STOL - Draco

A friend of mine has told me to never toss away any shots.  I asked, "Even the blurry ones?"  Even the blurry ones.  Well, I have to draw the line somewhere.  But I do get his point.

Who knew that a few shots I had taken in 2019 would come into conversation today?  I posted a few STOL shots on the Ugly Hedgehog last night.  And someone asked, What - no Draco?

As STOL aircraft go, Draco might be the most famous.  In a world where aircraft need to be lighter and more agile, Draco is was beast.

But alas, Draco is no more.  A slight mishap caused by pilot error did it in.  The pilot walked away.  His YouTube is one of the best I've ever seen dealing with decision making in discussing his decision to take off in unsafe conditions.  You can apply his lesson to many walks of life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfctWAoDXvs

I never saw Draco fly - or race.  But the aircraft was on display, static display, at the 2019 National Air Races.  I got a few shots in one morning.

Draco - Full On

NIKON D7200 Ver.1.04/DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G

24 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/11, ISO 360

EV -1, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

Draco - Close Up

NIKON D7200 Ver.1.04/DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G

32 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/8, ISO 180

EV -1, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

I like revisiting some of the older shots.  In 2019, I had the D500 for the action shots, and the D7200 for the close ups.  And who knows what I was thinking then with those crazy, unnecessary ISOs.

This is a journey.

Thunderbirds - A different View

When I started going to airshows, I'd shoot enough shots, mostly in succession, to qualify to be a short (bad) film.  I could sometimes get to that hypnotic state where the shutter noise triggered my shutter depressing finger to press harder.  It happens.

I have great shots of formations going left to right, and right to left.  I have the basics.  At this point, I can start being more selective.  I can start thinking about where I am in the pattern to get a more unique shot.

At most shows, the basic pattern is flying a line perpendicular to you.  There are bends, but you plant you feet, and twist from the waist.  That's 95% of the shots.

The other 5%.  (From September 2019)

Thunderbird Burst

I don't see many airshow shots straight on.  You have to be at the right place at the right time.  And lucky.  And when it all comes together the shot stands out.  This is one of my favorite screen savers.

Today, I offer a different point of view for the line of sight flight path.

I was reasonably sure this flight path was going to happen.  I had to be ready.

You don't hear them until a few seconds prior to a visual sighting.  They are approaching from directly behind the stands.  Then you hear sounds, not loud but unique.  You look straight up, or close to straight up.  You know you have 2-3 seconds to find the subject, get the camera ready to shoot and take the shot.  Five seconds later, it's over.  Aircraft out of photographic range.

Then, two seconds after you hear the first suspect noise, your ears are crushed.

Thunderbirds in AB

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

270 mm, 1/2500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 400 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL, Mode, Size DX

Non-aerobatic passes have a floor of 500' AGL over the crowd,  This is FAA rule.  There is no FAA rule for decibel ratings that I could find.  I can safely say that being less than 500 feet away from four aircraft in full after burner is the most damage I have willfully inflicted on my ears over the years, ever.  That was loud.  The pressure waves of the aircraft passing overhead, although noticeable are not overpowering.  Just interesting.

This pass is not part of the show.  This pass was part of the recon flight over the area by the Diamond package.  For every show, before the teams even practice, they will fly over the show area to get familiarized with the area and land marks.  You will see maneuvers that are not part of the show package.  Stay awake.

I like the color and pattern of the afterburners.  The 'white' haze under the blue sky is forest fire smoke from the fires in California south of Lake Tahoe.  A solid blue sky would have been real nice.  Some possible improvement for next year.

Back to this year's show.  At some point during the show, I knew there would probably be a pass from behind, over show center.  And now I could tell when it was close.  How could I tell?  I cheated.

Show Center Spotter

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

200 mm, 1/2500 sec, f/4, ISO 220 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL, Mode, Size FX

This must be something new.  I saw the same function for the Blue Angles at Thunder Over Michigan.  I'm guessing that this new position is a person with signal light at some fixed point in the pattern where the pilots can quickly orientate themselves in the show box.  And I'm also guessing that this came out of the joint practice time that the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds shared.  'Cuz now both teams have this.

