for your business and what is this Exposure actually costing you. The following train of thought concerns primarily images you have already created, but can also be considered when asked for original photography as well.
1. Giving away you images will cost you additional time to prepare a contract with appropriate terms and conditions. 2. Giving away your images will cost you time to prepare the image files for their intended use. 3. Giving away your images sets a precedent for others to simply ask for free images and a mental precedent for you to give them away in the future. 4. Giving away you images lowers the value can expect to receive in the future. 5. Giving away images makes you a resource for free images and does not necessarily build a foundation for a business relationship where you will be financially compensated for commissioned work or stock images. 6. How likely will the placement of your free images result in a potential client consider doing business with your firm? 7. How frequently or have you ever received a commission from someone who saw free images. 8. How much do you benefit by being so generous? 9. What do you get in return that is tangible? 10. Would you share how your generosity benefits your business with your colleagues or clients and encourage them to be as giving?
FLYING LEGENDS F I V E S TA R A I R S H O W By Ramon van Opdorp
With a more than impressive participant list, I started my eight consecutive pilgrimage to the Flying Legends airshow at Duxford, UK. Starting from my home in the Netherlands, I travelled by train via Belgium and France to arrive in London, UK. Flying Legends is the one event on my calendar that I always book time off for. For many reasons is Legends special, it seems to never let me down on many aspects. All warbirds are treated with respect and the whole world is moved to get one bird flying, which is the spirit I love to see when it concerns these golden oldies. You can see the care and tremendous effort that is put into every aircraft to keep them flying, and this is highly appreciated by the immense number of visitors to Flying Legends year after year. Also for this year a long list of unique and rare aircraft were invited, sadly things worked out slightly differently. With damp weather at the start, the quantity of visiting aircraft was noticeably lighter than seen in prior years. As thunderstorms and large areas of rain were circling over the European continent, almost all German, Austrian and French based aircraft could not make it over the pond. Besides the couple of technical, and paperwork related cancellations both on the mainland and UK. On the other side, facing all these challenges, name one show in Europe that has to cope with over fifteen cancellations, and still has eleven spitfires (with four Mark I’s), one P-26 Peashooter, a Super Constellation, P-40C Warhawk, and the list can go on, in their flying display. The Airshow The big piece of the flight line is filled with aircraft owned by the Fighter Collection. While previous editions of Flying Legends showed a lot of aircraft grounded due to paperwork related issues. This year almost all airworthy aircraft could be seen up in the air. With the Grumman FM-2 Wildcat, F6F Hellcat and F8F Bearcat, and the Curtiss P-40F, Hawk 75 and the new P-40C Warhawk trio’s. My all-time favorite, the beautiful
FG-1D Corsair, as always left a great impression with her powerful engine and slick looking wings . Not to forget the stunning Hawker Nimrod and Gloster Gladiator, with the latter using every inch of airspace in an impressive solo display. As the United Kingdom is home of the Super marine Spitfire, is this type largely present, with this year a rare selection of eleven Spitfires. Unique in the world was the even rarer gathering of four Spitfire MKI’s, performing an impressive four ship formation flight. And while overshadowed during, and after the Second world war by the Spitfire. Deserves the Hawker Hurricane a special spot in the show, with two unique types present. One owned by the Battle of Britain Memorial flight, and one made a long massive detour, from the south of France. Always one of the main attractions during Flying Legends are the tail chases over the airfield. With this year seven Spitfires chasing each other around. And most impressive for me this year, was a classic chase of three P-51 Mustangs going after two Bf109’s (in fact two Hispano HA-1112-M1L Buchóns). Flying from side to side, with snappy aileron movements, diving in like a missile at low level, and in every direction in front of the crowd, it makes quite the impression when you see this with your eyes wide open and jaw dropped to the ground. In the big bomber section, the B-17 Flying Fortress ‘Sally B’ is always present, showing here unique lines in the sky. And always a rare sound and shape to behold, is the unique Avro Lancaster, one of only two airworthy aircraft on this planet. And having special interest in this aircraft, is the for liaison roles build Westland Lysander IIIa, always among my highlights of the show. And the list can go on, with Cubs, a Bucker Jungman, the Royal Navy Historic Flight’s Hawker Sea Fury T20, etc, etc.
While the impressive line-up of participants from mainland Europe was rapidly downsized due to the inclining bad weather, still a small amount found their way to the UK. From Switzerland the rare, and superb looking Super Constellation performed a couple of fly-by’s. For me a first time to see this unique “art deco” style aircraft. From Austria a B-25 Mitchell, owned by Red Bull, performed a great set of fast, top side view fly-by’s. While the C-47 from Norway keeps you every year amazed how a large transport aircraft can be thrown around like a fighter aircraft. And now onto my personal highlight of the show. From the opposite side of the pond, making a 10000 mile trip inside a container, the superb and one and only airworthy P-26 Peashooter arrived from Chino, California. An awesome looking aircraft, flown in the very capable hands of Steve Hinton. Got to love the small details of this brilliant looking aircraft, the bulky landing gear, open cockpit, the quirky hand-cranked inertia starting system and of course the interesting history of this little fighter. Conclusion This year Duxford was again the place to be if your heart is with these nostalgic birds. I always like the fact that all these old aircraft have different stories to tell. And just to see so many aircraft in one place is remarkable and unique. Featuring a mass of Spitfires, the sleek P-40C Warhawk, the little but nimble looking P-26 Peashooter, the legendary Super Connie, and many other warbirds and classics.
