Monthly Archives: June 2013

NAS Whidbey Island

wpid6704-AU0E7737.jpgThe day before the ISAP Symposium kicked off, there was a smaller field trip to NAS Whidbey Island.  Located on an island (surprisingly enough) north of Seattle, it was a bit of a journey to get there with a bus ride and ferry trip to get us there.  As with all military bases, you never quite know what will be going on when you get there.  They can be a hive of activity or have no flying at all.  We did okay on this trip.

wpid6688-AU0E7590.jpgFirst we stopped in the hangar of an E/A-18G Growler unit.  One of the officers was their to show us around and answer any questions.  There was also one jet in the hangar that we could shoot.  We then migrated outside to see some jets launching or coming back from trips.  Then it was time to head up to the tower.  We got to hang out for a short while on the catwalk outside the tower cab.  This gives you a great view over the ramp area and the field as a whole.  We had a couple of movements while we were there but then things got pretty quiet which would have been a disappointment for the second half of our group who were up second.

wpid6702-C59F9062.jpgLunch was served in the officers’ club which included some great mementos of operations and types passed.  After that is was back on the journey home.  A good little trip and a nice time to hang out with some folks I hadn’t seen for a while and others who were new to meet.

Under Your Nose at King County

wpid6646-AU0E7408.jpgHayman and I had a few hours to kill after we arrived in Seattle and before we had a ferry to catch (of which more in another post).  We decided to stop off at Beoing Field to have a look around.  We checked out a number of places including the excellent pilot shop they have and ended up near the end of the runway.  I had looked at this location on a previous visit but not shot there.  A 737 was up on a test flight and due in soon so we decided to hang around.

wpid6650-AU0E7437.jpgBefore the 737 appeared, we did have a couple of corporate jets show up.  Identifying them from underneath is a little hard to do, even for those of us with far too familiar a knowledge of this things.  However, I was more interested in getting a slightly different shot from underneath.  With power lines nearby, there was a relatively short period of time in which you could get a clear shot.

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The 737 showed up shortly afterwards.  We did get to shoot it as it passed overhead but I did remember to stop shooting at one point and just look.  The view through a wide lens tends to make everything look small.  However, having something the size of a 737 right over your head is very impressive and you need to stop taking pictures and just have a look every once in a while.

Brickworld 2013

wpid6989-AU0E3856.jpgOnce a year a Lego convention is held in the Chicago area.  It used to be up in Wheeling and I have blogged about it here.  This year they moved to a new venue in Schaumburg.  We went along again.  Some of the creations that people put together for this event are quite stunning.  Their creativity and ingenuity are very impressive.  Not all of the stuff suits me but I am cognizant of the skill, even for those that I won’t spend much time checking out.

wpid6985-AU0E3848.jpgI am not a Lego builder but my family has a few enthusiasts.  I hope they enjoy a far larger gallery than usual.

Lion

wpid6481-AU0E5946.jpgGetting lion pictures at the zoo is not too tricky.  Getting them doing anything requires a bit more patience.  The middle of the day is not when they are terribly active.  Sure enough, when we first passed by, they were both asleep at the back of the enclosure.  When we came back, the lioness was on a different spot and the male was awake in the middle of the enclosure.  If you have ever watched lions, you will know that they roar in a way that makes them look like they are blowing smoke rings.  Lots of teeth in the shot are usually the result of a yawn.

wpid6479-AU0E5926.jpgThat was what I was waiting for.  A sleepy lion is bound to yawn before too long.  Unfortunately, lions are not like people and they do not yawn sympathetically if you do.  Trust me, I have tried this.  Either lions are not supposed to do this or they are sociopaths like people who don’t yawn when prompted.  Imagining a lion as a sociopath is probably not that much of a stretch really.  Anyway, patience was rewarded and we got a yawn.  Lots so teeth!  Thank you…

Dolphins

wpid6477-C59F7460.jpgMy zoo membership was recently renewed so a trip to Brookfield was in order.  We included a visit to the underwater viewing gallery for the dolphins.  This can be a bit hit and miss depending on where the dolphins are and how much they want to show themselves.  This time turned out to be a bit different.