Shortly after I saw this, I knew what was next.

Thunderbirds Passing Overhead

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

200 mm, 1/2500 sec, f/4, ISO 180 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL, Mode, Size FX

For the show, no AB.  Only three.  But there is a blue sky.  That's about a two second reaction time.

This will be a good screen saver.

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.

F/A-18E Super Hornet Nose On

Last September while walking around the military display at the Reno Air Races, I was thinking of creative ways to describe the air power I was in the midst of.  I was staring at the business end of the A-10.  I was thinking if this was the first thing you saw in your day, your day is not going to end well.  And you would have this same thought with any of the aircraft on display.
My photos of the A-10 that days didn't turn out as I wanted.  To be fair to the rookie photographer, I was not the only one in the area.  Lots of people 'noise' in the images.  And if I cropped in too close to the nose of the aircraft, well lets say if I get into that opportunity again I'll have a better image to work with.
So on to the Super Hornet.  47,000 pounds of whoop ass.  Carry anything, anywhere, any time.  Any weather.  Blue Angles aircraft will make the change from F/A 18 Hornet to the Super Hornet in 2021.
I saw a few shows with some form of Hornet aircraft last year.  Now that I know what to look for to tell the difference between the two, I'll be better informed.  What we saw for a brief demo at Reno was the Super Hornet.  I had an earlier post here.
The year before I had done a head on shot of a F15 Eagle.  I liked how it turned out, even if all I could photograph was the aircraft sitting on the ground.
This last year, the Super Hornets were on the tarmac.  This is a great frame with the blue sky and mountains.  And, the aircraft fits nicely in the 1920x1080 format.

F/A-18E 'Super Hornet" Nose On

NIKON D7200 Ver.1.04/18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6

70 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/9, ISO 280 (AUTO)

MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This was taken in the noon hour, you can't tell by the shadows.  Still looks like morning.  I do like the way it fills the frame, almost like that was the primary design.

Grumman F8F Bearcat

One of the problems of learning history through watching WWII movies is you learn the 'cool' stuff, but can miss the 'really cool' stuff.  One of the Reno Air Race's performers is the Commemorative Air Force.  The CAF is an outfit in California that is a group of restored aircraft that tour the country.  Thankfully.
One of the aircraft that made its way out to Reno was the Grumman F8F Bearcat.  And because I don't know as much about WWII aircraft as I think I do, this is an interesting episode in my life.
In 2018 when I first saw the CA putting on its show, one of the aircraft really caught my attention.  During the show, there were three fighter type aircraft.  The Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero, the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the Grumman F8F Bearcat.  The Zero and Hellcat take off first.  Nice standard climb pattern.  Then the Bearcat.  The climb rate is incredible for a  prop driven aircraft.  And I say to myself as I often do when I see incredible air power, like bringing a gun to a knife fight.
I need to know more about this.  As I have read, the Bearcat took the best of the Hellcat, and then added some steroids.
Both the Hellcat and Bearcat were designed around the Pratt and Whitney R-2800.  The PW R-2800 was the most powerful engine at the time, generating a rated 2,000 HP.
The increased performance would have to come from design changes.  The net on this was compared to the Hellcat after the changes, the Bearcat was 20% lighter, had a 30% better rate of climb and was 50 mph (80 km/h) faster.  Blade versus the bullet.
In the world of ratings, for watching a prop driven aircraft climb, nothing is sweeter than the Bearcat showing off.  Number #1 in my book.

Grumman F8F Bearcat Engine Start

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

202 mm, 1/100 sec, f/29, ISO 125

EV 0, Manual Mode, Size DX

At some point during my stay at Reno, for the prop planes I used a CPL to slow down the shutter speeds.  I usually don't like shooting above F/11.  F/20+ is not where I'd like to be.  F/14 is much better.

