Remembering Oshkosh | a 7 Image Story Oshkosh Air Adventure 2020 did not happen, of course, due to the pandemic. It’s hard to grasp remembering Oshkosh in only the past tense. Although these images have been posted in the past, this week’s posts remember some of the iconic airplanes that usually show up at Air Adventure. With most airshows and/or fly-ins cancelled this year, next year’s Air Adventure 2021 will hopefully be the best ever.
B-29 “Doc” During WWII 3,970 B-29 Superfortress bombers were built. Today, only two B-29s, “FIFI” & “Doc“, are airworthy. “Doc” is maintained and operated by Doc’s Friends. In WWII, it was part of an eight plane squadron. Each plane was named for one of the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range, supersonic fighter-bomber developed by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 and by the mid 1960s, became a major part of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps air wings. The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds of ordnance on nine external hard points including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs, but originally without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated a M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record, and an absolute altitude record. During the Vietnam War, the F-4 was used extensively as the principal Air Superiority fighter. It served as a first line fighter of more Western air forces than any other jet.
The Blue Angels With their F/A-18 Hornets, the Blue Angels, of course, are the main attraction to any airshow even Air Adventure. They have been performing since 1946 making them the oldest formal flying aerobatics team in the USA. Notice the “F/A” in the F/A-18 Hornet designation since it’s both a fighter and an attack aircraft. Even with these bald skies, the vapor trail provides some contrast. They fly in formation only an amazing 18 inches apart.
Aerobatics @ Oshkosh Air Adventure always has great airshows. It’s amazing what the airshow pilots can make an airplane do. The smoke provides nice contrast against those bald skies.
A-1 Skyraider “Bad News” Landing The A-1 Skyraider entered service in December 1946 as the next generation of WWII dive bombers and torpedo bombers. It saw extensive action in the Korean War by the U.S. Navy and USMC. In the Vietnam War, it again saw action as primary ground support attack aircraft. The Skyraider’s most famous roles was the “Sandy” helicopter escort on search and rescue operations. The Skyraider was retired by the U.S. military in the 1970’s after a total of 3,180 planes were built.
Piper J-3 Cub This Piper J-3 Cub on floats image was captured at Oshkosh Air Adventure’s seaplane base. The iconic Piper J-3 Cub is a high-wing, strut-braced monoplane built between 1937 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. It’s powered by an air-cooled engine and a fixed pitch propeller. Its fuselage is a welded steel frame covered in fabric with seating for two in tandem. It has a simple, lightweight design giving it good low speed handling properties and short field performance. The Cub’s standard chrome yellow paint known as “Cub Yellow” identifies it as one of the best known aircraft of all time. It’s simplicity, affordability, popularity, and performance make it a prized bush plane whether on wheels or floats.
F-22 Raptor Taxiing How often do you see an F-22 taxiing on grass? Well, it’s not. This image was captured at Oshkosh while laying on my stomach. The 70-300mm zoom lens makes it easy to adjust focal length as the Raptor taxis down the taxiway. Remember, 125mm with the 2.7 crop factor of the Nikon 1 V3 converts to 338mm. The F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation, single seat, twin-engine, all-weather, stealth, top line fighter. It always gives an impressive performance. The F-22’s combination of stealth, aerodynamic performance, and situational awareness gives it unprecedented air combat capabilities.
Martin JRM Mars Dropping Water The Martin JRM Mars flying boats are the world’s largest flying boats ever flown operationally. Although seven were built, only two remain flying, the Hawaii Mars JRM-3 pictured here and the Philippine Mars. They have been refitted as firefighting water bombers carrying 7,200 gallons of water.
This Martin JRM Mars isdropping 7,200 gallons of water on runway 18/36 at AirVenture. You might ask: how do they get the water? Well, the Captain lands on the water normally, but keeps the the aircraft “on the step” at 60-70 knots. The Flight Engineer controls the power to keep the aircraft “on the step” and selects the scoops to the “down” position to inject the water into the tanks at the rate of about a ton per second. The 7200 gallon pickup time averages 25 seconds. When the tanks are full, the scoops are raised, takeoff power is applied by the Flight Engineer and the Captain makes a normal loaded takeoff. Pretty slick!
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Remembering Oshkosh.
