Airspeed - The magazine for aviation photographers by International Society of Aviation Photography, Inc.

EAA AirVenture 2021 and much more!

WELCOME TO THE 2021 SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF AIRSPEED! The Return to AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 Andy Lay Brent Blue Christian Mogensen Gary Edwards Jeff Krueger Jack Lipscomb Jim Koepnick John Ford Larry Melby Paul Kober Peter Keller Larry Grace Scott Kelby The Great Florida Airshow Bill LaFlamme Belgian Air Force: 75th Anniversary Dragos Munteanu

Rose City Airfest Kevin Hong

30th Annual A Gathering of Warbirds: World War II Weekend Jason Skinner

Airplane Silhouettes John Ford

The FBO Life John Slemp

FRONT COVER PHOTO: Special Operators providing ground support for the vehicles coming out of the MC-130 Commando II at EAA AirVenture 2021. Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: Sigma 60–600mm ISO 160 Shutter speed: 1/160 Exposure: f/8 Processed in Adobe Photoshop

Chennault International Airshow Kevin Hong David Walsh 2021 Atlanta Airshow Mark Streit Duluth Air & Aviation Expo Larry Grace Thunder Over Michigan Airshow 2021 Norman Graf Deke Slayton Airfest Peter Keller Miami Air and Sea Show Jason Skinner

Jim Wilson

German Precision Marc Schultz Meet The Members Carolyn Hutchins Jack Lipscomb Paul Kobers Paul Zeinert

Kelly Tarala

Tips and Tricks Jeff Krueger

BACK COVER:

US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Demo team “Para-Commandos” perform the flag drop for the National Anthem at EAA AirVenture 2021. Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: Nikon 24-120mm ISO 800 Shutter speed: 1/640 Exposure: f/4 Processed in Adobe Photoshop

NEW AND RETURNING ISAP MEMBERS Ismael Abeytua Guy Adams William Aycock Randall Bacon Kevin Barry Michael Bellinger Michael Benton Stephen Bondhus Kevin Brown Oscar Celli Rick Charles Mike Cox

Sheldon Cohen Deana Denlinger Ray Fuller Rick Gautheraux Mike Gagarin Rick Hamman Mike Hill Ken Hunt Carolyn Hutchins Peter Keller Gerard Bruno Lamarque Nicolas Limbioul

Jonathan Little Patrick Lynn Shawn Malone Marty Miles John Nash Van Han Nguyen David Rizzico Leagh Sachs Marie Sapienza Mark Shular Douglass Sisk John Slemp

Cody Strong Rob Stapleton David Stubbington Paul Stackhouse Robert Talarczyk Kelly Tarala Fred Taleghani Paul Tchiloyans Ozkan Uner Paul Zeinert

The goal of International Society for Aviation Photography (ISAP) is to bring together our members who share a love of aviation, and want to preserve its history through their images. Through our organization, members can seek to enhance their artistic quality, advance technical knowledge, and improve safety for all areas of aviation photography while fostering professionalism, high ethical standards, and camaraderie. ISAP continues to help our members to better their photography skills, workflow, and set up resources to help with business questions that our members have. Updates are being made to the ISAP website and member portfolio section, and we are showcasing ISAP members’ images and accomplishments on our social media pages. The new Airspeed magazine will highlight ISAP members and their photography, experiences, and their passion for aviation from around the world. From military and commercial aviation, you’ll be able to see it all while learning about aviation photography, post processing tips in Lightroom and Photoshop, aviation history, air show reports, aviation museums, and more. We look forward to sharing our members’ images and articles with everyone. Enjoy this issue of Airspeed! Sincerely, Larry Grace, ISAP President Kevin Hong, Airspeed Editor International Society for Aviation Photography www.aviationphoto.org • www.facebook.com/ISAPorg Airspeed is a periodic publication of the International Society for Aviation Photography and is used to communicate news, functions, convention information, and other information of interest on the local, regional, and national scenes. The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and should not be construed as the views or opinions of the International Society for Aviation Photography.

THE RETURN TO

EAA AIRVENTURE O S H K O S H 2 0 2 1 Article and photos by Andy Lay

EAA AirVenture 2021 was my first experience at Oshkosh. I took a few notes during that week that I’d like to share with those that might be considering attending in the future and to stir up some fond memories amongst those that have attended before. Preparation Successful outings require good preparation and Oshkosh is no exception. I had heard that lodging at Oshkosh is challenging given that over a half-million people would be swamping the area. When ISAP President, Larry Grace, sent a message out requesting interest in sharing rental of a house for the week, I responded immediately. I knew I didn’t want to camp out in a tent on the grounds and that my house-mates would be able to provide real-time advice from their past experience. More about the house below.

Like lodging, traveling to Oshkosh from Texas is not a straightforward task either. I found that by the time I committed to going to Oshkosh, the best and cheapest flights to each of the three closest airports, Appleton, Milwaukee and Chicago, were full. Getting to and from Oshkosh from these airports was also a challenge as rent car rates were elevated as well. I decided that flying in and out of Milwaukee with airline points was my best option (but that changed a few weeks prior to departure). To get a feel for the overall schedule, the types of photos I might want to capture and possible gear to take, I read past ISnAP and Airspeed articles. Veteran ISAP attendees, Jeff Krueger and Larry Grace, were also very helpful in this regard. I jumped on the EAA website to purchase a full week pass and selected to have the requisite armband mailed to my home prior to the event. As far as camera gear, I took two camera bodies, a Sony A1 and a Sony A7rIV. I took several lenses but ended up only using three. The vast majority of my captures were with my Sony 200-600mm, followed by the Sony 24-105mm and new Sony 14mm f/1.8. For twilight shows, I also brought a tripod and wireless remote shutter release. I included a GoPro Hero9 and bracket that I used for the twilight air shows.

Andy Lay

Be Flexible About three weeks before I was scheduled to fly a commercial airline to Milwaukee, Randy Starbuck, a good friend of mine, invited me to go with him to Oshkosh in his Beechcraft Bonanza and to fly in the world’s largest formation of civilian aircraft, to the world’s greatest celebration of aviation. I was all in. Of course, I had to cancel my commercial flights, leave three days earlier and book two hotel rooms, but it was well worth it. It’s good to make plans but be willing to change them when opportunities present themselves. For more information about the formation flight, check out B2OSH.ORG. On the Grounds With all the aircraft, workshops, lectures, vendors, and shows, I quickly learned that Oshkosh is all about what you are not going to shoot. Tough decisions have to be made about when and where you want to be to capture the images you want. My plan was to try to visit a different section of the grounds each of the seven days I was there. I was never disappointed because photo opportunities presented themselves regardless of which of the multitude of locations I visited. Unlike a typical airshow, I found that I had to be emotionally prepared to miss a lot of potentially great shots because you can’t be everywhere when great stuff is happening. Another painful lesson learned was at the end of a long show, just after I had put my camera down and started to walk away, another favorite aircraft went screaming by with full afterburner. Another missed shot. The reality at Oshkosh is that the show ain’t over until the last plane lands. Just when you think you’re done, there’s always one more shot. Around AirVenture Good walking shoes are a must. Putting one foot in front of the other is the primary mode of transportation in the event. The EAA trams and buses are free and plentiful but don’t cover the entire expanse of the venue so plan to walk. I was able each day to catch a ride into the main grounds with my house-mates but returning at the end of the day involved a trek to one of the four designated Uber/Lyft sites outside the grounds. I found cell and wi-fi to be spotty but just enough to hail a driver to take me back to the house. Costs ran about $15-$20 per ride.

