Sky Conditions Clear: August 2009

Sunday, August 16, 2009

51st Chicago Air and Water Show (v3)

Meet the Fokker (Army Golden Knights Jump Aircraft)

USAF Heritage Flight (P-51, F-16, A-10, F-15) in the break

More Heritage Flight

Obviously one of my highlights

51st Chicago Air and Water Show (v2)

A-10 Warthog East Coast Demo Team

F-15E Strike Eagle Demo Team out of Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base

A-10 Low & Slow (notice maximum deflection from flaps and speed brakes)

Strike Eagle - Afterburners & Vapor

Air & Water Show Staple - Lima Lima in their Naperville-based T-34's

Traverse City-based HH-65C Dauphin on summer rotation at Waukegan Regional Airport

51st Chicago Air and Water Show

KC-10 Extender out of McGuire AFB

Illinois ANG KC-135R - Scott Air Force Base - The re-engined 'R' model does not make the whine so familiar with the older 'E' models.

F-16 - Viper East Demo Team

CFD Air Sea Rescue

The poor shooting conditions are all too evident in this shot, but I had to get the C-17 Globemaster III into the blog somehow. The display this aircraft put on Friday at Gary nearly rivaled the full demo at the airshow on Saturday.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

AirVenture 2009!!!!

Much debate surrounds how long we've been making our annual trek to Oshkosh for Airventure, but I think we can safely narrow it down to a range of 12 to 15 years (inclusive of 2009). Highlights of recent trips include:

Overnight stay at a lake house complete with Steve (my dad) catching a small (seemed huge at the time) snake while I waited in a terrified state inside. This occurred on our first trip, although I'm pretty sure the events would unfold in exactly the same way today (just past my 27th birthday).
Fifth gear on the old, blue Escort going out prior to reaching the Illinois-Wisconsin border (note: this occurred on the drive up). The shifter would slip out of fifth unless held in place. I gave it my all and held the shifter in fifth gear while my dad drove until I was not strong enough to hold it anymore. Just west of Milwaukee, even my dad's supreme old man strength could do no justice and we were forced to go the rest of the way in fourth gear (topping out around 45 mph on some of the longer hills).
Calling home from the bank of pay phones near the gate to let my mom know we safely made it. This is one of the barometers we can use to determine how long we've been going up to Wittman - cell phones had not even made it to the big, bulky stage.
A stop each year at the Lomira McDonald's for a little pre-Airventure grease (not that there is any shortage inside the gates!)
The almighty Concorde and its deafening roar rocketing down runway 18

I could go on for hours, but will spare you the expense and cut to the chase... As I like to describe it, Oshkosh has to be the aviation equivalent to Woodstock (minus the unmentionable behavior of course - at least as far as I'm aware). People come from all over the world to experience anywhere from one day to one week of nothing but the constant drone of piston and radial engines (with a taste of turbojet that seems to become more prevalent every year). 2009 was no exception to the rule, and in my mind, this may have been the best one yet. No, there was not a Concorde, and no, there was no B-24, or F-14D. But, Friday July 31st, 2009, was complete with an unforgettable A380 demonstration, a look into the future with the White Knight II demonstration, a C-5M (that's right, Super Galaxy) arrival, a C-17 arrival, numerous other military departures and arrivals, and of course the Warbirds Spectacular. I really believe that unless you go for the entire week (which remains high on my list of 'to-do's'), you need to strategically pick the day of the journey. The two primary variables in this equation are the weather and the line-up. As evident above, and within the pictures below, we lucked out big time!

The pictures below represent some of the biggest highlights of our day at the show. This was a year where I transitioned from the traditional digital cameras to a more advanced Nikon D60 with a Sigma 70-300mm lens. I will fully admit not being anything but a novice with the camera/lens combination (not much shooting done on manual mode), but hope to improve as time progresses.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Oshkosh 2009 (v10)

This is a Morane-Saulnier Paris, and there are substantial rumors this type will be used by a new two-ship airshow demo team next year. One of the two pilots is expected to be legendary F-14 pilot Dale Snodgrass.