Thanks Tony, glad you like the shot! Chandler and I helped out Randy Ball (Fighter Jets) with the photography of his annual air show in East Texas. My good friend Kevin Hong was the photographer of record for the event and he and Randy set everything up for us. This is a unique show because it's over a big lake in East Texas and it begins around 5pm with flying continuing through dusk. We have a spot cherry picked that we use very year and it's the best spot on the lake. While the time of day is better than just about any air show in existence, the orientation of the lake/time of year presents it's own set of lighting problems. You have to really catch them in their turns, just the right angles in loops and rolls, etc., to get flattering light.
As far as the F-35 hangar shots, it was me, Chandler, Randy and six serious looking young guys with big rifles.........
Nothing feels like squatting under a jet engine running in afterburner while you are adjusting the afterburner fuel control. You can feel your tendons vibrating between the muscle and bones all over your body. Powerful...and that was back when Pratt and Whitney J-57 engines were pushing a mere 17,000 lbf out the afterburner; much less than the 40,000 lbf coming out of the latest generation engines.
Actually while we’re on the subject of Mustangs (and when aren’t we?)l I came across this today. Lots of swearing, but well worth twelve minutes of your time, it’s a wonderful story: http://www.storycentral.org/big-jim-and-smokey-joe/
Like so many things, the price of P51's has steadily risen over the decades. When Jim Cavanaugh bought his first Mustang he paid 475K for it. That 51 was flyable but not pristine by any means, insurance was $50K for that hull value so you can do the math, $150K might get you six months coverage these days. "The Brat III" is currently the only P51 with actual WWII combat time (didn't really know that until they announced it at Thunder Over Cedar Creek), so it's made out of unobtainium............
OK, I went to see the Solute to America flyover in Baltimore yesterday afternoon. I spent an hour scouting for a good spot based on the flight path published, ended up choosing the very first spot I picked. The flight path published wasn't exact, the spot many photographers and I choose gave us the almost direct view of the planes bellies.
The Thunderbirds came first, then a B-2 with four F-22s, then a B-1 with four F-35s, then four F-15s, the last was the B-52. It was over in about 90 seconds.
I was so glad to see the B-1 in flight. As mentioned in my previous posts, I must have been to over 50 airshows in the last 10 years, not once I saw the B-1 in flight, so it was very rewarding yesterday. I had never seen a B-52 in flight until the Memorial Day last year. I was chatting with a Vietnam vet near the Lincoln Memorial when I was photographing the Rolling Thunder, I told him that I had yet to see a B-52 in flight, lo and behold, as we were chatting, he pointed to the distant sky and said: "there is your B-52.". It was kind of far away but I saw it. I have seen B-52s in flight quite a few times since then. Talking about famine and feast!
You have have a blessed Sunday!
Douglas
*The pictures shown below are not in the order they flew, it more less reflects the priority of my interest yesterday.
) a plane. 
