WEBVTT FILE 1 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:07.000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:13.000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:06.816 Greg Davis: I got into aviation photography, primarily 4 00:01:06.858 --> 00:01:09.861 because my family had a military background, 5 00:01:09.903 --> 00:01:11.154 always around aviation. 6 00:01:11.237 --> 00:01:12.905 My grandfather would always take me out 7 00:01:12.947 --> 00:01:14.449 to Bergstrom Air Force Base, 8 00:01:14.491 --> 00:01:17.744 and we'd watch F-4s launch out of the base. 9 00:01:17.952 --> 00:01:21.039 Talk about a wonderful time, as a kid. 10 00:01:22.165 --> 00:01:24.333 Matt Ellis: My introduction to airplanes was my dad. 11 00:01:24.375 --> 00:01:26.294 One of my first memories of 12 00:01:26.461 --> 00:01:28.921 aircraft is being a very small child 13 00:01:28.963 --> 00:01:31.257 and being put in the seat of an F-4. 14 00:01:31.341 --> 00:01:34.218 And I remember looking around, seeing bunches of gauges 15 00:01:34.260 --> 00:01:36.346 and switches and canopy rails. 16 00:01:36.638 --> 00:01:38.306 And, at that point, I was hooked! 17 00:01:38.598 --> 00:01:40.641 As soon as I kind of became aware of airplanes 18 00:01:40.683 --> 00:01:42.852 and knew what a camera was, I wanted 19 00:01:42.894 --> 00:01:44.187 to take pictures of airplanes. 20 00:01:44.521 --> 00:01:47.815 So it's been a lifelong, uh, obsession, really. 21 00:01:49.651 --> 00:01:51.986 I was going to U.T. Arlington, here in this local area, 22 00:01:52.028 --> 00:01:54.656 Arlington, Texas, and I just got bored one day. 23 00:01:54.739 --> 00:01:56.324 So, I went out to Navy-Dallas, 24 00:01:56.533 --> 00:01:57.992 went over there just to watch planes, 25 00:01:58.034 --> 00:02:00.161 as a lot of people do, and I met a group 26 00:02:00.203 --> 00:02:01.537 of people out there that were really cool, 27 00:02:01.579 --> 00:02:03.372 that hung out there, looked like they knew what they were doing. 28 00:02:03.414 --> 00:02:06.542 Didn't have a camera, didn't have anything, but I saw they did 29 00:02:06.584 --> 00:02:07.919 and was watching what they were doing 30 00:02:08.002 --> 00:02:10.171 and said, you know, this-this looks like to be, would be fun. 31 00:02:10.213 --> 00:02:11.631 Better than just watching the planes, 32 00:02:11.756 --> 00:02:13.091 is-is maybe taking pictures. 33 00:02:14.134 --> 00:02:15.718 Jordan Dutton: Growing up because of his hobby. 34 00:02:15.969 --> 00:02:19.263 It-it kind of got me to, I was around aviation a lot, 35 00:02:19.305 --> 00:02:20.765 and then when I was about a sophomore, 36 00:02:20.807 --> 00:02:23.810 maybe a junior in high school, we went out to the DFW Airport 37 00:02:23.852 --> 00:02:25.061 and then he let me use his camera. 38 00:02:25.103 --> 00:02:27.105 And from that day on, I just got hooked. 39 00:02:27.147 --> 00:02:29.065 'cause it was something that I saw my dad do, 40 00:02:29.107 --> 00:02:30.483 it's like, and that's something that I wanted to do. 41 00:02:30.525 --> 00:02:31.734 It was just something that now, me 42 00:02:31.776 --> 00:02:33.361 and him have been doing together for 10 years. 43 00:02:33.403 --> 00:02:35.238 And it's-it's been some of the happiest times 44 00:02:35.530 --> 00:02:37.448 and, you know, to share that with him 45 00:02:37.490 --> 00:02:38.700 and to have all that fun, I just, 46 00:02:38.783 --> 00:02:40.827 it's been great ever since. I've enjoyed it. 47 00:02:42.036 --> 00:02:44.455 My dad took me to my first air show, 48 00:02:44.497 --> 00:02:48.126 I think it was in 1989, at Volkel Air Base. 49 00:02:48.168 --> 00:02:50.128 And that was the 10 year anniversary 50 00:02:50.170 --> 00:02:52.630 of the F-16 in the Dutch Air Force. 51 00:02:52.839 --> 00:02:56.509 And so it was, it was massive, you know, it was so packed 52 00:02:56.551 --> 00:02:58.428 with people, you know, boys and girls, 53 00:02:58.553 --> 00:03:01.472 and, and I was really fascinated by that. 54 00:03:01.890 --> 00:03:05.893 I'm an aerospace engineer, so I love the background 55 00:03:05.935 --> 00:03:08.855 behind the aviation, behind airplanes, 56 00:03:08.897 --> 00:03:11.858 the technology that goes into aviation. 57 00:03:11.941 --> 00:03:14.569 So, to be able to document that, 58 00:03:14.611 --> 00:03:17.071 in a picture, is fulfilling for me. 59 00:03:17.697 --> 00:03:20.241 Eric Coeckelberghs: I got into aviation like at a pretty young age. 60 00:03:20.283 --> 00:03:22.994 I think I was seven or eight, as far as I can remember. 61 00:03:23.036 --> 00:03:24.704 When I saw the Starfighters, 62 00:03:24.746 --> 00:03:28.249 the legendary jets, F-104 fly over my house. 63 00:03:28.291 --> 00:03:32.378 And ever since I captured that image, I knew like, 64 00:03:32.420 --> 00:03:34.255 "Hey, I love airplanes!" 65 00:03:34.297 --> 00:03:35.590 And the best thing you can do 66 00:03:35.632 --> 00:03:38.342 as the photographer in aviation is to go up in the sky, 67 00:03:38.384 --> 00:03:41.095 and catch airplanes in air-to-air photography. 68 00:03:41.179 --> 00:03:43.264 But that was very, very hard 69 00:03:43.431 --> 00:03:45.308 to actually get a chance to do that. 70 00:03:45.433 --> 00:03:48.227 And so, by the time I was a little bit older, I tried 71 00:03:48.269 --> 00:03:50.146 to create that chances myself. 72 00:03:50.188 --> 00:03:53.816 And yeah, it worked, uh, step by step, by step. 73 00:03:53.858 --> 00:03:57.904 My first air-to-air was in 1987 74 00:03:58.112 --> 00:04:01.157 when I had a chance to fly with the Alpi Eagles. 75 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:03.868 That is an Italian team, flying four Marchettis. 76 00:04:03.910 --> 00:04:07.080 And so they took me flying, during the actual training. 77 00:04:07.455 --> 00:04:11.500 I never heard of G-forces, didn't know what a "looping" was, 78 00:04:11.542 --> 00:04:13.961 but when I looked up and I saw the cows 79 00:04:14.003 --> 00:04:15.296 there in the farm field, 80 00:04:15.380 --> 00:04:17.798 I knew, all right, this is cool! 81 00:04:17.840 --> 00:04:19.717 And I made some - some pretty good pictures. 82 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:23.012 And ever since 1987 I've been doing it. 83 00:04:23.554 --> 00:04:26.766 Keith Snyder: My dad was a fighter pilot in the Air Force, 84 00:04:26.808 --> 00:04:29.560 and he had a camera at that time. 85 00:04:29.727 --> 00:04:32.438 And so I've always been around airplanes 86 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:36.651 and just kind of developed the desire to see airplanes 87 00:04:36.693 --> 00:04:38.486 and then, got the camera bug 88 00:04:38.528 --> 00:04:43.032 and, um, kind of caught the disease at that point. 89 00:04:49.914 --> 00:04:53.209 Greg Davis: I got into photography pretty heavily in high school, 90 00:04:53.501 --> 00:04:55.169 loved taking pictures, 91 00:04:55.420 --> 00:04:58.297 did a lot of military stuff, uh, via a friend 92 00:04:58.339 --> 00:04:59.757 that was in the Air National Guard. 93 00:05:00.091 --> 00:05:03.511 And was introduced, uh, fairly early to, uh, one 94 00:05:03.553 --> 00:05:06.806 of the Air Force's top aerial photographers at the time. 95 00:05:06.848 --> 00:05:08.933 His name was Michael James Haggerty. 96 00:05:08.975 --> 00:05:11.727 And he was a photographer for Airman Magazine, 97 00:05:11.769 --> 00:05:14.063 and became a mentor of mine very quickly. 98 00:05:14.105 --> 00:05:16.107 And he showed me what the pros did 99 00:05:16.357 --> 00:05:19.568 and how they did it, not only to make great photos, 100 00:05:19.610 --> 00:05:20.820 but also to do it safely. 101 00:05:20.862 --> 00:05:22.488 He always stressed safety, uh, 102 00:05:22.613 --> 00:05:25.658 which has turned into my mantra as well as I- 103 00:05:25.700 --> 00:05:27.076 I mentor people now. 104 00:05:27.452 --> 00:05:29.704 I joined the Air Force in 1996. 105 00:05:29.871 --> 00:05:31.080 I walked into the recruiter 106 00:05:31.122 --> 00:05:33.916 and said, I want to be an Air Force photographer. 107 00:05:34.042 --> 00:05:35.960 And the recruiter actually laughed at me, 108 00:05:36.544 --> 00:05:39.005 and he said, "Nah, we're kicking people out." 109 00:05:39.964 --> 00:05:42.342 I actually had my portfolio in my truck 110 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:45.720 and I walked out to my truck and I walked back in 111 00:05:45.762 --> 00:05:47.513 and I said, I don't think you understand. 112 00:05:47.764 --> 00:05:49.515 I wanna be an Air Force photographer. 113 00:05:49.599 --> 00:05:52.143 And I had, uh, about 10 photos that were mounted. 114 00:05:52.477 --> 00:05:54.520 And they were pretty exciting, dynamic stuff. 115 00:05:54.562 --> 00:05:56.689 And I slammed them down on the desk in front 116 00:05:56.731 --> 00:05:58.983 of him in a very cocky, you know, 117 00:05:59.067 --> 00:06:01.944 22-year-old way or whatever it was. 118 00:06:02.362 --> 00:06:05.698 Um, and I said, this is what I do, now. 119 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:09.202 And the first one was two F-15s going straight up. 120 00:06:09.410 --> 00:06:14.415 So the recruiter looked at my portfolio, and looked up at me 121 00:06:14.457 --> 00:06:16.793 and said, let me make a few phone calls. 