I wonder if perhaps the designers of the C-17 started with a picture of an elephant (Dumbo, for instance), attached wings with a little uptick at the ends, raised the tail, and called it the C-17 Globemaster. The thing is a beast, but I have to tell you–it was one of the most graceful, impressive demonstrations at the airshow. It landed in 3,000 feet of runway. For a plane that size, you might as well land in my non-existent driveway. It was absolutely amazing. I don’t know how many tons of metal floated like a hammer (on the moon) to the runway, and seemed to stop almost immediately.
Then it taxied backwards. And did a 3-point turn inside the 200-ft width of the runway.
That pilot is my new hero, because I can barely parallel park my 15-ft Honda Accord.
Let’s just say: I’m a newly admiring fan of the C-17.
After the C-17 there were F-16s. My D300 was set to 6fps, and I chattered away every time they flew over. Even with the best of technology, however, one should note a basic limitation of the standard photographer–the rate at which he or she is able to rotate skull and gray matter atop a spinal column, taking into effect the extra drag of a DSLR with a telephoto lens. You’ll note the effects in the second photo on the right. My max rotational speed appears to be slightly less than the required (slightly less than) 1,000mph.
(For the technically astute out there, no, I’m not going to use my vast store of trigonometric identities to translate the jet’s speed to the rotational speed of my head.)
The airshow was awesome. I don’t know how else to describe it. There aren’t many things in this world I’m willing to trade for experiences like getting off that base–2 hours in the hot sun and unmoving lines. But two Thunderbirds (F-16s) thundering barely a few hundred feet overhead at afterburner is enough to make me scream and melt like a teenage girl at a Hannah Montana concert. My chest, my whole body shook with the sound and shockwave. It was exhilarating.
I’ll have more to say about the airshow in upcoming posts. Check out this photo for now. The tails on those F-16s look to be about 5 feet apart, which is more like a half-inch when you consider the speed at which they’re traveling. Those guys are insane!
(Yes, mom, I put on sunscreen. Almost everywhere!)
#1 by David on June 8th, 2009
Six things:
1. Jealousy. Pure jealousy. How dare they hold the air show in June when I could have gone in July!
2. Your pictures are awesome. The two F-16s flying mirror image is stunningly beautiful. I hope you’re planning to post lots, lots, lots more.
3. More photography websites than the ones I know about? Clue me in. I dig the latest one I know about, by the way–photography.spencerkellis.net.
4. The graphics card works fantastically. For the first time in my life I own a computer that can run FSX smoothly at its highest settings. And it’s been such a long time since I had a good fighter pilot game. Studying? Taking care of children? What was that?
5. You may have never made it to MA, but you have to visit VA–we’re talking F-22s, aircraft carriers, F-18s, AWACS, P-3 Orions, destroyers, submarines, battleships, etc. etc. etc. We’re accepting guests beginning July 3. And Southwest flies into ORF.
6. Reading (and commenting on) your blog is way more fun than studying for the bar.
#2 by Kendra on June 8th, 2009
Spencer melting and screaming like a little girl – Really, the image is too much for me. What would have been out of this world would have been Spencer and Dave melting and screaming like little girls. Y’all should be groupies for the US Air Force. By the way, the picture of the two planes is stunning. Good work.
#3 by Spencer on June 8th, 2009
Very funny, guys.
The other websites I have for photos are mostly the ones for family–you should already know about the one for the Kellis family but let me know if you don’t.
I dabble around with a few other test sites but nothing my admiring public should know about.
I took something like 2,500 pictures and kept 1,800 of them on memory cards. Remember when you had to pay $5 to develop a roll of film? That would have been something like $520 in developing costs!
#4 by Connie on June 9th, 2009
I am really enjoying your blog and the pictures as mentioned above are stunning. The mirror image picture and the one of the three jets with their white tails are book worthy, award worthy!
PS It’s nice not to be sunburned isn’t it??
#5 by Connie on June 9th, 2009
Oops, make that 4 jets and their white tails…