Tag Archives: a2a

BB-8 to Add to the ANA Star Wars Collection

Back when we lived in California, I saw the Star Wars 787 from All Nippon come in to San Jose.  That is the topic of this blog post.  There are a couple of other Star Wars planes that ANA painted up.  One is a 767 and it tends to fly around Asia so I doubt I will get a chance to see it any time soon.  The other was a 777-330ER painted up like BB-8.  I few of my friends have seen it come in to Chicago but I had not seen it up close.  They didn’t operate in to where I was.  (I had shot it overflying me at high altitude once though.)

Then I caught a break.  I didn’t realize this at the time but it was operating to Los Angeles the day I was shooting over the airport.  I knew an ANA 777 was on its way in but I had not paid too much attention to which aircraft it was.  As I was hanging over the airport, I picked the jet out of the murky skies as it came down the approach and, as it got closer, I realized which jet it was.  I have to admit, I was rather surprised and a bit excited when I saw it.

Scott’s Clipper

B11I7748.jpgThe trip to photograph Eric’s Clipper that I described here included a bonus (as if the flight wasn’t bonus enough).  Eric had talked to another Clipper owner, Scott, and he had brought his plane across to Sonoma.  Scott is not a formation pilot but Eric landed after the shoot with his plane and jumped in to Scott’s plane with Scott in the second seat.  We orbited overhead until they joined up and then we got a bunch of additional shots.

AE7I9262.jpgSince it was a bit later in the day, the light had got a bit better.  The colors of Scott’s plane were particularly receptive to the evening light and, while it was a totally stock aircraft and therefore not possible to get too vertical with (see the roof mods in Eric’s plane in the other post), we could still get some great shots.  Thanks Dave and Eric (and Scott for bringing your plane).

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Eric’s Clipper

AE7I9109.jpgEric Presten is a guy who spends his career photographing other people’s aircraft.  He is not so often the subject of the photo.  Dave Leininger was writing an article on Piper Clippers and wanted some shots of Eric’ aircraft to illustrate the piece along with some details of the modifications it has and how Eric uses it.  I was up at Sonoma Skypark on the day that Dave was visiting and he kindly allowed me along on the photo flight.  A Bonanza was the camera ship so I took the second spot shooting over Dave while he was seated on the floor.

AE7I9130.jpgDave had a publication date for his feature so I embargoed these shots until his piece had gone live which it now has.  It was late in the afternoon so the light was getting pretty good.  The Clipper is a cool little plane and Eric is used to formation work so makes a great pilot for bringing the plane in close.  In addition, his plane has a roof that is modified to include a transparency which means he has good visibility upwards.  This makes some shots looking down on the plane possible since he can maintain visibility of the camera ship safely while below us.

AE7I9072.jpgShooting air to air is so much fun.  It is impossible to avoid stopping shooting every once in a while and just looking outside to see the other plane so close to you.  Of course, you are there for a reason so don’t spend too much time staring out of the door.  However, never lose the enjoyment of doing something cool.

FedEx 757 and Oh So Close

AE7I0175.jpgI have posted before about taking photos from airliners of passing jets and using Flightradar24 and the wifi connection to try and get a shot.  On this trip I had two good opportunities that I knew about.  The first was a 757 operated by FedEx.  I could see it coming using the app.  It was apparently not going to be a close pass but it was going to be within range.  I saw the jet show up and shot a sequence of it as it came by.  The shots were okay given the idea of shooting through windows.  A better chance came with an American 737.  It was going to be really close to our flight path.  Actually, it was really close. Unfortunately, it came right under us.  I saw it flash by but I only got shots of engine nacelles and wings of our own jet.  Oh so close!

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Air to Air With Airliners (Well, Sort Of)

AU0E1101.jpgMy regular trips across the country often result in seeing aircraft out of the window as they cross our path or head in the opposite direction. I have seen plenty of jets in relatively close proximity but, with the speed differential being high, they are usually gone without a chance to grab a camera. Keeping it to hand for the entire flight is a little inconvenient. However, I have been working on an alternative plan.

Southwest provides in flight wifi and I get it for free as a result of the amount of flying I do with them. I log on to the wifi and open up Flightradar24 on my iPad. I can see where we are and I can see where other planes are too. The number of ADS-B equipped planes has gone up substantially in the last couple of years so accurate tracks are now common. Flightradar is usually pretty close to real time. I have learned, though, that the speed of the net connection on the plane is a big lethargic and the locations on the app while airborne have a bit of lag compared to the real situation.

AU0E1073.jpgBy compensating for this, I have been able to predict a few encounters with other jets. Of course, they are never as close when you plan for it as when you are caught out but they were still pretty close. Shooting through an airliner window is not ideal but I managed to get a few shots all the same. Does this count as my first airliner a2a sortie?

Air-to-Air With Some Raptors

wpid10720-AU0E5037.jpgDay two of my Red Flag visit was to involve a trip in one o the KC-135 tankers supporting the exercise. After the troubles of the previous day, it wasn’t entirely clear whether it would go ahead but we turned up at the allotted time and were escorted to the tanker ramp area. A few confused conversations took place with our escort and the crews but it all got worked out and we were briefed on the flight. We were the Blue tanker and were supposed to be refueling F-22s and F-16s, supposedly from Aviano with the Shaw F-16s (which are almost always out of bounds for photography) supposedly going to the Red tanker.

wpid10724-AU0E5221.jpgWe waited in the ops building for as long as possible before heading out. It was very hot on the ramp but even hotter in the jet. KC-135s do not have any air conditioning while parked on the ground and are painted dark grey. Consequently, the back of the hold (where we would be) is about as hot a place as I have ever experienced. We got there and it was time to sit very still and wait. Also, rationing the water was a good idea since we would be flying for about three hours.

wpid10718-AU0E4942.jpgWe taxied for takeoff and, once airborne, the cooling started to work and the temperature became reasonable. We agreed a rotation for everyone to get into the boomer’s position to get shots as the aircraft refueled. There are a couple of windows on each side of the jet too so we agreed to allow everyone get a chance with those too. Soon our first traffic appeared. A group of F-22s from Tyndall AFB came into view. Quite an impressive sight they make as they hang on the wing tip of the 135. They then take it in turns to drop under the jet and hook up to the boom before sliding out to the other side and waiting for the rest to finish. With some encouragement, they might make a more aggressive departure from the boom which is nice.

wpid10716-AU0E4891.jpgOur next traffic soon showed up. These were the F-16s but not from Aviano. They were Shaw jets and so out of bounds for photography. This was a big disappointment. We could take shots but they would be subject to scrutiny by the security team so would probably be deleted. I took a few but deleted them myself to speed the review process. They were cool to see even so. Lying beside the boomer and looking straight down into the cockpit of the jet below while the pilot looked up at us was an interesting experience.

wpid10722-AU0E5087.jpgWe had more F-22s while we were there but it didn’t seem that long before we were heading back down again. We strapped in for landing and then had an extra moment of interest as the aircraft had to carry out a go-around. There was a strong tailwind so, as we were looking like we would land long, a go-around was the safest bet. Once back on the ground, we handed in our cards for review. Waiting for them to be mailed back seemed like an eternal wait as I was keen to know whether I had got anything worthwhile. The summer sun was a bit harsh and there was a lot of fluid on the boomer’s window but I still ended up with a few that I am very happy with. Thanks to the team at Nellis AFB for making I work out.

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