I see that Adam Baker just released his 2018 season wrap video so I can show you guys this now..... The first section was from a helicopter in 25 knot gusts, then we jumped in Glenn's Bo for the rest of the mission..........
Jim, Glenn, super job on the A2A work. Like you said Jim, the new rig shoots like it's bolted to the hanger floor! I have to say some of the attitudes I've heard about with A2A make me shake my head in amazement. IMHO, that environment is for properly briefed, properly equipped persons only. Take the doors off and it's on a "need to be there only, basis" - no tourists allowed.
That's a shame. Thoughts and prayers with the family.
You seem to be nice and green, Nick. We are far from that lushness here in New England. I hear SW England is bracing for another snow storm? That's where you are right? Good luck, be careful.
We are expecting our fourth storm this month starting tomorrow, looking at maybe 8-12 inches where we live, which is about half of what we got last week. Shouldn't be too bad. This is approaching a record for snow in the month of March for Boston, but at least this time of year the sun is strong and things melt quickly, even when it is cold outside.
My tulips are about to be buried in snow yet again. Hopefully they will be blooming (along with the crocus) by Easter.
Woof, yikes, and wow! Hollywood couldn't have done any better. It is all great, but I think my favorite is around the 4:30 mark when the light ripples along from nose to tail.
Thanks JDE! I appreciate your kind words! Glenn and I learn something new on every mission and incorporate it into the next. Something I didn't anticipate with the new stabilizer is, it sits higher. This allowed perfect positioning out of the slip stream and gave Glenn a better window for his stills and me a more comfortable position for shooting cinema. I wish we had audio, it would be interesting to hear because Glenn and I alternated as we each orchestrated prime positioning for the medium we were shooting. We both wish we could do this together a lot more and are hoping that will evolve. I have to confess, aside from a healthy admiration for his talent and what he has accomplished, I love him and we just have a blast together. There's a calm confidence that comes over me when we team up, knowing that together, there's not much we can't get done, and spectacularly.
nickjohnson wrote:
Bad news. The reds had an accident today. Pilot punched out and is in hospital. Engineer in the back is reported as killed. RIP
Very sad, may he rest in peace. I'm kind of surprisd that they don't set it up for both seats to go if the PIC fires his when there's a non-pilot in the back.
msalvetti wrote:
That's a shame. Thoughts and prayers with the family.
You seem to be nice and green, Nick. We are far from that lushness here in New England. I hear SW England is bracing for another snow storm? That's where you are right? Good luck, be careful.
We are expecting our fourth storm this month starting tomorrow, looking at maybe 8-12 inches where we live, which is about half of what we got last week. Shouldn't be too bad. This is approaching a record for snow in the month of March for Boston, but at least this time of year the sun is strong and things melt quickly, even when it is cold outside.
My tulips are about to be buried in snow yet again. Hopefully they will be blooming (along with the crocus) by Easter.
Mark, stay safe in the storms!!!!! You folks have proper winter weather. Over here in the UK - especially on the central south coat we have a very pampered existence - courtesy of the Gulf Stream.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Thanks Nick! What a beautiful scene! How are you feeling?
Glad you enjoyed Jim. That winter garden is an absolute joy. It's taken me a long time to get to grips with my garden photography. (well OK, it takes me ages to get to grips with ANY photograph!). But I'm starting to see stuff now, at long last.
How am I feeling? The following has detail intended to inform so that others may avoid my situation. Low iron levels have a very debilitating effect on we humans. Iron is part of the mechanism that transports oxygen around the body. So far so obvious. What might not be so obvious is that more than a few hours of gentle, normal activity renders one exhausted, with an aching body all over. I also have a very reduced sense of smell / taste. Factor in variable vision and numb / tingling in the figures, and it's very easy to get into a downward spiral. This all happens very slowly (months) as does the recovery. So I'm now on the full whack of iron tablets. The endoscopy is on Friday, with the colonoscopy to follow shortly (just love the prep for that - ) So after that ... webeesee.
