The U2 Appearance - Day 2

Redemption.

This will make a lot more sense if you read Day One.

Day 2 of the U2 story begins with seeing the Dragon Lady will make an appearance, again at 12:05 according to the schedule.  I say this because I'm thinking it will be closer to 2:05 - again.  That's OK, I'll be ready in either case.  Will the two black escort jets be there as well?  Whatever the case, I will be ready.  I will be in the stands for this.

12:05 came and went.  No problem.  I would have been more surprised if it was as scheduled.  Surprised, but ready.

1:30.  It was a very windy day.  Lots of the races were being moved about, and the published schedule was really out the window now.  Races may be moved, the non-military performers may be moved, but the military stuff goes as scheduled.  It's going to be at 2:05 - I just know it.

2:03 - U2 inbound.  And I'm ready.  Trying not to hyperventilate.  No black jets.  Dammit.

With the U2 inbound, I was also looking for the white chase car.  And it was there, where it was supposed to be.  In my head, get the chase car in the shot.  Low fly-by.

A lot of the forest fire smoke has cleared out from the day before.  Still, on the approach end for the background, the smoke is visible.  I like this shots, has the jet class lined up ready to start when the U2 had departed the area.

U2 Approach End

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

217 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

I thought the approach end was lower than the day before, but I was now in the stands and my perspective might be a bit different.  Until.

Low enough to flare.  And.

The flare, U2 style.

U2 Flare

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

262 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

OK, no chase car in this shot.  But think about it - approach speed is probably between 90 and 100 MPH.  The chase car has to be off the runway until the aircraft has passed.  So in this shot, the chase car is just getting moving.  It will have to get up to 140 MPH to catch up.  Quickly.  

But then, the aircraft touches down.  Didn't see that coming.

U2 Show Center

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

217 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

And so it rolls.  At this point I just started watching without the camera blocking my view.  Just for a few seconds.  No way this could be a full landing, the airfield is not equipped to handle the U2.  And that was the correct thought.  Once past the the center pylon, you could hear the engine spool up and the U2 would leave leave the chase car behind.

Just a real thrill for me to see the aircraft flying and doing some transition work for the crowd.  It is part of a select group of 50 year old designs still flying, joining the B-52s, KC-135s and C-130s.

The U2 Appearance - Day 1

In my previous visits to the Air Races, there has always been a chance for an 'unadvertised' guest appearance.  In 2018, there was a B-52 fly-by one day and a U2 fly-by the next.  In 2019, there was a F/A-18 Demo.

For the B52 - I was ready.  For the U2, not so much.  I had one lucky shot.

Every morning, there is a schedule available for the race events and the performers.  When I get to see the schedules, I look for the military events.  I knew the F-35 Demo team was there for the event, and I expected them Saturday and Sunday, with maybe a practice on Friday.  I knew the Thunderbirds were there as well, but Friday, Saturday and Sunday only.  Bring on the Weekend!

Then on Thursday, I found the Easter Egg.  U2 at 12:05.  My day just got re-arranged.  I started looking at the events around the U2, timing and camera settings are everything.  Lessons from the past.

Well, 12:05 came and went, no U2.

After waiting 90 minutes, I started roaming around.  I moved toward the Jet area.  The Jet area is on the approach end of the show.  I was talking with another photographer when two black jets flew down the runway.  I didn't see any markings on the jets.  They looked like T-38s or F5s.  Or F20s.  But they were black, and if there were any markings, they were subdued.  Dammit, by the time I saw them they were half way down the runway.  And I had the close-up camera lens thing going.  As I turned to resume chatting with the other photographer, I saw the U2 approaching.  I had about 45 seconds to swap cameras and get the setting right.  Practice, Practice, Practice.

U2 on Approach

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED)

300 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

U2 Low Pass

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED)

300 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

U2 Departure

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED)

300 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

I should note that usually my Reno shots of the past had great clear blue skies.  Not so much this year.  The California fires in the Lake Tahoe area, the Caldor and Tamarack fires, provided a lot of non-clear skies.  Funny how 2021 may be the year of resuming travel, but everywhere I go there are flat skies.

