Another of my Favorites...

These were interesting to shoot. I love the old look of these and it was exactly what I had in mind when I took them. Crystal helped me with the editing - something I haven't the patience or time to learn on my own.

There are a lot of difficulties in photographing aircraft in public settings. People who are more interested in looking at the exhibits are not paying attention to you, so you have to wait until just the right moment to snap - or do a lot of magic in post-editing. I didn't take anything out but I did crop these ones.

I learned a tiny amount about masking in the top picture. That allowed me (us) to control the saturation levels of the flag - pretty nifty I think. I know, I know, Kindergarten for the rest of you... ...I couldn't figure out how to fix the flag - I think it is a standard 50 state arrangement and anyone who knows to look would set me straight about Alaska and Hawaii. I still like the shot - beggars can't be choosers.

The upper aircraft is a different view of the FM-2 Wildcat that I posted yesterday. This was a staple aircraft in the War in the Pacific, and like most of the great aircraft of the war, has its fans...

The FM-2 was one of the last versions of this "Type" being constructed by GM through 1944 I understand? (Factories were focused singularly on the war effort to get military hardware into battle and you will find that most of the auto manufacturers ceased production of cars in order to do that.)

The FM-2 was no match for a 1 v. 1 dogfight with a good Zero pilot, but with teamwork and some guts, the US pilots still managed to have a decisive win ratio. Still, its predecessors ("Wildcats" - just different versions...) were already outdated at the start of the war due to some misguided thinking in my opinion - When you curb military spending, you have a long "spin-up" to hurdle before you can be competitive again. Anyway, this FM-2 version was unique in that its lighter design allowed it to be stationed on smaller carriers for close support and sub hunting through the end of the Pacific war - they basically didn't put it toe to toe with the enemy Zeroes after the F6F Hellcat arrived.

The lower picture features a 1938 Bellanca Air Cruiser. It has a distinctive "W" shape in the lower wing. This is the only example that I have ever seen, and I checked the website - they think it is unique in the world as well. I don't know a lot about this design, but it is an interesting and beautiful aircraft in its own way.

There was a set of floats nearby (maybe I will work on some pics for that another time...) and a set of skiis for this aircraft as well - big equipment.

Also in the same shot, a Mig 15 that is definitely out of its era, but I think the picture is still nifty enough to hang in my office.