There were plenty of food options in the show area but all of them pretty pricey and typical event show fare. Staying hydrated was a challenge. Bottled water was $2 a piece and sodas were $3.50. Bottom line, bring your own drinks or bring money. Cash and credit cards were accepted everywhere. Know Your Gear I’ve been shooting with Sony gear for over 20 years. Even with that experience, I was able to miss a few shots because my settings were off. With the goal of photographing both prop aircraft and jets, I preset both my cameras with two similar settings. One with a slow shutter speed (1/125) for the prop planes and one with a fast shutter (1/2000) for the jets. Invariably, I’d forget to switch when different aircraft types were both in the same show. All my images were captured Manual mode using auto-ISO to adjust for the varying light conditions. Setting up your

camera gear before arriving on site is mandatory as there are very few places to sit and adjust your camera without missing more great shots. The ISAP House Being able to stay in the same house with like-minded aircraft-loving photographers was definitely one of the highlights of my Oshkosh adventure. The house provided a good lodging for commuting, buying groceries and decent wi-fi internet. The best part was the comradery enjoyed each day as we sat around the kitchen table with laptops open, discussing the events and sharing our favorite photos. There is no substitute for being able to ask for and share advice with fellow ISAP members on locations, settings, post-processing and even personalities. Staying up until 3 AM, laughing and singing until we were exhausted created some very special memories for this Oshkosh first-timer. It will not be my last!

Andy Lay

Christian Mogensen

CHRISTIAN MOGENSEN

After waiting two years, EAA AirVenture (aka Oshkosh ‘21) was an awesome event to get back together with fellow aviators and photographers alike. For so many of us who’ve been locked up since March 2020, I was eager to get out again and shoot all things aviation. I spent eight days on-field and believe I walked close to 50 miles over the course of the week. The event was a blast as usual. I even had the opportunity to help bubble wrap a plane this year (if you know, you know). It seems I always meet more and more amazing people each year who I look

forward to staying in touch with and connecting with again at future events. To me, the relationships gained at AirVenture are just as important as the images I come away with. I’m still sorting through thousands of images but hope you enjoy a small subset of them here. Prior to the event, I upgraded to the Nikon Z7 II and took several new lenses with me including the Nikon Z 14-30mm, 24-70mm, and 85mm; plus a Sigma 150-600mm.

Christian Mogensen

GARY EDWARDS This was my year for detail studies. The skies were largely uncooperative and my panning skills were rusty. And there were even more unique opportunities at AirVenture this year to see and record the art of the flying machines up close. Two-thousand-twenty-one was my first time to get up close with the Airbus A400M Ajax. It was enlightening to see the choices made by European engineers on this impressive airlifter. The aircraft is beautifully sculpted on a grand scale but still must accommodate the fluid and air handling and maintenance access that all powered aircraft must have. Many such intakes and exhausts and other detail are out of sight tucked inside the fan ducts of turbofan airplanes. Large turboprop airplanes are uncommon these days so this was chance to see how Airbus handled these details.

Something else uncommon in modern aviation is the sight of bare metal airplanes - AirVenture always has a great selection. The Ryan SCW that I spent a pleasant morning photographing is really special. The craftsmanship and creativity displayed in the design and construction of this historic piece of flying sculpture is extraordinary. We are indebted to the owner who keeps it in such condition and shares its beauty at Oshkosh. Finally, the fireworks of the AirVenture night shows provide a spectacular background for a constantly changing choice of aviation foregrounds. It is always worth the effort and thankfully frequent Wisconsin summer thunderstorms only delayed the show a day this year.

Gary Edwards

JEFF KRUEGER Remember the old song “you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone”, well that certainly applies to EAA AirVenture. After a year plus without air shows, and especially the premier show in the United States at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, we had a field day or days this year during it’s return. As stated in the official welcome, “The Wait is Over” and indeed it was with flying colors. While we didn’t see the large international attendance as in the past, the grounds were full each day with aviation lovers from across the country who came in to enjoy the opportunity to see some incredible aircraft and air show performers. From my perspective being a long time EAA AirVenture attendee, most days were pretty well packed with folks. This was the first opportunity to put my new mirrorless camera system to the test and while I had some learning to do, I had a week to play, learn and have fun. Not only that, I was surrounded by airplanes…How great is that! I shot many photos, burned tens of thousands of pixels, and I am still sorting through the images from the week. It’s always hard to select just a

few images out of thousands, but of course quite a few of them will never see the light of day! There were so many things going on, from aerobatics to military, truly experimental to bizarre, it’s dizzying to select what to present. Add to that a fantastic night air show and fireworks, where do I begin? What is unique at EAA is that each day has a different lineup of aircraft and performers. One thing that was constant however was the opening of the show daily with the SOCOM (Special Operations Command) parachute team. Watching our flag and their precision is something special to see. It was also fun to see several new acts, at least new to me, as well as the demonstration of some really interesting aircraft. Some of which I’m still wondering how they can fly. But, like the Bumblebee, they do.. Here are some images that I hope will give you a bit of the flavor of EAA AirVenture and I can’t wait for next year.

Jeff Krueger

JIM KOEPNICK

Vintage area. Sigma 14mm on a Canon R6.

Jim Koepnick Waco YKC in Vintage area during the Thursday fireworks. Sigma 24-105mm on a Canon R6.

Jim Koepnick Dagmar Kress in her Extra over an Oshkosh lake. Sigma 70-200mm on a Canon R6.

Jim Koepnick Jamie Pittman flies a Pitts Model 12 at sunset near Oshkosh. Sigma 70-200mm on a Canon R6.

Jim Koepnick Air show spectators in the shade of a hangar on the north side. Sigma 70-200mm on a Canon R6.

Sean D Tucker helping out in the EAA Air Show Hangar. Sigma 70-200mm on a Canon R6.

Jim Koepnick

An ultralight flies the pattern at sunset on the south end of the field. Shot with the new Sigma 150-600mm DGDN in Sony E mount on a Sony A9M2 camera.

Jim Koepnick

JOHN FORD I got to Oshkosh on the July 20th and since I stayed at Camp Scholler I was on the property before most of the crowd arrived. On that first day I met some of my neighbors and the party was on. Later on during the week a photo friend came over for a scotch night. Not really much happens from a spectators point of view until Sunday. A few planes had trickled in on Friday and more arrived on Saturday, but it is Sunday that the performers, warbirds and the multitude of other aircraft started arriving. My plan was to go out early for the morning light and then head back to the trailer for breakfast, down load images, maybe take a nap, take a shower, walk the dog and then head out for the afternoon and evening shooting light. This year that sorta worked but the humidity, the heat, the rain and the smoke and 35 pounds of camera gear and being out of shape conspired to defeat me at this plan. As it was, I was able to get some shots that I’m very happy with. All in all it was a great show and I’m planning to be back next year.

John Ford

JACK LIPSCOMB

AirVenture 2021 is the fourth time I have been able to attend in the last 15 years and it never disappoints. The scope of the world’s greatest aviation event is massive. I always enjoy the hundreds of warbirds that come to the event as well as flying in the daily airshows. Vintage aircraft are another favorite of mine with many restored to mint condition on display. This year Special Operations Command was on display and simulating some of their activities. This was my first opportunity to the CV-22 Osprey in action. The F-16 Viper Demonstration Team also made an appearance. This year the EAA was commemorating the 75th + 1 year since the end of World War II. This resulted in large numbers of aircraft from throughout the conflict performing in the Friday and Saturday airshows. I have never seen so many warbirds in one show. Another highlight for me was attending the Warbirds In Review presentation of a newly restored Hellcat. The aircraft was finished in the colors

and markings of a ninety-nine ace who attended the show and spoke about some of his experiences in the war. Due to the weather conditions and smoke/haze from western and Canadian wildfires, some of my photos have a white featureless background. Not very appealing. As a result, I used Photoshop’s sky replacement feature for the first time on one of my submitted photographs. I am pleased with the result. The show also provided my first opportunity to meet some of the others in the ISAP organization and shoot with a couple of them for one of airshows. It was great to meet some of the people whose names I have seen in Airspeed and on the Facebook page. I look forward to future events to interact with ISAP members.