Flying Legends is a completely non-stop airshow, year after year, it shows why it is up with the best historic air shows in the world. You can see, feel, smell and sometimes taste the immense power and history of these aircraft, with the best and bravest pilots in the world flying some of the most beautiful and rare war birds on this planet. It is hard to describe the Flying Legends “feeling”, you have to visit this event and see all the action for yourself to understand. I hope to be there again on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th July 2015, to again experience warbird heaven over historic Duxford. Special thanks go to Esther Blaine and the Imperial War Museum Duxford, for their hospitality, effort and generous help in making this feature possible.
Mirrorless Mover series
Our friends at Think Tank Photo just announced they have released a new color, Heather Grey, in its popular Mirrorless Mover collection of bags for mirrorless systems. Four sizes of bags offer a wide choice; from the smallest case, the Mirrorless Mover 5, designed for one mirrorless camera, on up to the largest, the Mirrorless Mover 30i, which will accommodate a camera, lenses, accessories and an iPad®. And don’t forget that by clicking on my link, every time you order $50 or more of Think Tank gear you will receive free gear with your orders. Enjoy! http://www.thinktankphoto.com/categories/shoulder-camera-bags/mirrorless-mover.aspx?code=CC-326 If you get a chance, take a look at our new “Ask the Pros” blog column. We are feeding questions to 14 top pro photographers from a variety of genres. The breadth of the experiences and perspectives is quite interesting. http://blog.thinktankphoto.com/2014/08/what-techniques-do-you-use-with-people-who-dont-want-to-be-photographed/
The Professionals Source Professionals in the world of imaging rely on the professionals of B&H for their equipment needs. We have experts ready to give courteous service with a phone call, a click of the mouse or a personal visit. Our SuperStore http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/HelpCenter/NYSuperStore08. jsp?About_Us-The_Professionals_Source pays tribute to the wealth of possibilities available for photography, videography and other media industries. We make the wonders of technology available through our complete lines of photo, video, audio, lighting, pro accessories, computers, data storage, optics, entertainment, projection and surveillance devices, to which we add a wonderful, personal experience for professionals, hobbyists and consumers alike.
History We opened our original storefront in 1973. Our reputation for extensive inventory and intelligent conversation about photography began with our first customer. We grew from a small photography shop in Manhattan’s Financial District to a major supplier of photo, video and audio equipment on 17th Street, with customers returning again and again for our low pricing and high reliability. The new millennium’s explosion of affordable technology for pros and consumers alike brought new lines of computers, home entertainment, and consumer devices, as we moved to our SuperStore: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/HelpCenter/NYSuperStore08. jsp?About_Us-History on 34th Street and opened our cyber-doors at www.bhphotovideo.com. We continue to expand to meet your needs with showrooms, classes, educational and social media, and more.
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ISAP Chairman
Larry Grace
ISAP Vice Chairman
Jim Wilson
ISAP Secretary
Mike Collins
ISAP Treasurer
Bonnie Kratz
ISAP Board Member
George Kounis
ISAP Lawyer
J.R. Wilson Jr.
ISAP Chairman Emeritus
Jay Miller
ISnAP Editor
Kevin Hong
ISnAP International Editor
Mike Green
ISAP Code of Ethics I agree to abide by the ISAP Code of Ethics and pledge to honor the highest level of professionalism and conduct, with honesty and integrity at all times. I will familiarize myself with the rules and regulations of any facility that I visit and abide by them to uphold and dignify the reputation of ISAP and refrain from conduct that could harm any future opportunities for other members. I will treat others with courtesy and exercise good judgment in my actions. I agree to share my knowledge and skills with my fellow ISAP members to help increase the level of ISAP’s reputable knowledge base. If I breach any part of the ISAP Code of Ethics, my membership may be restricted or terminated by the ISAP Board of Directors. Contact us ISAP President / Board members • isapboard@aviationphoto.org General questions • info@aviationphoto.org or admin@aviationphoto.org Membership • membership@aviationphoto.org Website / Members forum • webmaster@aviationphoto.org Please submit photos as a jpg file, sized at 4x6 (1800 x 1200 ) or 5x7 (2100 x 1500) at 300 dpi, and text as a Microsoft Word file as attachments or in a folder as a zip file via email to ISnAP@aviationphoto.org International Society for Aviation Photography (ISAP) presents contest information as a service to its members. Read the rules of any contest very carefully; unfortunately, many contests today are simply rights grabs, requiring entrants to grant royaltyfree perpetual licenses. Enter contests only when you believe the potential benefit equals or exceeds the rights surrendered. www.aviationphoto.org • www.facebook.com/ISAPorg www.facebook.com/groups/83013491465/ (members only)