Plane & Pilot proudly announces the finalists for this year's Plane & Pilot Your Flying World Photo Contest. Finalists were selected from among hundreds of entries, and while there wasn't a bad shot in the bunch, these images shone through.
And as usual, there was a wide range of subject matter in this year's battle of the airborne lenses, with everything from bucolic panoramas of natural beauty to studies of the finer details of the flying machines we love so much.
Enjoy these outstanding submissions, but be sure to tune in next week when we announce the winners of this year's Plane & Pilot Your Flying World Photo Contest!
This image documents the world as seen through the eyes of a pilot. Mirrored clip-on sunglasses allowed me to reflect visually the world about which I reflect mentally as I travel above the Northeast. Visible are the controls and panel of the Liberty XL-2 as well as the Shawangunk Mountains of the Hudson Valley. Captured with an iPhone 11pro. I tried numerous larger cameras, but they would appear in the reflection. Numerous flights were required to fine tune the position of the camera, my head, the sun and shadows, and the background and rotating propeller, to achieve this image.
âThrough the early 1970âs, Torrey Pines was renowned for its sailplane soaring. The gliderport has long since been taken over by hang gliders and paragliders, but watching the sailplanes launch with a winch, and indefinitely âride the waveâ coming off the Pacific ocean was inspiring.â
Camera Used: Minolta point-and-shoot camera. Lens focal length unknown.
Exposure Data: Unknown. This shot was captured on Kodachrome film and scanned to digital.
I'd just gotten back to Thun Field (KPLU) from a wonderful flight near Mt. Rainier, or what we locals call, simply, "The Mountain." I was getting some video footage to help fill in some gaps for a video I was working on for my YouTube channel (You may notice some cameras on the plane. There was one in the cabin and there were five mounted on the exterior.) I'd brought along some gear for still photos, too, and had hoped to get this exact shot when the flight was done. After I landed, I taxiied onto the grass and parked. I had to move the tripod a few times and drag the Luscombe back and forth in the grass to get the framing I wanted, and this is what I came up with. One of the challenges was hiding the wind tee. It's behind the plane in this photograph. It prevented me from getting the exact framing and alignment I wanted, but I think I got the best overall result by hiding that distraction and showing only the main two subjects in the shot. I bought this plane in the fall of 2019 and got my Private Pilot Certificate in it in July of 2020. We have since flown all over creation together. I'm documenting those adventures on YouTube (just search on my full name, Jay Philip Williams).
Camera, lens and other equipment used
Sony A7III, Minolta 200m f/2.8 G, Bogen aluminum tripod
Exposure data (shutter speed, aperture, ISO)
Shot at f/2.8, 1/200, ISO100
This magnificently restored T-6 Texan was photographed at the 2015 Prineville Fly-In located in my home town of Prineville, Oregon. On display and a regular at the air shows in the area, this WW 2 trainer posed several problems to get the photograph I had envisioned. First, was the crowds of people, and secondly was the background with other planes, buildings, cars and people in it. I decided that shooting up from the ground was the only way to achieve the desired look thereby conveying a powerful story. I lay down on the ground and my friend kept the people from walking over me and in front of the shot. In post processing the shot, I knew that I needed to add some drama to the skies (which were clear blue in the original) and I had taken a beautiful shot from my backyard previously and it was a match. Because of the skies and the T-6 Texan with its huge engine cowling and the history of this storied and venerable WW 2 trainer, Olâ Thunder was the logical name for this photograph.
I had missed getting an intended New Yearâs Eve flight, probably to do with the weather, so I figured I could at least start the year off right the afternoon of New Yearâs Day. It was 34-36 degrees, decent visibility greater than 6mi, a bit rainy & misty, and with indeterminate ceilings high enough to tour the immediate area, take a few pictures and return for a few turns in the pattern. Tower didnât seem surprised at my presence, so I took that as a good sign. I have very little experience with ice, and knew it was near the edge of the envelope that day, so I stayed low and kept scanning what forward surfaces I could see for any evidence of ice. I could detect none at the time, but picture sequences now show a hard-to-detect accretion on the white struts. Sure couldnât see anything alarming in flight with the high wing on the Cessna 182. Itâs a 1963 F model, btw, N3498U. A tail number no one can repeat right twice.