wpid6471-C59F7380.jpgOne of the dolphins seemed a lot less interested in swimming around and far more fascinated by us.  It was up at the end of the gallery hanging out by the window.  I thought moving up would be the trigger for it moving off but went anyway.  I was wrong.  Instead, I ended up having a pretty amazing interaction with the dolphin.  It seemed to enjoy having its picture taken and kept coming up to the window, resting its blowhole against the glass, blowing some bubbles and making lots of clicking sounds.

wpid6473-C59F7426.jpgNo point in overestimating these things but I really felt like it was talking to me.  I was captivated and it seemed to have no boredom for this so we spent a lot of time like this.  It was very cool.  The pictures may not be the most technically accurate.  Shooting through thick glass into water is problematic and the focus on the eye is not always there but, frankly, I don’t care.  This dolphin was looking straight at me for ages and these images remind me of just how cool that was.

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MiG 21

wpid6483-AU0E2744.jpgWarbirds are not an uncommon sight around here but there are some planes that still stand out as a little unusual.  I got to see one of these recently up in Rockford when the good folks at Code 1 held a weekend of training for formation flying.  A bunch of aircraft showed up including a lot of T-6/SNJs, a Yak, a bunch of L-39s and, most interestingly, a MiG-21.  This wasn’t there for the formation training but was being used for an FAA check ride for a guy who has a MiG-21 that he keeps elsewhere in the state.

wpid6489-C59F5749.jpgA MiG-21 is a great looking jet.  This example is an ex-Polish Air Force two seat example.  This generation of aircraft has some interesting performance characteristics.  Fuel consumption is pretty dramatic so the sorties are not too long.  Also, the approach speeds are quite high so watching it on the approach, it does appear to be coming down pretty dramatically.

wpid6493-AU0E3078.jpgWe were lucky to have some great weather and the plane flew a couple of times so it was possible to shoot it taking off and arriving from both sides of the field as well as getting some shots on the ground.  The plane is solidly built and the structure is finished in polished metal.  This makes for some great looks with the metal and rivets looking great in some lighting.  Having the chance to look at such a different jet was great fun and many thanks to everyone who made it possible.

Merchandise Mart

wpid6502-AU0E5564.jpgI know what you are thinking.  It has been a long time and no helicopter photos Rob!  You are right, it has been too long.  Fortunately, I can rectify the situation.  The good people at Midwest Helicopters had a very intensive project recently.  The Merchandise Mart in Chicago was the project in question.  They are installing a series of new chiller units on the roof of the building.  These are big units – too large for the Midwest helicopters to lift as it happens.  However, before they go up, there is plenty of work to be done.

wpid6509-C59F6677.jpgBig chiller units need to be mounted to something and getting the structural steelwork up on the roof is no small task.  It needed over 180 lifts to complete the job.  It was planned for two possible days with the whole day being booked for each occasion to maximize what could be done.  Flying the helicopter all day was intensive for the aircraft and required two pilots to alternate in order to avoid getting exhausted.

wpid6497-C59F6467.jpgI got myself up on to the roof of the Mart for the job.  The Mart is a huge building.  It used to be the largest floor space building in the world before the Pentagon was built.  It might still be second (and, if I was diligent, I could probably look that up to confirm it but we know that isn’t happening while I am in mid-story).  The roof is a big space and there were two separate areas where work was going to be done.

wpid6499-AU0E5532.jpgMounting points on the roof had been installed in advance.  The task on the day was to lift each piece of steel to the roof and bolt it into place.  The next would follow and the frameworks for mounting the chillers would gradually come into place as the ironworkers bolted each new piece to the previous pieces.  (The chillers will follow in a few weeks when Construction Helicopters come to town and I hope to cover that too.)  Each pick went pretty quickly.  As the new piece came into place, the guys on the roof grabbed it and bolted it into place.

wpid6517-AU0E5710.jpgThe line would be released and the helicopter would go down for the next piece while the guys finished bolting the piece into place and preparing for the next section.  This was a continuous process as long as the helicopter had fuel.  Given how warm and sunny it was, the black-painted roof was a hot place to be and the guys were working hard.  I was glad to only be photographing the whole thing!

wpid6519-AU0E5771.jpgAfter the helicopter left for the first refueling, I headed down from the roof.  I had other things to be done that day and headed off.  My original plan had been to get some shots from the ground on the second day.  A lot of the steel was being stored on a barge on the river so getting some shots of that being lifted to the roof was the plan.

wpid6512-AU0E5632.jpgHowever, the team was super-efficient and completed the whole job in the one day.  This was a great success for them and, while they were exhausted at the end of it, I am sure they were very pleased with the result.  Unfortunately, with no second day, I missed out on getting the other shots I had planned.  Oh well, there is always another day.