Jack Lipscomb

LARRY MELBY

PAUL KOBERS

This was my first time shooting photography at an airshow and I had some goals in mind. I wanted get a couple of artistic static photos at sunset, a shot with two propeller planes, and a jet with vapor coming from the aircraft. For ground to air, I spent a lot of time working on the propeller blur. I also took a lot of time shooting everything to practice before the show started. With static aircraft, I was really trying to get an artistic shot you don’t see every day such as my wing and umbrella shot, as well as the shot with the sun wrapping around and the photo with several propellers in a line with a low aperture setting. I also wanted to get an image of a mechanic working on a plane. After I began shooting there were lots and lots of blurry images, and frozen propellers. My shutter speed was either to slow and blurry or no spin but sharp. I also really had to work on my panning. While I was there I received some tips on what settings to use shooting aircraft against an overcast and dark sky vs. a clear blue sky. I had very talented experienced photographers helping me. ISAP members showed me how to set up my camera with panning, shutter speeds, focus zones and how to use a high shutter speed for fast action. I came away with some great tips from my first airshow experience at AirVenture. For example, the sun hitting the propellers helps to show the full disc of propellers. 1/320th is a good shutter speed if you want a good prop blur, then you slow your shutter speed down to get more of the disc. And the more humidity the more vapor you see around jets. Based on what I learned at AirVenture and what I would do different next time is spend a whole day shooting static displays. I would love to shoot some night photo and really concentrate on getting a very slow shutter speed and lots of propeller movement. I need to be there a good 4 days. Shooting aviation is different from the wildlife work I do. I shoot at very high speeds, and I use a flash. The camera is also on a tripod. I pre-focus on the instrument and wait for the animals to give me a good pose. It’s not uncommon to sit for DAYS to hopefully get a shot. With planes it’s variable shutter speeds but you’re panning. That just takes a lot of practice. For the next air show I’m going to practice panning a lot. Also, I’m hooked on back button focus now. I determined what settings to use for a propeller aircraft versus a jet after learning some things from the ISAP members. A maximum of 1/320 for props and 1/2,000 for jets. I tried to slow down the shutter speed to 160th, but need more time to work on that shutter speed.

Paul Kobers

PETER KELLER

While many have been going to Oshkosh for years, it’s still relatively new to me being only my fourth time in attendance. After a year off due to the pandemic, it still did not disappoint. Attendance was at a near record this year. I think I can quote one stated as, “Oshkosh AirVenture 2021 is happening.” And what a show it was! Photography was challenging at times with cloudy weather conditions and threating storms, and thick smoke at times from wildfires to the

northwest, but that didn’t stop the action. Fortunately, the storms mostly missed the grounds, but I drove through some small towns coming in that had been hit pretty hard, so it was well justified for the many aircraft that decided to exit before the storm. Just the same, there was still lots going on even after the storm. In the words of another ISAP member, “Oshkosh is an airshow in deciding what you’re NOT going to see!”

Peter Keller

BRENT BLUE

SCOTT KELBY It was everything Larry Grace said it would be. Well, he didn’t actually go into detail about the amount of walking that covering Oshkosh takes. For example, it’s approximately 41.2 miles from Parking Lot D to the first plane you see up close, and that takes about 13 hours if you’re walking at a crisp pace (sidebar: I don’t) and you don’t have any gear (I had a lot), so by the time I made it to the first plane, Oshkosh was over. I saw several photographers lying on the ground during my march from the parking lot — too tired to go on but too dehydrated to turn around. I told them I’d come back for them, but they knew I never would, but walking aside (and the pain of leaving my fallen comrades behind), it was truly an experience I’ll never forget. I had been to big airshows across the country before — I was born and raised in Lakeland, Florida — home to the 2nd largest airshow in the country, the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo (formerly known as the Sun ‘n Fun fly-in) and I’ve watched it grow exponentially over the years. I started shooting it back in 2012, and I shot it earlier this year, and it was glorious. It was glorious because (a) I was shooting with the official Sun ‘n Fun photography crew, and that meant (b) they had a golf cart, which is the single most important piece of gear at any airshow, and had I had access to a similar golf cart at Oshkosh I probably would have exploded with candy because Oshkosh was ever better and bigger than I thought (and perhaps the most golf cart worthy place on earth)..

It felt twice as large as Sun ‘n Fun (I have no idea if that’s reality, but it felt ginormous), and it felt very well organized from top to bottom. They totally had their stuff together on every level, from food to restrooms to locations of the statics, to getting some special aircraft involved, like a military Airbus A400M Atlas from the German Luftwaffe on display. Everything ran like clockwork, and everybody was happy and having fun everywhere I looked (as long as I didn’t look back to Parking Lot Dismal). Because of my travel schedule, I only had two days to shoot the show, Friday and Saturday, but my buddy Paul and I (we drove up from Chicago) had the wonderful opportunity to share an home with Larry and some of the other ISAP guys, and it really was the highlight of the trip. After shooting all day and having a yummy dinner (Jeff Krueger made up Brats and Burgers and Beer for a evening dinner, and they brought the best pretzels anywhere), we would all set up our laptops in the dining room; starting culling through the day’s shoot, and laughing and sharing shooting and post-processing ideas, and mostly laughing until really early in the morning). None of us got any decent sleep. Totally worth it.

While we’re talking about that culling images stuff, I want to share three things that might help you when culling down the thousands of shots you take during a big airshow like Oshkosh. This is the workflow I use to get as quickly as possible to the keepers — the shots that have a chance of ever being shared on social or on my blog, etc. Here’s what I do: I get rid of three very particular types of airshow shots right off the bat: (1) I mark to delete any shot that doesn’t include the full plane. If I clipped off part of a wing or the tail or any part of the plane while panning, I delete it. Think about, when was the last time you shared a shot where part of the plane was cut off accidentally? There’s no reason to keep 30 – 40MB files that you’re never, ever going to use for anything ever. Yes, hard drive space is cheap, and you could keep a bunch of garbage photos, but they just get in the way of finding the good shots, so I quickly go through, and if something’s cut off, it’s gone.

(3) If you’re looking through a sea of thumbnails (in Lightroom or Photo Mechanic, or The Adobe Bridge), and you notice at that tiny thumbnail size that the image looks out of focus, get rid of it now. If it’s out of focus at that small size, it’ll be a mess when you see it larger, so just get it out of your life now. Mark it for deletion, and now all that is left in your library are images that might have a chance of seeing the light of day. This will save you more time than you can imagine, and now you’re set up for success.

If it looks bad when it’s small, it will look worse when you see it larger. It’s trash time.

If part of it is cut off, all of it gets thrown out. (2) I get rid of all the tiny “dot shots.” Those are shots where you start tracking focus with the plane or jet when they were way off in the distance, and you cranked off a bunch of shots because you can’t help yourself, so you have these shots where your plane is a tiny dot in the sky. You won’t be able to crop in and do anything with those little dots. They are just about as helpful as the shots where part of the jet is cut off. Mark ’em for deletion, and you’re even closer to getting to your best shot.

Tiny dots are not for Scott (I had to use something that rhymes, but in short; toss ‘em out.

When I did this for Oshkosh, I deleted more than 1,000 photos during this process, but it only took a few short minutes. Now, in those two days, I had taken over 220,000 images (OK, made you look! Actually, I took just over 5,000 photos, so 20% went straight in the trash, which made the rest of my job that much easier. OK, that’s a few tips from my workflow — I hope you found that helpful. Now back to the story of my dehydrated two-day forced march. I did have something very cool happen during the airshow. The first night I was there, I was telling the guys that after shooting several shows this year, I didn’t want to come home with another bunch of shots of gray jets passing by. I was happy that the Blue Angles or Thunderbirds weren’t there this year. I have thousands and thousands of shots of them from many shows over the years, and I’m not sure what I would get this time around that I didn’t get the last show or the one before. I told them I wanted to do something more artistic and that I would spend a lot more time shooting statics (and Oshkosh was surely the place to do it). Then, as luck would have it, the next night at a get together at the house (Larry invited a bunch of ISAP folks there for the show to come by the house for brats and beer), I met this member named John Ford, and he showed me some of his work and son-of-a-gun he was shooting the exact type of stuff I wanted to be shooting. He had some tremendous stuff — not the same old gray jets flying by (no offense Raptor or Viper demo teams), and I was totally inspired by his work. I went into the next day with a new direction and new ideas, and I absolutely loved it. I have a long way to go to get the type of images I want, but John’s work was exactly the catalyst I needed to dig deeper into that style of photography which is very graphic based – taking in a lot of lines and curves and how they all interact and come together. One of the reasons I love shooting airshows is that the planes are beautiful, and now I was exploring a different side of that beauty.