Back to the U2 story.  The U2 did a low pass in front of the stands.

After checking out my shots I ran up to our seats to show off what I had.  To my horror, my shots were not the best of the day.  Had I stayed in my seat, I would have had the low pass in front of the Reno pylon.  Doh!

The other photo-nic in our group had a great shot of the U2 and the Reno Pylon.  Even the other photographers in the area had great shots as well.  With the Chase Car!  Double Doh!

Not that there is ever any competition in our group for photos but second place is for losers.  

How can I possibly recover from this?  (Hint: Stay tuned for Day 2.)

Air Racing Pit Life

Part of the Air Racing Life is what goes on behind the scenes.  The Pits.  As with conventional motorsports, the pits are a happening place.  In Reno, the pit area is segregated by class.  Some areas have more activity than others.  The Jet class doesn't have much going on, other than sitting in the sun and looking good.  The T-6 and STOL classes always have something going on.  The tweeking never stops.

Pit Life - Sport 181

Pit Life - Big Red

Pit Life - Polishing the Prop

Pit Life - Banging Away

And for a bit of fun, I saw this in the STOL area.  In researching the STOLs, I saw the belt in another venue with a different aircraft.  Could it be the best gets passed around?  More research is required.

Pit Life - The Belt

Walking around the Pits is a big part of going to the races for me.  Looking forward to next year already.

STOL Class Racing

The newest class of racing at the National Air Races is STOL.  Short Take Off and Landing.  And there is a bit of a league for these flyers.   In 2019, a group of racers showed up at Reno to demo the STOL race, and the fans loved it.  The class is now official, and in 2021 the STOL race was on.

The race is essentially a drag race run in two segments.  The racers start at the same time.  They fly approximately 2,000 feet, land, stop, turn around, take off, fly 2,000 feet, land, stop.  The first one to stop wins.  If it was only that easy.  Most of the aircraft are working aircraft.  Some are souped up racers.  All are very good at this.

Photographically this race is fun to watch, and to plan.  First, with normal winds the first leg of the race is west to east.  Right into the morning sun.  Most of the races seem to be scheduled for the morning, as the winds are generally light.  But the light is perfect.  Because the runway is basically a hump, you can't see one end from the other.  At both ends, there is great action.  Visually, you win everywhere.  But I like to stand at the end of the first leg.  From this point, you can see the racing aircraft begin a slip in order to lose airspeed.  Usually slip to the right.  You are looking right at them.  And if you catch it just right, you can still get the prop at somewhat full speed.  There is a point where the engine power is cut and the prop is frozen on its own.  A photographer has enough issues shooting a prop at 1/80th without the prop freezing on its own.  For myself, I shot over 100 shots and only 10 are close to being OK.  But it was fun, and when the shots came out OK - awesome.  So I'm posting three shots today.  Two are really crisp, and one is pretty close.  I used Gigapixel on all three shots and I think it helped.  All three shots are aggressively cropped.  And all three are great screen backgrounds.

This aircraft is in a full slip.  The sun is catching the props just right.

STOL Yellow Slip

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

300 mm, 1/80th sec, f/14, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This one is really good enlarged.  The pilot can be seen in the sunlight.  Good prop effect and really sharp.

STOL Red Silver Concentration

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

300 mm, 1/80th sec, f/11, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This one came out super sharp, probably the best of the bunch.  You can really see the rudder deflection.

STOL Yellow Landing

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

300 mm, 1/80th sec, f/11, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

I have a few photos with two aircraft in the shot that I'll work on later.  This is a great class of aircraft to photograph and to just plain watch for fun.

1945 Spitfire - Static

One of the Lotto winning bucket list items is to take my aviation friends to England to see an Air Show.  We need to take in the aircraft that saved England from occupation.  And one of those aircraft I'd like to see flying is the Spitfire.  I'm not on the travel path yet, but I've now seen one.  This one was restored, and didn't move.  But I'm a step closer.

