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.
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.
I am always searching online for articles that can help me. There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also. Keep working, great job!
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