122 00:06:17.418 --> 00:06:19.170 And so, he did. 123 00:06:19.253 --> 00:06:22.548 And I had a guarantee in my contract, when I signed up 124 00:06:22.840 --> 00:06:25.551 that "if" I made it through basic training, 125 00:06:25.593 --> 00:06:27.595 and "if" I made it through tech school, 126 00:06:27.637 --> 00:06:29.472 that I could be an Air Force photographer. 127 00:06:29.514 --> 00:06:31.057 So it's been a wild ride. 128 00:06:33.434 --> 00:06:36.896 This was all, uh, grab a camera and try it. 129 00:06:37.563 --> 00:06:39.857 No formal training at all. 130 00:06:40.441 --> 00:06:44.528 I started out with Cannon AE-1 Program film cameras, 131 00:06:44.570 --> 00:06:49.075 which were pretty decent equipment, back in the early '80s and '90s. 132 00:06:49.117 --> 00:06:51.911 And, uh, it was a good platform to learn with. 133 00:06:52.078 --> 00:06:55.456 They were manual cameras, um, manual focus. 134 00:06:55.748 --> 00:07:00.211 And then, uh, entered the digital world about 2012 135 00:07:00.670 --> 00:07:04.048 when I, uh, bought my first Canon 7D. 136 00:07:04.298 --> 00:07:08.636 And that's basically what I'm using now, are 7Ds and Canon lenses. 137 00:07:09.303 --> 00:07:11.639 It's all self-taught. Everything I've done has been 138 00:07:11.681 --> 00:07:13.265 through trial and error, quite a bit 139 00:07:13.307 --> 00:07:15.768 of error when you start, especially, you know, working 140 00:07:15.810 --> 00:07:17.269 with the different types of films. 141 00:07:17.311 --> 00:07:20.106 Slide film was a bit of a-a learning curve for me. 142 00:07:20.189 --> 00:07:23.150 Started out, uh, shooting prints and then going to slides. 143 00:07:23.192 --> 00:07:24.360 Everything was a little bit different 144 00:07:24.402 --> 00:07:25.569 because of the, you know, 145 00:07:25.611 --> 00:07:27.154 the ISO settings and everything else. 146 00:07:27.196 --> 00:07:29.782 But it's through trial and error I became better and better. 147 00:07:29.824 --> 00:07:31.576 And of course, once the digital age hit, 148 00:07:31.742 --> 00:07:34.578 that changes everything as far as the ability 149 00:07:34.620 --> 00:07:36.122 to take many more pictures 150 00:07:36.497 --> 00:07:38.749 and find a couple that are good out of that. 151 00:07:38.791 --> 00:07:40.418 With slide, you couldn't afford to do that. 152 00:07:41.127 --> 00:07:44.630 Dan Dutton: Originally, back in the day, everybody shot with slide film. 153 00:07:44.881 --> 00:07:48.551 Some people would bring out 20 rolls of 36 exposure Kodachrome. 154 00:07:48.634 --> 00:07:50.177 I would have like five rolls 155 00:07:50.219 --> 00:07:52.013 'cause I was a struggling college student. 156 00:07:52.597 --> 00:07:56.225 So, when I took my shots, it was usually of a static nature. 157 00:07:56.267 --> 00:07:57.726 And the sunlight had to be really good, 158 00:07:57.768 --> 00:08:00.021 usually early morning shots, that sort of stuff on the ramp. 159 00:08:00.188 --> 00:08:01.772 Didn't catch a whole lot other than 160 00:08:01.814 --> 00:08:03.649 maybe a landing shot of stuff. 161 00:08:03.774 --> 00:08:06.652 So as things progressed, digital comes into play. 162 00:08:06.944 --> 00:08:11.323 Then I got to be more of a, uh, creative photographer in that respect, 163 00:08:11.365 --> 00:08:13.659 because I could deal with the settings post, 164 00:08:13.743 --> 00:08:15.161 you know, production type stuff. 165 00:08:15.328 --> 00:08:17.788 And so it took a lot more chances, got better lenses, 166 00:08:17.830 --> 00:08:20.499 so I was able to shoot more of the plane, the aesthetics 167 00:08:20.541 --> 00:08:22.710 of the aircraft, the lighting, that sort of stuff. 168 00:08:22.752 --> 00:08:25.087 So a lot of the courses I've taken in terms of photography, 169 00:08:25.129 --> 00:08:27.173 have been along those lines with like, Photoshop, 170 00:08:27.215 --> 00:08:30.009 things like that, to be able to draw that contrast out. 171 00:08:30.051 --> 00:08:31.469 So, used to be a backlit, 172 00:08:31.511 --> 00:08:33.012 throw it in the trash can, now backlit, 173 00:08:33.054 --> 00:08:35.890 no, I'll take something with that, make something pretty out of that, 174 00:08:35.932 --> 00:08:37.475 nice and aesthetically pleasing. 175 00:08:37.558 --> 00:08:40.352 So that's kind of the difference between then and now. 176 00:08:41.771 --> 00:08:45.566 Eric Coeckelberghs: The old style of doing stuff was a lot of fun, 177 00:08:45.942 --> 00:08:47.985 but everything was manual. 178 00:08:48.236 --> 00:08:52.406 The good thing is, you learn how to take pictures really well! 179 00:08:52.823 --> 00:08:55.660 And you have a maximum 36 exposures. 180 00:08:56.077 --> 00:08:59.747 So when I was still using that camera, for every 36 exposures, 181 00:08:59.789 --> 00:09:02.375 I had at least 25 really good photos! 182 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:06.962 And strangely enough, even today, with the gun mode, 183 00:09:08.422 --> 00:09:12.718 I still do, like: I aim, I still do like, "chick, chick, chick, chick." 184 00:09:12.927 --> 00:09:14.929 While other guys take 50 pictures, 185 00:09:14.971 --> 00:09:16.889 I take like five or six! 186 00:09:18.641 --> 00:09:22.728 Switching from, uh, film or slides to digital, 187 00:09:22.853 --> 00:09:27.149 uh, I've-I've noticed that I shoot a lot more! 188 00:09:27.358 --> 00:09:29.902 So when I was shooting film, of course, it was expensive, 189 00:09:29.944 --> 00:09:34.282 especially for, you know, like a 14 or 15-year-old, right? 190 00:09:34.824 --> 00:09:39.036 So, going to digital, it was so much easier, you know, 191 00:09:39.078 --> 00:09:41.080 to just shoot everything that you see. 192 00:09:41.122 --> 00:09:42.748 And then when you come home 193 00:09:43.165 --> 00:09:45.376 and uh, you didn't like something, you know, 194 00:09:45.501 --> 00:09:47.670 you just delete it, you know, and move on. 195 00:09:47.712 --> 00:09:49.630 No, uh, no harm, no foul. 196 00:09:55.261 --> 00:09:59.848 To me, that's the fun part of photographing with aviation is, 197 00:09:59.890 --> 00:10:01.809 especially on the military side, 198 00:10:01.851 --> 00:10:03.102 is, it's just like hunting. 199 00:10:03.144 --> 00:10:04.395 When you go sitting in the stand, 200 00:10:04.437 --> 00:10:06.939 you don't know what you're gonna see. 201 00:10:07.106 --> 00:10:10.192 It could be nothing at all, to everything flying in the day. 202 00:10:10.568 --> 00:10:13.445 And, you know, I'm just looking, sometimes I'm just looking 203 00:10:13.487 --> 00:10:17.616 for something just to see F-16, F-35, especially around here, 204 00:10:17.658 --> 00:10:19.285 just to have something in the air. 205 00:10:19.327 --> 00:10:21.203 You know, obviously from the photography side, 206 00:10:21.287 --> 00:10:22.413 I would really look, you know, you know, 207 00:10:22.455 --> 00:10:23.831 for those banking shots, those nice 208 00:10:23.998 --> 00:10:25.916 low approach shots, things like that. 209 00:10:26.083 --> 00:10:28.127 But I really don't go hunting for anything in particular 210 00:10:28.169 --> 00:10:30.671 unless I know something is happening, obviously, which is very rare. 211 00:10:30.713 --> 00:10:32.757 It's, it's very rare that we're in the know of what's going on. 212 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:34.300 But that, to me, that's part of the fun of it, 213 00:10:34.342 --> 00:10:36.802 is you don't know what you're gonna get when you go out there, 214 00:10:36.844 --> 00:10:38.345 which is the reason why we all do it, right? 215 00:10:38.387 --> 00:10:40.097 It's the reason we go out there. 'Cause you don't know 216 00:10:40.306 --> 00:10:41.599 what you're gonna see that day. 217 00:10:41.724 --> 00:10:43.183 And, I guess the best answer is 218 00:10:43.225 --> 00:10:44.476 I don't really look for anything, 219 00:10:44.518 --> 00:10:46.228 but you know, obviously 220 00:10:46.729 --> 00:10:48.314 as any photographer would you love looking 221 00:10:48.356 --> 00:10:50.608 for those beautiful, nice takeoff shots 222 00:10:50.650 --> 00:10:53.611 and nice low approach bank shots over you at the top, things like that. 223 00:10:53.819 --> 00:10:57.073 And, and yeah, just kind of enjoying from that end of it. 224 00:10:57.865 --> 00:11:01.452 As aviation photographers, aviation doesn't always come to you, 225 00:11:01.619 --> 00:11:04.997 especially nowadays, you know, you have to go out and seek 226 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:06.832 that special aircraft that you're after. 227 00:11:07.416 --> 00:11:10.169 When I started, I was definitely a "plane spotter." 228 00:11:10.252 --> 00:11:11.503 If you got word, you know, 229 00:11:11.545 --> 00:11:15.216 that a specific aircraft was visiting somewhere, then, 230 00:11:15.341 --> 00:11:17.134 you know, you jumped in the car. 231 00:11:17.343 --> 00:11:22.306 You know, I started young, so for me it was, uh, bicycles and trains and buses. 