Scott Kelby

The other reason I love shooting airshows is the camaraderie between the photographers at the airshow. Maybe it’s the type of people that Larry and ISAP attract, but maybe it’s the common love of the subject. Still, it’s one of the few genres of photography where it seems the photographers are less interested in competitiveness and more interested in helping push each other, help each other, and just enjoy the moment together. Oshkosh was really something special, and I feel like I left a part of me there, probably between Parking Lot D and the row of food stands, and while I sweated away 46-lbs. During that two days, it was worth it. Now that I’ve been once and know what to expect – I can’t wait until next year. The year I get arrested for stealing a golf cart.

Scott Kelby

LARRY GRACE - ISAP PRESIDENT

Members of the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Demo team “Para-Commandos” pose with Red Bull Air Force Demo Team jumper Miles Daisher.

Larry Grace Performing together and for both pilots R.J. Gritter in the Decathlon and Erik Edgren in the T-Clips their first time at EAA AirVenture. Their act is know as Two Buck Chuck and look for them during the 2021 and 2022 air show season.

Larry Grace

RESPECT - US Army MH-47G Chinook Helicopter from the 160th SOAR “Night Stalkers” departing 2021 EAA AirVenture. The helo crew displayed the American Flag at the back ramp for the crowd. Across the field the German Air Force Luftwaffe Airbus A400M crew stood at attention and all gave a salute to the crew of the MH-47G and one of the crew held a US Flag in respect and honor to their fellow US military members.

Samaritan’s Purse DC-8 aircraft departing EAA AirVenture after displaying their aircraft and its humanitarian operations to the airshow fans. Known as a combi aircraft, it is especially configured to carry up to 84,000 pounds of cargo and 32 passengers, significantly increasing the organization’s capacity to respond immediately in times of crisis around the world.

Larry Grace

The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) MC-130J Commando II showcasing a short field landing to highlight the activities and mission of the Special Operations Command.

Larry Grace

The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) MC-130 Commando II offloading soldier’s and equipment as part of a rescue demo of a down pilot during the afternoon airshow.

Larry Grace

Lockheed Martin TU-2S “Dragon Lady” from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing from Beale AFB doing a flyby.

Larry Grace

The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Lockheed AC-130J “Ghostrider“ gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance, ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport, fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of ground attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, navigation, and fire-control systems.

Larry Grace

UPS displays one of its new Boeing 747-8F “Queen of the Skies” to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The 747-8F has a hinged nose section that flips up to allow extra large or extra long shipments to be loaded and unloaded. This feature will allow for acceptance and transport of large cargo and freight shipments.

Larry Grace EAA attendee learning more about the Auto Gyro MTO sport 2017 aircraft on display.

Larry Grace

Matt Younkin’s Twin Beech 18 “Younkin Freight 18” aircraft was used as a jump plane for the SOCOM demo team “Para-Commandos”. Shown here during the Thursday night airshow and was the backdrop for Nate Hammond’s night demo.

Comments from EAA CEO and Chairman Jack Pelton: “This was perhaps the most challenging set of circumstances we’ve ever faced as an organization to make the event happen. I could not be more proud of our volunteers, staff, and participants on the way they came together to exceed our expectations and make AirVenture 2021 a truly memorable experience.” Attendance: Approximately 608,000 – Only the third time attendance has surpassed 600,000 and within 5 percent of 2019’s record total. Comment from Pelton: “We went into this year not knowing what AirVenture would look like and how big of an event was possible. The aviation community spoke loudly, though – it was ready to come to Oshkosh and we were happy that we could welcome them. Our theme was ‘The Wait is Over,’ and indeed it was. And the wait was worth it. There was joy and excitement throughout the grounds and it set the stage for the return of AirVenture, making us very excited for the future.” Total Aircraft: More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other airports in east-central Wisconsin. At Wittman alone, there were 16,378 aircraft operations in the 10-day period from July 22-31, which is an average of approximately 116 takeoffs/landings per hour when the airport is open. Total Show Planes: 3,176 included: A record 1,420 vintage aircraft registered, plus 1,089 homebuilt aircraft, 354 warbirds, 148 aerobatic aircraft, 112 seaplanes, 33 ultralights, and 27 rotorcraft.

Camping: More than 12,000 sites in aircraft and drive-in camping accounted for an estimated 40,000 visitors. Volunteers: More than 5,000 contributing in excess of 250,000 hours. Commercial Exhibitors: 747. Forums, Workshops, and Presentations: A total of 1,055 sessions hosted throughout the week. Social Media, Internet and Mobile: More than 18.95 million people were reached by EAA’s social media channels during AirVenture, with engagement of 1.08 million; EAA video clips during the event were viewed 3.48 million times. International Guests: Despite travel restrictions that greatly limited the number of attendees from other nations, EAA still welcomed visitors from 66 countries during the week. The Gathering Shines: The EAA Aviation Foundation’s annual event to support its aviation education programs attracted more than 500 people and raised more than $1.7 million dollars that will be focused on EAA’s mission of growing participation in aviation. Media: 567 media representatives on-site, from four continents. See you at EAA® AirVenture® Oshkosh™ 2021 — July 26 to August 1, 2021

Larry Grace Members of the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Demo team “Para-Commandos” wanted to have an image of the team with the Wall of Fire behind them. As luck or timing would have it, I was also able to catch the Viper Demo F-16 in the frame as well.

THE GREAT florida airshow ORLANDO/MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Photos by Bill LaFlamme

Bill LaFlamme

BELGIAN AIR 7 5 T H Article and photos by Dragos Munteanu

A N N I V E R

In 2021 the Belgian Air Force (BAF) celebrates its 75th anniversary. If all things would have been normal the celebration would have been a big airshow called the Belgian Air Force Days in Florennes Airbase. Unfortunately due to the pandemic the airshow was canceled and luckily turned into a limited Spotters day on the 24th of June. The schedule involved the presentation of the official Belgian Air Force demo teams and some flypasts of the different aircraft in service for the BAF. The weather for the demos was quite difficult and grey but the night shoot provided very good opportunities for static shots. The event showcased some of the last appearances of the Alouette 3 helicopter (already retired now from the BAF service) and also the C-130 Hercules which will be retired by the end of 2021. The Hercules replacement – the Airbus A400M made its appearance showing some of its capabilities. Slowly airshows are picking up in Europe and a big event is scheduled for September in Belgium. Until then I’m glad this event provides a small light of optimism for the spotters in Belgium.

R FORCE S A R Y

BAF F-16 Fighting Falcon – FA-101 “The Dark Falcon” the demo aircraft of the F-16 solo demo team.

BAF Alouette 3 in one of its last appearances before retirement.

Dragos Munteanu

BAF Airbus A400M CT-01.

Dragos Munteanu

BAF C130 Hercules CH-12.

Dragos Munteanu

BAF F-16 Fighting Falcon – FA-87 75 years anniversary special livery.

Dragos Munteanu

Spitfire OO-XVI – privately owned – the only Spitfire registered in Belgium.

Dragos Munteanu

BAF F-16 Fighting Falcon – FA-84 with a representative weapons load.

Dragos Munteanu

BAF Agusta A109 H46 “Razzle Blades” – the helicopter of the BAF A109 Demo Team.

Dragos Munteanu

BAF F-16 Fighting Falcon – FA-86 wearing a special livery to celebrate the 350sq 80 years.

Dragos Munteanu

30TH ANNUAL

A GATHERING OF WARBIRDS W O R L D

WA R

I I

W E E K E N D Article and photos by Jason Skinner

This year marked the 30th Annual World War II Weekend, “A Gathering of Warbirds”, from the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum at the Reading Regional Airport in Pennsylvania. It was also a homecoming for me as I hadn’t returned to my hometown for a year and a half. The Reading Airport operated as an Army Airfield during World War II. In 1984 it was dedicated to General Spaatz a nearby native and the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum has been operating there since 1980. The World War II Weekend has been growing into one of the biggest events of its kind. This year more than 1,700 World War II military and civilian re-enactors gathered to bring back some of the history and feel from the home front and abroad.

