There is a dealership in the Dallas area named Park Place Lexus. They competed and won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. I invited them down to our professional organization in Houston and they spoke to us about their customer relationships. They keep a database on all contacts. They were very professional and seemed like someone I would like to deal with (being a Toyota guy, I would have loved to get a Lexus from them, but they were a little more expensive...and my Avalon was only 8 years old😂.
Hi Bill, yes the RAAF Roulettes previously flew the Pilatus PC-9 but now operate the more muscular and advanced PC-21 turboprop as their display aircraft.
Another view of the T-50B Golden Eagle of the ROKAF, which I assume has some F-16 DNA in its roots?
Maverick pulls inverted (shot on micro 4/3 gear at the 2017 Avalon show).
And to finish this post, Jurgis Kaireys, the famous Lithuanian aerobatic pilot, also at the 2017 event and also shot on micro 4/3 gear.
Park Place has always treated us well. My sales guy is the best, he just tells us the truth and we decide what we want to do, no baloney. I didn't bite on the GX560, probably should have but that was a little out of my area of expertise and while I believed what he was telling me, it was a bit farther out on the limb than I wanted to creep.
steveverrall wrote:
Hi Bill, yes the RAAF Roulettes previously flew the Pilatus PC-9 but now operate the more muscular and advanced PC-21 turboprop as their display aircraft.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Park Place has always treated us well. My sales guy is the best, he just tells us the truth and we decide what we want to do, no baloney. I didn't bite on the GX560, probably should have but that was a little out of my area of expertise and while I believed what he was telling me, it was a bit farther out on the limb than I wanted to creep.
A couple of years ago my wife and I were interested in buying a "nice" sedan to get away from our Highlander (noisy and not very smooth.). I thought about Park Place, but instead of driving to Dallas to test the LX 350 we test drove one in Austin. Unfortunately we were not impressed as it seemed about the same as a nicely appointed Avalon, which we have had. Our decision took us another route. But Park Place left a mark of customer focus on me that is hard to avoid. Maybe in another 8 years...
Boeing Stearman from the 2017 Omaka Classic Fighters Air Show in the north of the South Island of New Zealand. My slow shutter panning skills are hit (rarely) and miss (mostly)...
The show has gentle, warm, pastel pink and orange light illuminating the display area from behind the crowd line all day long, like enormous soft boxes in the sky. The best light I have ever seen at an Air Show.
Warbirds over Wanaka (in Wanaka, NZ) and Classic Fighters Omaka (at Omaka airfield a few km from the town of Blenheim) alternate their shows each year. This April, in a few weeks time, it is the turn of Classic Fighters. You still have time to arrange your tickets, accommodation and airfares!
JWilsonphoto wrote:
This was an interesting challenge. My client's site is being adversely impacted by a neighboring project. The other contractor created berms that divert large amounts of water on to my client's project. My job was to capture how and why that is happening. The Mavic 3 did a great job in spite of winds gusting 20+ and the availability of very few decent take off and landing spots. A good lesson for anyone in business, the client had a drone guy doing this project, but he wasn't able to interpret their needs and fly accordingly. The client is a huge, international operation, I'm honored to be a resource for them and look forward to a lot more work around the country....Show more →
So Jim, did that neighboring project bring in all that soil and raised the grade well above your client's property? What a joke, you have to wonder if they are in compliance with the necessary permits that require stormwater management during construction.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Well done Chas, actually superbly done! So, now that you have been there/done that, what did you take away from your first experience? And, how did you arrive at that dead on exposure?
"Thank you for asking that question Senator!" ....Oh, I'm sorry, wrong venue!!
Seriously Jim, it is a great question. There are a couple of take away's. But let me answer the direct questions first.
Bill, the tickets were $250 apiece. Not cheap at all. But it puts you at what is called the Banana Beach viewing area right behind and beside the Saturn V Museum. The entire "Feel the Heat" package is actually not a bad deal, as there is a lot included in it AND it puts you 3 miles from the launch site.
Jim, the exposure I used was exactly what was recommended for night launches in one of the documents Doug L included in his advice.
ISO 180, shutter speed 1/800 and aperture f8. It worked perfect. It winds up leaving the body of the rocket somewhat underexposed, but the details of the exhaust plume do not get blown out. The net result is the need for some work in post-editing to draw the other elements out. If I were to go back and shoot another night launch, I don't think I would change much from an exposure perspective.