232 00:11:22.348 --> 00:11:24.266 You know, try to get to an air base, 233 00:11:24.433 --> 00:11:26.394 try to catch whatever was comin' in. 234 00:11:26.894 --> 00:11:31.065 So, a good story for me, at least, one that I really, uh, 235 00:11:31.107 --> 00:11:37.196 you know, hold dear to my heart is going out with friends in about 1990ish. 236 00:11:37.613 --> 00:11:41.534 And, uh, we were after the USS John F. Kennedy. 237 00:11:41.659 --> 00:11:45.079 It was moorn in the south of England, in South Hampton. 238 00:11:45.287 --> 00:11:50.000 And so, we were driving at night trying to go across the channel, 239 00:11:50.042 --> 00:11:51.001 you know, from the Netherlands. 240 00:11:51.043 --> 00:11:53.379 And so a long drive after school. 241 00:11:53.838 --> 00:11:56.590 And, uh, so we ended up in South Hampton. 242 00:11:56.882 --> 00:12:00.594 And we were gonna camp in the wild, you know, just to save a buck or two. 243 00:12:00.636 --> 00:12:05.349 So we found this place that we thought, you know, 244 00:12:05.433 --> 00:12:06.809 was a, a park, you know, 245 00:12:06.851 --> 00:12:09.353 where we could basically pitch a tent, 246 00:12:09.395 --> 00:12:10.771 you know, and parked the car. 247 00:12:10.813 --> 00:12:13.232 It ended up being a golf course. 248 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:17.486 And so when we woke up, we looked outside the tent, you know, 249 00:12:17.528 --> 00:12:18.904 and, and here's all these people 250 00:12:18.946 --> 00:12:21.573 that were already playing their game, you know, 251 00:12:21.615 --> 00:12:24.785 wondering what was going on with this tent, you know, 252 00:12:24.827 --> 00:12:26.454 on the, on the golf course. 253 00:12:26.871 --> 00:12:30.708 And there's a lot of those stories, that you go through, 254 00:12:30.750 --> 00:12:32.626 doing this hobby, I would say. 255 00:12:32.668 --> 00:12:37.798 Going out with friends and, uh, you know, just, just having a blast, you know? 256 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:40.843 I mean, that's for me, you know, what it really is about, 257 00:12:40.885 --> 00:12:42.302 you know, just having fun. 258 00:12:42.344 --> 00:12:43.387 And then of course you get 259 00:12:43.429 --> 00:12:47.224 to watch these guys do their professional job in military aviation 260 00:12:47.266 --> 00:12:50.018 and admiring, you know, what they, uh, what they do for us! 261 00:12:52.021 --> 00:12:55.524 Going out and taking photographs of, of, uh, airplanes. 262 00:12:55.566 --> 00:12:58.360 It, I find very cathartic. No stress. 263 00:12:58.402 --> 00:13:01.530 I have no expectations, uh, when I leave the house, uh, 264 00:13:01.655 --> 00:13:03.908 unless I going to an event like an air show, 265 00:13:04.283 --> 00:13:05.492 a prearranged visit. 266 00:13:05.534 --> 00:13:07.411 And then, you know, the expectation is, well, 267 00:13:07.453 --> 00:13:09.538 you gonna hopefully, see something that, 268 00:13:09.580 --> 00:13:10.748 uh, catches your eye. 269 00:13:11.081 --> 00:13:14.126 If it's just a normal day, having a day out with airplanes, 270 00:13:14.168 --> 00:13:15.419 I have no expectations. 271 00:13:15.461 --> 00:13:19.965 As they say, any day shooting airplanes will beat every day at work, every time. 272 00:13:21.091 --> 00:13:25.846 A lot of my favorite photographs aren't necessarily of subjects which are 273 00:13:25.888 --> 00:13:27.556 that interesting. 274 00:13:27.598 --> 00:13:30.309 Some of the photographs are of interesting subjects 275 00:13:30.351 --> 00:13:32.019 that aren't terribly good quality. 276 00:13:32.353 --> 00:13:35.231 Uh, but each one has a story that goes with it. 277 00:13:35.689 --> 00:13:38.358 Having a good story, a good background behind the photograph 278 00:13:38.400 --> 00:13:40.694 where it was taken, the circumstances 279 00:13:40.820 --> 00:13:43.739 comes part of the way I look at my favorite photographs. 280 00:13:43.989 --> 00:13:46.742 One of my favorite photographs, uh, is of a, uh, 281 00:13:46.784 --> 00:13:52.414 an Egyptian MIG-21. I took on the ground in Egypt, at an Egyptian Air Force base. 282 00:13:52.456 --> 00:13:55.417 And it was probably the closest I ever went to going to jail, 283 00:13:55.459 --> 00:13:56.752 for taking a photograph. 284 00:13:56.961 --> 00:14:01.799 The Egyptian Air Force were very adamant that there'd be no cameras. 285 00:14:02.216 --> 00:14:04.343 And, uh, I had run outta film. 286 00:14:04.385 --> 00:14:07.679 I was on my last roll of 36 exposure Kodachrome 287 00:14:07.721 --> 00:14:10.599 and, uh, this MIG-21 came in and, 288 00:14:11.267 --> 00:14:15.062 and, uh, I knew I had maybe two shots left on the camera. 289 00:14:15.521 --> 00:14:17.648 The Egyptian security was walking up and down 290 00:14:17.690 --> 00:14:20.067 and I sneakily took a couple of photographs, 291 00:14:20.109 --> 00:14:23.320 and one of the Egyptian guards kind of saw me 292 00:14:23.779 --> 00:14:26.532 and I very, uh, delicately pressed the rewind button 293 00:14:26.574 --> 00:14:29.076 with my thumb and my hands were big enough 294 00:14:29.118 --> 00:14:32.246 that I could actually start to rewind the film back into the canister, 295 00:14:32.288 --> 00:14:33.914 while he was trying to talk to me. 296 00:14:33.956 --> 00:14:35.874 And he wasn't looking at what my hand was doing. 297 00:14:35.916 --> 00:14:39.211 And then at the end of it, he's, uh, "Open your camera!" 298 00:14:39.253 --> 00:14:40.504 And I was more than happy to open it, 299 00:14:40.546 --> 00:14:42.089 because there was a film canister in there 300 00:14:42.131 --> 00:14:44.091 that was already returned to its' slot. 301 00:14:44.425 --> 00:14:46.009 Now, that was a very memorable photograph. 302 00:14:46.051 --> 00:14:48.679 It's not a fantastic photograph, interesting subject, 303 00:14:48.721 --> 00:14:51.181 but the story behind it, um, is, 304 00:14:51.223 --> 00:14:53.225 is much more memorable for me. 305 00:14:55.019 --> 00:14:56.770 Keith Snyder: Targets of opportunity. 306 00:14:56.979 --> 00:14:59.815 First and primary is any aircraft 307 00:14:59.857 --> 00:15:05.321 that we don't see normally in this area, transient aircraft or aircraft types. 308 00:15:05.446 --> 00:15:09.283 And it's "pot luck," whether you will see that in a given day or not. 309 00:15:09.742 --> 00:15:10.993 With our local base here, 310 00:15:11.035 --> 00:15:13.453 Fort Worth there is the expectation 311 00:15:13.495 --> 00:15:15.873 of getting the locally based F-16s 312 00:15:15.915 --> 00:15:19.043 and F-35s flying out of Lockheed Martin. 313 00:15:19.418 --> 00:15:22.212 It's a mixed bag. You're hoping for new stuff, 314 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:23.839 but you're expecting to get some 315 00:15:23.881 --> 00:15:25.924 of the local stuff at the same time. 316 00:15:25.966 --> 00:15:27.343 So you kind of plan on both. 317 00:15:27.635 --> 00:15:29.970 We actually have examples of a perfect, 318 00:15:30.512 --> 00:15:36.310 or near perfect photo day for our purposes, that happen here, occasionally: 319 00:15:36.602 --> 00:15:38.270 Hurricane evacuations, 320 00:15:38.896 --> 00:15:42.357 where a hurricane will threaten the southeast United States 321 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:46.153 and most of those bases will evacuate their aircraft, rather than risk 322 00:15:46.195 --> 00:15:47.363 having them damaged. 323 00:15:47.613 --> 00:15:50.532 Navy Fort Worth is a prime location for some 324 00:15:50.574 --> 00:15:54.203 of those aircraft to "bug out" to. 325 00:15:54.954 --> 00:15:58.332 So, we've had occasions where we'll go out there 326 00:15:58.374 --> 00:16:01.710 and catch over a hundred airplanes 327 00:16:01.752 --> 00:16:05.172 that are not based at the Navy base, come in, in a day 328 00:16:05.673 --> 00:16:08.676 of multiple, multiple types from multiple bases. 329 00:16:09.093 --> 00:16:11.970 That's fun! And you know that a whole lot 330 00:16:12.012 --> 00:16:14.389 of stuff is coming in and a lot of variety. 331 00:16:14.431 --> 00:16:18.852 So, uh, that's a rich target of opportunity for our hobby. 332 00:16:20.646 --> 00:16:26.568 Favorite photos. There have been so many and so many different types, 333 00:16:27.111 --> 00:16:30.864 but I think my favorites are ones that I took of my cousin. 334 00:16:31.532 --> 00:16:32.741 I was, uh, flying 335 00:16:32.783 --> 00:16:35.285 with the Lone Star Flight Museum, outta Galveston. 336 00:16:35.327 --> 00:16:37.287 He was a chief pilot at that time, 337 00:16:37.997 --> 00:16:40.207 and I went up in their B-25 338 00:16:40.249 --> 00:16:42.584 and hung out a porthole on the side of it 339 00:16:43.043 --> 00:16:48.424 and took pictures of him, while he was flying B-17, in formation with us. 340 00:16:48.882 --> 00:16:50.008 And I think those were some 341 00:16:50.050 --> 00:16:52.803 of the most satisfying pictures I've ever taken, 342 00:16:52.845 --> 00:16:55.639 because it was an incredible aircraft 343 00:16:56.265 --> 00:16:58.016 and somebody who was close to me 344 00:16:58.058 --> 00:17:02.354 who was flying it at the time, that, that was fun! 345 00:17:02.521 --> 00:17:04.731 And I still look back at those photographs 346 00:17:04.773 --> 00:17:05.899 with a lot of fondness. 