No less than eight separate encampments made up this year’s group representing Europe, the Pacific, the Eastern Front and the here in the US. Along with the re-enactors several surviving World War II veterans told their stories from that time. I was able to hear some of Chief Petty Officer Gutman’s recollections from his time in the Pacific Theater. He was joined by a Staff Sergeant from the 1st Cavalry Division. There was a large collection of historical vehicles from the collective motor pool. Sherman tanks from a new museum in Gettysburg, PA, joined numerous jeeps, half-tracks, and other period vehicles. This was a three day event from Friday June 4th through Sunday. On Saturday evening Commemorative Air Force Airbase Georgia’s USN

Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, “Lady in Blue” and the North American P-51D Mustang, “Red Nose” participated in a night photo shoot. Flying through the weekend were two bombers from the Yankee Air Museum; Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, “Yankee Lady” and one of three North American B-25s there was “Rosie’s Reply”. Joining them was the Boeing B-29 Superfortress “FIFI”. The flying demonstrations included every type of aircraft used in World War II: fighters, bombers, transports, trainers, liaison and Axis aircraft from the Pacific. The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum is currently restoring a P-61B “Black Widow” called Moonbeam Baby. In fact, the museum was formed for the purpose of recovering the airframe from Indonesia and returning

it back to Pennsylvania. The ambitious goal is to bring it back to flying condition. This show and this museum are part of countless operations across the country preserving and restoring a living history. Jumping in from the C-46 “The Tinker Belle” was the World War II Airborne Demonstration Team from Oklahoma. This weekend was an impressive display of commitment from so many different and varied people working hard to commemorate this time from our past.

Jason Skinner

The FBO Life Article and photos by John Slemp

The General Manager confers with a tug driver as the sun rises in the background at Atlanta’s Fulton County Airport.

Working for a Fixed Based Operator (FBO) can always be a challenge. I had the opportunity to work for a family owned FBO called Hill Aircraft. They are located at the Atlanta Fulton County Airport. There’s a lot of moving parts running a business supporting incoming and outgoing aircraft. Whether it is day or night, rain or shine, I tried to capture photos that would support their new website and marketing.

This corporate jet was photographed before dawn, at Atlanta’s Fulton County Airport. Two small LED lights were placed on the wing trailing edges, and the nose was lit on one side by the headlights of my car, and on the other side by an LED light on the tug.

John Slemp

4 seconds at F7.1, ISO 160, with a touch of fill flash to illuminate the vest. Right photo: A Hill Aircraft lineman monitors the fuel flow into an Embraer Lineage 1000 corporate jet.

John Slemp

A Hill Aircraft pilot walks away from a Cessna CJ1 just after dawn.

John Slemp

Two Hill Aircraft pilots enjoy a lighter moment just prior to beginning their pre-flight checks on a Cessna Citation II.

A 2019 Embraer S A EMB-545, on the ramp before a storm comes.

John Slemp

Created as advertising for Titan Aviation Fuels at Atlanta’s Dekalb Peachtree Airport (PDK).

John Slemp

Despite three hurricanes hitting Lake Charles since 2019 and amidst the Covid pandemic, the Chennault International Airshow really wanted to have a show to lift everyone’s spirits and forget about all the tragic events. After witnessing the damage while driving through the city of Lake Charles and talking with the people in the area, there is definitely something about the Cajun spirit in Louisiana where they come together to help one another. The Chennault International Airshow was the first event to happen in Lake Charles after Covid CDC guidelines were lifted in Louisiana. Even though the airshow was a drive-in event, the tickets for the three day event sold out in one week. Over the years the airshow has become a community favorite showing great hospitality and Cajun food. This year for the first time in many years, the airshow did not have to cancel any of the days even with the occasional Gulf Coast showers in the area.

It was definitely an action packed weekend with some unique races as well between Shockwave and Kevin Coleman, Randy Ball in the Mig-17 racing Precision Exotics in a very quick McLaren. The airshow took place over D-Day weekend and wouldn’t have been complete without some history from warbirds. The Commemorative Air Force B-25 Devil Dog and P-51 Charlotte’s Chariot buzzed the field. A special D-Day salute by the Liberty Jump Team jumping out of a C-47 recreating the invasion of Normandy during World War II was a perfect way to honor the veterans. With all of the bad events the community had to face this past year, I was glad the city of Lake Charles was able to have at least one good weekend of fun and hope they continue to rebuild.

This year the US Navy Blue Angels flying their new F-18 Super Hornets and C-130J Fat Albert did not disappoint the crowd with the ACC F-22 Raptor Demo. The F-15 Bayou Militia of the Louisiana ANG, B-52 from Barksdale AFB, and KC-46 came in to show their love by performing some nice fly-bys. The US Army Golden Knights and US Navy Leap Frogs dropped in along with some special aerobatic performances from Kevin Coleman, Adam Baker, Ken Reider, and Aeroshell.

Chennault I AIRSHOW 2021 Article and photos by Kevin Hong / ISAP Editor

International

Kevin Hong

DAVID WALSH

David Walsh

2021 ATLANTA A

Photos by Mark Streit

F-35C of the Navy’s F-35C Demo Team – VFA-125 Rough Raiders from NAS Lemoore, CA.

Aerobatic Pilot Buck Roetman of WildHorse Aviation – Pitts S2S.

Mark Streit

Photo pass by B-17G “Texas Raiders” CAF Gulf Coast Wing.

Mark Streit

North American Aviation (Cavalier Edition) – TF-51 Mustang “Bum Steer”

Mark Streit

Navy Heritage Flight - Navy’s F-35C Demo Team – VFA-125 Rough Raiders from NAS Lemoore, CA along with CAF Airbase Georgia’s Goodyear FG-1D Corsair “530”.

Mark Streit

Duluth Air

& Aviation Expo Article and photos by Larry Grace / ISAP President

The Duluth Air and Aviation Expo presented by Essential Health and AAR was held June 26-27, 2001 featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor demo, Kirby Chambliss, the Red Bull Helicopter, U.S. Air Force C-17 demo and more. After last year’s cancellation, the Duluth Airshow saw a tightly packed, record-breaking crowd of 50,00 attended on Saturday at the Duluth International Airport. Airshow fans young and old were able to gather and also get up close to the static aircraft that were on display. Minnesota’s 34th Infantry Division Band “Red Bulls” performed for the attending crowd along with air displays from the local MNANG 148th Fighter Wing “Bulldogs, F-16C Falcon and C-130 from the 133rd Airlift Wing from Minneapolis St Paul airport. Also taking part in this year’s airshow was local aircraft manufacturing Cirrus Aircraft and on display and in-flight demo was their Cirrus Vision SF 50 jet and Cirrus SR22/22T aircraft.

Team members from the F-22 Demo team along with the Blue Angels’ pilots and team members walked around the show site and signed autographs for the fans. It was great to get back outdoors and enjoy the airshow with the fans at the show. Duluth is a special show for me to attend each year. I was stationed at the Duluth airport when it was an active Air Force base and apart of the Air Defense Command (ADC). Plans are in place for the next airshow which will feature the USAF Thunderbirds on July 16-17,2022. Hope to see you there next year.

Larry Grace

Thunder Over Michigan 2021 is in the books! Most ISAP members will recognize TOM as one of the premier warbird airshows in the US. This year’s show, despite the restrictions imposed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, continued that tradition of excellence. The show was unique in that it featured not only a hybrid drive-in plus static walkthrough area, but also that it was composed of two separate shows each day. Spectators could purchase tickets to either the morning or afternoon show, or choose to attend both. TOM is known primarily as a warbird show, but this year’s show included more than its usual share of modern military aircraft. In a rare double-header, both the Blue Angels (in the morning) and the Thunderbirds (in the afternoon) were featured. The A-10 Warthog and F-35A Lightning II jet demo teams from the USAF’s Air Combat Command and the US Navy’s EA-18G Growler demo team rounded out the fast jet roster. The German Air Force’s Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft has been a frequent static display attendee at the show. This year the crew put on a short but spirited display of the massive transport’s capabilities, pulling huge amounts of vapor out of the humid skies over Willow Run Airport.