Labor Day Potpourri | a 7 Image Story The Labor Day this year saw another unusual holiday. These images were captured just because they happened to be along my travel path during the holidays. My travel paths were again close to home. Social distancing gets much easier when you’re hiking or paddling alone.
Bubble Bee on Thistle Midwest thistles can grow to be very big plants; big weeds to most folks. When the thistles bloom, bees come around to pollinate. This bubble bee was very busy pollinating several blossoms on this six foot high thistle.
Spider Web Early morning dew on a spider web can make for an interesting image. It’s a dumb luck simple click.
Pug Guarding Dock Anybody want to go swimming before it gets too cold? All we need is a life jacket. Pugs aren’t the best swimmers.
Storm Coming After a nice Labor Day outing on the lake, a storm appears to be coming over the horizon.
Great Blue Heron This Great Blue Heron really blends in to the drift wood as it stands along the lake shore.
White Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar This caterpillar hung around the picnic table all afternoon. A simple click seemed in order. Hopefully, it’ll turn into a beautiful moth.
Monarch Butterfly Monarch Butterflies are not as plentiful as they once were. They need milkweed plants to complete their life cycle. Unfortunately, the milkweed population has been decreasing for a number of years. Female monarchs only lay eggs on milkweed plants since monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. The milkweed plant provides both food and shelter for a caterpillar. After emerging, the adult Monarch eats nectar from a variety of flowering plants.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Labor Day Potpourri.
Oshkosh Seaplane Base | a 7 Image Story The Seaplane Base at the Oshkosh AirAdventure provides seaplanes calm waters to dock. It’s nestled in a picturesque cove of Lake Winnebago. Pilots and passenger can stay the day or pitch a tent and spend the night in quiet place far away from the hustle and bustle of the airshow. People often sit along the shore to watch the seaplanes land and takeoff. Sure, there are forums, workshops, and exhibitors related to seaplanes and amphibians. It’s just very low key and a great place to kick back after an afternoon on the Oshkosh flight line. A bus transports visitors between the AirVenture and the seaplane base.
Republic RC-3 Seabee Arrives This Republic RC-3 Seabee water taxis to a dock at the seaplane base. The soft evening light really makes the image. Seebees are not be the fastest planes in the sky. However, they make up for it in utility and beauty. Interesting seaplane if you don’t mind a 100 mph cruise!
Arrival Gets Tow For a float plane pilot, getting a tow to the dock must be the lap of luxury. Pilots land and takeoff outside the seaplane base cove, but still in protected water leading into Lake Winnebago.
Dehavilland Beaver The De Havilland Beaver may be the best bush plane ever to put on a pair of floats. It certainly captures the attention and the imagination of many pilots. This pilot can imagine flying along an Alaskan river or road in a valley between 14 thousand foot glacier mountains in a Beaver. The Beaver has become the gold standard for the bush flying with several hundred planes still in service across Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest.
Cessna 195 with Barn What a background for a Cessna 195 on floats! The family that owns the barn also allows the Oshkosh Seaplane Base to use their land and water for the seaplane base for the Air Adventure week.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Oshkosh Seaplane Base.
Halloween Scare | a 7 Image Story In a couple of days, it’s Halloween. Are you ready with a new costume? Don’t forget to take the camera along as you go trick or treating. Halloween can be a demanding subject for almost any photographer. Dim light and moving demons make for a challenging night. And how about those costumes? Father time, skeletons, witches, etc. all make their point. Even Jake and Elwood came into the neighborhood. Four Whole Fried Chickens & a Coke; and some Dry White Toast Please! Elwood even had a slice of white bread in his coat pocket. He kept asking people if they had a toaster. Hey, it’s Halloween.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Halloween Scare.
Back to Blakesburg AAA Fly-in | a 7 Image Story The Antique Airplane Association Fly-in is held annually at Antique Airfield (IA27) over the Labor Day weekend. Vintage airplane lovers and owners come together to enjoy beautiful old airplanes including some rare examples like Waco, Spartan, Stearman, Perth Amboy Bird CK, Fairchild, and Swift. Vintage airplanes are on ground display and are flown regularly during the fly-in. In fact, pilots are almost continuously flying their antique airplanes during the day; making the Antique Airfield’s 2,350-foot turf runway, very busy. And, sometimes the pilots will give rides taking you back to the golden age of aviation! The AAA fly-in feels like an old grassroots fly-in from years past. The airplanes are beautifully restored and the people are genuinely friendly. Of course, the photography is as good as it gets.
