It’s been years since I’ve had the opportunity to attend a local airshow. But then a few weeks back I realized that during football season, people in the Denver area are given a free mini airshow before each Broncos (NFL) home game. There’s usually a military aircraft flyover for home game kickoffs and the pilots fly laps for about an hour to get the timing right for their flyover — and best of all for me, I live a short drive from where they circle.
Throw in a bit of help from the ADS-B Exchange, and it’s pretty easy to get lined up for some good shots (weather permitting).
All the photos in this post were taken with an OM-1 II camera and M.Zuiko 150-400mm + TC1.25x lens (at full zoom, so 1000mm in 35mm terms). Unfortunately, I had to crop all these shots due to distance; next time, I’ll remember to bring a teleconverter. And now that I’ve spotted some patterns in their flight path (it’s broadly similar from game to game, but shifts around by a few miles each time), I should be able to start getting closer. FWIW, these two aircraft are U. S. Navy EA-18Gs, the electronic warfare versions of F-18s.
At the northeast corner of the timing loop; a bit over 4 miles from me.
EXIF: ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/640 sec Continue reading →