ELinder wrote:
Very sad, may he rest in peace. I'm kind of surprisd that they don't set it up for both seats to go if the PIC fires his when there's a non-pilot in the back.
Erich
Erich, don't get me started Oh, well since you did already .... As I understand it, the Hawk T1 can be set for command ejection, but only from the back seat. In the context of the type being designed, built, and mostly operated as a trainer - that make perfect sense. Student in the front, QFI, QWI, other senior bod, in the back. Studie in the front runs out of talent / luck, grey haired old git in the back punches them both out. With luck they get to debrief here on earth! Now I love the reds .... but they and the RAF and the MOD have, IMHO done a lot of very silly things. Putting a non pilot in the back of a Hawk T1 is just one of them. If we must transport non pilots put them in the front and fly from the back. If they can't put non pilots in the front or fly from the back for whatever reason, then stop flying non pilots. Simple as that. Oh yes, I know there are huge cost implications, but ...... If you think safety is expensive, try having and accident.
Nothing like beginning the day with a little Pratt & Whitney rumble...................and when you're that close, you can hear it and feel it in your chest!
Went to Sarasota Florida on Monday to photograph this beautiful Citation 1. They have completely re-done the original interior and added winglets to the air frame.
The pilot tells me it can get to 41k feet a lot quicker now. I think he said from two hours without the winglets to around 30 minutes. That helps to increase the range of the aircraft considerably.
Nick, They haven't really said why he was flying along, but I'm assuming it was some sort of incentive flight as a perk for all the hard work the ground crews do. I can understand your rational, but at what point do we allow an overabundance of caution dictate how we live our lives? No matter the reason, it's still tragic, but I can't imagine that there would be an option to fire the seats singly or command from the back but that they would leave out the option to command from the front when designing the system.
While I was waiting for the sun to start setting at Alliance Airport yesterday for the Lear Jet that I was photographing, Glenn Beck and his DC-9-15 took off.
Although it is extremely backlit, I still think it is a pretty cool shot.
ELinder wrote:
Nick, They haven't really said why he was flying along, but I'm assuming it was some sort of incentive flight as a perk for all the hard work the ground crews do. I can understand your rational, but at what point do we allow an overabundance of caution dictate how we live our lives? No matter the reason, it's still tragic, but I can't imagine that there would be an option to fire the seats singly or command from the back but that they would leave out the option to command from the front when designing the system.
Hi Erich, Points well made. The Reds have for years ferried their engineers in the back seat of the display aircraft. It has saved the expense of routinely flying those folks in a dedicated transport. One man has now paid for that with his life, IMHO. Again IMHO, the Reds have - over the years - fallen into the practice of giving various folks "rides" in the back seat. I know that they are fully briefed / medical checked / whatever. But it remains that, AFAIK with the Hawk T1 you cannot do a command ejection from the front seat. I know that arrangement will puzzle USA folks as it is not how US jets are configured. There is all kinds of other bad things in this mess which may or may not come out in the SI and subsequent events. None of which alters the fact that we've lost a good man. RIP.
Oh, well since you did already .... As I understand it, the Hawk T1 can be set for command ejection, but only from the back seat. In the context of the type being designed, built, and mostly operated as a trainer - that make perfect sense. Student in the front, QFI, QWI, other senior bod, in the back. Studie in the front runs out of talent / luck, grey haired old git in the back punches them both out. With luck they get to debrief here on earth! Now I love the reds .... but they and the RAF and the MOD have, IMHO done a lot of very silly things. Putting a non pilot in the back of a Hawk T1 is just one of them. If we must transport non pilots put them in the front and fly from the back. If they can't put non pilots in the front or fly from the back for whatever reason, then stop flying non pilots. Simple as that. Oh yes, I know there are huge cost implications, but ...... If you think safety is expensive, try having and accident. 
