As a consequence of my continuing spiritual journey, I feel compelled to question the things I love. Hopefully, this series will unearth some of the mysteries of my love affairs with a few simple questions.
Part One: Aviation
Why Do You Love Aviation?
The saying “You can’t explain what’ love is. But you feel it clearly, completely and deeply when you are”, best describes my feelings for aviation. I maintain a child-like enthusiasm and passionate desire for all things aviation-related. It is one of a few things that fulfill me intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and lovingly. Asking me to give up Aviation would be no different than asking me to cut off an appendage. Aviation is a part of who I am and my love for it has never wavered. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love it. And am always delighted by new aspects of aviation that I have never experienced. Such as my current infatuation with seaplanes and helicopters.
When and why did it start?
My first memory of my love for aviation started when I was very young, I was maybe 6 or 7. My dad was in the Navy, and we were stationed at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico. One day, my dad took me to an area where he works and there was a room that the ceiling was covered with model airplanes. Which was something I’d never seen before, but I remember being absolutely fascinated by all the different types and wanted to know each of their names. It was about that time I also noticed that our house was parallel to the flight path to the air base. There were no ships based in Roosevelt Roads but when a aircraft carrier was in the area, its air wing would visit the base. It was the coolest place to grow up, seeing Tomcats, Intruders, A-7s, and S-3s enter the pattern, break information, and then drop gear on the downwind leg. It is the cause of me being easily distracted by flying airplanes. I remember it came to a point where could tell what type of plane it was just by its sound. After 3 or 4 years, we moved to the Tidewater area of Virginia. And being in the vicinity of numerous airbases, there was no shortage of military aircraft flying overhead for me to identify.
How does aviation make you feel?
Aviation has always been a constant source of wonder and thrill in my life, and it has never once let me down. The passion I felt when I first fell in love with aviation is still just as vigorous today, filling me with the same level of uninhibited joy and excitement. Over the years, my connection to various aspects of aviation has deepened, evoking a variety of emotions depending on the context. For instance, vintage warbirds often stir up a sense of nostalgia, of a time when these iconic aircraft were built and flown by hand and not by a computer. Helicopters, on the other hand, ignite my adventurous spirit, with their unique ability to hover and access remote locations. Meanwhile, a window seat of an airliner brings me an unequal sense of peace and calm, as I gaze out over the endless expanse of sky and watch the world pass below.
What do you do to maintain and nurture your Love for Aviation?
Like with anything I love, the maintenance and nurturing are done effortlessly and enthusiastically. From attending aviation events, visiting museums, plane spotting, and watching spotting channels on YouTube (yes, it’s a thing) to planning trips to explore and experience various new aviation events. (Cough) My trip to England 🙂 Yeah, my aviation checklist from that trip. Got to fly on an Airbus A330-200, did my first air-to-air photoshoot with WWII Warbirds over the English countryside, countless spotting trips to London-Heathrow drove 2 and a half hours to see TSR.2, did a helicopter flight over London, then spent 5 days at the world’s largest military airshow. I will shoehorn aviation into any conversation whenever possible along with spending countless hours on Flightradar 24. Driving around any airport with airplanes taking off or landing in view is troublesome for me. The need to see and identify what’s taxing to the runway, taking off, or landing is way too distracting.
What do you love about it most? And why
Whether it is in an airliner, helicopter, or hanging out the back of a Skyvan, for me going flying is by far the most enjoyable way to experience aviation. The thrill and power of takeoff always gives me chill bumps. There is something not only liberating and peaceful about glaring out the window, watching the world and clouds pass by.
Since I’ve given up on New Years Resolutions years ago, I’ve found setting some personal goals for myself to be not only satisfying but fulfilling. They are, for me, far more meaningful and manageable to accomplish. I can add to them and edit them to suit my situation. As well as outright delete them. Some are completable, some are reminders, and some are something for me to continually work towards.
What did I learn in 2024?
Life has a way of teaching us lessons through both hardship and growth. I’ve come to realize that there are some mean spirited and fucked up people out there —individuals who, without hesitation, bully and cause harm to others, whether through reckless actions like causing a car accidents or through deliberate cruelty. And because of my experiences with these individuals, it has taught me the value of distancing myself from those who don’t give a shit about their actions. 2024 has also shown me the importance of friendship and the memories we create together, grounding myself in the relationships that truly matter. Along with time, my most precious and non-renewable resource has taken on new meaning as I try to spend it wisely—at work, at home, and in play—choosing carefully who and what deserves my attention. And finally, I’ve come to embrace the value of exploring the quirks of my own mind, even though it doesn’t seem to function “properly.” I’ve come to accept it with a sense of humor and a willingness to grow, knowing that understanding myself is an ongoing journey worth taking.
Where did I go and see in 2024?
This was a bucket list year which included a bunch of firsts for me. Beginning with a mini road trip with my best friends down to Toledo, Ohio to see our first Total Solar Eclipse. It was stellar. (Pun intended 🙂) Our next group outing was celebrating Star Wars Day (May the Fourth) in downtown Detroit.
