Aviation Photography: Air to Air

[sledge39]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

Do you have any objection to my fooling around with your images this way?

Neal

Naw, don't worry about it. This stuff is just a hobby for me anyway.

I'm now pretty sure the white specks in the Les Grant inverted P-51 shot are dust on the original (film).

I processed the pic with Topaz Denoise (a plug-in to Photoshop Elements) to reduce the grain, which also reduces sharpness, which removed the original specks, then the sharpening did something to make them reappear.

Sledge

[wingman]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

Just a hobby... Shooting a great photo of Dwight Thorn, Chuck Lyford and Bob Love with #8 at Reno 64, Air to air with Bill Muszala out of Chino, and upside down in a Mustang over the wild Southern California mountains. You have some of the best PB4Y photos I've ever seen -- all your firebombing stuff is just fascinating...

Cool hobby.

Neal

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

Funny that it still shows up.. I've tried to edit it out but, there are a few keywords that used to be pretty much taboo so it was suggested that admins replace certain controversial words like b o m b f i r e and such were replaced with an image of the word and thus, not indexed by search bots.. or, all of the federal agencies who were scanning for those words at that time..

I suppose it does not hurt to keep it as it is but, I've edited the software to omit the word/image swap and it does not take..

Looking back at almost a quarter century (almost hard for me to say that) of doing this web work, it is absolutely amazing how different it is now!

As far as pursuing any further air to air sessions, I think I'm pretty well done.. I love doing it, can't afford to pay for photo sessions, been lucky to have been included in some neat stuff!

BUT.. I've still got a bunch of stuff to share!

[sledge39]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

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. - P-51s air-to-air -

(1-2) Chino, local, May 1973

Leroy Penhall's N6519D "Race 81" flown by Steve Hinton

POF's N5441V flown by Jim Maloney


(3) Jim and Steve rolling around the camera plane (POF's SNJ)


(4) Chino, local, May 1972, Joe Hartney's N210D

Photoed from T-6G N8203H owned and flown by Bill Miller (one of two Bill Millers around Chino)

[CJAM427]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

Nowhere near as cool as Sledge's stuff, but I'm pretty fortunate to have air-to-air photography as a signifcant part of my job currently.

This is one of my favorite A2A memories. Trying to keep it mildly air racing related, one of the airplanes in this photo has been on the course at Reno. Probably too hard to tell, but Scott Glover's Lou IV (N151MC) is the rightmost P-51 in the formation.

This is en-route to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio on May 16th 2018 -75 years to the date of the Memphis Belle's 25th and final mission. The real Memphis Belle was to be unveiled later that day in the museum and this was a flyover to honor that. I was onboard EAA's Aluminum Overcast and on the other side was Yankee Lady. The 1991 Memphis Belle movie had a large role in my interest towards WWII aircraft so to have the Movie Belle next to us was pretty special to me.

[wingman]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

Very nice post-processing, Connor -- that looks great.

Lately we seem to be doing more than racing. I'd love to see more warbird stuff.

Neal

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

Yes, more warbirds please!

[wingman]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

.

. - P-51s air-to-air -

(1-2) Chino, local, May 1973

Leroy Penhall's N6519D "Race 81" flown by Steve Hinton

POF's N5441V flown by Jim Maloney


(3) Jim and Steve rolling around the camera plane (POF's SNJ)


(4) Chino, local, May 1972, Joe Hartney's N210D

Photoed from T-6G N8203H owned and flown by Bill Miller (one of two Bill Millers around Chino)

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Steve and Jimmy were about 21 years old in 1973. Nice toys to play with! When I was 21 I had a 175cc Bridgestone motorcycle that topped out at 70 mph with a tailwind...

Neal

[CJAM427]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

Very nice post-processing, Connor -- that looks great.

Lately we seem to be doing more than racing. I'd love to see more warbird stuff.

Neal

Thanks Neal, I really appreciate that! My goal was to make it look like England 1943, the dreary weather certainly helped with that.

[CJAM427]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

I haven't shot A2A of a ton of Warbirds, I have a lot more Vintage and homebuilt stuff. But anyway happy to oblige!

For me the most challenging part of an A2A mission is getting the airplane in the exact positions you want. Thankfully when you work with excellent photoshop and subject pilots it's usually a breeze. Briefing on the ground before the flight is the most critical component both from a safety standpoint and a creative one so you spend less time chasing the perfect shot.

That was the case here, the first A2A with Berlin Express after restoration. I spent a great deal of time weeks ahead of the flight thinking through what shots I wanted and what order we'd shoot them in to maximize flight time. Stew Dawson was flying left seat here, so aircraft placement was flawless.

[sledge39]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

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An air-to-air ... with some sunset color.

Chino 27 March 1972

Ted Itano's 'Catch-22' B-25 N9856C about ready to squeek the tires arriving at CNO from Tallmantz (SNA).

Photoed from a Cessna 182 flown by Steve Hinton.

Sledge

[sledge39]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

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Chino 3 Oct 1970

Planes of Fame's N3713G "Piccadilly Lilly II" ... moving the airplane from Ontario (ONT)

The Aircraft Commander was Don Lykins. Several co-pilots rotated thu the seat on the flight

Photoed from the back seat of a Piper PA-23 Apache shooting thru the windshield between the front seat occupants

Sledge

[Samuel]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

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Chino 3 Oct 1970

Planes of Fame's N3713G "Piccadilly Lilly II" ... moving the airplane from Ontario (ONT)

The Aircraft Commander was Don Lykins. Several co-pilots rotated thu the seat on the flight

Photoed from the back seat of a Piper PA-23 Apache shooting thru the windshield between the front seat occupants

Sledge

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That is awesome!!! I hope they get that bird back in the air some day soon.

[CJAM427]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

It's pretty magical when you get above the clouds.

Somewhere near Wichita

[wingman]

Re: Aviation Photography: Air to Air

Fun down lower, too. Here we are pulling off a pass down the runway in Nampa, Idaho.

Neal