Grumman F8F Bearcat Taxi

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

600 mm, 1/100 sec, f/14, ISO 250

EV 0, Manual Mode, Size DX

This was heavily cropped.  Could be better.  But good enough.

Grumman F8F Bearcat Inverted

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

450 mm, 1/400 sec, f/14, ISO 560

EV 0, Manual Mode, Size DX

And because I'm new to the racing crowd, I missed seeing the Rare Bear fly.  Rumors as to why the aircraft no longer flies, or if it will ever fly again run rampant.
Rare Bear is a re-built, modified Bearcat.  It is powered by a Wright R-3350.  The re-build was completed in 1969.  It started racing in Reno in the unlimited class that same year under the name Able Cat.  From 1976 to 1980, the aircraft did not race due to restoration following a belly landing.  The the aircraft, now called Rare Bear from 1980 to present day has won eleven championships in the Unlimited Class.
I have come close to the greatness of Rare Bear, but didn't know it.  Just snapped another picture of another airplane in the pits.  But I have spent time with many of the veterans of the races and now know more of the lore.  The aircraft was at Reno in 2018, but did not fly.  May rumors as to that situation.  In 2019, it was not there.  In 2020, maybe I'll get another chance.

Rare Bear on display in 2018.

Rare Bear on Display in 2018

NIKON D90/18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6

20 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200

EV -0.67, Aperture Priority, Size DX

Although winning speeds can vary a lot year to year due to the environment, Rare Bear can complete the laps at better than 480 MPH.  That's a big league speed.

Rare Bear has set many performance records for piston-driven aircraft, including the 3 km World Speed Record of 528.33 mph (850.26 km/h) set August 21, 1989, which still stands in this class, and a new time-to-climb record (3,000 meters in 91.9 seconds set in 1972 (9842.4 ft - 6,426 fpm), breaking a 1946 record set in a stock Bearcat).

Racing Royalty.

STOL Race Class

STOL (Short TakeOff and Landing) Drag Racing is a new class of racing at Reno.  At the time of this year's races, it was more of an exhibition show, however it didn't take long for the class pilots and the crowd to express their enjoyment with the format.  It is now an official class or racing.
Apparently STOL racing has been going on for a few years in the high deserts of Nevada.  There is a group of pilots who get together who test their skills, and aircraft, at an event called the High Sierra Fly-In.
The racing aircraft are working aircraft.  These aircraft are flown every day.  Many of the modifications appear to be 'home made' to make the aircraft more versatile.  The goal is to get into and out of places no one else can.   For the pilots, there are hundreds of flight hours involved.
The drag race is between two aircraft over a 2,000 foot, plus or minus a few, straight line course.  The goal is to start at a point, take off, fly the 2k foot distance, land past a point such as a painted line, come to a complete stop on the line of flight with the tail wheel on the ground, turn the aircraft around with power while keeping the tail wheel on the ground, fly to the start line and stop in the line of flight.  The end of the race is the first aircraft to come to a stop and get the tail wheel on the ground.  Got it?
When the rules were explained to me, I didn't connect the dots right away.  But after seeing one race, I could see there is much more strategy involved that just going fast and turning left.  Not that is anything wrong with that.
Strategy points:  Get to speed quickly.  Lose that speed quickly.  Stop without running the propeller into the ground by tipping the aircraft forward.  Add enough power to turn airplane 180 degrees, while keeping tail wheel on the ground.  Much of the strategy can't be seen from the viewing stands.  One strategy that can be seen is the post take off acceleration and the pre-landing slow down.   And it is fun to watch.
After the take off phase, prior to landing the pilot will literally throw the aircraft sideways to slow it down.  And keep it moving toward the landing area.
The drag race course was the unpaved area between the taxi way and active runway.
These shots are all pretty much the same settings, 1/320 seconds, f/13.

Usually in these races, you can't tell who the winner is.  There really is no finish line, per se.  First one to stop.