347 00:17:12.031 --> 00:17:15.367 For a photographer, there is nothing better than a "flex departure" 348 00:17:15.409 --> 00:17:16.952 at Nellis, during a Red Flag 349 00:17:16.994 --> 00:17:18.620 or even at Nellis Air Force Base, in general. 350 00:17:18.662 --> 00:17:20.497 If you're lucky enough to photograph out there. 351 00:17:21.081 --> 00:17:25.002 Typically during Red Flags, they uh, take off to the north 352 00:17:25.419 --> 00:17:28.839 and depending on the mission that these guys are flying, 353 00:17:28.881 --> 00:17:30.674 they either go straight out north and, 354 00:17:30.716 --> 00:17:32.801 and follow the highway into the desert, 355 00:17:32.843 --> 00:17:36.847 or they take a "flex departure," which, basically, makes a steep left turn 356 00:17:36.889 --> 00:17:40.642 over the motor speedway, that's located just north of the air base. 357 00:17:41.226 --> 00:17:44.813 Greg Davis: My experience with "flex departure," is asking for 358 00:17:44.855 --> 00:17:48.066 and understanding that you're gonna receive an opportunity to, 359 00:17:48.108 --> 00:17:49.359 as soon as the wheels come up, 360 00:17:49.401 --> 00:17:50.485 the gear's gonna come up, 361 00:17:50.527 --> 00:17:54.156 and you're going to head to your military operating area in most cases, 362 00:17:54.198 --> 00:17:55.699 in an expedited manner! 363 00:17:55.741 --> 00:18:00.620 So, that's often an opportunity to kick burner, pull a lot of 'G's 364 00:18:00.662 --> 00:18:03.832 going right out, and you get some vapors coming off the wing tips 365 00:18:03.874 --> 00:18:06.543 and it's usually a pretty exciting time for both the 366 00:18:06.627 --> 00:18:09.629 occupant of the airplane as well as people 367 00:18:09.671 --> 00:18:11.405 that may be photographing it down there. 368 00:18:11.965 --> 00:18:13.425 Jordan Dutton: Last year we went to Red Flag. 369 00:18:13.509 --> 00:18:16.636 We had an F-35 pilot who, I don't know, 370 00:18:16.678 --> 00:18:18.764 he didn't even have it, maybe a 1,000, 371 00:18:18.806 --> 00:18:19.931 2,000 feet above the ground. 372 00:18:19.973 --> 00:18:21.349 Kept it very, very low for us. 373 00:18:21.391 --> 00:18:22.726 And I mean, he turned that stick 374 00:18:22.768 --> 00:18:25.395 and he came right over the top of the car, shook the ground, 375 00:18:25.437 --> 00:18:26.730 shook the cars and everything, 376 00:18:26.772 --> 00:18:28.565 and it just sent a chill down your spine, 377 00:18:28.732 --> 00:18:29.775 when he yanked over the top of you. 378 00:18:29.817 --> 00:18:31.985 And that's a rare occasion, I'm sure you know that 379 00:18:32.027 --> 00:18:33.320 that doesn't happen all the time. 380 00:18:33.487 --> 00:18:36.948 But if a pilot feels gracious that day, he'll bless you 381 00:18:36.990 --> 00:18:38.617 with a really good "flex departure!" 382 00:18:39.993 --> 00:18:41.661 Keith Snyder: Got an airplane that's launching 383 00:18:41.703 --> 00:18:44.414 and then basically aiming right at you, 384 00:18:44.790 --> 00:18:47.668 in full afterburner, at a low altitude. 385 00:18:48.127 --> 00:18:50.712 And, at least, the local pilots who are there, 386 00:18:50.754 --> 00:18:52.506 who know the photographers are down there 387 00:18:52.548 --> 00:18:56.093 by the raceway waiting for 'em, are putting on a show. 388 00:18:56.844 --> 00:18:58.971 And if the lighting is right 389 00:18:59.179 --> 00:19:01.849 and you got the right type of aircraft, 390 00:19:02.224 --> 00:19:05.686 incredible photographs can be had out there. 391 00:19:06.019 --> 00:19:07.145 And just the thrill 392 00:19:07.187 --> 00:19:11.691 of having an F-35 go over your head at 200 feet in full afterburner, 393 00:19:11.733 --> 00:19:13.527 is just awesome! 394 00:19:20.450 --> 00:19:22.828 I am extremely lucky that my wife, 395 00:19:23.203 --> 00:19:26.039 not only does she let me indulge in airplanes, 396 00:19:26.081 --> 00:19:29.751 she actually encourages it, because she knows it grounds me 397 00:19:30.210 --> 00:19:32.879 and she'll join me, especially with the overseas trips, 398 00:19:32.921 --> 00:19:34.673 she'll come to all the air shows with me 399 00:19:35.132 --> 00:19:36.466 and she's all about the noise. 400 00:19:37.801 --> 00:19:40.720 and I'm all about the jets and the airplanes and the photography. 401 00:19:40.762 --> 00:19:41.805 But she's there for the noise. 402 00:19:41.847 --> 00:19:43.640 So she loves the fast jets 403 00:19:44.474 --> 00:19:46.852 and of course, she came out to Greece with me, for PhanCon, 404 00:19:46.894 --> 00:19:48.854 of course she's there for the noise of the Phantoms 405 00:19:48.896 --> 00:19:50.438 and let's face it, who isn't? 406 00:19:52.691 --> 00:19:53.942 She loves it as much as I do. 407 00:19:53.984 --> 00:19:56.653 So I have 100% support 408 00:19:56.695 --> 00:19:59.489 on pretty much everything I do as far as airplane's concerned. 409 00:19:59.865 --> 00:20:04.327 And my wife likes to fly, so, uh, she actually flies in Green Flag herself. 410 00:20:04.369 --> 00:20:07.748 So, uh, she's a sensor operator for Civil Air Patrol. 411 00:20:08.415 --> 00:20:12.127 My wife actually comments the-the same way, you know, 412 00:20:12.169 --> 00:20:13.670 that my mom used to do, you know. 413 00:20:13.712 --> 00:20:17.174 So, every time, you know, I get excited, you know, 414 00:20:17.216 --> 00:20:20.343 when I had a film, uh, developed and, uh, 415 00:20:20.385 --> 00:20:21.678 and pictures printed 416 00:20:21.970 --> 00:20:24.055 and you run over to your parents, you know, 417 00:20:24.097 --> 00:20:25.932 and you go like, oh mom, look at this, you know, 418 00:20:25.974 --> 00:20:27.267 and she's like, well, yeah, but 419 00:20:27.559 --> 00:20:29.102 that's the same one as this one. 420 00:20:29.436 --> 00:20:32.689 And you go like, no, but this squadron patch on the tail 421 00:20:32.731 --> 00:20:33.857 is different than that one. 422 00:20:33.899 --> 00:20:35.609 I'm like, okay, I don't see it. 423 00:20:35.901 --> 00:20:39.238 So yeah, my-my wife is essentially the same way, you know? 424 00:20:39.696 --> 00:20:43.575 So, uh, yeah, they don't see the differences, you know, 425 00:20:43.617 --> 00:20:44.785 that-that we do. 426 00:20:45.285 --> 00:20:49.247 And they don't get excited when we hear something on the radio "crack" 427 00:20:49.289 --> 00:20:50.540 and they're ready to go. 428 00:20:50.624 --> 00:20:52.459 You know, my adrenaline starts going! 429 00:20:54.127 --> 00:20:56.213 The family puts up with it. 430 00:20:56.964 --> 00:20:58.966 My daughter has zero interest in it. 431 00:20:59.299 --> 00:21:01.802 She knows I do it, and she has no problem. 432 00:21:02.135 --> 00:21:04.137 My wife, now, puts up with it. 433 00:21:04.554 --> 00:21:08.350 Uh, this hobby almost cost me my marriage in the '80s. 434 00:21:08.558 --> 00:21:11.645 You dive into it so much 435 00:21:12.104 --> 00:21:15.190 that you end up spending way too much time pursuing the hobby 436 00:21:15.232 --> 00:21:17.025 and not enough time on your family. 437 00:21:17.693 --> 00:21:19.945 I know a lot of photographers 438 00:21:19.987 --> 00:21:24.992 in the hobbyist category, who aren't married anymore, 439 00:21:25.367 --> 00:21:28.078 and it's specifically because of this. 440 00:21:28.412 --> 00:21:30.330 This is a time consuming hobby. 441 00:21:30.664 --> 00:21:32.874 There are hundreds and hundreds of hours 442 00:21:32.916 --> 00:21:36.253 you'll spend out in an airfield over and over and over again, 443 00:21:36.295 --> 00:21:38.255 trying to catch what you're looking for. 444 00:21:38.422 --> 00:21:40.840 And it's very easy to get caught up in that 445 00:21:40.882 --> 00:21:42.467 and your family suffers. 446 00:21:43.051 --> 00:21:48.556 Um, I found out, you know, in the early '90s that there's a balancing act to this. 447 00:21:48.598 --> 00:21:50.809 And I saved my marriage, but it was close. 448 00:21:51.226 --> 00:21:52.936 A lot of people haven't saved it. 449 00:21:53.687 --> 00:21:56.898 And uh, I think that's the point 450 00:21:56.940 --> 00:21:59.276 where some people get a little too serious in this. 451 00:21:59.318 --> 00:22:03.989 If you're willing to dump your family, basically, in order 452 00:22:04.031 --> 00:22:05.615 to go out and get an airplane picture, 453 00:22:05.657 --> 00:22:09.244 I think that's takin' the hobby just a little too seriously. 454 00:22:15.709 --> 00:22:17.043 There was a perfect excuse 455 00:22:17.085 --> 00:22:20.172 after 9/11 to say, well, 456 00:22:20.464 --> 00:22:24.968 security dictates we're not gonna let you onto the airfield or anybody else. 457 00:22:25.469 --> 00:22:30.057 Versus, being able to recognize, now's the time where we need 458 00:22:30.432 --> 00:22:31.975 to be telling our story more. 459 00:22:32.351 --> 00:22:34.144 We need to have local media come in. 460 00:22:34.186 --> 00:22:36.855 We need to have people that understand what's going on 461 00:22:36.897 --> 00:22:38.106 that can tell our story. 462 00:22:38.774 --> 00:22:43.904 A lot of public affairs officers almost consider local folks as adversarial. 