Thunderbird Tweaker

Nellis AFB is the home of the USAF Thunderbirds demonstration team. While I've always felt the Navy Blue Angels were more exciting and a tighter team, there is no denying the Thunderbirds are excellent at what they do, too.

As with any high performance machine, the real heroes are the tweakers, fixers and maintainers - the unsung members of the ground crew.

Modern military aircraft are complex, and while maintenance shots are not as sexy as flybys and aerobatics, there is a certain beauty in that quiet science. This shot, taken during the 2010 ISAP visit to Nellis, captures the essence of that quality for me: a sleek and shiny F-16 tucked into a hanger, looking out into the bright light while being opened up for routine work, as if anticipating its next performance before a packed ramp of excited enthusiasts.

Even a machine could feel the energy of a crowd like that and look forward to the next showtime.

Walking the Line - Last Chance, Luke AFB

I confess that this shot is a favorite of mine. I like the line up of Viper tails with their heat plumes flowing out of their exhaust nozzles, set off by the solitary walk by the airman in his "mouse ears" (ear protectors) as he performs his last chance inspections. It is an unsung job, but a critical one. In amongst the muted roars and heat of the F-16s, he and his team circle and examine the waiting beasts, the power of "go / no-go" in his hands - the human element in the mechanized zoo of modern aerospace. It is fascinating to watch.

As with the previous post, this was shot last October at Luke AFB, AZ.