Category: Transportation

Spirit Over Raptors

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Another photo from the Joint Service Open House at Joint Base Andrews a couple weeks ago. The B-2 Spirit bomber “Spirit of Nebraska” made several passes at the airshow. In this photo, the B-2 appears to be headed over an F-22 Raptor that had just returned from its own aerial demonstration. Before arriving at Andrews, the B-2 flew over Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland in the opening festivities of the 137th Preakness States and, according to airshow announcer Rob Reider, was going to fly over several other events before returning to its home in Missouri at Whiteman Air Force Base.

 

Outside is America

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I got my first workout with the new camera at the Joint Services Open House at Joint Base Andrews this past weekend. Learned some things about the camera and retaught myself some simple basics, like the importance of checking to be sure the memory cards are empty before shooting. Deleting many photos one-by-one is not a lot of fun…or quick.

This photo is of Neal Darnell’s Air National Guard sponsored jet truck leaving a trail of flames in front of two F-22 Raptor fighter planes and the P-51 Mustang “Bald Eagle” on the tarmac. He went up and down in front of the flight line a number of times during the day shooting fire out the exhaust and creating huge clouds of smoke. He did make any passes at speed. I think it’s because the near runway at Andrews is still undergoing renovations and the far runway that the aircraft were using was too far away with a small berm in between.

I’ll post more photos from the airshow now and again.

Watching Discovery Over the Lincoln Memorial

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On April 17, 2012, the Space Shuttle Discovery was flown from Florida to Washington Dulles International Airport so that the Shuttle can be permanently displayed at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center. Discovery made the trip atop a specially modified NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Before landing at Dulles, the Shuttle was flown over the National Mall area in downtown Washington, DC.

In this photo, the aircraft combo is preparing to make a west to east pass on the south side of the Mall from behind the Lincoln Memorial. Construction workers that are renovating the Reflecting Pool paused for a moment watch the Shuttle fly by.

Driveway Donuts

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(click to make it bigger)

After the Capitals beat the Hurricanes this evening, I was reading a thread where some friends that live along the I95 corridor north of DC were talking about how much fun and fear they had through the day and evening driving in the snow, doing donuts in some cars that are new since last winter or trying new snow tires.  I got jealous, so I did the best I could in the driveway.

Wind Power in Genesco

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Geneseo, IL – September 4, 2010:  A wind turbine stands guard on the south side of Interstate 80 in Genesco, Illinois shortly before sunset.

I don’t really know why, but I’m fascinated by wind turbines.  The idea of pulling electricity out of the air with no emissions is pretty cool.  But the things are loud. And you can see them from far, far away.  Even from thirty-some-thousand feet in the air, they’re plainly visible on the earth’s surface. Somehow they have awakened an enivro-consciousness in me that I didn’t know I had…but I’m not sure which side of the fence I’m on when it comes to wind power.  I just find them interesting to look at.

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