T-6’s ONLY

I promised you a few more images of the Texan T-6’s that practiced at the Dubuque Regional Airport for the airshows at the Oshkosh AirVenture last weekend. The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is a single-engined trainer aircraft that was used to train pilots during World War II and into the 1970’s. A total of 15,495 of different variants have been built and it remains a popular airplane used for airshows and static display (source: Wikipedia).

The engines are running and the pilots wait for their take-off

It took me awhile to go through all the photos and select some that I thought stood out and tell the story about their training runs and my efforts to get some sharp images with slow shutter speeds. I’m not unhappy with the keeper rate but there is room for improvement with my panning technique. As mentioned some time before, I use this kind of practice with the long lens for hopefully improving my photography of birds in flight. However, it’s also a pleasure to see how well most of these historical airplanes are preserved and kept airworthy.

All photos: Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x,   @840mm, 1/80s - 1/125s, some photos slightly cropped

A formation of four coming in to the airport and ready to land

THE FAST ONES

Vought F4U Corsair

There was enough talk about the technical aspects of aviation photography from the ground by me before and today I just like to show a few images, made during the last couple of days at the Dubuque Regional Airport. The majority of historical aircraft doing practice for the Oshkosh AirVenture are the great Texan T6’s. I saved them for another blog post and just hope you get a kick out of the esthetics of the beautiful four P51’s Mustangs and the Corsair that I like to share with you. It’s just a great sound when they scream down the runway or take their turns before returning to the airfield. I hope you enjoy.

P-51 Mustang “Gunfighter”

P-51D-Mustang “Charlotte’s Chariot II”

JUST A REMINDER

We heard the noise of prop-driven airplanes quite often during the last few days and it was a reminder for me that the AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin is coming up soon. A short visit to the Dubuque Regional Airport this evening confirmed it. There were about 27 historical aircraft, most of the Texan T6’s, parked in front of the hangars on the other side of the airfield. As apparently they come to Dubuque every year a week before to practice for the air shows in Oshkosh. This is always a great opportunity to see them and to practice handholding and panning with a long lens and maybe come back home with some decent aviation photos.

As mentioned, the airplanes of interest were all parked and the day was obviously over for the pilots, but a minute after my arrival at the observation deck of the airport I heard a jet approaching the runway. Denver Air Connection is the only airline that serves Dubuque with commercial flights at the moment and the flight from Chicago was just about to arrive.

Any jet airplane, like this ERJ145, we can photograph with whatever shutter speed will tell the story. Of course, it’s still important to do some good panning, even with a fast shutter speed for the best sharpness of the photo. Here I used 1/3200s to freeze the jet and keep some details in the clouds on this mostly overcast day.

The prop-driven airplanes need a different approach to tell the story of movement and a slow shutter speed is desired. Most of the time I have shot these aircraft between 1/40s and 1/250s, depending how fast the prop is spinning. While the EMBRAER ERJ145 still taxied to the terminal, a much smaller private aircraft was about to take off and moved slowly to the runway. I quickly set the shutter speed to 1/100s and got this nice blur of the propeller with the low sun hitting it and making it stand out.

A RARE AIRCRAFT - B-29 SUPERFORTRESS

B-29 Superfortress , part of the ”AirPower History Tour” by the Commemorative Air Force, Dubuque Regional Airport, 7/28/2024

The biggest attraction for most people that came to the Dubuque Airport last weekend was the B-29 Superfortress ”FIFI”. It is one of only two aircrafts that are still airworthy. The B-29 played an essential role in WWII in the Pacific to end the war with Japan.

”FIFI” underwent a restoration between 2006 and 2010 and has now four custom built hybrid engines.

Weather conditions prevented the morning flight on Sunday but finally mid afternoon I was able to watch a takeoff and later the safe landing of the aircraft. I shot from the same location as already a week ago, just outside the fence that surrounds the airfield and next to the terminal building. The biggest challenge was to keep the fence out of the frame whenever possible. I brought a little foldable stepping stool and used it for most of the pictures.

While taxiing between the ramp and the runway only the two inner engines are used and the outer props are at a standstill.