Oak Park

wpid6436-AU0E5514.jpgJust west of downtown Chicago is an area called Oak Park.  This is a pleasant enough suburb but it is a popular place if you are a fan of architecture.  My sister was recently visiting and she is a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright.  He was responsible for a lot of buildings in the Oak Park area and had a house there himself which is now a museum to his work.  Since she was in town, a trip out to take a look at the buildings seemed worthwhile.

wpid6434-AU0E5507.jpgThere are a great variety of interesting houses in Oak Park with only some of them being Lloyd Wright creations.  Some are obviously copying his prairie style and others are just funky in their own right.  A stroll around certainly shows off some great houses.  You will not be alone if you take this trip.  There are plenty of visitors wandering around looking at the houses, most of whom have stopped off at the visitor center and rented the audio tour.  I felt quite unusual to not have headphones on as I walked around!

wpid6432-AU0E5500.jpgThe weather was quite friendly the day we were there.  Some of the houses are painted colorfully so a sunny day really brings out the different hues.  Making the trip either earlier in the day or later would certainly make the light a little less harsh but this wasn’t a photo tour for me but a trip for my sister.  Getting some pictures as we went along was just a side benefit.  I should probably try and plan another visit to suit photo taking but we shall see whether that ever squeezes its way into the schedule.

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Millennium Park

wpid6452-C59F6408.jpgMillennium Park is one of the most popular attractions in Chicago so we obviously had to pay it a visit.  At various times I have taken pictures of the park that I like.  These show the park itself.  However, one of the things I love about the place is the effect it has on people.  The Bean in particular is great for people watching.  They are all looking at their own reflections in the mirrored surface and it causes so many people so much fun, you just can’t help but enjoy the fun they are having.

wpid6457-C59F6413.jpgThe new Maggie Daley Park is being constructed at the moment.  That cuts off a section of the park.  I wonder when it will be finished and whether we will still be in Chicago to see it.  I do hope so.  A few other things have changed since my sister was last here including the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute.  We took a walk across the bridge to see that before heading in to the loop.  The Art Institute has a Picasso exhibit running and they have added his name to Daley Plaza in front of his sculpture there as part of the publicity for the exhibit.  That seemed worth a look before we headed back.

Botanic Gardens

wpid6444-C59F7229.jpgAs I have mentioned before, visitors provide a good reason to do things that I might otherwise put off.  My sister being in town was a good source of reasons to do stuff!  That included a trip to the Botanic Gardens.  In a quirk of the weather we have had this spring in Chicago, this turned out to be a sunny day but a cool one with the temperature hanging around in the high 50s.  We got into the 80s a couple of days later and then the 40s two days after that.  Crazy stuff this year!

wpid6440-C59F7212.jpgThe Botanic Gardens are bursting into life in the spring so are a great sight.  As with other tourist type trips, a visit in the middle of the day is not ideal photographically since the light is very harsh.  However, that wasn’t the point.  Enjoying the day was what it was all about and that we certainly did.  Plenty of flowers were out in bloom.  The trees have suddenly discovered leaves after being bare branched for what seems like forever.

wpid6450-C59F7290.jpgOf course, we weren’t the only genii to have thought this was a good idea.  The place was packed.  I can’t blame everyone for wanting to be there but they do ruin some of my pictures!  What are they thinking?  In common with several places we go to, a trip a bit further from the visitor center does thin out the herd a bit.  Walking too far is not what some people want to do.  Good for me!  I am not much of a flower photographer and shooting in the bare sun does not make for great flower shots but I gave a few a go anyway.  Most of those will never see the light of day again, though…

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