Getting those air-to-air pictures
May/11/2008 03:14 PM Filed in: Pictures
Over the years, Ty Greenlees has become an
accomplished air-to-air photographer. It isn't
easy, and it isn't for the sqeamish.
For starters, you need as much visibility as possible, with no plexiglass distorting your view of aircraft you're trying to photograph. The ideal shooting platform is an airplane with a big, wide door that can be removed for photo flights. Lucky for Ty, Sean D. Tucker has just such an airplane — a Piper Seneca — and a terrific photo pilot in Brian Norris, his announcer. When Sean is flying at the Vectren Dayton Air Show, he and Brian work with the local news media to arrange air-to-air photo opportunities. Sean always welcomes other air show pilots to fly in formation with him.
Sitting on the floor of the open cabin, strapped in like helicopter door gunners, the photographers have an unrestricted view out the big side door. The picture above is one I snapped of Ty and another photographer in 1999 in the back of Sean's Cherokee Six, which preceded his Seneca.
Here's how the photo plane looked when I flew in the back seat of Mary Dilda's SNJ "Two of Hearts" in a 2004 photo flight.
Air-to-air photography requires careful planning and teamwork — not just to get a good photo, but for safety. Flying in close formation with other airplanes demands training and discipline. Sean works with professional aerobatic pilots who know how to do it safely. Before a photo flight, he gathers everyone for a briefing, and they all walk through the maneuvers they will make during the flight.
The photographer also needs to understand how formation flying works so he understands what the pilots are doing and interact with them to set up his shots. This is a skill I watched Ty develop to a high degree over the years.
For starters, you need as much visibility as possible, with no plexiglass distorting your view of aircraft you're trying to photograph. The ideal shooting platform is an airplane with a big, wide door that can be removed for photo flights. Lucky for Ty, Sean D. Tucker has just such an airplane — a Piper Seneca — and a terrific photo pilot in Brian Norris, his announcer. When Sean is flying at the Vectren Dayton Air Show, he and Brian work with the local news media to arrange air-to-air photo opportunities. Sean always welcomes other air show pilots to fly in formation with him.
Sitting on the floor of the open cabin, strapped in like helicopter door gunners, the photographers have an unrestricted view out the big side door. The picture above is one I snapped of Ty and another photographer in 1999 in the back of Sean's Cherokee Six, which preceded his Seneca.
Here's how the photo plane looked when I flew in the back seat of Mary Dilda's SNJ "Two of Hearts" in a 2004 photo flight.
Air-to-air photography requires careful planning and teamwork — not just to get a good photo, but for safety. Flying in close formation with other airplanes demands training and discipline. Sean works with professional aerobatic pilots who know how to do it safely. Before a photo flight, he gathers everyone for a briefing, and they all walk through the maneuvers they will make during the flight.
The photographer also needs to understand how formation flying works so he understands what the pilots are doing and interact with them to set up his shots. This is a skill I watched Ty develop to a high degree over the years.
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