Having a once in a lifetime experience and flying with the B-29 is not a small expense. The “bombardier seat”, the one the gentleman in the white shirt is in, can be booked for $1,995. The CAF is a non-profit organization and the money is used to keep these historical airplanes flying. https://www.airpowersquadron.org/b-29-superfortress

A GORGEOUS AIRCRAFT, PT-13 STEARMAN

PT-13 Stearman taxiing to the runway at Dubuque Regional Airport during CAF AirPower History Tour

This weekend the Commemorative Air Force, a non-profit educational organization, brought the ”AirPower History Tour” to the Dubuque Regional Airport. People were able to to view three different historical WWII aircrafts up close and book rides. I’m still working through my images from the last two days at the airport but I will show some photos of one of the rarest and most remarkable airplanes in a later post next week.

Today I start with a picture of a Boeing PT-13, known as the Stearman. This plane is recognized as the quintessential primary trainer for American aviators in World War II.

The Stearman was on static display only (no rides), but when this gorgeous looking plane finally took off from the airport this afternoon, I was able to make this shot while it taxied to the runway.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4,  @ 200mm, 1/60s, f/25, ISO 100, image cropped

OPPORTUNITY FOR PRACTICE

Of course, I had to go back to the Dubuque Regional Airport. The weather conditions were good, a little hazy but nice puffy clouds made for a more interesting background. This year I found a new spot where the airplanes came by pretty close when they taxied back to their parking area in front of the hangars. I took a little stepping stool to stand on, so the fence that surrounds the airfield was not always in the picture. The runway wasn’t too far away either but a little crop was applied for the photos of the T6’s that show starts or landings because 600 mm focal length wasn’t enough to fill the frame.

I shot the whole time in shutter priority mode with 1/125 s and set the camera to Auto ISO. To get a full circle of the prop it needs about 1/60 s but this was beyond my current handholding capabilities due to the lack of practice.

There are two reasons why going back to the airport almost every year in July is important to me. First, I enjoy watching historic prop airplanes and when they train the weekend before the AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the airshows, it’s a great opportunity to see so many of them. And second, I use it as a practice for my wildlife photography, and in particular for birds in flight. Panning with a heavy long lens is not an easy task, but doing it right is the only way to get a sharp image when a slow shutter speed is required.

I hope you enjoy the little selection in the blog today. As always, a click on the photo delivers a larger image, at least if you read this on a computer screen…😊

OUT AT THE AIRPORT

Well, we are already deep into July and next week is the AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin again, the largest airshow in the world. As every year some airplanes use the Dubuque Airport as a stop on the way to Oshkosh. I counted 24 Texan T6’s parked in front of the hangars this evening. They are here for some practice for the airshows in Oshkosh and usually leave on Sunday. Unfortunately only two of them went out for a flight while I was there.

My best photo from today is this N133JF, a Bellanca 8KCAB Decathlon, built in 1973. The plane taxied to the runway for a takeoff. Despite the relativ slow speed it was still important to pan with the long lens to get some motion blur of the background. A slow shutter speed of 1/125s guaranteed also a little bit of blur on the propeller. Both elements in the photo are used to tell the story of a moving airplane. I hope I get some more shots from the Dubuque Airport later this upcoming weekend. It’s hot outside but I always enjoy spending time with the camera to get a few photos of prop planes.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/125 s, f/10, ISO 100

WAITING IS NOT ALWAYS BORING…

Sunrise at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

Yesterday morning I was waiting for my next flight in the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in Texas. The glass of the airport window was not very clean, to say it mildly, but so close to the lens it worked like a diffuser. The light was ”killer” on the fuselage of the plane parked at our gate. The second photo was taken 2 minutes earlier, just before the sun came up at the horizon. I thought that shot works as well, with three airplanes in the sky at the same time and gorgeous light. Waiting for a connection flight is not always boring…

P-51 MUSTANGS

Tomorrow starts the big AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and the pilots with their aircrafts that spent part of last week here at the Dubuque Regional Airport have left today. I was out a couple more times this weekend to watch starts and landings and of course, for photography. Today I like to share a few images of some gorgeous looking P-51 Mustang that trained here for the airshow. The P-51 Mustang is a long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts.

AIRSHOW PREPARATIONS

T-6 Texan,   @600 mm, 1/250s, f/13, ISO100

The sound of propeller engines filled the air early in the morning during the last couple days, reminding us that the world’s largest airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin is coming up next week. As every year a number of historic airplanes are at the Dubuque Airport the week before, with the pilots training for the big event.

