Jagged rocks, rough seas, and thick clouds are just some of the hazards in this part of the world. With over 250 miles of rugged coastline from the Mendocino-Sonoma County line north to the California-Oregon border, the men and women of US Coast Guard Group/Air Station Humboldt Bay provide a vigilant 24×7, 365 watch over the residents and mariners of these waters.
How does the most powerful man travel around the world? Any way he wants. And in the case of the President of the United States (POTUS), he travels aboard one of two specially modified Boeing 747-200 affectionately known as “Air Force One.” Operated by the 89th Airlift Wing out of Andrews Air Force base, these fortified aircraft are tasked to transport President Obama and the White House staff all over the globe and allow him to execute the full powers of the Office of the President of the United States.
Timing, timing, timing, and a whole lot of luck! That’s exactly what goes into a successful photo flight. Ok, well, maybe little bit more then that. 
Last month, I had a chance to shoot two beautiful Pitts Models 12′s and a Pitts S-2C over the skies of San Francisco flown by some amazing pilots. The Red / Sliver Model 12 was flown by Cory Lovell, the Green Model 12 was flown by Barry Woods, and the Red / White S-2C flown by Gary Evans. Together with photo pilot Collin Callahan, we set out on a late Saturday afternoon to chase that ever elusive perfect shot. What do you think? Did we get it?
Very few places around the world can simply be called ‘The City” and those for hundred of miles around know exactly where you are talking about. But around my parts, there is only one place that lives up to the name and the mystique. And here is the first of many in my new series called “The City.”
With the speed of the demise of historic Hangar One at Moffett Field increasing, I decided to get some aerial images and video of the current state of the storied hangar. With permission from Moffett Field Tower, we orbited the 198 foot tall hangar and captured various angles of the US Navy Contractors removing the panels of the massive hangar. The panels are contaminated in PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) and need to be removed. But while the US Navy is tasked with their removal, it’s NASA’s responsibility to restore the historic landmark. But with the federal funds not allocated for the restoration, it’s unclear if we will be stuck with the world’s largest birdcage or not. And while the pictures don’t do the Hangar’s size justice, know that it is 1140 feet in , 308 feet in width and 198 feet in height. In the video below you can see the how tiny the workers are compared to the hangar.
This past weekend I had a chance to challenge myself and try something I’ve never done before; shoot a baseball game. And for my regular readers, as you already know, when I do something, I go big! So for my first attempt at shooting America’s favorite pastime, I didn’t go to the local park or high school, I went straight to the Majors and didn’t stop there. I didn’t shoot just any MLB team, but got a chance to shoot the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants!
After a full 8 days of ups and downs at the AMC Rodeo, it was finally time for me to saddle up on that steel horse and fly back home to March ARB with the team aboard SLAM 29. Even though Team March didn’t win a trophy, they earned my respect as well as that of the other teams that participated in the competition.
And just like that it was over for AMC Rodeo 2011. With severe weather delays in the beginning of the week, the schedulers had their hands full getting all of the crews in the air and the competitions closed out. But they did it in fine fashion and when it was all over and done, the 97th Air Mobility Wing from Altus Air Force Base, Okla earned the “Best Air Mobility Wing” title. Here are a selection of pictures from the days events.
In the middle of 87,000 acres there was a small clearing about the size of two football fields. And in that small clearing, there was a small orange triangle that marked the center of the Rawhide Drop Zone for the Air Drop competition for the AMC Rodeo 2011. Aircrews were scored on their time over the DZ and how accurate their drop landed from the orange marker. There is nothing like seeing a massive C-17 1,000 feet over a tall treeline with its’ cargo ramp open and line up on you. Just another day in the Air Force!
One of the hardest competitions at the AMC Rodeo 2011 is the Maintenance Skills Competition. the Four man teams enter the 30 minute timed competition in the blind without knowing what they need to fix. With a wide varying range of issues that can go wrong in an aircraft, the Teams have to be prepared for anything. Team March stepped up to the challenge on Day 6 and with a throng of supporters knocked it out of the park!
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