This year’s theme of Mitchell Madness attracted fourteen North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers, all of which made it into the air at the same time during Friday’s rehearsal. Anyone who has heard the roar of the Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone engines on even a single Mitchell can imagine the sound as the armada passed overhead. Other warbird performances included aerobatic displays by the North American P-51D Mustang Mad Max and the Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair Korean War Hero. The Yankee Air Museum’s Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Yankee Lady made several passes, accompanied by a trio of P-51 Mustangs. With such a strong group of warbirds, modern military aircraft, and accomplished pilots in attendance, spectators were treated to both a three-ship USAF Heritage Flight and the Navy’s Tailhook Legacy Flight. Thanks to Kevin Walsh and all the show organizers and volunteers for putting on such a terrific show and to Scott Buie for arranging media access.

THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN AIRSHOW 2021 Article and photos by Norman Graf

Composite photo of the B-25s attending the 2021 Thunder Over Michigan “Mitchell Madness”

Names of all attending B-25s B-25J Champaign Gal PBJ-1J Devil Dog B-25J Georgia Mae B-25J Georgie’s Gal B-25J Killer B B-25J Lady Luck B-25J Maid in the Shade B-25J Miss Mitchell B-25D Rosie’s Reply B-25J Show Me! B-25J Take-off Time B-25J Wild Cargo PBJ-1J Semper Fi B-25J Yankee Doodle

Norman Graf

DEKE SLAYTON AIRFEST

L A C R O S S E R E G I O N A L A I R P O R T, L A C R O S S E , W I Article and photos by Peter Keller

June 13th, 2021 marked my first air show in 22 months. The Deke Slayton Airfest is probably a lesser known show in the circuit of air shows and this was my first time attending. I was excited but apprehensive, mostly because this would be the new “Drive-in” format. Adding to my apprehensiveness would be the mid-90degree temperatures that had been predicted for showtime. Remember that this is Wisconsin, not Florida! Other than not having any static displays, I actually enjoyed this format. I shared the back of my pickup with a fellow ISAP member, on a carpeted bedliner with lawn chairs and a large cooler of beverages and a great view of the show, minus the crowded feeling of being packed in like a bunch of cattle. Life is good! It was first time seeing the Blue Angels with their new Super Hornets and revamped show. And a what show it was! There was also the ACC F-16 Viper Demo team with the Venom paint scheme. The ever-impressive F-35 Demo team, and a number of other performers that combined to make for an incredible show. While I welcome the eventual return to “normal”, it was a great show experience and well worth the drive!

The Vanguard Squadron aerobatic team rounded things out with their four ship formation aerobatic airshow.

The view from the back of my pickup of my first ever “Drive-In” Air Show.

Peter Keller

The Viper Team sporting their new graphics.

Peter Keller

From this view, a shape that just looks like a Hornet!

Peter Keller

The traditional Fortus maneuver. A relatively easy shot to take, but impressive nonetheless.

Peter Keller

The Opposing Horizontal Rolls – Always a fun challenge to catch!

Peter Keller

Grant Nielsen flew an excellent routine in his CAP 232 named Bubbles.

Miami

A IR & S EA S H O W Article and photos by Jason Skinner

The Miami Air and Sea Show was held on May 29th and 30th, Memorial Day Weekend on Miami Beach, Florida. Since coming back to South Florida several years ago this all military show has been part of the National Salute to America’s Heroes an initiative dedicated to commemorating Memorial Day all year long. The show draws military units from all across the country. This year brought the British Army’s Parachute Regiment display team the “Red Devils”. They joined the US Army “Golden Knights” and the US Army Special Operations Command “Black Daggers”. There were several jumps with the combined teams. Two different sets of F-15 Eagles came from Florida and Louisiana representing the Air National Guard. The first day was a B-52 flyover from Barksdale AFB followed on Sunday with a B-2 Spirit flyover. Almost at far as Great Britain, the C-17 West Coast Demo Team flew to drop some of the many jumpers. Being a beach show can limit displays, not in Miami. They found room for a full size F-16 right behind the beach. There was an extensive dis-

play village with vendors and other performers including motocross and lumberjacks wielding chainsaws. The show begins with a jet ski and flyboarding demo. Further adding to the Sea portion of the show is the Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations. They simulated an interdiction of a boat. An air show often has a swearing in ceremony. Included here were enlistees from all branches of the military, sworn in from ranking members of their respective service. Heavy Marine Corps helicopters made the trip down from North Carolina. A group of A-10 Warthogs also came from North Carolina. Returning again this year was the 920th Rescue Squadron just North in Patrick Air Force Base. A lot of effort goes into bringing all of that together and the show really is the best tribute to honor our fallen service men and women.

Jason Skinner

For the last few years I’ve been the photographer for the Thunder Over Cedar Creek Lake airshow every July 4th weekend. It’s been a twilight airshow hosted by the Cedar Creek Veterans’ Foundation where thousands of boats come to watch some spectacular night acts. This year the Cedar Creek Veterans’ Foundation partnered with the Camp V Foundation to add an additional twilight airshow over land at the Tyler Pounds Airport in Tyler, Texas. The additional airshow was called the Rose City Airfest and for the first annual show, it was a memorable one. The show took place on Friday, the day before the Cedar Creek Lake show, and coincides with World War II warbirds doing tours and rides the entire weekend. With the horrible heat, the Texas weather is always unpredictable and that’s exactly how it happened for this particular weekend. Storms can pop up and disappear in a matter of minutes without warning. The good news was since the shows were in the evening, the heavy rain happened during the day and cleared out creating some gorgeous puffy clouds and brilliant lighting as the sun set each day. And of course with moisture comes VAPOR!! A photographer’s dream with fast jets.

Even though the weather was a challenge I was able to get some great air to air photos and videos of the B-17 and Randy Ball with his Mig-17 and two other Mig-17s. Ironically I never thought I would be shooting photos of three Russian Migs on the 4th of July. It was definitely a rare opportunity. The airshows were filled with a great line up with an assortment of World War II aircraft, aerobatic performers, and modern military hardware from the United States Air Force. The ACC F-16 Demo Team and C-17 West Coast Demo Team performed an impressive display with some incredible vapor during their photo passes. The massive cumulus clouds off in the distance made an incredible backdrop for most of the planes even a T-37. While the airshow progressed at the airport fellow ISAP member Jim Wilson stood next to me and at one point we put our cameras down just to admire the beautiful sky. It was truly breathtaking just to see the clouds at sunset. Sometimes you just have to put the camera down and admire what you are blessed with at that moment.

