2. Airplanes

09-07 Shootin' The Bird

What a day I had! I was out at Casparis Airport a couple of weeks back doing my usual prowling around with my camera, and came across an airplane I'd never seen out here before -- a Beechcraft T-34 Mentor -- sitting in a hangar (an ex-Lufthansa "upset trainer" not to be seen in this gallery). I found one of the owners, Michele, sitting in her pickup waiting on her husband, JD, so the next thing I know, I'm involved in a "hangar talk" session, something I haven't done in a long, long time. Soon JD showed up and we got to chatting about his T-34 (they own several) painted up like an Air Force Thunderbird and the next thing you know, we're planning an air-to-air photo shoot! In grand fashion, Michele brought her own Air Force schemed T-34 as the chase plane, which I immediately fell in love with. Showing Herculean restraint so as not to come off like a blithering idiot, I strapped myself in before they could kick me out, and off we went into the West Texas sky for some fun and games. These, then, are the photos . . .
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  • PREPARING N234MD FOR FLIGHT Prior to flight, Michele gets her plane, Beechcraft T-34 N234MD, ready for our flight. That's her husband, JD, on the left.

    PREPARING N234MD FOR FLIGHT Prior to flight, Michele gets her plane, Beechcraft T-34 N234MD, ready for our flight. That's her husband, JD, on the left.

  • N234MD GETS HAULED OUTSIDE JD and Michele tow her plane outside and into position.

    N234MD GETS HAULED OUTSIDE JD and Michele tow her plane outside and into position.

  • BEECHCRAFT T-34A MENTOR N234MD Michele's plane prepped and ready to roll. Is this a beautiful plane, or what?

    BEECHCRAFT T-34A MENTOR N234MD Michele's plane prepped and ready to roll. Is this a beautiful plane, or what?

  • BEECHCRAFT T-34A MENTOR N9JD And here we have the object of this little exercise, JD's Thunderbird T-34 N9JD, another beauty of a ship. It was never an actual Air Force Thunderbird, it's just painted up as one. And a fine job of it, too.

    BEECHCRAFT T-34A MENTOR N9JD And here we have the object of this little exercise, JD's Thunderbird T-34 N9JD, another beauty of a ship. It was never an actual Air Force Thunderbird, it's just painted up as one. And a fine job of it, too.

  • ON THE TAXIWAY Out of the hangar area now and headed to the runway. Excitement is building.

    ON THE TAXIWAY Out of the hangar area now and headed to the runway. Excitement is building.

  • ALPINE OFF THE STARBOARD WING And we're off and in the air! There's absolutely nothing like flying.

    ALPINE OFF THE STARBOARD WING And we're off and in the air! There's absolutely nothing like flying.

  • MOUNTAINS OFF THE PORT WING JD was hoping to utilize some of these mountains in the shots, but I'm afraid the thunderclouds in the area put the kibosh on that idea. Actually all these clouds, which I thought would add some interest, ended up working against us. Some of the shots came out all right, though.

    MOUNTAINS OFF THE PORT WING JD was hoping to utilize some of these mountains in the shots, but I'm afraid the thunderclouds in the area put the kibosh on that idea. Actually all these clouds, which I thought would add some interest, ended up working against us. Some of the shots came out all right, though.

  • LET THE GAMES BEGIN And we finally catch up with JD. Now the shooting really begins.

    LET THE GAMES BEGIN And we finally catch up with JD. Now the shooting really begins.

  • BANKING LEFT We're out here trying to chase the sun, but the clouds pretty much took care of that, I'm afraid.

    BANKING LEFT We're out here trying to chase the sun, but the clouds pretty much took care of that, I'm afraid.

  • STRAIGHT AND LEVEL Not a bad shot, I suppose. I was amazed at the amount of photos that actually came out sharp, as we got bounced around pretty good. You can actually read the tail number.

    STRAIGHT AND LEVEL Not a bad shot, I suppose. I was amazed at the amount of photos that actually came out sharp, as we got bounced around pretty good. You can actually read the tail number.

  • N9JD OVERHEAD You can almost make out the Thunderbird on the belly of the plane. You'll see it in some shots later on.

    N9JD OVERHEAD You can almost make out the Thunderbird on the belly of the plane. You'll see it in some shots later on.

  • OVERHEAD SHOT, DIFFERENT ANGLE The Thunderbird is a little more apparent in this shot, but still not quite there. Hang on. It's coming.

    OVERHEAD SHOT, DIFFERENT ANGLE The Thunderbird is a little more apparent in this shot, but still not quite there. Hang on. It's coming.

  • FORMATION SHOT Not that we weren't in formation all along, but this is what you'd consider a true formation shot. Shooting from the other side was a lot easier; I really had to twist around to shoot from this side. Not that I minded, of course.