463 00:22:44.196 --> 00:22:46.906 They all want to have the big TV station, you know, 464 00:22:46.948 --> 00:22:49.117 CBS News from New York come in and, 465 00:22:49.159 --> 00:22:52.371 and do a positive report on whatever their unit is, 466 00:22:52.537 --> 00:22:57.501 but they neglect and almost ostracize their local base, 467 00:22:57.709 --> 00:23:00.795 that are the supporters that get photos in the newspaper, 468 00:23:00.837 --> 00:23:04.216 that talk to pilots that are almost recruiters. 469 00:23:04.508 --> 00:23:07.177 There's people that do that, that have a passion 470 00:23:07.427 --> 00:23:10.889 for photography and for aviation, that make great photos, 471 00:23:11.348 --> 00:23:15.394 that help people, the civilians, understand what's going on. 472 00:23:15.727 --> 00:23:17.979 There's a few folks that I personally know 473 00:23:18.146 --> 00:23:20.565 and, uh, that I-I see out in the D.O.D. 474 00:23:20.899 --> 00:23:24.277 that do a really great job of keeping in mind the 475 00:23:24.444 --> 00:23:27.989 enthusiast, the hobbyist, the people that are out there to 476 00:23:28.657 --> 00:23:31.118 gawk at jets, but also make great photos. 477 00:23:31.284 --> 00:23:34.496 One of the guys, he's a civilian public affairs officer 478 00:23:34.538 --> 00:23:37.040 for the Navy, he hosts an aviation day. 479 00:23:37.457 --> 00:23:38.583 It's very well organized. 480 00:23:38.625 --> 00:23:41.711 It brings people out that he knows they have a passion for it. 481 00:23:42.003 --> 00:23:43.546 They get to see all kinds of cool stuff. 482 00:23:43.588 --> 00:23:46.925 They make great photos, they amplify the mission 483 00:23:47.300 --> 00:23:49.803 into the local community and around the country. 484 00:23:50.220 --> 00:23:51.596 Um, and it's a win-win 485 00:23:51.638 --> 00:23:55.809 because he also asks, if you get some great photos, 486 00:23:55.851 --> 00:23:57.185 will you share them with us? 487 00:23:57.644 --> 00:24:00.981 So, he gets photos from some of the top photographers 488 00:24:01.273 --> 00:24:03.817 that he can then put into his official products 489 00:24:03.984 --> 00:24:05.068 and show his command 490 00:24:05.110 --> 00:24:07.237 and show the Navy in a positive light, 491 00:24:07.654 --> 00:24:09.489 didn't cost him anything! 492 00:24:10.323 --> 00:24:11.950 We've got to get back to a point 493 00:24:11.992 --> 00:24:14.702 where people recognize those kind of opportunities 494 00:24:14.744 --> 00:24:17.747 as, in the public affairs field and leverage them, 495 00:24:18.081 --> 00:24:20.708 because there's not enough people going into aviation. 496 00:24:20.750 --> 00:24:22.877 There's not enough pilots, there's not enough mechanics, 497 00:24:22.919 --> 00:24:25.964 there's not enough people that want to fuel jets or helicopters. 498 00:24:26.381 --> 00:24:29.801 There's not enough people that want to learn aerodynamics. 499 00:24:30.010 --> 00:24:32.554 We're competing against everything under the sun, 500 00:24:32.596 --> 00:24:35.557 for people's attention, especially in those critical 501 00:24:35.682 --> 00:24:38.268 high school years and early college. 502 00:24:38.602 --> 00:24:42.522 So, if we don't have something that's eye catching 503 00:24:42.564 --> 00:24:44.691 that's interesting, a great story 504 00:24:44.733 --> 00:24:48.361 that captures people's attention, then we're gonna lose. 505 00:24:48.403 --> 00:24:51.156 And that is, that's concerning to me 506 00:24:51.198 --> 00:24:53.074 because it is a passion for me, 507 00:24:53.116 --> 00:24:55.076 both photography and aviation. 508 00:24:55.452 --> 00:24:58.121 But when you consider the big picture of national defense 509 00:24:58.371 --> 00:25:01.833 and just aviation in general, we need more pilots 510 00:25:01.875 --> 00:25:04.753 to fly people around the country to conduct the business 511 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:06.046 that occurs in the United States. 512 00:25:06.296 --> 00:25:08.882 We've got to be able to be mobile, we've gotta have people 513 00:25:09.257 --> 00:25:11.551 that know what they're doing, fly great, 514 00:25:12.260 --> 00:25:13.970 get their passengers there on time, 515 00:25:14.221 --> 00:25:16.932 deliver weapons if it's military, et cetera. 516 00:25:17.015 --> 00:25:18.475 And we've, we've gotta get back to that. 517 00:25:20.352 --> 00:25:22.145 Greg Davis: Everybody likes to have their picture taken. 518 00:25:22.562 --> 00:25:25.356 And when I was an Air Force photographer, I recognized that 519 00:25:25.398 --> 00:25:28.568 very quickly, that all pilots, they've got an ego, 520 00:25:28.777 --> 00:25:30.403 they want to have a great photo of them. 521 00:25:30.695 --> 00:25:32.530 But you have to be careful and you have to, 522 00:25:32.572 --> 00:25:36.493 as a photographer, understand that sometimes appealing 523 00:25:36.535 --> 00:25:38.703 to somebody's ego is, is a negative thing. 524 00:25:39.079 --> 00:25:41.456 And I think we saw that out in the "Star Wars Canyon" 525 00:25:41.498 --> 00:25:44.417 in California, where you had photographers 526 00:25:44.459 --> 00:25:47.587 who discovered a great location to go and photograph 527 00:25:47.879 --> 00:25:49.422 and they started making pictures 528 00:25:49.464 --> 00:25:51.967 of the pilots flying the low level routes. 529 00:25:52.384 --> 00:25:53.927 And then the word quickly got out 530 00:25:53.969 --> 00:25:56.096 and lots of photographers started showing up 531 00:25:56.429 --> 00:25:59.015 and they also started coordinating behind the scenes 532 00:25:59.641 --> 00:26:01.476 with the pilots. 533 00:26:01.893 --> 00:26:04.646 And it went so far as to coordinate 534 00:26:04.688 --> 00:26:07.274 with units in advance. 535 00:26:07.566 --> 00:26:10.360 So they would, they were having people come through the, 536 00:26:10.402 --> 00:26:13.321 the low level route that traditionally would not fly 537 00:26:13.363 --> 00:26:14.572 through that low level route: 538 00:26:14.614 --> 00:26:17.492 Larger aircraft, adversary aircraft, 539 00:26:17.534 --> 00:26:19.452 aircraft wearing cool paint schemes. 540 00:26:19.619 --> 00:26:21.496 And it got dangerous, very quickly, 541 00:26:21.788 --> 00:26:24.291 because you had these pilots that were coordinating and, 542 00:26:24.833 --> 00:26:28.295 and knowing that there's 50 photographers on the ridge, 543 00:26:28.795 --> 00:26:30.713 they're gonna get great photos if I go through 544 00:26:30.755 --> 00:26:34.884 that pass upside down, versus flying it, pushing over 545 00:26:34.926 --> 00:26:36.261 and continuing in. 546 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:40.181 And we actually lost an F-18E a few years ago 547 00:26:40.599 --> 00:26:42.976 where the pilot was being very aggressive 548 00:26:43.018 --> 00:26:44.978 and ended up impacting ground and... 549 00:26:45.478 --> 00:26:47.689 Loss of life of the pilot was devastating, 550 00:26:48.023 --> 00:26:51.401 but that's also a national asset for an F-18 aircraft 551 00:26:51.443 --> 00:26:53.278 that's, you know, now smoldering 552 00:26:53.361 --> 00:26:55.363 metal in the middle of the desert. 553 00:26:55.739 --> 00:26:58.992 And I even told photographers at the time, I said, you have 554 00:26:59.034 --> 00:27:00.785 to be very careful about this 555 00:27:00.827 --> 00:27:03.747 because you're gonna get somebody that's gonna think 556 00:27:04.456 --> 00:27:07.917 going through there faster than the published airspeed is gonna 557 00:27:07.959 --> 00:27:11.838 make a better photo when, actually probably doing it slower 558 00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:15.383 would be better for photos and for safety. 559 00:27:22.641 --> 00:27:27.186 I had a-an acquaintance in a local Post Office, uh, 560 00:27:27.228 --> 00:27:29.064 that I had known for several years, 561 00:27:29.272 --> 00:27:30.774 he worked behind the counter. 562 00:27:31.858 --> 00:27:34.986 And, I found out that he had been in the Navy 563 00:27:35.070 --> 00:27:38.698 and had been a bombardier-navigator in an A-6 Intruder. 564 00:27:39.032 --> 00:27:42.035 He knew that I had photographed airplanes and enjoyed it 565 00:27:42.118 --> 00:27:43.745 and he had no photographs 566 00:27:43.787 --> 00:27:45.830 of any aircraft he had ever flown in. 567 00:27:46.831 --> 00:27:50.710 So I asked him and got his log book from him and went back 568 00:27:51.044 --> 00:27:53.796 and researched and looked through trying to match up 569 00:27:53.838 --> 00:27:56.383 to see if I had photographed any aircraft 570 00:27:56.966 --> 00:27:58.718 that he had in his log book. 571 00:27:59.886 --> 00:28:03.431 And I found an entry: "March of 1986" 572 00:28:04.307 --> 00:28:08.353 where there was a, a VA-75 A-6 573 00:28:08.395 --> 00:28:11.606 that landed at Navy-Dallas, and I caught it. 574 00:28:12.315 --> 00:28:15.318 It was the only VA-75 A-6 I ever saw. 575 00:28:16.152 --> 00:28:19.489 And it turns out that was him, in that airplane 576 00:28:19.823 --> 00:28:21.532 and it was in the afternoon, 577 00:28:21.574 --> 00:28:23.660 so I shot the right side of the airplane. 578 00:28:23.702 --> 00:28:27.580 So, he was on the side facing me and I went back 579 00:28:27.622 --> 00:28:30.708 and found the slide and I was able to give him a print of 580 00:28:30.750 --> 00:28:33.503 that airplane, from 30 years before. 