The whole flight portion lasted just sixteen minutes and never climbed above around 1,800â. We live in Bethlehem, PA, and the airplane is based at Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE). I toured the local area, with a turn around the neighborhood, then a track over the city, Lehigh University, and took a quick foray to see how the country club looked just over South Mountain. After one touch and go, then cleared for the option on runway 6, she felt just a bit âmushyâ on the second turn to final. Dad always said discretion was the better part of valor, so I kept speeds up and took her back to the hangar. Turns out it was Shakespeare who first said that through Falstaff.
Anyway, I got to see a good load of clear ice for the first time when I went to push her back in the hangar. Virtually nothing was visible from the cockpit. Perhaps if Iâd turned to see the tail Iâd have known sooner. Pushing her back to the T-hangar by the prop, I noticed the mesmerizing constellation of ice on the spinner, so I snapped a photo along with others of the evidence observing the passing of one of my nine lives.
May the Shiny Mistake of my New Yearâs Day 2021 inspire a second thought in some other aviator someday.
This image was taken at the Titusville Airshow in Florida on March 12, 2016. This airshow takes place every year and is attended by many including both aircraft and photography enthusiasts.
The flight was the last flight of the show and was in the âhonor flightâ formation honoring all the airmen past and present and their incredible machines that protect and keep our country strong.
As the aircraft fly over the audience on the ground, they dip their wings in a âbeauty shot,â enabling the perspective of being at or above the aircraft in the air.
The image was taken at 4:19 in the afternoon in full sunlight and a relatively cloudless sky.
The Blue Angels have their own winter training base at El Centro NAF, which is 110 miles east of San Diego. There is only a chain link fence separating the airfield from the surrounding farming fields and anyone can observe their maneuvers. On this day, I was able to watch their initial take off roll and shoot just as they became airborne directly over my head. Despite both earplugs and earmuffs, the sound as four military fighter jets roared out less than 75 feet overhead was both deafening and awesome simultaneously. The ground shook, car alarms were triggered and sand and gravel went flying. I managed to shoot a few images before they were gone on their way.
This photo was taken at Red Stewart Airfield, 40I (4 Zero India) a grass strip in Waynesville, Ohio. They have been having an annual airshow on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend every year except 2020.
Caption: One of the final acts of the annual airshow at Red Stewart Airfield (4ÃI), Waynesville, Ohio on Saturday September 5, 2015, at 19:10 as storms were building in the west.
Photo Details: Camera-Canon EOS 70D, ISO-100, 76 mm, f/10, 1/400 sec., Tamron SP 70-300 mm
Photographer: Mark W Reising, Morrow, Ohio
Photographer Bio: Mark Reising first began working on a Private Pilot License in 1971, but it took almost 46 years to finally complete. Currently working on his instrument rating now.
July 9, It was a hot summer day at RMMA, with many storms popping up in the afternoon. On the ramp
of Sheltair Aviaton (BJC), the crew of the Erickson Skycrane finished up their duty for the day .As they were tying
down and securing the aircraft, a major storm from the north came into view. Seeing these massive storms built with color
and lighting shooting out of the clouds will make your heart stop, knowing the crew will be part of the Fire from the Sky once again.
Camera, lens and other equipment used:
One Pixel 3 Phone
Ft1.8 1 1235 4.44mm Iso57
The title of my image is F-18 Growler. I was a guest on the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). I was shooting on the flight deck as the crew was qualifying new pilots for carrier landings or Traps. My adrenaline was pumping. The carrier deck is the most exciting place I've ever shot at the time, a fast-moving and very dangerous but exhilarating location to shoot.
My Canon EOS 7D was in Aperture Priority. I had mounted the 100-400ED lens, and The lens was wide open at f4.6 to maximize my shutter speed. ISO was 1600. The motor drive was on continuous high mode. I had a Gitzo monopod mounted on the lens for added stability.
