Under the B-24 wing

While trying to stay out of the 100 degree heat, I found shade under the wing of the B-24 "Witchcraft" and discovered this view of the other two planes, the B-17 Nine O Nine and the P-51 Betty Jane are visible.  This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 1/250 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

B-17 Nine O Nine

The B-17 Nine O Nine was on display at the Marana Regional Airport April 20-22.  This view of the bomber was taken with my 10mm fisheye with an exposure of 1/250 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

Back at the museum

The ground crew guides the behemouth as it taxies back to its parking location next to the museum to prepare for the next flight. This image was taken at 37mm focal length with an exposure of 1/160 seconds at f/16, ISO 100.

Flaps down, wheels down

The Sentimental Journey nears the end of the runway as it approaches Falcon Field in Mesa after its tour around the area for some lucky passengers. This image was taken at 214mm focal length with an exposure of 1/800 seconds at f/8, ISO 100. If I'd had a little more time and the plane weren't coming in so close, I probably would have upped the f-ratio to lengthen the exposure a little and blur the props a little more.

That dot up there...

Most of the time the Sentimental Journey flew around the area, it was not much more than just a dot up in the sky, even with my long lens. But as it entered the pattern, it got close enough to recognize it as a B-17. This image was taken at 300mm focal length with an exposure of 1/800 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

Climbing out

The Sentimental Journey climbes out after taking off from Falcon Field. It spent more than 20 minutes taking its passengers on a ride around the area before returning. This image was taken at 300mm focal length with an exposure of 1/800 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

Approaching the runway

The Sentimental Journey moves onto the taxiway leading to the runway and waits for one more plane to come in. Falcon Field in Mesa is apparently one of the busiest airports in the Phoenix area, probably because it serves mostly private planes. This image was taken at 300mm focal length with an exposure of 1/500 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

The big and the small of it

As the Sentimental Journey prepares to take off, a smaller private plane takes off from Falcon Field ahead of it. This image was taken at 168mm focal length with an exposure of 1/640 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

Starting its first engine

Sentimental Journey starts up its first engine as it gets ready to take a group on a 20 minute flight around the area. You can see the smoke belching as the engine starts turning. Once all 4 engines were running, there was quite a breeze for those standing behind the plane and a distinctive smell of the exhaust. This image was taken at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/160 seconds at f/16, ISO 100.

Sentimental Journey

We were up in Phoenix today (Karri had a workshop, so I went with and wandered around after dropping her off) and I found my way to the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force Museum at Falcon Field in Mesa. As luck would have it, the B-17 "Sentimental Journey" was there giving rides to paying customers and the rest of us museum visitors got to get pretty close to this remarkable machine and got to watch it take off and land. Pretty cool! And a great museum too. This image was taken at 55mm focal length with an exposure of 1/100 seconds at f/16, ISO 100.