581 00:28:34.087 --> 00:28:37.006 And it just, it freaked me out! 582 00:28:37.090 --> 00:28:40.343 The coincidence of it just freaked me out at the time. 583 00:28:40.427 --> 00:28:41.970 But it-it was fun, 584 00:28:42.137 --> 00:28:44.931 and it kind of illustrates, kind of why I do this 585 00:28:44.973 --> 00:28:50.103 is just to kind of document these airplanes and it was luck 586 00:28:50.145 --> 00:28:53.022 or happenstance or whatever that all that worked out. 587 00:28:53.106 --> 00:28:55.608 It-it was quite a hoot 588 00:28:55.650 --> 00:28:58.236 to see him looking at himself in that picture. 589 00:28:59.487 --> 00:29:00.780 Look at my T-shirt. 590 00:29:02.615 --> 00:29:06.035 It's the one airplane that got me inspired, when I was a kid. 591 00:29:06.077 --> 00:29:07.662 The F-104 Starfighter. 592 00:29:07.912 --> 00:29:12.083 There are only very few flying nowadays. In Europe, 593 00:29:12.125 --> 00:29:14.460 for a very brief moment, 594 00:29:14.502 --> 00:29:18.464 there was one flying, it was a group in Norway 595 00:29:18.506 --> 00:29:23.469 that restored a two-seater to flying condition in 2018, 596 00:29:23.511 --> 00:29:25.638 after I think 10 years of restoration, 597 00:29:26.097 --> 00:29:27.932 they finally got it to fly. 598 00:29:28.641 --> 00:29:31.644 Now, the Starfighter is a flying rocket. 599 00:29:32.145 --> 00:29:35.523 The Aviation PhotoCrew team flies a Skyvan, 600 00:29:36.024 --> 00:29:40.320 a flying shoebox, with a maximum of 160 knots. 601 00:29:40.737 --> 00:29:44.824 That thing flies at a minimum of way more than that! 602 00:29:45.533 --> 00:29:47.243 So that was the first challenge. 603 00:29:47.285 --> 00:29:50.997 But the biggest challenge was, basically, to get in contact with them 604 00:29:51.414 --> 00:29:54.250 and get an agreement that they would be willing 605 00:29:54.292 --> 00:29:55.752 to give us a few flybys. 606 00:29:56.211 --> 00:29:57.628 Yeah, they were interested in all 607 00:29:57.670 --> 00:30:01.674 and the guy who was overseeing the project was a former F-104 pilot 608 00:30:01.716 --> 00:30:02.717 and he said, "Look, 609 00:30:02.967 --> 00:30:04.427 alright, I mean we gonna see, 610 00:30:04.469 --> 00:30:07.847 we gonna do you guys, and we gonna do flybys at 230 knots 611 00:30:07.889 --> 00:30:09.182 in the central line. 612 00:30:09.849 --> 00:30:12.811 Alright, we go!" So that's all I needed to know! 613 00:30:13.269 --> 00:30:15.355 Once we started off flying with the other guys, 614 00:30:15.438 --> 00:30:17.356 we were super lucky with the weather. 615 00:30:17.398 --> 00:30:21.110 It was a steel blue, wonderful, summer evening. 616 00:30:21.778 --> 00:30:24.864 And I think at some point, uh, you-you expect 617 00:30:24.989 --> 00:30:30.036 that a Starfighter is flying over the coast at like 10,000 feet 618 00:30:30.537 --> 00:30:32.288 and all of a sudden we could track it. 619 00:30:32.330 --> 00:30:36.709 There was something coming in very fast at 1,500 feet over the water 620 00:30:37.377 --> 00:30:39.462 and then obviously you hear it on the radio. 621 00:30:39.629 --> 00:30:42.548 So I can guarantee you when you see that in the end 622 00:30:42.590 --> 00:30:43.966 and you know it's gonna happen 623 00:30:44.008 --> 00:30:45.968 and you know it's gonna come to the Skyvan! 624 00:30:46.010 --> 00:30:49.264 That was probably the best moment I had so far! 625 00:30:50.181 --> 00:30:52.725 And then the first pass was already magic, 626 00:30:53.476 --> 00:30:54.936 but that second pass was 627 00:30:54.978 --> 00:30:57.730 directly in the center line at 200 feet. 628 00:30:58.648 --> 00:31:02.944 And the most magical thing happened is when it buzzed under us, 629 00:31:03.194 --> 00:31:06.239 we could hear the famous howl of the engine! 630 00:31:06.614 --> 00:31:09.450 And everyone in the Skyvan went like, 631 00:31:09.784 --> 00:31:11.411 we got it! We got it! 632 00:31:11.661 --> 00:31:14.414 And we were lucky enough to get seven more passes, 633 00:31:14.747 --> 00:31:16.416 before it finally landed. 634 00:31:17.166 --> 00:31:18.835 That was our best moment so far! 635 00:31:19.544 --> 00:31:21.671 Early on, when I was doing photography, 636 00:31:21.754 --> 00:31:23.423 I had an opportunity to go to Barksdale. 637 00:31:23.715 --> 00:31:25.648 That was kind of our home plate, there, and 638 00:31:25.690 --> 00:31:27.802 capture TU-142M Bears, 639 00:31:27.844 --> 00:31:28.803 when they came in. 640 00:31:29.012 --> 00:31:31.264 There's a gentleman named Robert Hopkins, he's a author. 641 00:31:31.389 --> 00:31:34.141 Uh, and um, he called me up on the phone one day 642 00:31:34.183 --> 00:31:36.644 and said, hey. At the time he ran a magazine called. 643 00:31:36.686 --> 00:31:37.979 Journal of Military Aviation. 644 00:31:38.354 --> 00:31:40.315 He says, I understand you live in that area. 645 00:31:40.440 --> 00:31:41.816 Would you mind going down there 646 00:31:41.858 --> 00:31:44.277 and taking some interior/exterior pictures of those Bears? 647 00:31:44.319 --> 00:31:45.862 I said, well, absolutely love to. 648 00:31:46.404 --> 00:31:48.197 And so I got to go down there and do that. 649 00:31:48.406 --> 00:31:51.367 The interesting part, because it was a magazine publication back then, 650 00:31:51.409 --> 00:31:53.870 not digital, he wanted it done in black and white. 651 00:31:54.120 --> 00:31:55.913 So I actually had to scrounge up another camera 652 00:31:55.955 --> 00:31:58.124 'cause I wanted some slides to get the color part of it. 653 00:31:58.166 --> 00:32:00.335 So I was able to take some exterior colors, 654 00:32:00.460 --> 00:32:02.003 but I wasn't able to do it inside 655 00:32:02.045 --> 00:32:03.296 just 'cause I was jumbling... 656 00:32:03.338 --> 00:32:05.047 the-the Russian guys were shuffling us 657 00:32:05.089 --> 00:32:06.466 in and out and sort of things like that. 658 00:32:06.591 --> 00:32:09.010 And so those actually got published in Journal of Military Aviation. 659 00:32:09.052 --> 00:32:12.096 So that was one of the crowning jewels of things I got to do, 660 00:32:12.138 --> 00:32:13.890 probably the best to this point, I would say. 661 00:32:15.266 --> 00:32:18.937 Greg Davis: I was assigned to Shaw Air Force Base at the 20th Fighter Wing 662 00:32:19.103 --> 00:32:21.230 at the time that 9/11 went down. 663 00:32:21.481 --> 00:32:24.483 And I'd been there for a-a significant amount of time, 664 00:32:24.525 --> 00:32:27.528 so that my photos had been out in the media 665 00:32:27.570 --> 00:32:28.905 and across the Air Force. 666 00:32:29.155 --> 00:32:33.409 And, I remember when "September 11th" went down, the Commander 667 00:32:33.451 --> 00:32:36.162 of Air Combat Command made a by-name request 668 00:32:36.329 --> 00:32:39.832 that he wanted me to come from Shaw, to document 669 00:32:40.249 --> 00:32:42.460 what was happening with the common air patrols. 670 00:32:42.919 --> 00:32:46.172 And so I was very quickly sent up to, uh, Washington, D.C. 671 00:32:46.214 --> 00:32:48.216 and I flew out of Langley for a few days 672 00:32:48.675 --> 00:32:51.719 and I got to fly in F-15s and F-16s 673 00:32:52.011 --> 00:32:54.263 and document the time where 674 00:32:54.430 --> 00:32:57.558 the absolute airspace was closed, except for 675 00:32:57.934 --> 00:33:00.603 the fighters that I was in and the tankers supporting us. 676 00:33:01.062 --> 00:33:04.065 And so one of my most famous photos, to this day, 677 00:33:04.107 --> 00:33:05.942 that is often used whe- 678 00:33:05.984 --> 00:33:08.945 when you talk about Operation Noble Eagle is, uh, 679 00:33:08.987 --> 00:33:12.782 two F-16s from North Dakota, flying over Washington, D.C., 680 00:33:12.824 --> 00:33:16.285 where you can see all of the major monuments 681 00:33:16.327 --> 00:33:19.288 and government facilities, including the Pentagon, 682 00:33:19.330 --> 00:33:21.499 right between the two jets, where you can see 683 00:33:21.541 --> 00:33:23.251 where the airliner went in. 684 00:33:23.501 --> 00:33:26.337 That's been very rewarding personally and professionally. 685 00:33:26.838 --> 00:33:30.967 But um, you know, I have kids, now, that are teenagers 686 00:33:31.426 --> 00:33:34.512 that look at that and say, hey, that's my dad's photo, 687 00:33:35.138 --> 00:33:36.639 and that's, that's pretty cool! 688 00:33:43.438 --> 00:33:45.940 I would've loved to have photographed the F-14 Tomcat, 689 00:33:46.065 --> 00:33:48.526 just because I hear so many stories, you know, from him, 690 00:33:48.776 --> 00:33:51.445 from our photography buddies, just how fun of an aircraft 691 00:33:51.487 --> 00:33:52.655 that was to photograph, 692 00:33:52.697 --> 00:33:55.199 especially in the Naval Air Station, Dallas days 693 00:33:55.283 --> 00:33:57.952 and the Carswell days, just the mystique of that aircraft. 694 00:33:58.202 --> 00:34:00.747 Obviously "Top Gun" made that aircraft very, very popular. 