Take away's:
1: Overall, the ticket price is worth the experience. If not for the visual and picture taking potential, at least for the audio experience! The sound is like nothing you have ever heard.
2: Make sure you have everything ready, because once they get to T-minus 0, everything happens VERY quickly.
3: If you are planning to shoot a time lapse shot using a wide angle lens, do not open the shutter prior to launch, at least at this range. The initial burst of light from ignition to the rocket clearing the tower will blow out the image. And if there is ANY ground haze, the light reflecting off the haze will make this worse. Better to open the shutter as the exhaust plume is just touching the pad, and the rocket is well clear of the tower. This will give you the trail without the blowout.
4: I would bring a good GoPro or high-end cell-phone camera, but would also use an external microphone to capture the sound. It really is amazing.
5: Take your head out of the camera for at least a few seconds to enjoy the experience!
I'm sure I will think of more as time goes by, but definitely an experience worth the money. I will probably try to go back some day for a daylight launch also.
Thanks again for all of the help and comments. This thread is the best!
Chas
chas wrote:
"Thank you for asking that question Senator!" ....Oh, I'm sorry, wrong venue!!
Seriously Jim, it is a great question. There are a couple of take away's. But let me answer the direct questions first.
Bill, the tickets were $250 apiece. Not cheap at all. But it puts you at what is called the Banana Beach viewing area right behind and beside the Saturn V Museum. The entire "Feel the Heat" package is actually not a bad deal, as there is a lot included in it AND it puts you 3 miles from the launch site.
Jim, the exposure I used was exactly what was recommended for night launches in one of the documents Doug L included in his advice.
ISO 180, shutter speed 1/800 and aperture f8. It worked perfect. It winds up leaving the body of the rocket somewhat underexposed, but the details of the exhaust plume do not get blown out. The net result is the need for some work in post-editing to draw the other elements out. If I were to go back and shoot another night launch, I don't think I would change much from an exposure perspective.
Take away's:
1: Overall, the ticket price is worth the experience. If not for the visual and picture taking potential, at least for the audio experience! The sound is like nothing you have ever heard.
2: Make sure you have everything ready, because once they get to T-minus 0, everything happens VERY quickly.
3: If you are planning to shoot a time lapse shot using a wide angle lens, do not open the shutter prior to launch, at least at this range. The initial burst of light from ignition to the rocket clearing the tower will blow out the image. And if there is ANY ground haze, the light reflecting off the haze will make this worse. Better to open the shutter as the exhaust plume is just touching the pad, and the rocket is well clear of the tower. This will give you the trail without the blowout.
4: I would bring a good GoPro or high-end cell-phone camera, but would also use an external microphone to capture the sound. It really is amazing.
5: Take your head out of the camera for at least a few seconds to enjoy the experience!
I'm sure I will think of more as time goes by, but definitely an experience worth the money. I will probably try to go back some day for a daylight launch also.
Thanks again for all of the help and comments. This thread is the best!
Chas...Show more →
Chas, last April we bought the same viewing package, the launch was postponed twice even before our trip started. So when it finally looked like a "go", we left Maryland a few days before the scheduled launch. Since we were in Florida, it got postponed twice again. We gave up and sold our two tickets on Craiglist for 1/3 of what I paid for. Anyway, great shot!
Jim, one of our technicians is driving down to Edinburg, Texas to pick up some medical equipment, I may "tag alone" and ask him to make a stop at Barksdale for a day. It's not final yet. He is the kind of guy who drives 1200 miles a day. It will be a rough trip if I go with him.
steveverrall wrote:
Just back from the first air show I've attended since Covid happened. The Australian International Air Show at Avalon in the state of Victoria had record crowds and the USAF was there in no small numbers. They brought C-17, B-52, F-15, F-16, KC-10, C-5, F-22, C-130J and more...
Also along were the Singaporeans, the Luftwaffe with their Airbus A-400 and the Republic of Korea brought the Black Eagles jet display team, flying eight of their T-50B supersonic jet trainers (and winning the award for the best display of the week).
Let's see if I can remember how to post images here - I haven't done it for a while...
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