C47

An Epic Feat 79 Years Later

admin Aviation, Blog June 6, 2023June 5, 2023C47, C53, dday, Gooney Bird

Today marks one of the largest military achievements in modern history. 79 years ago Operation Overlord, the Allied plan to establish a foothold in occupied Europe, began. Thousands of naval ships launched one of the largest amphibious assaults on the beaches of Normandy, France. For months leading up to the invasion, disinformation was leaked out about the upcoming invasion to fool the German army to think the Allies would be landing in Calais. A complex series of fake vehicles made of rubber were even made to fool aerial reconnaissance over England and German Spies in the country. Britain was the staging ground for it all and it was one packed island before it was over.

Along with the men who went ashore on the landing crafts, were the Paratroopers that landed behind enemy lines in a joint effort to meet up with those on the ground and catch the Germans in between. It was a massively complex operation with many variables that could go wrong. Without the efforts of D-Day, the events and longevity of WWII would have been very different.

DDay 77 Years Later

admin Aviation, Blog June 6, 2021C47, DC3, dday, Gooney Bird

Today marks one of the largest military achievements in modern history. 77 years ago Operation Overlord, the allied plan to establish a foothold in occupied Europe, began. Thousands of naval ships launched one of the largest amphibious assaults on the beaches of Normandy, France. For months leading up to the invasion, disinformation was leaked out about the upcoming invasion to fool the German army to think the allies would be landing in Calais. A complex series of fake vehicles made of rubber were even made to fool aerial reconnaissance and German Spies. Britain was the staging ground for it all and it was one packed island before it was over.

Along with the men who went ashore on the landing, crafts were the Paratroopers that landed behind enemy lines in a joint effort to meet up with those on the ground and catch the Germans in between. It was a massively complex Operation with many variables that could go wrong. Without the efforts of D-Day, the events and longevity of WWII could have been much different.

76th Anniversary of D-Day

admin Aviation, Blog June 6, 2020C47, C47 Skytrain, DC3, douglas dc3, Gooney Bird

Today marks a very important anniversary, the 76th anniversary of the D-Day landings, which were the allied invasion of Europe in 1944. This invasion gave the allies a foothold in France that allowed them to push back against German-occupied Europe. Beach heads, Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah were the designated landing spots and were heavily fortified by the Germans. Omaha Beach was the deadliest with the high cliffs and heavy fortifications. The original plan for the allies was to link up the beaches by the end of the first day but due to heavy resistance, it wasn’t until 8 days later that they were secure. Many brave men from multiple nations helped secure this victory without which the war would’ve been much different.

The C-47 or C-53 based on its use were used to drop paratroopers behind enemy lines and push the Germans out of the beach areas and nearby towns and villages. It was the largest airborne drop in history. The planes were marked with the black and white stripes so that they wouldn’t be shot by friendly ground fire.

Morning Shine on the Skytrain

admin Aviation, Blog May 14, 2020May 13, 2020C47, C47 Skytrain, DC3, douglas dc3

There’s nothing quite like the morning glow of sunrise on a freshly polished airplane. It’s a strange combination of the natural world and the mechanical. Even if the plane is backlit it will still pop. Of course, a small trick to help make the silhouetted side come out is to use the shadow slider in ACR.

75th D-Day Anniversary

admin Aviation, Blog June 6, 2019June 2, 2019C47, Dakota, DC-3, DC3, Gooney Bird, Skytrain

Today marks the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion. One of the biggest allied operations or WWII which lead to the downfall of Germany’s Occupation of Europe. Thousands of men, aircraft, machines, supplies, and more went into making the operation a success. Today you can watch as a special memorial is taking place over the skies of France as over a dozen C-47’s are taking part in a flight over Normandy.

A Week of Rememberance

admin Aviation, Blog June 8, 2017C47, C53, DC3, dday, dday invasion

Since the beginning of June there have been many anniversaries regarding major events of WWII. The Battle of Dutch Harbor, AK honored the 75th anniversary on June 3-4th, the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway was June 3-7th and June 6th was the 73rd anniversary of the Normandy Invasion known as D-Day.

Since I was having a little maintenance problem I missed a couple of those but I figured it would work out for today’s post.

