EA18G Growler - Close but no Boom!

With the advent of high powered, high speed aircraft and high powered, high speed cameras this collision of technology was bound to happen.  The first time I saw one of these types of images I really thought it was photoshopped.  Then after I knew better, earlier this year I thought I'd get this shot in South Carolina.  I got a few hints of wing clouds there, never dreamed I get this in Northern Michigan.
The physics in all this escapes me, but essentially the faster you go, the lower the air pressure on top of the wing gets.  There is a point where the temperature drop, due to the lower pressure, will fall below the dew point and viola - cloud formation.  On the wings, you can clearly see this cloud formation happening.  But then something else happens when you get closer to the speed of sound.  Something called the supersonic expansion fan begins to form.  On this day, I didn't get the entire fan, but this aircraft was thinking it.  And I guess there was probably a local ban on breaking the sound barrier in a inhabited area that kept him from going any faster.  I had ear plugs.  I was ready for it.
After a good Michigan soaking rain, I'm guessing the dew point was pretty high.  Something else to look for.
Like the Blue Angles 6 Ship Formation that every aviation photographer has in their portfolio, I need to have my fighter aircraft vapor shot.
This was the last act of the Wings over Northern Michigan Air Show.  By this time the inclement weather had moved on and there was nothing but blue skies overhead.  I thought the show was almost over when the Growler did this high speed pass.  I wasn't ready, but just aimed, fired and let the Nikon do the rest.  And to be very honest, I didn't even see the vapor though the viewfinder.  I saw this when I was reviewing the shots a few hours later.  There might have been a eureka yell.  Maybe.
When I go to something like this, I hope that I'll have 10-12 real keeper shots.  I always hope for maybe 75% of those those shots will be from something I planned and the other 25% just being lucky.  I mean if you take over 1,000 shots - something has to break your way, right?
And this sequence did.

EA18G Growler - Close but no Boom!

NIKON D500 Ver.1.15/70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6

390 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/9, ISO 160 (Auto ISO)

EV -1, Manual Mode

I really didn't want to 'improve' the image too much.  In a perfect world, the lower half would not be in the shadows as much.  But if I lighten that up, the contrast with the 'cloud' isn't as great.  Behind the aircraft, you can see a hint of the afterburner flame.  In sunlight, that's pretty awesome.
So I have my aircraft tickling the speed of sound, by luck.  I'll take it.