Aircraft

On Deck

On Deck

F-8K Crusader and F-14A Tomcat on the deck of the USS Yorktown at sunset.   I was done shooting for the evening when the sky turned quickly from a dull grey to this amazing cotton candy blue and pink.  I had to work quickly to get this shot knowing I only had a few minutes before I lost the sky completely.

That’s just how it is sometimes: you’re working slow and methodically and the next thing you know you’re running around at breakneck speeds reshooting shot after shot that you just completed because God hands you a beautiful gift of a sky.

An Aircraft Carrier’s Helm

An aircraft carrier like the USS Yorktown is not a small ship and it does not turn without effort, yet a small wheel at its helm as seen here is all that is required to turn the mighty ship.  The Yorktown is now a decommissioned museum ship docked at Patriot’s Point in Charleston, South Carolina but it is still a sight to behold. There is an efficiency and purpose to every piece of her.

 

 

 

Warbird

FA/18 Hornet

An F/A-18 Hornet fighter-bomber aboard the USS Yorktown at Patriot’s Point, South Carolina.  The Hornet is a single-seat multirole aircraft whose missions include ground support, strike, and air support.  It also has the distinction of serving the US Navy’s Blue Angels.

The photo was taken on the flight deck of the Essex Class USS Yorktown which was commissioned in 1943 and served the United States Navy until 1970.  It has since been converted to a museum and is open to the public.