I'm fascinated by the Battle of Britain story.  The Battle of Britain is one of the first recognized air battles, ever.  There was a lot at stake.  The fate of an island nation was protected by the island peoples and their ingenuity.  

The Spitfire on display, the Spitfire XVIe was the last major version of the Spitfire to be powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.  It was powered by the US license built Packard Merlin 266 and was flown with both normal and clipped wings.  Total production of the type was 1,054, entering service in November 1944 and remaining in production until August 1945.  It was used as a fighter bomber against V2 rocket sites and airfields in the closing months of the European war.  A handful remained in RAF service until the mid-1950s.

There were four static shots I wanted from the air races in the military section.  A couple of F15s showed up, and for a memory lane trip I wanted those shots.  I've also been trying to get a good shot of the business end of an A10.  My limited previous attempts have not been successful for artistic purposes.  We'll see what happens this time.  There was a 1950 Fairey Fire Fly, more on that on another post.  And the venerable Spitfire.

I was lucky enough to get a few Spitfire shots in the early morning with a sunrise glow.  And a few with mid-day light.  And too many other people around later in the day.  You take what you can get.  All these shots were with the D850.

Spitfire Blue Sky

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR

28 mm, 1/250th sec, f/6.3, ISO 64

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

Spitfire on the Ramp

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR

40 mm, 1/125th sec, f/4, ISO 64

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

Spitfire Sunrise II

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR

40 mm, 1/125th sec, f/4, ISO 64

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

For the sunrise shots, I did have some issues with getting the color just right.  I relied on help from Photomatix.  The shots are not total Photomatix, just some layers blended together.  I also tried to manage the background as best I could.  I like the tower shot.  And I'm not crazy about the Lockheed in the second shot, but getting any lower didn't do the sunrise any justice.

V-22 Osprey at the Air Races

I have not witnessed a V22 Osprey up close.  I thought I would see one in 2019 when I was at the MCAS Beaufort Air Show and there was a Marine Air-Ground Task Force show.  No luck.  I have seen the aircraft from afar.  And I remember the not so favorable press from many years ago.

That was a long time ago.  Seems the airframe is now very stable and a dependable part of the Marine Corps Air these days.

When I saw the Osprey Demo Team would be at the 2021 National Air Races, I was very happy.  The Osprey was developed in the late 80's with full production finally starting in 2005.  The Osprey was designed to fill a need for a new type of aircraft, that could not only take off and land vertically but also could carry combat troops, and do so at speed.

The V-22 Osprey uses 2-speed rotors, a 412 RPM for helicopter mode and for conversion to airplane mode and 333 RPM when the rotors are locked in propeller mode for forward flight.  A T-6 prop goes at 2250 RPM, and that is tough to catch at 1/80th shutter speed.  333 RPM would be very tough.  And it was.  And if was easy, everyone would have great photos.

I experimented with shutter speeds from 1/40th second to 1/120th.  I eventually settled on 1/80th, mostly because that is what I was using for the T-6s.  I was familiar with the light settings.  Go with what you know.

For the first two shots, I used the D500 and 70-200 lens.  The action was pretty close and the subject was relatively large, so I could get away with it.  For the last shot, I used the D850 and the 70-200.  I could almost get away with it, but I used Giga-Pixel to to help me out.

This first shot is the Osprey transitioning from a hover to level flight.

Osprey Flight Transition

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED)

300 mm, 1/80th sec, f/20, ISO 125 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

The Auto ISO is a mistake on my part.  For the most part, I used a fixed ISO at each camera's base setting.  Not sure what I was thinking at this point of time.  The D500's base ISO is 100, so at 125 I was close.

This next shot is the Osprey in level flight.