- Camera, lens - Nikon D3X, Nikkor 70.0mm-200.0mm f/2.8, Sony Digital film
- Exposure - Focal Length 120mm, 1/60 sec, f/5.0, ISO 100 Shutter priority
- Story behind the shot
⢠I had been shooting landscapes with film using a Hasselblad V system until digital for black and white had overcome the main problems (b&w my passion). Satisfied with the conversions to b&w, I had re-equipped with Nikon digital equipment about 4 weeks before this shoot.
⢠I started photographing aircraft when I was twelve years old. Living and growing up in SE London, a neighbor asked my parents if I would be interested in going to a Battle of Britain airshow at the old Biggin Hill Battle of Britain Station. I borrowed my fatherâs 35mm fixed lens camera and that was it!
⢠This shot was taken on my first air-to-air mission. It was flown out of Falcon Field in Mesa, AZ flying around Red Mountain at sunset. Not only had I managed to master the difficulties of shooting at a slow shutter speed in order to get the prop circle but also the fact that if the photographersâ platform aircraft dipped, the momentum of the camera made the camera âshootâ up, but I had starting to make the compositions I wanted. This image of P-51 âCripes Aâ Mightyâ was one of my favorite results.
[Sean Hoover SEATâs at Night Image]
Sean Hoover
SEAT at Night
Two SEATâs parked on the ramp in McCall Idaho. Part of a personal project to photograph the different aircraft used in aerial firefighting operations.
Technical info: Camera: Sony A9
ISO: 100
Lens: Sigma 14mm
f stop: 16
Shutter: Varied
Roto Light NEO attached to a 20 ft extendable paint pole
Story behind the shot: This Chinook helicopter, Boomer. Owned and operated by Billings flying service, was stationed in McCall Idaho for several weeks during the summer of 2021. My son and I thought it would be fun to do a personal project of photographing the fire fighting aircraft based in McCall, but in a way that was different from the traditional photos. We decided to do a light painting of the different aircraft. It also made it easier for us to get access to the aircraft, since the aircraft were usually in service during the day, but parked at night.
Technical info: Camera: Sony A9
ISO: 200
Lens: Sigma 14mm
f stop: 9.0
Shutter: varied
Roto light NEO attached to a 20 foot extendable paint pole
This Shorts SD3-60 Sherpa, owned and operated by the U.S. Forest Service, based at the USFS Smoke Jumper base in McCall Idaho. My son is a pilot for the USFS and this is his airplane. We wanted a photo of his airplane, but not the usual snapshot. We also wanted to create a unique image that would help tell the story of this aircraft, and also the history of the smokejumper base in McCall Idaho. We decided to do a light painted image on the ramp in McCall and made certain to include the iconic base building in the photo.
Technical info: Camera: Sony A7Rii
ISO: 200
Lens: Sigma 14mm
f stop: 8.0
Shutter: Varied
Roto Light NEO attached to a 20 ft extendable paint pole
Camera, lens and other equipment used
Sony a9II, Sony 600mm f4,
Gitzo Tripod, Wimberley gimbal
Exposure data (shutter speed, aperture, ISO)
f 7.1, SS 1/3200, ISO 1000
Every Summer a nearby small airport in Bealeton Virginia sponsors a Flying Circus airshow. The highlight event is a Wing-walker. As the Biplane makes several passes over the airfield, the daredevil will stay on the top wing as the plane rolls, he will hang from the struts and then hang off the lower wing while waving to the crowd. I canât imagine why anyone would do this, but it sure makes for a fun photo-op.
My wife Lori and I are staff photographers at âThe American Airpower Museumâ, Republic Airport, Farmingdale, NY. https://americanairpowermuseum.com/
Who own and operate âMiss Hapâ the oldest flying B25 in the world.
Miss Hap was General Hap Arnoldâs personal transport in WWII
Howard Hughes owned it after WWII and used it to fly his girlfriends around in so I am told.
