Just a few pics..

Chris

Nice work, Sticknrudder. You have a tremendous gift. Thanks for sharing.

Flynengr

Ditto, thanks. A great event, unfortunately timing was wrong for me to attend, so it's nice to attend vicariously.

Man, Rare Bear is wearing a new paint scheme....

MTV

WOW!!!!

Check out the Nov. 2009 of Air & Space Magazine http://www.airspacemag.com/ for an article on Rare Bear, new paint scheme and all.

TD

Outstanding photos. Would you mind sharing your technique with a few wannabes?

thanks,
tom

Thanks everyone...

As far as technique, I don't know. I've never taken a class, and I started shooting when I was a kid. People expect the camera to do the work, but it's all about location and preparation. I'm lucky enough to get a press pass and have the location, but I probably take 1/10th the amount of photos others do. I don't "spray and pray", and you'll never hear my camera going off like a machine gun...

It's kind of like a stick and rudder airplanes vs a big A380.. you just have to have the feel.

Sorry I'm no help

Chris

You deffiantly have the feel.

Thanks for sharing those terrific pictures.

Very nice photos!... you do realize of course that there were three or four other classes of racing up there besides the antiques?

Well, on second thought, snap all the photos of "the artists formerly known as unlimiteds" that you can while they still exist. Ego and ostrich head-burying have just about obsoleted them as a viable racing class.

The whole good old boy thing has just gotten too far out of control, and their fear of new airplanes was the final nail in the coffin. Making "unlimited" into an invitational race class was heartbreaking to anyone who actually believed in a new generation of unlimited racers to replace the dinosaurs. I love watching those old things fly as much as anyone else ever did, but when they voted to keep anyone and everyone else out of their country club they became an airshow act instead of an unlimited race. Many of us had designs, sketches, models, and/or real plans to build a new UL racer. Former F-4 driver and Formula One air racer Ralph Wise of Mojave actually scratch built a V-8 powered airplane that could have been competitive. For him (or anyone else) to have actually built an airplane, and be told that he wasn't in the good old boy club, is totally unsportsmanlike.

Congrats sincerely to young Mr. Hinton for setting a new speed record however... well done!

Formula One airplanes are the fastest air racers for their horsepower of any pylon air racing class, bar none. We went over 50% of unlimited race speed on less than 5% of their horsepower. We did better than T-6 speeds on 1/6 of their power... with fixed gear and fixed pitch and no blower and from a standing start. Who are the real racers here?

(the only air racers that are faster for their horsepower are racing sailplanes that achieve speeds of 100-120 mph with NO engine, but that's another story and it's not pylon racing)

The "sport class" and the "Super Sport" (the de facto unlimited race class) are proving themselves out well, with this year's Super Sport going as fast as competitive unlimited racers used to go some years back. Even the biplanes are getting modernized thanks to Mr. Aberle, even as funky looking as they are now.

Sorry to rant... probably just sour grapes on my part

Bill Berle
Formula One # 81 "Boo Ray" 1988-89
Sailplane race # "VB" 1981-87

EZFlap wrote:Very nice photos!... you do realize of course that there were three or four other classes of racing up there besides the antiques?

Thanks, and yup.. just haven't gotten there yet. I've also crewed on a few airplanes - non Unlimited.

Nice shots, Chris. I love the short DOF shot of the girl in the Strega jacket.

mtv wrote:\
Man, Rare Bear is wearing a new paint scheme....

Yeah...ouch.

Good eye Stick!!

and thanks for getting up early enough to get that beautiful first shot.

YB

Bad Azz pictures!!!!

Good work, Chris!!

Man I love the NEMESIS it is pure sex......

Hey Chris, you do nice work! Would you mind sharing a couple secrets such as camera, lens, filters??

Dave wrote:Hey Chris, you do nice work! Would you mind sharing a couple secrets such as camera, lens, filters??

I'm going to guess a nice circular-polarizer for starters.

Chris, Yes very nice pictures. Thanks.

I have a "thing" for those restored old aircraft tugs. I see a nice yellow Clark. Do you have any more pictures of their tugs??

Thank you everyone, for the nice comments. Glad everyone enjoys them!

Dave wrote:Hey Chris, you do nice work! Would you mind sharing a couple secrets such as camera, lens, filters??

Camera - Nikon D3 and Nikon D300
Lenses - 50mm 1.8, 70-200VR w/1.7x Telextender, 24-120VR, 18-70mm
Filters - I only use a circular polarizer on the 50mm 1.8

Chris

patrol guy wrote:Chris, Yes very nice pictures. Thanks.

I have a "thing" for those restored old aircraft tugs. I see a nice yellow Clark. Do you have any more pictures of their tugs??

I have a Clarktor tug I can probably part ways with. I think it's a 1954-1956 model. Has a nasty oil leak, needs a paint job and a new seat. It similar to the ones on the following link.

http://musee.1wing.free.fr/VHC/VHC%20022.htm

Here's a few more...

Bob Button over at Voodoo Racing has one heck of a set up!!