    FORMATION SHOT Not that we weren't in formation all along, but this is what you'd consider a true formation shot. Shooting from the other side was a lot easier; I really had to twist around to shoot from this side. Not that I minded, of course.

  • BANKING FORMATION SHOT Now this is more like it! This is probably the best shot of the bunch. The lighting is great, and I love that little bit of flare on the blue stripe on the nose.

    BANKING FORMATION SHOT Now this is more like it! This is probably the best shot of the bunch. The lighting is great, and I love that little bit of flare on the blue stripe on the nose.

  • BANKING FORMATION SHOT (WITH CROP) I couldn't decide if I liked the drama of the previous shot with its tilted horizon, or a straight horizon with a tilted airplane. Could go either way. This is the same shot as before, but tilted to plumb and cropped. Hmm . . .

    BANKING FORMATION SHOT (WITH CROP) I couldn't decide if I liked the drama of the previous shot with its tilted horizon, or a straight horizon with a tilted airplane. Could go either way. This is the same shot as before, but tilted to plumb and cropped. Hmm . . .

  • ANOTHER NICE ONE I zoomed in a little more to get in closer without having them close up formation. It's safer that way, especially on such a bumpy day.

    ANOTHER NICE ONE I zoomed in a little more to get in closer without having them close up formation. It's safer that way, especially on such a bumpy day.

  • A BETTER-LIT FORMATION SHOT The lighting is much better than the earlier formation shot, plus the background is more interesting. Having the sky in the shot really helps.

    A BETTER-LIT FORMATION SHOT The lighting is much better than the earlier formation shot, plus the background is more interesting. Having the sky in the shot really helps.

  • A LITTLE MORE BACKGROUND I was so happy to get at least some mountains in the background, even if they weren't the ones JD wanted. They still add a lot to the shot.

    A LITTLE MORE BACKGROUND I was so happy to get at least some mountains in the background, even if they weren't the ones JD wanted. They still add a lot to the shot.

  • PEEL-OFF I asked JD to do a peel-off so I could get the Thunderbird on the belly. Unfortunately, the lighting wasn't all that great, but it's there.

    PEEL-OFF I asked JD to do a peel-off so I could get the Thunderbird on the belly. Unfortunately, the lighting wasn't all that great, but it's there.

  • THUNDERBIRD REVEALED And here we can see the Thunderbird in its entirety. If we do this again, I'd like to do it early in the morning or late in the afternoon, so we can get the sun on it.

    THUNDERBIRD REVEALED And here we can see the Thunderbird in its entirety. If we do this again, I'd like to do it early in the morning or late in the afternoon, so we can get the sun on it.

  • LAYING SMOKE JD turns on the smoke they use in their demonstrations. Their aerobatic team is called the "Texas Twisters" and is comprised solely of T-34s. I'm not sure just how many members there are.

    LAYING SMOKE JD turns on the smoke they use in their demonstrations. Their aerobatic team is called the "Texas Twisters" and is comprised solely of T-34s. I'm not sure just how many members there are.

  • TURNING ONTO FINAL Well, all good things must come to an end, so they tell me, and here we are banking onto final approach back at Casparis Airport.

    TURNING ONTO FINAL Well, all good things must come to an end, so they tell me, and here we are banking onto final approach back at Casparis Airport.

  • LINED UP We're not quite down yet, but almost. By the way, that object in the lower left corner behind the compass is a stuffed eagle, Michele's mascot. It flies with her wherever she goes. I finally got her in the rear-view mirror.

    LINED UP We're not quite down yet, but almost. By the way, that object in the lower left corner behind the compass is a stuffed eagle, Michele's mascot. It flies with her wherever she goes. I finally got her in the rear-view mirror.

  • TAXIING IN We're down now and taxiing back to the hangar area. It was a great flight, and a thrill to be back in the air again shooting air-to-air photos. I haven't done that since I shot the aerials of the Bell P-39 Airacobra "Mr. Mennen" for Sport Flying back in the early 1970s. Thank you so much, JD and Michele!

    TAXIING IN We're down now and taxiing back to the hangar area. It was a great flight, and a thrill to be back in the air again shooting air-to-air photos. I haven't done that since I shot the aerials of the Bell P-39 Airacobra "Mr. Mennen" for Sport Flying back in the early 1970s. Thank you so much, JD and Michele!

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    FORMATION SHOT Not that we weren't in formation all along, but this is what you'd consider a true formation shot. Shooting from the other side was a lot easier; I really had to twist around to shoot from this side. Not that I minded, of course.
    BANKING FORMATION SHOT Now this is more like it! This is probably the best shot of the bunch. The lighting is great, and I love that little bit of flare on the blue stripe on the nose.
    BANKING FORMATION SHOT (WITH CROP) I couldn't decide if I liked the drama of the previous shot with its tilted horizon, or a straight horizon with a tilted airplane. Could go either way. This is the same shot as before, but tilted to plumb and cropped. Hmm . . .