Nuuumannn's quick trip to Reno!

Crimea_River · Oct 8, 2023

Great stuff Grant. I'd suggest that a "environmentally conscious" CEO wouldn't be flying around in private jets, period.

MiTasol · Oct 8, 2023

There is actually a good environmental case for bizjets in some circumstances. If you are going from point A to point B via point C the carbon footprint of a modern bizjet can be less than taking airlines.

Business wise there is a massively strong case for bizjets as the PAX can work while in the air which you cannot do on airliners and sleep properly which again is almost impossible on jetliners. On top of that the mandatory time sitting around the airport before flight and between sectors when you are paying the executive or team thousands of dollars a day (or hour) is a cost that the business can never recover. If you calculate the lost production of a person in dollars per hour the cost of a bizjet in dollars is way less than the lost production as the people can work securely on the aircraft both in flight and on the ground.

nuuumannn · Oct 9, 2023

MiTasol said:
Nice to see all the good stuff under cover instead of out in the rain at Meola Rd.

Yes indeed, although the extension to the main hangar has been in place for many years now. MoTaT, like so many aviation museums, has been hampered by too many objects and not enough space to house them all. Unfortunately, the old buildings out the back, some of them wartime airfield hangars relocated are not in the best state, but there is plenty of room for expansion of existing display space, however, so there is that.

nuuumannn · Oct 9, 2023

Crimea_River said:
Great stuff Grant. I'd suggest that a "environmentally conscious" CEO wouldn't be flying around in private jets, period.

Yes and no, there is such a thing as Corporate Social Responsibility, which is essentially a CEO's way of appearing to be considering what the rest of society thinks. CEOs who require business jets will still use them regardless of their environmental impact. I mentioned this to Carlos Brana when I spoke to him about the Falcon, he mentioned that it is a necessity that business jet manufacturers investigate such things because of the pressure the industry is under. The Falcon 10 X, for example will be capable of using both current fuels and SAFs, which will be a first. Dassault's approach is pragmatic, making the jets as slippery and fuel-efficient as possible, and supporting the use of SAFs.

nuuumannn · Oct 9, 2023

This is the last set from my first day at Reno. Each day is different, I assure you, with more focus on air operations coming up. This is mainly because Friday was the first big public day, even though the gates were open to the public beforehand. Also, not all the airshow acts were performing on Thursday, no F-15, no A-10 or Super Hornet displays, for example. We'll see those in the Friday sets. So, on to some Unlimited action.

This is the T-33 pace aircraft "Ace Maker" from Planes of Fame and flown by Steve Hinton Sr.

_ADP6009

Thunderbird taxying in after its display. It usually opened the flying sequences with a quick throw around.

_ADP5813

Man 'O War getting airborne. I was on the crowd line for these pics, so they are taken at some distance with my big lens, so they're not the sharpest. This also meant that not all of the images I took were clear enough for public consumption.

_ADP5770

Lady Jo climbing out.

_ADP5784

Bunny departing.

_ADP5786

"Gentlemen, we have a race!"

_ADP5804

I didn't bother chasing the Unlimiteds around the circuit, the results would have been rubbish. Never fear though, I got some decent shots of them out at the pylons. Pretty Polly returning.

_ADP5865

Man O' War...

_ADP5866

Pretty Polly at rest.

_ADP5870

Thunderbird about to get a tow.

_ADP5873

Lady Jo about to be towed away. The ubiquitous Ford Ranger proving useful, other than being a menace on the roads to other motorists, that is...

_ADP5869

The P-51H looking good from any angle.

_ADP6035

I don't think I've featured this aircraft yet, this is Race 31 "Speedball Alice" flown by Don Vance.

_ADP6036

The garish Plum Crazy surely does stand out.

_ADP6038

These were the last photos I took on Thursday. Not the sharpest, I think having spent the entire day on my feet got to me.

_ADP6051

_ADP6052

_ADP6054

_ADP6059

_ADP6068

So, that was, in short, my first day at the Reno Air Races. I was buggered. Over the next few days I paced myself, taking regular sit-down breaks at the media area and keeping hydrated. I also rationalised what I carried around with me to relieve the load. Lesson learned...

See y'all bright and early tomorrow for a special dawn photoshoot.

Wurger · Oct 9, 2023

Gnomey · Oct 9, 2023

Lovely shots Grant!

