I had
pre-arranged an air-to-air photo shoot with the Ryan PT-22. In my
correspondence with Terry, he suggested that we also shoot the PT-17
that was owned by a friend of his. We came up with some ideas and what
became of those ideas are in the galleries below. After we were done
shooting the two classic trainers, a light sport aircraft, a Gobosh
700S formed up on our photo ship. It didn't take any goading for the
photographers on board to jump up again to shoot the Gobosh.
I wish
to pass along a BIG thanks to Terry Freedman, John Maglica, Carter
Teeters, and Bill Ahern for the opportunity to photograph these classic
aircraft. Kudos and thanks to the crew of the AN-2 (our photo platform)
for providing a stable platform to shoot from. Michael Polley was our
pilot, Kent Pramhus was our co-pilot and John Varley was our crew
chief, who fashioned a safety net to keep us safe. I also want to thank
the fine group of volunteers at the Inland
Empire Wing and the Third Pursuit Squadron of the Commemorative
Air Force. For the CAF, "Keep 'em flying" is not just a motto, it's
their mission. The thousands of hours of time, energy, sweat and blood
that goes into each of the aircraft shows the dedication of these
people. My photos serve as a testimony to their hard work.