Osprey Level Flight

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED)

300 mm, 1/80th sec, f/18, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

For Sunday, the last day of the Air Races, I had all the photos I really needed.  So, to change things up a bit, I put the 70-200 on the D850.  Playtime and experiment.  That really shortens up the reach, but I have software for that.  this shot was done with a little help from Gigapixel.

Osprey Level Flight

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED)

70 mm, 1/100th sec, f/14, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This was a bit on the challenging side.  I had about a 33% hit rate.  Slightly better than the T-6s.  It's all about knowing your subject.

Two Racing T-6s

The racing week in Reno is almost over.  I've been here for four days already.  Today was somewhat abbreviated as the high winds cancelled many of the heat races.  By the afternoon, even the heavier classes of Jets and Unlimited heats were cancelled for the day.  Tomorrow, the last day of the event, promises be only breezy ensuring a full day to the final races for each class.

This year, I focused on getting only shots I can get.  Sounds like a defeatist attitude, but it is not.  The distances involved, the speeds and size of the aircraft and the exposure considerations present a limit to what I can reasonably do with the equipment I brought.

My area of comfortable targets was lessened to almost what is directly in front of me.  And much closer.  But to counter that, I am also going for a much better image.  And for 80% of the action, that means working on the prop part of the image.

For the shutter speed, that means getting comfortable with 1/80th of a second.  That a good place to start for the prop classes.  That means sticking with the setting even though most of the shots are so blurry that 80% will be tossed on the first pass.  Again, that's OK because when one hits, it is very well worth the aggravation.

I'm also working with using Auto ISO when necessary.  Being necessary is to get shutter speeds over 1/2,000 th of a second for the Thunderbird's Demo program.  Will be very interested how much that cuts down on post work.

I've been getting to the field very early each day.  The rising sun is playing a lot of havoc on my static shots.  I may have to take three or four shots trying to get the blown sky to play with the undercarriage shadows.  

It's a been a great four days so far, and I got a lot of practice with manual exposure settings.

This following shot is at 1/80th of a second.  Great prop action, 360 degrees.  And I had to throw away the seven shots before it.  But that's OK, as this one is worth it.

Racing Two T-6s

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

202 mm, 1/80th Sec, f/14, ISO 100

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

When I started coming to Reno for the National Air Races, I had no idea how to get a shot like this.  This is the culmination of 3 years of work.  And a lot of thought.  And a lot of planning.  And not screwing up when the time comes.  My first year here I had over 3k shots.  Not one of them is this good.  Not that I have arrived, but this to me is clear progress.

Kurt Meets the Monster Richfield Snake

 The Video journey continues.

During the Thunder over Michigan airshow, I was introduced to the 360 degree video concept.  After some research and seeing it in action, I was hooked.  New technology.  New Toy.

Last night was the obligatory walk around the house.  Just enough footage to figure out the software end.  Footage to accompany lots of YouTube time.  After a few hours one can understand the process.  Still have a long way to go, as I just have the basics.  First step.

Today's adventure was just to see how long the thing can go on one battery.  And to see what it does.  The default resolution is 5k at 30 fps.    I'm not a fan of 30 fps, seems to pixelate more than I'm comfortable with.  I had settled on 1080 @ 60 fps for the cameras and GoPro.   Lowest common denominator that is still HD.  This camera does not have the option, so went with the default for now.  I caught what might be some pixilation or might be a stich issue.  For the most part though, the final product is more than acceptable.  After one try.

So I shot a lot of 'footage' today.  Just for testing.  And to be deleted.  Soon.  But during today's walk, the one thing that you hope would happen, happened.  Something unexpected, nature close up.

What to take away from this is had I been "Vlogging" with a Gopro, this capture is not made.  With the Insta360, even though I was the star and subject of  my walk, when the unexpected happens, you still got it.  So what I get from this is:  I still like the GoPro.  I think it has a better output.  You can get ND filters to help improve the final output.  But the Insta360 makes walking alone almost like walking with a film crew.

I'll keep the GoPro.  I'll keep videoing with the Nikons.  But so far, I really like the Insta.