695 00:34:00.913 --> 00:34:03.833 It's just such a cool airframe and aircraft to do. 696 00:34:04.375 --> 00:34:06.711 Keith Snyder: I think my favorite subject was one 697 00:34:06.753 --> 00:34:08.963 that I never got a chance to take a picture of. 698 00:34:09.297 --> 00:34:13.301 My father flew the F-101 Voodoo over in England for three years, 699 00:34:13.593 --> 00:34:16.763 and that was such an impressive aircraft 700 00:34:16.971 --> 00:34:20.808 and I have no active memory of it, because I was so young. 701 00:34:21.100 --> 00:34:25.312 I've always missed not having had the opportunity 702 00:34:25.354 --> 00:34:27.523 to actively photograph those aircraft. 703 00:34:27.774 --> 00:34:31.569 They were gone before I got into the hobby. It saddens me. 704 00:34:31.611 --> 00:34:32.653 But the few Voodoos 705 00:34:32.695 --> 00:34:35.990 that are actually still on display, they're cool. 706 00:34:36.407 --> 00:34:39.326 I like seeing them and I like photographing 'em even though 707 00:34:39.368 --> 00:34:41.329 they're just sittin' there on a stick. 708 00:34:41.913 --> 00:34:44.040 I really wish that I'd had the opportunity 709 00:34:44.082 --> 00:34:46.167 to see those in actual service. 710 00:34:47.251 --> 00:34:50.004 Dan Dutton: F-117, just because it's so elusive 711 00:34:50.046 --> 00:34:51.464 and it's made kind of a comeback. 712 00:34:51.798 --> 00:34:53.925 I've always been interested in the 'black world' aircraft. 713 00:34:54.258 --> 00:34:55.885 I love every aircraft there is out there; 714 00:34:55.927 --> 00:34:57.803 Tomcats, Hornets, Eagles. 715 00:34:57.845 --> 00:35:00.973 But something with F-117, it has that mystique about it. 716 00:35:01.390 --> 00:35:03.142 Reading the story, knowing things about it, 717 00:35:03.559 --> 00:35:04.935 always been a fan of that. 718 00:35:04.977 --> 00:35:07.313 I wasn't ever able to see a Blackbird fly, 719 00:35:07.355 --> 00:35:09.398 I was kind of beyond that, when I was younger. 720 00:35:09.816 --> 00:35:13.069 I've been able to see a F-117, see it fly several times, 721 00:35:13.111 --> 00:35:15.362 catch it static, all those kind of good things. 722 00:35:15.404 --> 00:35:17.698 Uh, hopefully in the near future, we can see one flying 723 00:35:17.824 --> 00:35:19.575 that would kind of put a really good finish 724 00:35:19.617 --> 00:35:21.869 to the F-117. As far as I'm seeing it. 725 00:35:22.870 --> 00:35:25.748 Matt Ellis: The SR-71 is always gonna be the one airplane 726 00:35:25.790 --> 00:35:27.583 that I could never get enough of. 727 00:35:28.209 --> 00:35:32.630 I used to see it fly, probably about once a month. No matter how many times I saw 728 00:35:32.839 --> 00:35:33.881 an SR-71 fly, 729 00:35:34.090 --> 00:35:37.135 it was always the most exciting thing I think I'd ever seen. 730 00:35:37.510 --> 00:35:38.469 It was a sight to behold. 731 00:35:38.511 --> 00:35:41.764 It looks like it's doing a thousand miles an hour just standing still. 732 00:35:42.056 --> 00:35:44.058 So that's my all time favorite aircraft! 733 00:35:44.642 --> 00:35:46.310 Sebastiaan Does: People may argue, you know, that it's 734 00:35:46.352 --> 00:35:47.937 not necessarily a real airplane, 735 00:35:47.979 --> 00:35:50.481 but I would say the-the Space Shuttle launch. 736 00:35:52.859 --> 00:35:54.318 I've tried so many times 737 00:35:54.360 --> 00:35:56.821 and every time I've went, you know, it got canceled. 738 00:35:57.238 --> 00:35:59.865 So, uh, that's a, that's an extreme bummer, 739 00:35:59.907 --> 00:36:03.410 but I wish, you know, that I could have seen, you know, 740 00:36:03.452 --> 00:36:04.620 like a Space Shuttle launch 741 00:36:04.662 --> 00:36:06.789 that would've been, that would've been amazing! 742 00:36:09.208 --> 00:36:12.336 The aircraft that I would've most liked to have flown in, 743 00:36:12.378 --> 00:36:15.756 that I never got to, would be an RF-4 Phantom. 744 00:36:16.048 --> 00:36:18.843 I actually flew in an F-4 Phantom E model 745 00:36:19.385 --> 00:36:20.511 and that was very exciting! 746 00:36:20.553 --> 00:36:21.679 It was a dream come true 747 00:36:21.721 --> 00:36:24.306 because as I mentioned, I grew up at one 748 00:36:24.348 --> 00:36:25.599 of the largest Air Force bases 749 00:36:25.641 --> 00:36:27.852 that had F-4 Phantoms, as a kid. 750 00:36:28.186 --> 00:36:29.645 So they would fly over my house. 751 00:36:29.687 --> 00:36:34.734 I knew all about 'em, used to see 'em launch! Just amazing aircraft! 752 00:36:35.067 --> 00:36:36.986 But, I never got to fly in an RF-4, 753 00:36:37.028 --> 00:36:38.738 which was a reconnaissance version, 754 00:36:39.071 --> 00:36:41.365 that actually captured my attention. 755 00:36:41.657 --> 00:36:43.868 The crazy thing is, they would launch to the south 756 00:36:43.910 --> 00:36:47.079 and turn to the west, which is where I lived, in Austin. 757 00:36:47.330 --> 00:36:49.999 They would be climbing up to, uh, fly out to west Texas 758 00:36:50.041 --> 00:36:51.292 and do low level runs. 759 00:36:51.459 --> 00:36:55.463 And I had a friend, his father was a navigator in RF-4s, 760 00:36:55.630 --> 00:36:58.758 so he educated me about what they would do and 761 00:36:58.883 --> 00:37:00.509 it just seemed like the coolest mission. 762 00:37:02.261 --> 00:37:05.097 So RF-4 Phantom is the missed opportunity, 763 00:37:05.473 --> 00:37:06.891 but I did get to fly in, in F-4 764 00:37:06.933 --> 00:37:08.559 and that was pretty amazing 765 00:37:08.601 --> 00:37:11.103 because it's a beast of an aircraft! 766 00:37:11.145 --> 00:37:13.689 Got to do aerobatics, got to go Mach 1, 767 00:37:14.023 --> 00:37:15.441 got to do all kinds of cool stuff 768 00:37:15.483 --> 00:37:18.277 that most people would never get to do, and I was very lucky, 769 00:37:18.319 --> 00:37:19.737 because that was actually a, uh, 770 00:37:19.779 --> 00:37:22.865 QF-4 when they were being used as drones. 771 00:37:23.115 --> 00:37:25.201 So, sort of the tail end for the, uh, 772 00:37:25.243 --> 00:37:27.370 U.S. Military's use of F-4s. 773 00:37:27.703 --> 00:37:30.122 But, uh, it was, it was pretty awesome! 774 00:37:37.505 --> 00:37:41.800 I'm still hooked, and I presume I'm going to be hooked on this 775 00:37:41.842 --> 00:37:44.887 until I'm no longer physically capable of doing it. 776 00:37:45.179 --> 00:37:48.140 I enjoy going out there, and seeing the airplanes 777 00:37:48.182 --> 00:37:50.935 and getting the rush of seeing a jet, 778 00:37:50.977 --> 00:37:54.855 in "afterburner" blow over my head and taking pictures of it. 779 00:37:55.189 --> 00:37:58.984 I still get a rush out of seeing somebody respond 780 00:37:59.026 --> 00:38:02.655 to a picture that I posted, that I took 40 years ago 781 00:38:03.114 --> 00:38:05.408 and say, "Hey, I remember that airplane!" 782 00:38:05.783 --> 00:38:08.160 I published a picture on Facebook 783 00:38:08.244 --> 00:38:10.496 of an F-4 Phantom, from Fort Worth. 784 00:38:10.663 --> 00:38:13.290 And it was sitting down at the "last chance," 785 00:38:13.332 --> 00:38:17.711 waiting to take off, and it turned out that a guy responded to it, 786 00:38:17.753 --> 00:38:19.839 who was flying it, at the time, 787 00:38:20.298 --> 00:38:25.636 and he had-had no photographs of himself in that aircraft at all. 788 00:38:26.345 --> 00:38:29.765 And, all of a sudden here I am, 30 - 35 years later 789 00:38:29.807 --> 00:38:33.227 and I'm able to give him this photograph. That's fun, 790 00:38:33.269 --> 00:38:34.687 and that's got me hooked. 791 00:38:35.396 --> 00:38:39.525 And, being able to contribute to the history of aviation. 792 00:38:39.900 --> 00:38:43.446 The pictures we take today, are tomorrow's history. 793 00:38:43.863 --> 00:38:46.824 People in the military, with very few exceptions, 794 00:38:47.033 --> 00:38:49.660 very rarely use a camera. 795 00:38:50.036 --> 00:38:53.122 They very rarely take photographs of the aircraft 796 00:38:53.164 --> 00:38:55.499 or vehicles or whatever it is, they're doing 797 00:38:55.708 --> 00:38:57.668 because it's their day-to-day job. 798 00:38:57.752 --> 00:39:01.630 It's not a big deal. So, people come along trying 799 00:39:01.672 --> 00:39:04.633 to document the history of aviation, down the road, 800 00:39:04.925 --> 00:39:09.055 they're relying, in large part, to what we are doing now. 801 00:39:09.472 --> 00:39:12.016 Now, that might seem, trying to make myself 802 00:39:12.058 --> 00:39:14.143 a little self important, here, or whatever, 803 00:39:14.393 --> 00:39:17.438 but, when somebody comes along, looking for photographs 804 00:39:17.480 --> 00:39:21.817 of a Tomcat that flew out of Navy-Dallas in the early 1990s, 805 00:39:22.193 --> 00:39:23.819 they're not gonna find it in the Navy. 806 00:39:23.861 --> 00:39:26.405 They're not gonna find it in official logs. 807 00:39:26.447 --> 00:39:29.575 They're going to find it, in my slide books. 808 00:39:30.618 --> 00:39:34.913 And, the ability to keep that history going is a lot of fun, 809 00:39:34.955 --> 00:39:37.249 and it's a reason to keep after it. 810 00:39:37.625 --> 00:39:40.210 I don't know how many more years I've got left in this, 811 00:39:40.252 --> 00:39:43.088 but uh, as long as I can keep doing it, 812 00:39:43.130 --> 00:39:44.381 I'm gonna keep going out there. 