It’s impossible to say which of any event had more significance then the other. The Battle of Dutch harbor which was part of the Aleutian Campaign was the only battle on American Soil by the Japanese. It was a lesser known but strategically important campaign that shouldn’t be forgotten. The Battle of Midway and the D-Day invasion of Normandy are far more known with movies and books written about both. The best part of this year has been seeing the amount of press each event has gotten. They all deserve to be remembered along with those that fought in them.

Oshkosh is Here!

admin Aviation, Blog July 25, 2016March 25, 2020B25, B25 Mitchell, b25 mitchell bomber, C47, C53, DC3, Gooney Bird

Today is the first official day of EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, WI! For many people this airhsow started much earlier as planes arrive early as do the people. When I tell people about Oshkosh, the informal nickname of the airshow, it’s fair to say that it is like no other event. In many ways it is one giant party. Lots of people, lots of events, shops, movies, lectures, speaking engagements, performances and of course planes. It’s just a week of fun afterward you need a vacation.

This year I am very fortunate to be back with the Texas Flying Legends Museum who have been brought their squadron to Oshkosh for years. This year they return with six aircraft that will be displayed in Warbird Alley. Since this is Oshkosh week it seemed only fitting to talk a little about aviation photography technique especially in regards to what can be found at Oshkosh.

To start things rather simple, Oshkosh is overwhelming! There are planes everywhere and your senses are easily overloaded as you take it all in. If you have been there before then you know, if you haven’t then here’s a brief taste. Now there are a few ways to stay at Osh, the best way that I have found is to camp at Scholler. The downside is it is a ways away from Warbird Alley which makes it hard to get up for sunrise. But it is so worth it! Since everyday I am out walking I keep gear light. This is year it will be the D5, 18-35 f/3.5, 24-70 f/2.8, 70-200 VRII, 200-400 VR and a flash. This is all on my back so that I can do static and ground to air with ease. It’s tough but walking back and forth is even harder. Now at Oshkosh there is either bald skies or great skies and the general rules apply either way. Get low, shoot up, look for clean backgrounds which can be tough, and make unique captures. Often times there are a lot of the same model aircraft at Oshkosh, like the B-25, so take advantage of that. That sort of stack up doesn’t happen all the time. Keep in mind that lots of people photograph these planes so try and to think out of the box to make a nice capture and then finish in post.

Oshkosh is Around the Corner

admin Aviation, Blog June 30, 2016C47, C53, Dakota, DC3, Gooney Bird, Skytrain

One of the premier aviation events in the world is EAA Airventure better known as Oshkosh, due to it being held in Oshkosh, Wi. Every year thousands of planes and people arrive to see what’s new and what’s still going. I’ve had the pleasure of going in past years and the photography has always been amazing. At Oshkosh you never known what will show up and getting there to see all the different, or in this case similar, planes arrive is a ton of fun. If you’re an aviation enthusiast then July means Oshkosh.

The C-47 Skytrain

admin Aviation, Blog, MainSlider June 9, 2016C47, C47 Skytrain

Since this week is honoring the 72nd anniversary of D-Day, it seemed appropriate to put up another post about the C-47, C-53, or DC-3. Without a doubt one of the most well used aircraft to come out of WWII the, DC-3 with all of it’s conversions made it such a versatile plane. Many are well versed in the plane mythology because the brave men that jumped out of them, portrayed in shows like Band of Brothers. But this basic and reliable design is truly a testament to the men behind it.

This particular plane belongs to Kermit Weeks at Fantasy of Flight, FL. When working with planes it’s important to go low and lookup to make the plane seem bigger and to capture more sky. Working with clean backgrounds isn’t always possible by getting low you can reduce the amount seen behind the plane. The rest you just have to do in post.

Happy First Flight of the DC-3

admin Aviation, Blog December 17, 2015C47, C47 Skytrain, C53, Dakota, DC3, douglas dc3, Gooney Bird, skyvan

Today marks the first fight of the Douglas DC-3. This is one of the most iconic aircraft made during the 1930’s and saw major service during WWII as it was converted to fulfill many other roles under the designations of C-47 and C-53. The DC-3 was always the commercial version made for Airlines like TWA but later grew to many others. While it’s first flight was in 1935, it has been flying around the world under multiple owners, governments, and airlines, to the present day. The history of this one aircraft can not be summed up in a single post. It extends just too far.

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