Dear Alistair,

Welcome back! Great contributions. Happy New Year!

JW

Occasionally, if the sky conditions are right, you can literally see these 16's ripping the air. I've shot with the Thunderbirds thirty or forty times and I never get tired of their routines or their quest for excellence. The most fun we've had together was the shoot we did together out at Williams AFB just The Thunderbirds, me, and the beautiful Arizona desert. That's the shoot where they snuck up behind me and blew my T-Bird's hat right off my head! What fun!

This is basically the same airplane my Buddy Joe Dobransky just brought home. 330 horsepower and a roll rate faster than Wyatt Earp's draw. The other day I stopped over to see the new airplane and Joe was muttering something about four vertical rolls...I'm glad it's not a two place! Saves me from wearing that pink dress I know Joe keeps around there someplace especially for those less courageous than he.

Man I wish I could find those oil trust fund papers!! One of these would look so good in my hangar.

"Ruff Stuff". Warbird restorer par excellence, Nelson Ezell is about to put another one of these back in the air. Gunny said they were doing taxi tests a few weeks ago. I'm hoping to get in the air with it at some point.

Edited by JWilsonphoto on Jan 04, 2008 at 01:07 AM GMT

The background compliments this aircraft....

Not many 47's left .........

The MKIII was working well this day.........

Four Merlins in tight formation........

These gentleman fly a solid photo mission!



Edited by JWilsonphoto on Jan 04, 2008 at 01:07 AM GMT

A rarer one still.......

Early morning trip out for photos........

The Boys from The Yankee Air Museum and their 17........

There's not a bad angle on a Global. Come to think of it, one of these would look good in my hangar too, except for the part where the wings stuck out the side walls, oh, and the tail stuck through the roof.

Good night Friends, I think delirium is overtaking me!

JW

Just my luck that I have to follow Jim's awesome posts!

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Sagar, that last blurred shot is gorgeous. My wife was walking by and did a full double-take... my wife, mind you, who had to be coaxed and cajoled into my Seneca at first. Frame that one, and hang it up!

As for airplanes that would look good in my hangar, anything that I can't fly myself gets scratched right off the list. At this point, my short-list of "big dreams" in order of cost and realism is: Epic Dynasty, Epic Elite, Pilatus PC-12, and Piaggio Avanti II. The reality in 2008/2009 is more likely to be my restored Seneca III, or even a downgrade to a Cirrus SR22 fraction via AirShares Elite. But I promise you, I'll do 300 knots on Jet-A within the next 10 years. And I'll make a formal visit to TKI and Dobransky International before then, too!

Thank you very much Rodolfo! I wish I could say it was on purpose or that I'm some sort of decent photographer, but really it was hold the button down and hope something comes out. Just goes to show you to not stop shooting when everyone else has left....

Exif for that last shot:

f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO 800. Taken with a 20D; 100-400mm L IS @ 400mm.

Cheers!!!!!

Bill Gass wrote:
Rob,
Killer shot...My favorite of all planes.

~Bill~

Thanks! The Super Hornet's really are neat looking planes.

Rob

Dear Sagar,

Don't tell me that's not the proper technique?! After all these years of seeking just the right combination of mashing and hoping. Great work and Rodolfo is right, that night shot is a killer!!

JW