Working any airshow there is always the element of the people around the aircraft, often creating situations that make it difficult to get shots of just the planes. Now I’m not complaining because without those people these planes wouldn’t be here. Preserving the heritage and sharing it with todays generation is not only essential to keeping the history alive but it’s also why these guys do what they do. The reality is the planes can sometimes be surrounded at times. How do you overcome this? Well it’s real simple. You have to be willing to get really early before the people get to the airfield. For us that meant getting before 0500!
The field was just the way we liked it, quiet for a little while. It gave us plenty of time to get the few static shots that was needed for projects. One of the great things about these events is the support that comes out. The Texas Flying Legends Museum brought five of their aircraft; a B-25J Mitchell, P-51D Mustang, P-40K Warhawk, FG-1D Corsair, and an authentic Zero. The collection is absolutely beautiful and were amongst the few fighters that are at the Reunion. The B-25J “Betty’s Dream” is pretty darn cool. Needless to say it stands out amongst the others with it’s stunning nose art.
One of the big highlights is truly the zero. Not only did it have an early model Corsiar, as seen above, to go with it but also the combination of the B-25’s present really made it feel like the history was coming alive. The B-25’s were such a crucial element in the Pacific as well as the European Theater. It was one of the best medium bombers the Army had at the time. In the Pacific the Zero was one of the fiercest enemies those guys had in the air.
In the Camera Bag:
Nikon D3, AF-S 70-200 VRII, AF-S 24-70 F2.8, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film