Cascade Photo Flight

[Boss_BlueAngels]

This last Sunday, Jan. 13, was an absolute blast! My friend and fellow pilot James made a simple FB post early last week, stating that he wanted to do another mountain photo flight over the Cascade Mountains near where I live, and that he would prefer to have a couple planes in formation with some photographers inside. Within a few days he and I arranged a flight of five aircraft (Cessna 172, 182, Turbo 182, 205, and a Mooney) along with eight photographers... enough for at least one in each aircraft. The Mooney, by the way, was basically our main photo ship, as the pilot flew around our group of Cessna's, taking photos of the entire formation.

We briefed right at noon that Sunday, and departed as a flight of five right at about 1PM. I rode in the back seat of the lead aircraft, the 172. It was absolutely an AMAZING experience! I shot over 1,600 images, and captured 40 minutes of video... not even counting the 2 hours captured on the GoPro looking out the left window!

All week now there are new photos and video clips posted from the various photographers. And since they're all from different perspectives, it's absolutely amazing to relive the experience from each persons point of view.

So now that you have the background, enjoy the view from my perspective!


IMG_4499 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Finished running up, we begin the slow journey to Runway 34L at Paine Field in Everett, Washington.


IMG_4502 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
"Flight of five, cleared for takeoff, eastbound departure approved, have a good one!"


IMG_4517 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Paine Field just begins to grow faint in the haze as we climb to 6,000 feet.


IMG_4540 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Shooting through the back window creating the blue color-cast, the two Cessna 182's form up with the northern most tip of Lake Washington visible in the background.


IMG_4551 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
#3, the Turbo 182, banks with the Seattle skyline in the background, along with one of the floating bridges across Lake Washington.



IMG_4598 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Again, the Seattle skyline, including the Space Needle, can be seen at the top left of the image. This time you get a shot of the Mooney making its way around the formation.


More to follow...

 

[Boss_BlueAngels]

Part two:


IMG_4638 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
The Cessna 1182 Turbo had a tough time slowing down with us, so occasionally made a pass before rejoining. We put the 172 at the front since it was the slowest, otherwise we would have been lost in the dust.


IMG_4739 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Cessna 205 with the Mooney in the background. My photography friends whom I invited to come along, had one of the best photoships this flight, as there is a small portion of the window in the back that actually opens. They didn't have to shoot through plexi!


IMG_4848 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Now we're getting to the fun stuff! Only took about ten minutes to get to the mountains.


IMG_4783 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
A massive wall of rock and snow fills the background as we negotiate the valley.


IMG_4926 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Mt. Rainier stands tall and proud, donning a standing lenticular cloud as the two Cessna 182's bank in a gentle turn.


IMG_4958 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
The 205 with a great example of "where NOT to fly" in the background. That's a tough canyon to get out of back there.

 

[Boss_BlueAngels]

Continuing:


IMG_4973 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
The air was smooth as silk, so getting shots at low shutter speeds was very easy.


IMG_5039 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
The 205 wanted some good Mt. Rainier time as well...


IMG_5113 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
I love closeups as much as the next guy, but I also like to give some perspective. As beautiful as this scenery is, one has to respect it. not a lot of options here.


IMG_5225 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
This just may be my favorite photograph from the flight. I wanted to catch the sky, and the mountains towering over the aircraft. We were at about 6,500' right here.


IMG_5282 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Changing formation is tricky business, especially for folks who have never done formation flying before! We took a lot of time during the briefing to discuss procedures and SAFETY. We maintained positive communication throughout and each pilot did a great job of maintaining a comfortable distance.


IMG_5329 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Changing things up a bit, the 182 takes lead so their photographer can get some shots of us.


IMG_5403 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
The 205 pilot zooms ahead for a photo of our 172 and the 182. Both the regular 182 and our 172 belong to the same flying club.


IMG_5463 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Off our right wing is the 205, snapping photos away with a beautiful background of both our aircraft. The pilot I was flying with, James, has many hours of formation flying experience, so he was comfortable getting a little closer than the others.

 

[Boss_BlueAngels]

Continuing:


IMG_5198 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Taking more photos of the 172 and 182, you can see the opened window in the back and the conveniently placed GoPro recording the flight.


IMG_5215 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Smile!


IMG_5581 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
With the 205 gone, we do some flying additional flying through the canyons with the other 182.


IMG_5704 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Up close and personal!


IMG_5721 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Off into the sunset!

 

[Boss_BlueAngels]

Final set. Some aerial shots of the mountains plus the video:


IMG_5818 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
This is the snowy top of Mt. Pilchuck


IMG_5796 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Mt. Rainier with a lenticular cloud capping it off.


IMG_5848 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Mt. Baker to the north also dons a lenticular.


IMG_5976 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
A quick stop at Arlington Municipal for lunch.


IMG_6041 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Back home to Paine Field, we pass the USS Nimitz at the Everett Naval Station.


IMG_6068 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Calling it a day. Final for 34L at Paine Field.


Then here is the video from the flight. As I may have mentioned already, I'm collecting all the video and photos from the rest of the photographers to put it all into one really cool movie. Stay tuned, and thank you for looking!


Distant Dreams - Formation - YouTube

 

[Racer283]

Pretty cool photos Boss. Some of them look like they could be stamps or postcards with the planes in the foreground and the mountains in the background.

 

[MargStone]

Pretty cool photos Boss. Some of them look like they could be stamps or postcards with the planes in the foreground and the mountains in the background.

I agree.. they are so fantastic.....