This shot was taken May 24, 2014 at the Saturday Night Sunset Fly-by which the American Airpower Museum does for its visitors. The Event was the âBethpage Federal Credit Union Jones Beach Airshowâ which is the major Airshow event each year on Long Island and which we are also contributing photographers to. https://www.bethpagefcu.com/community/events/bethpage-airshow.aspx
Camera Equipment used: Canon 5D MKIII with Canon EF 100-400 IS L series 1.
Exposure Data: Aperture f10, Shutter Speed 1/160 second, ISO 100
Image was shot in RAW format and processed in Adobe Camera RAW and Photoshop
Thunder Over Michigan airshow is held every summer at the Willow Run airport, providing tremendous photographic opportunities for vintage and state of the art aircraft. As usual, August 8th turned out to be one of the hottest days of the summer; the cloudy sky and high humidity was great for capturing contrails off the aircraft in flight. This was the first time I had viewed the USAF F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter in operation. I knew it would be fast and camera control would be critical. Since the F-35 demonstration occurred mid-morning, I was ready after experiencing some shots on other aircraft performing fly-bys.
The image was captured handheld using a Canon EOS R5 with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens set at 400mm. I used manual camera settings of 1/2500sec and f/7.1 to capture the aircraft at high speed and used ISO 400 to obtain proper exposure. The F-35A emerged from a cloud bank out of a steep turn, passing left to right an estimated 1,800 feet in front of the airshow crowd. The continuous autofocus mode of the R5 camera allowed me to establish focus as it emerged from the clouds and hold it for several shots as as the F-35A passed. The roar of the Lightning II as it passed the crowds was akin to thunder from the clouds; hence the title âThunder and Lightningâ.
I was pleased by the contrails present along the wings and fuselage, and the darkened clouds directly behind and beneath the jet exhaust providing a nice contrast to the relatively grey flat sky. It really gives a feeling for the speed of the F-35A as it passed. The image was processed using DxO Pure Raw for noise reduction followed by Lightroom Classic for a small crop and to make minor adjustments to exposure, highlights/shadows, clarity and contrast.
My father and I were returning from a fabulous trip to Israel and Jordan. We were returning via a polar route and the sun was setting over the frigid landscape. I captured this image with my Apple iPhone just as the last rays of sunlight illuminated the mountain peaks. Then, the sun was gone.
Camera lens/equipment: As mentioned above, I captured the image with my Apple iPhone 6+, hand-held. Focal length: 4.2mm
Exposure data: F/2.2, shutter: 1/100, ISO 40
I captured this scene on the morning of September 30 2006 at the Dayton South General Airport near Springboro, Ohio. I was there on assignment from a television documentary production firm out of Washington D.C. to capture still images of the event of this flying replica of the Wright B aircraft with a flying replica of the first airplane to fly in Argentina or Venezuela (I canât remember). It had stormed the night before and early that morning the sky was breaking with the rising sun, providing a beautiful silhouette and reflection on the tarmac at the airport. It was completely unexpected and it caught my eye as a very beautiful scene.
Camera, lens and other equipment: Canon 1D Mark II DSLR camera with Canon 28-70mm f2.8L lens, handheld
Exposure data: 1/250th second shutter speed, f18 aperture, 100 ISO
Some basic adjustments for color and contrast completed in Adobe Lightroom.
Background: This photo was taken at Red Stewart Airfield, 40I (4 Zero India) a grass strip in Waynesville, Ohio. They have been having an annual airshow on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend every year except 2020.
Caption: Taken at the annual airshow at Red Stewart Airfield, (4ÃI), Waynesville, Ohio on Saturday September 3, 2016, at 17:36.
Photo Details: Camera-Canon EOS 70D, ISO-400, 42 mm, f/22, 1/3200 sec., Canon EFS 18-135mm
Photographer: Mark W Reising, Morrow, Ohio
Photographer Bio: Mark Reising first began working on a Private Pilot License in 1971, but it took almost 46 years to finally complete. Currently working on his instrument rating now.