Thunderbird 6 Ship Formation in Overcast Sky

On the last day of the Air Races this year, the sky was more overcast that the previous days.  One reason I didn't take so many shots this year was, in the case of the Thunderbirds, I have plenty of Thunderbird shots against a clear blue sky.  I really wanted to see the show, without the camera between me and subjects.  But I was ready for the cross shots, can never have enough of them, and new formations.  With the overcast, I did take a good number of shots.
The overcast resolved a number of photographic issues.  No hot spots to remove.  In the Thunderbird case, the sun on the white paint scheme really plays with the camera metering.  OK, I lose some light but the camera can handle it.
Sure, there is a lot of optical illusion here but these aircraft are pretty close.  I like this image, for some reason the light from the overcast makes the aircraft look more 'real' to me.  There is mass, there is depth.

Thunderbird 6 Ship Formation in Overcast Skies

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

262 mm, 1/2500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 220 (Auto)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size, DX

Looking forward to the 2020 airshow season.

F18s at Reno

Between the races, there are airshow type events.  Many are military in nature.  There are more well known performers such as the Thunderbirds and Blue Angles.  There are also lesser known, but just as exciting and informative such as the F16 and F22 Demo Teams.  As I've mentioned before, I like the races and this year I learned to appreciate them more, but I don't miss the military shows.  No food runs, no bathroom breaks.  In the stands, ready to view.  No apologies.
As I look forward to the 2020 airshow tour, I'm excited that two stops will be military related.  The southern therapy tour in April will see me at the Charleston Joint Base Expo and after that I'll be introducing two of the younger family members to the airshow experience at the MCAS Cherry Point show in May.  Earplugs required.
Back to the races, one of the show events on the schedule was a F18 Demo.  The F18s are the current aircraft of the Blue Angles.  But the Blue Angles can't be everywhere, so there are Demo Teams that are mostly funded by the recruitment budget (I'm guessing, but it would make sense.) that will still push the show.  There were four Hornets at the Races, two for static display and two for flight ops.
The Demo team took the skies the first day, and not sure what happened after that but there were no shows on the other days.  Not going to lie, it was a bit of a disappointment.
Not only was I looking forward to the air demo, but the F18 usually takes part in the heritage flight event.  The heritage flight is a favorite for me, that is what an aircraft from the past flies in formation with a current inventory aircraft.  I have two previous posts with Heritage Flights earlier this year, a P51 and F16 and a F18 and A4.
The F18 is an older aircraft, being introduce in the mid-1990's.  Some would say it is old, I would say it is tough to replace.  That it is still in use by the Blue Angles is all you need to know.
I saw a single F18 do a mini-demo (awesome photo) earlier this year at Wings over Northern Michigan show.  Based on what I saw there, I was really interested to see a more 'formalized' demo.
Disappointment aside, I did get a few good shots.
Because I had seen the aircraft fly earlier in the year, I didn't have to take so many 'guess what it will do next' shots.  With the exception of the two flying in formation, all were single shots.  Which only interests me.

The F18 on take-off centered with the Reno home pylon.  Not real exciting if this doesn't capture your interest.  Too bad I can't add the sound.

F18 on Take-off Reno

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

400 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 110 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

I like formation flying.  The more the better, but I'll take two.  Takes a lot of faith in your equipment, training and partner to do even this.

F18s in Formation

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

315 mm, 1/2500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 180 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This is interesting photograph.  This is a single shot, so figure the lag time to see the beginning of the formation break and the shutter release.  And I think I got the right shot.

F18s Split

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

360 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO 320 (AUTO)

EV +.33, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

One of the more interesting monuments of the event was after landing, the aircraft were taxiing in front of the stands, then did a loop.  Usually don't see this type of congestion at an airfield - unless they were demoing traffic patterns on an aircraft carrier deck.

F18 Congestion

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

280 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 100 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size 1.3

Jets, even on the ground - fun.