813 00:39:46.217 --> 00:39:49.804 I'm predominantly photographing military aircraft, 814 00:39:50.221 --> 00:39:53.349 trying different locations, within the vicinity 815 00:39:53.391 --> 00:39:56.227 of the airfield to give you that different angle, 816 00:39:56.477 --> 00:39:57.853 that keeps it interesting. 817 00:39:57.937 --> 00:40:01.399 So, will you ever have enough pictures of an F-16? 818 00:40:01.565 --> 00:40:04.610 I don't know. For me it's all about hanging out 819 00:40:04.652 --> 00:40:07.654 with your friends and talk about different things, you know, 820 00:40:07.696 --> 00:40:11.575 that they've experienced in their hobby versus you, um, 821 00:40:11.617 --> 00:40:13.911 you know, different places that they have traveled, uh, 822 00:40:14.453 --> 00:40:16.122 versus where you have been. 823 00:40:16.414 --> 00:40:18.791 And especially if, you know, when you're talking about, 824 00:40:19.208 --> 00:40:21.794 you know, guys that do the same hobby as you do 825 00:40:22.086 --> 00:40:24.004 that actually have been in the service 826 00:40:24.046 --> 00:40:25.840 and even sometimes, in a war zone 827 00:40:26.006 --> 00:40:28.175 and be able to take pictures, you know, from 828 00:40:28.426 --> 00:40:33.555 what these guys train for, day to day. To be able to reflect that in a picture, 829 00:40:33.597 --> 00:40:36.684 and take that home, and for me to be able to look at that. 830 00:40:36.892 --> 00:40:38.269 I always enjoy that. 831 00:40:40.771 --> 00:40:44.900 I mentioned, before, that as a young kid, I used to go out with my grandfather 832 00:40:45.025 --> 00:40:46.360 to Bergtsrom Air Force Base 833 00:40:46.610 --> 00:40:49.530 and we would watch the airplanes from the end of the runway area, 834 00:40:49.947 --> 00:40:51.698 where we could drive up, at that time, 835 00:40:51.740 --> 00:40:55.035 and you could watch the F-4s taxi down a long taxiway, 836 00:40:55.327 --> 00:40:57.788 do their end-of-runway checks, before taking off. 837 00:40:58.330 --> 00:41:01.292 As a kid I would wave and wave and wave at these pilots, 838 00:41:01.375 --> 00:41:04.170 but the pilot was usually taxiing the aircraft, 839 00:41:04.336 --> 00:41:05.295 looking at his stuff. 840 00:41:05.337 --> 00:41:07.465 And the backseater was always running checklists. 841 00:41:07.590 --> 00:41:10.676 I remember that and understand fully now, having done it, 842 00:41:10.926 --> 00:41:13.512 the intensity of-of what's required. 843 00:41:14.013 --> 00:41:16.265 There was one time where I was waving and waving 844 00:41:16.474 --> 00:41:18.726 and a backseater looked up 845 00:41:18.893 --> 00:41:22.271 and just took a minute to wave. Acknowledged me. 846 00:41:22.480 --> 00:41:27.485 And I mean he was 50 - 60 feet away. The jet was loud and they were about to turn 847 00:41:27.735 --> 00:41:30.571 and he just took that fraction of a second. 848 00:41:31.071 --> 00:41:34.658 I think that moment, in time, is what actually said, 849 00:41:35.034 --> 00:41:36.368 "Man, I wanna be that guy!" 850 00:41:36.911 --> 00:41:39.246 I made a point in my career 851 00:41:39.538 --> 00:41:42.541 as an aerial photographer, flying in the backseat of jets. 852 00:41:42.875 --> 00:41:45.920 There were some times, where I knew there were photographers, there 853 00:41:46.128 --> 00:41:48.005 I knew there were kids there, especially 854 00:41:48.297 --> 00:41:49.507 where I would take that moment 855 00:41:49.673 --> 00:41:52.343 and wave at the kids, acknowledge 'em, 856 00:41:52.760 --> 00:41:54.178 wave at the photographers. 857 00:41:54.303 --> 00:41:58.474 I think part of what has driven me, is knowing that 858 00:41:58.516 --> 00:42:01.560 over the years I've had that impact on people. 859 00:42:01.727 --> 00:42:03.645 I've had kids come up to me 860 00:42:03.687 --> 00:42:06.065 and say, "Oh, I've seen your picture in Airman Magazine!" 861 00:42:06.690 --> 00:42:09.067 That was really cool and now I wanna be a pilot, or 862 00:42:09.109 --> 00:42:11.653 I wanna join the Air Force and be a Pararescueman, 863 00:42:11.695 --> 00:42:17.159 'cause I saw your photo of guys coming out of an HH-60G, in Kuwait 864 00:42:17.535 --> 00:42:20.746 and that was just super! That's pretty inspirational! 865 00:42:23.374 --> 00:42:25.417 Dan Dutton: To do anything with your family is always awesome! 866 00:42:25.459 --> 00:42:28.295 To be able to share, uh, you know, any kind of experiences 867 00:42:28.337 --> 00:42:30.047 and beyond just what you do as a family. 868 00:42:30.339 --> 00:42:32.299 I never thought I'd have a buddy, to be able to do that with. 869 00:42:32.341 --> 00:42:35.719 I've got my aviation friends that, uh, obviously we do that 870 00:42:35.761 --> 00:42:38.472 and I've introduced him and he's got to be their friends 871 00:42:38.514 --> 00:42:41.016 and peers as well, which I, which is even cooler than that! 872 00:42:41.058 --> 00:42:44.144 A lot of the, the guys I've known and had known him, now 873 00:42:44.186 --> 00:42:47.106 and uh, you know, and accept him as a peer, as well. 874 00:42:47.523 --> 00:42:49.274 It's always fun to have somebody to talk to 875 00:42:49.316 --> 00:42:50.734 or share the experience with. 876 00:42:50.776 --> 00:42:53.862 And so, uh, I think that's the best part, now, is, you know, 877 00:42:53.904 --> 00:42:56.323 if a B-1 flies by, it's cool to take a shot, 878 00:42:56.365 --> 00:42:57.783 but it's even better to have your son with you, 879 00:42:57.825 --> 00:42:59.535 who enjoys it even more than you do, you know. 880 00:42:59.994 --> 00:43:00.744 We were at Shepherd 881 00:43:00.786 --> 00:43:02.162 for the Air Show a couple years ago. 882 00:43:02.288 --> 00:43:04.456 And, I saw a gentleman in a wheelchair 883 00:43:04.498 --> 00:43:06.667 and his son was wheeling around showing the run. 884 00:43:06.709 --> 00:43:08.168 I said, "Well Jordan, you know, you're- 885 00:43:08.377 --> 00:43:09.753 you're you're gonna have to do that to me someday." 886 00:43:09.795 --> 00:43:11.005 He said, "Anytime, Dad!" 887 00:43:11.505 --> 00:43:14.091 So, uh, that's always good to know that I may be in 888 00:43:14.133 --> 00:43:15.801 that wheelchair with my camera, 889 00:43:15.843 --> 00:43:17.010 but somebody's gonna be pushing me, 890 00:43:17.052 --> 00:43:18.512 that I know. So, that's pretty cool! 891 00:43:19.388 --> 00:43:21.223 Jordan Dutton: Anytime you get to spend time with your dad 892 00:43:21.432 --> 00:43:22.891 and doing something that he loves, 893 00:43:22.933 --> 00:43:24.810 but also something-something that you love too, 894 00:43:25.102 --> 00:43:26.353 It's just a really special moment. 895 00:43:26.395 --> 00:43:28.272 It, for-for me, it's just, you know, 896 00:43:28.314 --> 00:43:29.982 the quality time I get to spend with him. 897 00:43:30.232 --> 00:43:31.817 'cause obviously now, you know, with me hav- 898 00:43:31.859 --> 00:43:34.361 having a full-time job being busy, it's, it's harder to have 899 00:43:34.403 --> 00:43:35.487 that family time at home. 900 00:43:35.529 --> 00:43:37.281 And so, it's something that me and him 901 00:43:37.323 --> 00:43:38.615 both were able to do together 902 00:43:38.657 --> 00:43:39.616 and something that, you know, we get 903 00:43:39.658 --> 00:43:41.201 to experience everything together! 904 00:43:41.327 --> 00:43:43.579 I mean, there's no one really else that I have, you know, 905 00:43:43.621 --> 00:43:45.247 outside of the peers that he was talking about 906 00:43:45.289 --> 00:43:48.041 that I can share that with. I tell my friends, as a hobby, 907 00:43:48.083 --> 00:43:49.293 I'm an aviation photographer, 908 00:43:49.335 --> 00:43:50.961 you know, what's that? You know, you know, what's, you know, 909 00:43:51.003 --> 00:43:53.755 it's-it's not really that big of a deal to them or you know, it's, you know, 910 00:43:53.797 --> 00:43:55.591 they don't really get it, and I understand that 911 00:43:55.841 --> 00:43:57.009 and it's just a big hobby of mine 912 00:43:57.051 --> 00:43:58.677 and he's the only one that really gets it. 913 00:43:58.927 --> 00:44:00.012 I mean, who better just... 914 00:44:00.137 --> 00:44:02.222 to have those experiences with than-than your father. 915 00:44:02.473 --> 00:44:04.642 There's a photograph that, you know, that I have 916 00:44:04.975 --> 00:44:07.060 that's on my desk at my at work that, you know, 917 00:44:07.102 --> 00:44:08.228 it's a picture that me and him took. 918 00:44:08.270 --> 00:44:10.606 If, if you ever go to Nellis Air Force Base at the entrance, 919 00:44:10.648 --> 00:44:12.650 there's basically a big statue 920 00:44:12.775 --> 00:44:14.068 of fourth Thunderbird in formation. 921 00:44:14.276 --> 00:44:16.195 And that was at our first Red Flag, together. 922 00:44:16.487 --> 00:44:18.196 And that's something that I cherish, 923 00:44:18.238 --> 00:44:19.281 that I keep really close to me. 924 00:44:19.323 --> 00:44:22.659 'cause that was a time where we both had gone to a place 925 00:44:22.701 --> 00:44:25.037 and doing something that we both really enjoyed and loved being at. 926 00:44:25.079 --> 00:44:27.331 And, having those memories is something that you can't... 927 00:44:27.373 --> 00:44:28.832 that money or nothing can replace.