Article and photos by Kevin Hong / ISAP Editor

Kevin Hong

JIM WILSON - ISAP VICE PRESIDENT

Jim Wilson

GERMAN

PRECISION

Article and photos by Marc Schultz

You don’t necessarily have to visit an Air Show to capture spectacular aircraft shots. Sometimes things happen just around the corner and it is enough to be in the right place at the right time. This happened to me when I had the unexpected opportunity to observe and photograph an MBB BO-105 C on a spectacular industrial mission in the spring of 2012 in my hometown of Wuppertal / Germany. On this Saturday afternoon in May of 2012, the crew of D-HMUG had to perform a particularly delicate task. The chimney of the cogeneration plant in Wuppertal-Elberfeld has a height of about 600 feet. Several hundred kilograms of building material had to be airlifted on top of this chimney in context with some major renovation works at the site. Despite some windy conditions the pilots managed their task with perfect precision. The aircraft in this feature D-HMUG was built in 1974 and initially used as a police helicopter with the registration “Edelweiss 11” at the Munich

and Roth locations until 1998. At that time, the aircraft was equipped with a rescue winch and could thus be used in mountain rescue operations. In addition, further rescue equipment such as searchlights, an avalanche transceiver and other equipment could be attached if required. After being replaced by an Eurocopter EC-135 in 1999, the helicopter was sold to a private company in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where it was used for various special tasks, as documented here in these photos. In 2014 the aircraft was also featured in the very popular RTL TV-action series “Alarm für Cobra 11”. Shots in this set had been taken with a NIKON D200 and an AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm f4,5-5,6E ED VR lens. Postproduction software included LUMINAR AI and LIGHTROOM. Text and Photos: Marc Schultz / www.flugsicht.com

Marc Schultz

ational Socie ty ern nt

Kelly Tarala

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P h otogr

MEET OUR MEMBERS

Carolyn Hutchins Fireworks at Sun ‘n Fun 2021 This was a bit of accidental luck. Earlier in the day, I had scouted the area, and settled on a location for the night show, with the intention of using a C-17 in the foreground. As I was headed that way, I paused along the warbird ramp for a quick shot here and there, when I set up beside this Blackhawk, and was unexpectedly invited for a different view. So, I took a chance, throwing my original plan out the window, and climbed up. Balancing my tripod and camera atop a Blackhawk helicopter is definitely one of most challenging situations I have found myself in, but in the end I was happy with the results.

CAROLYN HUTCHINS I am located in central Florida, where I currently work a full time office job at one of Florida’s oldest attractions, Gatorland. Although I do have a few film and darkroom certifications, I am largely self-taught, with no real, formal training in photography. I have always been interested in the art of landscape photography, but through a few friends I was introduced to aviation, and have grown to love the challenge of it. While photography is not my main job, I do show my work at a gallery in Cocoa Village, Florida, and in different art shows from time to time around central Florida. I am currently working with the Nikon system, using both a D7100 and a D500 for the past several years. However, recently I started working with the mirrorless Nikon Z6, which has become my primary camera body. As far as lenses go, most of what I use is made by Tamron. For the most recent Sun ‘n Fun, I used the Z6 with their 150-600mm, and the D500 with their 18-400mm. When I need to go wide, I used the Z6 with the Tamron 15-30mm. I currently have 2 features on the Tamron website on of which is for aviation photography. Tamron Aviation - www.tamron-usa.com/enews/archives/2019/ may219_hutchins.html Tamron Nature - www.tamron-usa.com/enews/archives/2018/ feb18_hutchins.html I shoot RAW, and then convert the image files as needed, as I feel RAW gives me more control in post processing. Currently, I edit my photos using Adobe Photoshop. While I have some experience with Lightroom, I am simply more familiar with Photoshop and Bridge, and therefore more comfortable there. ISAP has been suggested to me by a few people, but I have been a bit hesitant, as my background in photography is not strictly aviation. But since I have been doing more of it as of late, and just spent my 5th year on the photography team for Sun ‘n Fun, in Lakeland, Florida, I thought this would be as good a time as any to join. Photography is an art, and something everyone can enjoy, from behind the lens or otherwise. I spent a couple of years on the board of the Osceola County Camera Club, helping and encouraging other photographers of all types. As far as advice to anyone new, just practice. Practice and ask questions.

Aeroshell Aerobatic Team, T-6s, at Sun ‘n Fun 2021 Shot from a small tower at the very end of the runway. With the Aeroshell Team, I enjoy how the bright red stands out against the sky.

C-17, 512th Airlift Wing at Sun ‘n Fun 2021 I was exploring the static display aircraft ramp at Sun ‘n Fun, shortly after sunrise. The C-17s are beautiful aircraft, and I enjoyed the slightly abstract nature of this composition.

Carolyn Hutchins

Blue Angels, F/A-18 Super Hornets, at Sun ‘n Fun 2021 The cloud cover in Florida is constantly changing, therefore I am always happy when I get a pretty, textured sky.

Carolyn Hutchins

The Golden Knights at Sun ‘n Fun 2019 There are so many different aspects of aviation, and the skydiving teams are such fun to watch. Here, I really enjoy the way their colors make them stand out in the sky.

Carolyn Hutchins

TUBE FULL OF BOXES: A Prime Air plane departs Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport during the gloaming in June 2020. (Sony RX-10IV/220mm/ 1/500 f/4)

Kyle Franklin at Sun ‘n Fun 2019 I shot this from a small tower, stationed at the end of the runway. This area can make for some challenging days, but it’s one of my favorite places to shoot from.

Carolyn Hutchins TUBE FULL OF BOXES: A Prime Air plane departs Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport during the gloaming in June 2020. (Sony RX-10IV/220mm/ 1/500 f/4)

JACK LIPSCOMB I am located in north suburban Chicago and I retired in May 2021 from the pharmaceutical industry. I have been fascinated with flight since I was a young child watching Saturday morning re-runs of Sky King and Whirlybirds. I started taking flying lessons but did not have enough funds to complete my private pilot license before starting college. It was also in high school that I became serious about photography, taking photos for the school newspaper. I am primarily self taught. I enjoy taking landscapes, cityscapes, and travel as well as aviation photos. I shot Canon for many decades but switched to Sony a few years ago. I currently have the a7rIV and a7rIII bodies. I mainly use the Sony 200-600mm and the 24-105mm lenses at airshows. Due to my work schedule and the COVID-19 pandemic I have not had much of a chance to use them yet. I always shoot RAW for as much flexibility as possible and process my images in Lightroom or Photoshop. I have joined ISAP to learn and improve upon my aviation photography, as well as to hopefully meet and interact with other individuals with similar interests. With airshows starting to be rescheduled for 2021 and my schedule being more flexible, I hope to be able to participate in an ISAP event this year.

Jack Lipscomb

KELLY TARALA My name is Kelly Tarala and I am from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. I would consider myself more of an advanced amateur. Back in the early 2000’s, I took the photography course from the New York Institute of Photography. A lot of my learning has been self taught, talking with other photographers as well as attending workshops and seminars when I can. A couple of the workshops and seminars that I have attended was a one day seminar with Joe McNally and a couple of workshops hosted by Dave Brosha a Canadian portrait and landscape photographer. A lot of my aviation learning has been through trial and error, reading Moose Peterson’s book as well as watching his YouTube videos. Once I came across ISAP, some of my learning came from some of the articles as well as reading and looking through this magazine. I was fortunate enough to be one of the chosen photographers for the 2019 Canada Winter Games which was held in my city. I found that photographing the Short Track Speed Skating as well as the hockey games was good practice with panning. Just like everyone here (I would imagine), I was fascinated with aviation from a young age. Building models and hanging them in my bedroom. I was so intrigued with aviation I signed up with our local Air Cadet Squadron (38 Squadron Prince Albert) and stayed with them until I aged out. My desire to start photographing aviation came after talking with one of the local flight training schools. I wanted to update my portfolio with something different and I ended up shooting one of their Cessna 172’s on a cloudy afternoon. I was hooked. The love of aviation I had as a kid and while in Air Cadets came flooding back. My set up for an airshow and even if I am at our local airport is the same. For statics and pilot portraits I still use my trusty Canon 5D Mark II and the 24-105mm lens. Any ground to air shots will be with my Canon 7D Mark II with either the Sigma 70-200mm Sport or Sigma 150-500mm Contemporary. Both of my camera’s are set to RAW. I love having the latitude to be able to play around with editing. When it comes to editing a majority of the time I am in Lightroom. I will switch over to Photoshop if there is something I need to do that Lightroom is not capable of doing. I have been a member for approximately 2 years now. Might even be 3 years. I came across ISAP by accident. I was looking for an association that is aviation specific. After reading through what I could (prior to joining) I was convinced this was the place for me. I joined because I wanted to be a part of something with like minded individuals. People who do not mind sharing tips or helping you out when needed. I am also a member of the Central Alberta Photographic Society (a local photography club). I do try and help other people with their photography when I can. If I don’t know I will find the answer or talk to someone who might know the answer. What advice or tips would I give to a new aviation photographer? Well, pretty well what I have been telling my 14 year old son who is starting to take an interest in aviation photography. You need to be patient and practice. When talking with the pilots ask questions. I have told him that I am by no means an expert, If I don’t know I ask. I have told him as well it takes time to build trust with the pilots (at least here it does). It took me 3 years to break into the local flying clubs and am now making friends.

