Thunderbirds On Thursday

OK, you guys have been really good, putting up with all my Washington pictures when I know what you really want to see are the Thunderbirds from Sun-N-Fun. Well, here are a few pictures from the Thursday rehearsal. Well, they called it a rehearsal, but for those of us on the ground, it sure seemed like a full show.

I always try to get a shot of the planes with a flag in the foreground. I don't think I've gotten a good one yet, but I keep trying. They're just too fast, and the flags are always too close.


I always try to get pictures of the planes seeming to intersect in midair. The 8 frame-per-second capability of my 7D should make that easier, but I miss them just as often as I get them. Maybe I should try to get them when I'm not at maximum zoom, I think that might help. Always a neat shot when I get it, though.




Ah, the dirty pass. An airshow standard. Some of these jets are so fast that the only way to slow them down is to lower the flaps and drop the landing gear. Maybe it's the truth and maybe it's just a story, but it makes for an interesting picture.




I love it when the two solo pilots (Thunderbirds 5 & 6) join back up with the diamond. It's pretty cool to see four planes flying in formation, but it's at least 50% cooler when there are six planes in formation!






Look real close at the pictures above and below. See the number 5 is on the plane upside down? His is the only plane marked that way. All the rest are right side up. I read on the internet that he's the lead solo pilot, and usually if there's an upside down maneuver to do, he's the one doing, thus the upside down number. I don't think you can see that sort of detail from the ground, or at least I can't. That's what I have a 400mm lens for.














And a shot of one plane on the ground, just so you know I'm at the end. I hope I didn't overload your senses with all these great shots. And this is only from one day, I've got two more shows to share. Unfortunately, this was the day with the best weather, so these probably are the best shots I got. It's hard to get a good picture of a white plane against a dark gray sky. But I'll share the best of them, though maybe not quite as many.