T-6 Texan,   @600 mm, 1/60s, f/20, ISO100

I went out in the afternoon and the weather conditions were just great for some aviation photography. Some big puffy clouds made for a nice background. As every year, there were a number T-6 Texans and some other airplanes parked but a few did still their practice at my arrival. The runway they used for starts and landing today is not far from the observation deck and I tried my luck with the planes coming in for landing out of the southeast.

T-6 Texan,   @600 mm, 1/50s, f/20, ISO100

There were two things I tried to accomplish. First it is nice to have a little bit of blue sky in the frame, not just the white and gray of the clouds. That of course was not always in my control. And second the props of the planes had to be blurred for a realistic sense of motion. To get there the shutter speed should be between 1/40s and 1/250s. The last was almost too fast for some pictures because the speed of the propeller plays also a role here. I can tell, my panning technique with the long lens was not superior today, I had a lot of misses. I definitely need more practice…

1966 BEECH V35 Bonanza, 1/250s, f/13, ISO100

ANOTHER ROUND OF PRACTICE

Vaught F4U Corsair and P-51 Mustang shortly after takeoff

Yes indeed, I went back to the Dubuque Airport this morning again and practiced handholding again with the Nikon Z6II and Sigma 150-600 attached. The pilots as well went out for some more rounds of practice for the 2022 EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which will start on Monday. The humidity had increased and it seemed a little more hazy than the evening before, but unfortunately there were very few clouds to the west that would make for a little drama in the background. I tried to make up for this and included a bit of the horizon line behind the runway for this photo.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,     @ 600 mm, 1/160 s, f/16, ISO 100, image slightly cropped

T-6 TEXANS IN TOWN

Two T-6 Texans after takeoff at the Dubuque Regional Airport

The engine noise of T-6 Texans, P-51 Mustangs, and other historical planes filled the air during the last few days and reminded us that the world’s biggest air show starts next week in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A number of these aircrafts come every year to the Dubuque Regional Airport to train prior to the show. I tried my luck and went out to the observation deck at the airport this evening. At the end I had really just one good opportunity to bring a few Texans into the viewfinder of the camera and it was only this shot, with some great clouds in the background, that I liked. My panning technique is not up to par and the keeper rate was accordingly low. Maybe I should go back tomorrow if it is not too hazy…?

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,     @ 400 mm, 1/160 s, f/18, ISO 100

A GORGEOUS WINTER MORNING

After four really gray days in a row I had enough and I’m reverting to earlier this week when we were greeted in the morning with an accumulation of rime ice on every branch and twig in the trees. The photo below was made shortly after sunrise and the timber below the house showed a glow like the entrance to the palace of the Snow Queen.

About an hour later the sky had an incredible deep blue color that contrasted perfectly with the rime ice and when I saw an airplane approaching, I knew there was another photo opportunity…

LIGHT PAINTING ON THE PRAIRIE

Prairie at night, Mines of Spain Recreation Area, Dubuque, Iowa

Last night the Dubuque Camera Club had its “end of the season” meeting. Quite a few members were brave enough to defy the heat and came out for some night shooting to the  picknick shelter at the Butler trail. This part of the Mines of Spain Recreation Area is mostly open prairie and allowed for good social distancing. I had fun with some light painting on the prairie grass and trees. 

Despite some light pollution from the city of Dubuque, the stars were visible and as I framed one of the shots an airplane approached the DBQ Airport with full lights on. Photography friend Pamela Brandt assisted with a second light source (thank you again Pam!) and at the end some pictures were on the memory card that I liked.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, RRS BH-55 ball head, Vello cable release,   @16 mm, 30 s, f/4, ISO200, Manual mode

THE SOUND OF PROP PLANES (PART 2)

Yesterday was the better day for shooting the T6’s at the Dubuque Airport. A little storm that went trough our area brought some clouds and that made for a much more interesting background. The wind had shifted to the west and the second runway, closer to the observation deck, was used for landing the planes. My keeper rate was much better and I hope I can attribute that to my practice of panning with the long lens the day before. Today I didn’t go out but we had a great air show right here at home. When the noise of plane engines filled the air we knew they all took finally off for the Air Venture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. What a display! I counted 27, flying all together in formations of four, as they had practiced during the last few days. Today’s photos are all from Saturday afternoon at the airport. I hope you enjoy!

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S