AIR TO AIR PHOTOGRAPHY

Seen over a small lake in central Wisconsin, Greg Herrick's beautifully restored Ford Tri-motor. Herrick is in the left seat and Ryan Mohr is in the right. The photo plane was a Murphy Moose.

Over the years, I have had the honor of looking through a lens at a number of the world's best pilots flying just a few feet away from where I sat. To see Patty Wagstaff, Sean D. Tucker, Michael Goulian, Steve Hinton, Wayne Handley, Steve Oliver, Chris Rounds or Gene Soucy respond to my request to climb or move forward 5 feet, and to see them do so even while inverted (and to make it look effortless), that's when I have known I was one of the fortunate few to have witnessed such abilities.

Aerobatic champion and airshow performer Michael Goulian in his Cap 232 taken from a Beechcraft Baron flown by Dale Snodgrass.

But it hasn't been only the famous who have favored me with their skills. I've seen excellent flying from factory demo pilots and private aircraft owners. Some have been military trained, and others have worked hard to gain first-class formation skills on their own. In fact, I often call upon some of these pilots to be a safety pilot and accompany aircraft owners who aren't formation trained. My friend Jack Guthrie has now flown a number of such missions as a safety pilot who takes the controls for the close in work. Look closely at several of the images on this site, and you'll see "Smilin Jack" in the right seat.

This Cherokee 235 is owned by Jerry Pedley (in the left seat), who was accompanied on the flight by safety pilot, Jack Guthrie. The Cherokee Six photo plane was flown by Brad Womble.

I'd also like to give credit to those who too often receive little or no publicity for their role in making a good photo shoot possible, the photo plane pilots. I have flown with some of the best in the business, and invariably, they know how to make it easier for the subject plane pilots to get into, and stay in position. They find the best light for me (remember, I'm usually sitting in the back facing to the rear), and keep us over the best backgrounds. I'd like to acknowledge just a few of the many, and in doing so, my apologies to those I leave out. My thanks to Brian Norris, Robin Dyck, Dale Snodgrass, Chris Rounds, Bruce Moore, Patty Wagstafff, Steve Oliver, Michael Slingluff, Tom Hahn, and Brad Womble. I'm often asked how I got a particular image that appears in a publication. People want to know how close the subject plane is to the camera plane, what camera gear I use, where the shot was done and so on. I'm always happy to answer, but I'll admit, some of my favorite questions have to do as much with what happens before we fly, as with what happens while we're in the air. I want to stress that by providing this information, this is in no way an endorsement that you engage in air-to-air photography. In fact, I strongly advise against it. It's not that taking great air-to-air shots can't be done safely; professional aviation photographers do it all the time. But we do it with all parties having been properly prepared through careful and thorough briefings, by employing skilled pilots, and using the right equipment (both aircraft and photography).

Airshow performer Chris Rounds brought his beautiful T-33, the Red Knight, into position under a Beechcraft Baron being flown by Dale Snodgrass. The Baron is specially equipped with a port cut into the floor just for this point of view.