SaparotRob · Oct 9, 2023

Great photos. The T-33 is always a treat. When I was in my early single digits, I thought it wasn't a real airplane 'cause jets have swept wings. I have since matured, somewhat.

Crimea_River · Oct 10, 2023

Your "not the sharpest' photos make me realize how shite even my best ones are.

nuuumannn · Oct 10, 2023

Crimea_River said:
Your "not the sharpest' photos make me realize how shite even my best ones are.

Thank you, Andy, believe me, these were the best of a lot of blurry images!

nuuumannn · Oct 10, 2023

Mornin' folks! A special dawn photoshoot featuring P-51D Swamp Fox, followed by an interloper who happened to mosey on in while we were on the ramp photographing...

_ADP6085

_ADP6088

_ADP6090

_ADP6108

_ADP6101

_ADP6105

_ADP6106

Bardahl crew turning up in their PC-12.

_ADP6117

One aircraft and pilot I have yet to mention is Nick Macy and Six Cat. Frankly, I forgot I had taken this picture. Nick and Six Cat were involved in that terrible collision on the last day of the races. On Thursday I spent a bit of time sheltering under the Six Cat crew marquee and the guys there got talking with me as I casually took photos. Great time chatting and shooting...

_ADP6118

A few arty shots from around the traps, including that terrific P-51H catching the morning light.

_ADP6122

_ADP6124

_ADP6125

Argonaut.

_ADP6126

Sparky

_ADP6127

Beautiful PC-12 in the static.

_ADP6131

Rolls-Royce power.

_ADP6146

Blue SNJ.

_ADP6154

Dazzle camo on Man O'War.

_ADP6139

Next, some airshow action.

Wurger · Oct 11, 2023

Snautzer01 · Oct 11, 2023

Very good pictures :thumbright:

. I will have some for my pc back ground.

nuuumannn · Oct 11, 2023

Now, some airshow action. After the hard slog of Thursday, I took my time and had regular breaks at the media enclosure resting and consuming fluids, which was handy as it was near the media photography trailer, which was in front of hangars at the pits end of the site. This was available to media personnel all day, except during certain times, like while the Unlimiteds were racing or when the military displays were on. Before these times we were moved away by RARA personnel who usually gave us grace to take photos before asking us to leave. I was not the only one to query this, but it turned out that the trailer was within the aerobatic box on the flight line! I asked what the difference was between being there and being out at the pylons while a race was being conducted and the answer was that out at the pylons, the aircraft are not flying directly over us. I can state with a considerable degree of certainty that that statement was most certainly not true! Anyway, I positioned myself on the trailer for most of the morning, which I benefitted from by being parked near the shade of a convenient hangar and by its proximity to the media enclosure for refreshments.

First up, the Bonanza display. This fully aerobatic F-33C Bonanza was being flown by Jim Peitz, who was a regular performer at the air races. An impressive display of energy management.

_ADP6162

_ADP6170

_ADP6193

_ADP6201

Some images of Unlimited operations before a heat, during which we were told to leave the area. Thunderbird taxying out. The aircraft sat out at the end of the runway for ages before shutting down, no doubt to prevent the engine overheating before the Unlimiteds arrived and took off.

_ADP6157

_ADP6158

_ADP6160

Man O' War.

_ADP6212

Ace Maker chase.

_ADP6220

Select images of the Unlimiteds taking off.

_ADP6254

_ADP6259

_ADP6267

_ADP6270

_ADP6278

Next, the first military display of the day. Although we were told we would have to leave during the military displays, they allowed us this one time owing to the brevity of the display, essentially a high-altitude flyby... U-2 of an unknown reconnaissance squadron of the 9th Operations Group based at Beale AFB, California.

_ADP6291

_ADP6294

_ADP6296

_ADP6297

Next up, more Unlimiteds taxying...

Wurger · Oct 11, 2023

Gnomey · Oct 11, 2023

Excellent shots Grant!

nuuumannn · Oct 12, 2023

For today, aircraft y'all should all be familiar with by now...

_ADP6312

_ADP6315

The lovely Swamp Fox. So, I spoke with an old hand at photographing at Reno about low shutter speeds and blur, which, he told me resulted in aircraft vibrating even when static. Parts of aircraft vibrate at different amounts to other parts of aircraft and this is often noticed when aircraft are sitting with their engines running. I had noticed this before but just thought it was something in the lens/user interface, but it makes perfect sense. It explains why some of my photos are slightly blurred and some are not. This one is a nice clear shot but it is ever so slightly blurred...