Air to Air Photography - 2016 Year in Review

Air to air photography is a part time hobby and ongoing passion for me. Since moving to Seattle in 2010, I have been very fortunate to meet and work with an amazing group of photographers, including several mentors who are as generous with their knowledge as they are talented.

2016 brought several once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and many trips to various museums and airshows. Each year, as a way to share my work and stay in contact with friends and colleagues, I produce a calendar of some of my photos from the year. Here are the photos that made the grade for the 2017 calendar, along with some information about the people, places and planes involved.

Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Doc" over Wichita, Kansas. This late World War 2 era B-29 is one of only two flying in the world, and the 16-year, 300,000-hour restoration project was completed this past summer.

North American P-51D Mustang "Blondie" flown by Brant Seghetti. The color scheme and nose art on this P-51 are personal favorites, and historical photos of the original "Blondie" as it fought in World War 2 are easily found on the internet.

North American PBJ1 (B-25J) Mitchell "Semper Fi" from the Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing in Camarillo, California. The PBJ is the Navy variant of the B-25, and the acronym stands for Patrol (P) Bomber (B) built by North American Aviation (J), first variant (1). This aircraft is the only authentic PBJ still flying that came off the assembly line and went straight to the Navy.

David Vopat flies the 74 year old Northrop N-9MB Flying Wing over southern California. This N-9M was a 1/3 scale prototype built during the development of the large XB-35 flying wing heavy bomber. Of the four N-9M prototypes, this is the only one that remains, and it has been restored and maintained by the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, CA.

A Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat gives chase to a Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero in a mock aerial victory. Both planes are from the Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing in Camarillo, California. The Hellcat and the Zero were frequent adversaries in the Pacific Theater in World World 2.

Republic P-47G Thunderbolt "Spirit of Atlantic City, New Jersey" flown by Steve Hinton, Jr. from the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, CA. Over 15,000 P-47s were produced in various models during World War 2. Nicknamed the "Jug", it was one of the heaviest aircraft of the war and was used as a fighter-bomber for ground attack.

Douglas A1-H (front) and EA1-E (back) Skyraiders from the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas. The Skyraider had a uniquely long career -- from the mid 1940s to the early 1970s -- and was flown by the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.

Supermarine Spitfire Mark XIV flown by Jason Somes. This actual airframe served in the British RAF South East Asia Command at the very end of World War 2 and is painted in those colors. The Mark XIV model was the first to have the V-12 Rolls Royce Griffon 65 engine.

The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 biplane was a trainer used during the 1930s and 1940s by the U.S. Army Air Forces and the Navy. Over 10,000 were built. This airplane is owned and flown by Victor Riffel and the photo shoot took place just after dawn near Wichita, Kansas.

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Thunderbird" from the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Teaxs. This photo shoot was definite "bucket list" material, as not only was it a chance to photograph an iconic B-17, but the shooting was done from the open tail of the museum's B-25, allowing for spectacular close-up and wide angle views of the subject aircraft.

One of only two Boeing P-26 "Peashooter" airplanes flying today. The P-26 was the first all-metal production fighter for the U.S. and first flew in 1932. This P-26 is from the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, CA, flown here by John Maloney.

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt "Tarheel Hal" from the Lone Star Flight Museum flown by pilot Charlie Tilghman over the Gulf Coast near Galveston, Texas.

All of these photos are dedicated with appreciation to the museums, staff, volunteers, pilots and crews who bring airshows to life and keep history flying. Special thanks to Scott Slocum, photo pilot, professional aviation photographer and instructor, for organizing the shoots. Thanks also to Paul Bowen and Lyle Jansma for their support and mentoring.

More of my photos on instagram @mattbootyphoto

All photos (c) 2016 by Matt Booty.