Rhode Island Air Show Photography
Photography is a passion of mine, a hobby that allows me to work in a creative way to capture the sights that I observe around me. The Rhode Island National Guard Air Show at Quonset State Airport is always a treat to attend, and this year was no exception! Flying demonstrations by a wide variety of aircraft, a large number of aircraft on static display plus burger stands as far as the eye can see make for a perfect photography outing in my book! I packed up my camera, loaded up on sunscreen, and headed out early to beat the traffic and find a good spot for air show photography!
“Mirror Image’ – The US AIr Force Thunderbirds Demonstration Team
The highlight of this years air show was the U.S Air Force Thunderbird’s flight demonstration team. Flying their unmistakable red, white and blue F-16 Fighting Falcons, the Thunderbird’s are without a doubt one of the top aerial demonstration teams in the world! The bright colors and intricate flight patterns are fantastic for photography, and I took literally hundreds of photographs of their performance in the skies over Rhode Island. From photographs of the individual aircraft in action, to the precision maneuvers that place the high speed jets within inches of each other overhead. My favorite photograph from the air show is the photograph above. At first glance, it may appear to be a trick created in Photoshop, but I assure you it is not. This photograph is as real as it gets, and really shows you the precision flying that the Thunderbird’s perform.
P-51 Fighter Plane
One of the greatest thrills of the air show are the legends of the past, and this year we were treated to a P-51 Mustang! The P-51 is a single seat fighter plane famous for its performance in the skies during World War II. The P-51 was flown by the Tuskegee Airmen, who painted the tails red, coining the nickname “The Red Tails”, and we were fortunate to have it grace the skies over Rhode Island. Fully restored, this plane is a beautiful piece of history and to watch it fly was a really special moment. I would love to spend a day up close with one of these aircraft, photographing it from every angle, inside and out. For today, i am content with the photographs I was able to create of this very special aircraft!
Skytypers Aerial Demonstration Team
Another exciting flying demonstration was The Geico Skytypers! Flying the vintage SNJ-2 Texans from World War II, this acrobatic team puts on an amazing show! Low altitude, precision formation flying is their business, and they are tops in the game! I literally could have watched them fly all day long! One aircraft flies with an additional crew member that runs a computerized system that controls the smoke on each aircraft, enabling the 6 aircraft to “type” messages across the sky! I am a huge fan of the prop driven, vintage aircraft from WWII – getting to see one fly is a huge treat , so getting to see SIX of them fly was a really special experience!
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope that you have enjoyed my photography from the Rhode Island air show!