Soundtrack from the movie Flyboys; a musical score composed by Trevor Rabin & Don Harper.
So, what is the Antique Airplane Association? The AAA was first formed in August of 1953 to “Keep the Antiques Flying”, which remains today as their main interest and primary function. The AAA has over twenty active chapters and a close working relationship with many of the aircraft type clubs, which sometimes use Antique Airfield for fly-ins. The Antique Airplane Association is located at Antique Airfield near Blakesburg, Iowa. Membership is open to anyone interested in antique airplanes; it’s not necessary to be a pilot or an aircraft owner. The Annual Invitational AAA/APM Fly-In and Convention is held every Labor Day Weekend. To attend the fly-in, you must be an AAA member or join when you register at the fly-in. See the Antique Aircraft Association site for more information on this grass roots fly-in.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Back to Blakesburg AAA Fly-in.
Christmas Light | a 7 Image Story His light shines upon us in many ways. These images come from walkabouts and holiday visits. They are all handheld, simple clicks. Sure, a tripod would have produced better images. Still, these simple clicks were part of the Christmas spirit.
Each image will be posted individually this week under category Christmas Light. Click any image below for a slide show!
70th Annual Threshermen’s Reunion | a 7 Image Story The annual gathering of steam and early gasoline powered agricultural tractors and implements is held in on Labor Day weekend at Threshermen’s Park, located just north of Pontiac on Illinois Route 23. The event will be filled with these powerful machines as well as many other attractions. There is a huge flea market, a number of historic exhibits, live entertainers, the daily “Parade of Power”, and of course, the Sunday afternoon parade in downtown Pontiac. This steam engine gets a piggyback ride on flatbed pulled by a big Kenworth. The parade draws a rather large crowd. It’s headed by piggybacked steam engines, but includes floats, fire engines from surrounding towns, marching bands, Shriner club cars etc
Attractions at Threshermen’s Park include a General Store, 1900 Country School House, Singer Saw Mill, 1910 era Blacksmith Shop, 1920 Conoco Gas Station, Veneer & Shingle Mill, Corn Shelling, Threshing Machine & Baling Operation, Rock Crushing, Plowing, Sheep Shearing, Tractor Pulls, and many more.
Chicago Air & Water | a 7 Image Story Before the air show gets started, there’s time for a nice Chicago skyline image. Of course, skydivers start the show displaying the American flag while the National Anthem is played. The Leap Frogs executed some amazing maneuvers with their chutes. Then, the water part of the Air & Water Show begins. These boats really move across the water. Merging air and water, the MH-65 dispatched a diver into the water near North Street Beach in a simulated water rescue.
The F/A-18 Super Hornet always impresses; even high time pilots. Notice the “F/A” in the F/A-18 Super Hornet designation since it’s both a fighter and an attack aircraft. Even with these bald skies, the vapor trail provides some contrast. The Blue Angels, of course, are the main attraction to any airshow. Their F/A-18 Hornets fly in formation only an amazing 18 inches apart. The Blue Angels have been performing since 1946 making it the oldest formal flying aerobatics team in the USA. As this Blue Angel’s F/A-18 Hornet climbed high above the clouds, the poem “High Flight” came to mind. To read the entire poem and a brief bio on its author; Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., see Chicago Air & Water | High Flight. Finally, one of America’s top of the line fighters, the F-22 Raptor makes a beautiful demo flight. The F-22 Raptor is a single seat, twin-engine, all-weather, stealth, top line fighter.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Chicago Air & Water. Click any image below for a slide show!
Remembering Oshkosh | a 7 Image Story Oshkosh Air Adventure 2020 did not happen, of course, due to the pandemic. It’s hard to grasp remembering Oshkosh in only the past tense. Although these images have been posted in the past, this week’s posts remember some of the iconic airplanes that usually show up at Air Adventure. With most airshows and/or fly-ins cancelled this year, next year’s Air Adventure 2021 will hopefully be the best ever.