Kelly Tarala

PAUL KOBERS I lived in Chicago for my whole life until we moved to Holland, MI in 2020. I was a musician until 2003 when I got in an accident. I always liked photography and I needed to continue to have an artistic outlet and photography filled that void. I consider myself a semipro. I do have a photography business where I sell my animals and music photos. I have been In Three galleries. As “Paul Kober Photo”, I was published in Photoshop User magazine. I learned most of my skills from KELBYONE and I’ve attended a number of workshops. I always liked looking at airplane photos. A nice sharp photo with movement is a great image. I started by using a Canon 5D MKII and a 7D MKII but I switched to mirrorless and now I’m shooting a Canon R6. A 200-400mm lens with a 1.4 converter is my wildlife kit. I also have a Canon 16-35mm f/4 USM, Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS EF USM, Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD Lens. For the air show I rented a Tamron 150-600mm from Lens Pro so I wasn’t carrying my heavy lens. It worked very well. Only RAW. Raw gives so much more flexibility when editing I use Adobe Lightroom for about 80% of my stuff, such as cropping, white balance, tonal adjustments in the Develop Module, then I go to Adobe Photoshop to clean up and fine tune then back to LR and On1 for a finished look. I recently discovered ISAP and Larry from when he was on The Grid and found out about it. ISAP seemed like a wonderful organization to help and learn about aviation photography. Yes, I do try to help. We’re all in this together. People have helped me so I help others and hopefully they will do the same…I think it’s important to help people because you can actually learn from showing someone how to do things, and you have to really understand it to explain things. Plan on spending a couple days at an air show. Set your camera to shutter priority. Minimum shutter of 1/320 for propellers 1/2000 for jets. Auto ISO is a MUST. Remember to see propeller movement have the sun hitting the blades. Practice panning. When I first got there, I was shooting every plane that went by to practice my panning so when the show started, I already had practiced my panning. I already had a head start on it. Don’t forget about the static aircraft opportunities and behind the scenes. This is where you can really let your creative side show. There are endless number of shots out there at a show. You could have 20 people shooting where the static displays are and not one picture would be the same, and like all photography, watch your backgrounds. People walking into a shot totally kills the shot. Shoot with a wide-open aperture when doing statics to blur the background. Also get down low and shooting up helps to get rid of people and buildings and adds more sky. Be creative with your static images.

Paul Kobers

PAUL ZEINERT I am a Semi-Pro Photographer primarily shooting Commercial in the state of Ohio. While I like to shoot just about everything, I enjoy Commercial, Travel, and Aviation photography. My photography started in High School, and my education in photography came from books and KelbyOne mostly. I fell in love with aviation, believe it or not, by being on the Ambulance crew at the EAA in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. I had the opportunity to see and learn from the great pilots at the shows. My desire to photograph aviation is when I watched Moose Peterson on KelbyOne. I am a Canon user with all Canon lenses. For aviation, I have been mainly using my Canon 100-400mm lens with a 2x Canon extender. While I lose 2 stops, I don’t see a problem in daylight. This year I have gone 100% mirrorless. I am 100% raw but not oppose to JPG. I want what I feel is the best when post-processing. Speaking of post-processing, I start with Lightroom, and if necessary, I go to Photoshop when Lightroom can’t do the task. I am also a big fan of Topaz Denoise and Sharpener AI. I am a KelbyOne member for quite a while now. I learned about ISAP through KelbyOne. I joined ISAP to learn from other aviation photographers and get inspired by what others do. I also look forward to learning more about aviation and the culture. I am also a member of PPA (Professional Photographer Association). One thing I like about photography is the people that you meet and the things that you have learned. Again, in aviation, I am a big fan of Moose Peterson. (Someday I hope to meet him). He talked one time about the shutter speeds and the difference between Helicopters, Props, and Jets. I have used various shutter speeds since learning, and by practicing and more practicing, I am starting to love the pictures I take. While I am new in Aviation Photography, my advice to someone looking into it is to Practice and keep practicing (like panning at different speeds). Challenge yourself and then master it, then pick another skill.

Paul Zeinert

S K C I R T D N A S P I T eger

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I have been a Canon shooter since day one in 1968. About 1999, I transitioned from film SLR’s to digital DSLR’s. I’m now in the process of moving from DSLR’s to mirrorless and recently bought a Canon R5 and some RF series lenses. Shooting mirrorless does have some real differences that have taken me some time to get used to. Over the last couple months, I have been learning the camera, controls and menus which in many ways are similar, and while the R5 has many more menu options, luckily they are in similar order as Canon DSLR’s. One of the biggest differences is the EVF, or electronic viewfinder. As there is no mirror, you are seeing an electronic rendition of what the lens is seeing. During my learning period, with no air shows available to practice on, I spent much of the time doing landscapes, static objects and even a few group shots and portraits. One thing I noticed was there was a momentary blackout in the viewfinder between shots obviously due to the electronic simulation versus real time mirror. This was not a big issue and I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time. Now, here we are at EAA AirVenture. As expected, lots going on and time for making use of the smoking fast frames per second this camera allows. Well…. not a great experience the first day. The blackout or delay in the electronic viewfinder really made high-speed panning a problem. The delay messed up my timing and ability to track the aircraft in real time. BOO…. results not so good! Talking with a photographer shooting near me, who was shooting Sony, I mentioned the issue and he said that Sony didn’t have that delay issue. I was bummed, but then thought about it and decided that Canon must have addressed this in some way, so the internet search began. Yes, indeed there is a fix for this delay issue. There is a menu option in the first menu, Camera Settings, Menu 8, Disp. Performance that fixes the delay. By default, the EVF is set to Battery Saving, which makes sense. There is another option, Smooth, that eliminates the EVF delay and provides high speed real time viewing. Bingo, I made the setting change and was a happy photographer for the rest of my time at EAA AirVenture. Many of you Canon R5 users may have already figured this out, but I thought perhaps this tip might save some teeth grinding and frustration for others.

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Answers to Airplane Silhouettes 1. Antonov An-74T Coaler*USSR 2. BAC Type 221 UK

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If you wish to purchase any ISAP merchandise please email info@aviationphoto.org Send your name and current address and you will be invoiced via PayPal. Shipping cost will be added to your invoice. Members with an international address will have a higher shipping rate. ISAP Challenge coin - $10 + shipping ISAP safety vest (Small to X-Large) - $28 + shipping ISAP safety vest 2XL - $31, 3XL - $34, 4XL - $38 + shipping ISAP membership patch - $5 + shipping Limited patch version with Velcro backing - $10 + shipping

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ISAP Board Members President and Board Chairman Larry Grace Vice President and Vice Chairman Jim Wilson Treasurer Gary Edwards ISAP Board Member George Kounis ISAP Board Member Kevin Hong ISAP Staff Member John Sepp ISAP Staff Member Craig Swancy Chairman Emeritus Jay Miller Airspeed Editor Kevin Hong Airspeed is a periodic publication of the International Society for Aviation Photography (ISAP) and is used to communicate news, functions, convention information, and other information of interest on the local, regional, and national scenes. The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and should not be construed as the views or opinions of the International Society for Aviation Photography (ISAP). Please contact us at info@aviationphoto.org Airspeed is a publication to showcase our members’ work in capturing aviation events. Images should be sized at a minimum size of at least 5100 x 3300 (17” x 11”) @ 300 dpi. We would like your largest landscape file size format for our full page spread in our featured magazine. Please submit up to 10 images per article and your text in a Microsoft Word document. Email your article and images by using www.wetransfer.com and send to info@aviationphoto.org (Up to 2GB). Members can submit images for review for a future cover or back page display or would like to inquire on doing an article for Airspeed contact us via email at info@aviationphoto.org We look forward to your submission and to showcase your articles and images.

This photo is dedicated to the 13 members of the US military who were killed in the attack on the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 28, 2021.

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