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Then in July, I began my epic England aviation vacation. My first time “Crossing the Pond”, driving in England along with my first air-to-air photo flight. I struggle with describing how fucking exhilarating it was to photograph World War Two fighters over the iconic English countryside from the back of the famous pink Skyvan. While racking up 1400 miles on a rental car, I had to go and see the infamous White Cliffs of Dover along with one of my favorite all-time aircraft, TSR.2. She is such an amazing larger than life aircraft. And yes, I had to do some plane spotting at London-Heathrow while I was in England. Then I heard London calling, so I answered with another day trip via the train, which I found pleasing to ride. Seeing such iconic and historical landmarks felt like a dream.
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And since I fell in love with helicopter flights, you know I had to book a flight over London. And as long as I have been attending and photographing airshows, the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) has always been on my radar. And after 5 days of RIAT, I can say it is a far superior experience to Oshkosh AirVenture. A week after I got back from my England trip and with jet lag in full force, my sister along with my best friend and I headed to Las Vegas for some serious nerding out at the Star Trek convention. The best was saved for last. Two of my best friends got married, my other bestie officiated, and I was the “Best Man” (another first for me). From the rehearsal to the ceremony all the way through to the reception, we had an absolute blast.
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What did I Lose in 2024?
My good friend, Shawn Yost. Tragically, cancer relentlessly took him from us. My wonderful friendship with him started back in 2004 at the Grosse Ile Airshow. I had arrived early and scoped out a spot on the taxiway to shoot from. Shawn walks up and sets down his chair a couple of feet away from me. Opens up his camera bag and I noticed he pulled out the same camera body that I had, the Canon Digital Rebel. And that started our friendship with our shared love of aviation and photography that lasted for 2 decades. Over the years, we traveled coast to coast, shooting tens of thousands of photos, and creating countless hilarious and meaningful memories. We had so much fun together.
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As time passed, we had different paths in life, and our lives slowly separated further and further apart. I was in England when I got the news of his illness. It was two weeks later that I spoke to him, and the first thing he said to me was that it didn’t matter what happened to our relationship, life happens. But now we are starting over. And our conversation picked up right where we left off. We talked about shows and events we attended, shared photos back and forth, just like old times. Sadly, 35 days later, he passed. If I’ve learned anything from this, it is that Life is short. Use your time doing what you love with the people you love being around. Someone once asked me, “What are the images that you shot that makes you smile?” Not your best or favorite. Mine are of Shawn and my fellow aviation photographers goofing around at airshows over the years. I miss you, my friend.
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What did I Gain in 2024?
I’ve had better mental health in the past 6 months than I ever had in the past 40 years. Why now and what caused this huge positive shift? Well, for years now I’ve been putting a lot of effort and dedication into bettering my mental health. And I can say with confidence that looking back at my life, I’ve had poor mental health for years and didn’t know what to do about it. To a point of just accepting and struggling with it. I journaled for years, and it helped temporarily and had no lasting impact. Then I started listening to self care podcasts and philosophy audiobooks, applying what I learned to my life. Some of it suck like glue and some just wasn’t right for me. But as I slowly got to know myself and my triggers, my outlook on life changed as well as having fewer and fewer days of having a noisy and chaotic mind. Then with the death of Shawn, it dramatically altered my perspective. I started to see who and what is profoundly important to me and on the flip side, who and what does not. Also expelling myself from the super massive black hole of death scrolling through social media and the News has been so liberating. It’s a gravity well of anxiety and fear that is relentlessly damaging and tremendously toxic to my peace of mind. This ongoing spiritual journey has helped me discover and realize a meaningful purpose in life.
How I met Cielo
Early this year, I got into a car accident which was caused by another driver’s road rage. Fortunately, no one was hurt but my car of 10 years was damaged. It was repairable but I knew sooner versus later, things were going to start failing and I wasn’t going to start dumping money into her. So, this was my reasoning for getting a new car. From the start of this, didn’t know what kind of car I wanted, just features I knew I wanted. Turbocharged engine, all-wheel drive, heated steering wheel, Apple CarPlay along with the newer technology that my old car didn’t have. Did quite a bit of searching online and found a few possible candidates. While at the dealership looking at various Genesis G70 models, I spotted the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which checked all my boxes. And after a test drive, I told my sales representative that I wanted a blue one. The dealership didn’t have any in blue. But she would contact their other dealerships and if they had one, it could be transported here. The next day, she called and told me that she found one with the same trim level I wanted. A week later, I got my Cielo. Which is “Sky” in Spanish.
Looking back on 2024, it had its profound life lessons, bucket list adventures and strengthening meaningful friendships. From witnessing a solar eclipse and fulfilling lifelong aviation dreams to embracing better mental health, this year’s ups and down has been instrumental in changing the way I live my life. Finding a sense of purpose, cherishing my friendships, and continuing on with my life long spiritual journey are my most valuable takeaways from 2024. So, what’s in store for next year? You’ll just have to stick around and find out.
Photographers young and old now is a great opportunity to backup your 2024 photos. Each year during the holiday season, I backup my all my photos from the past year. Saving them on three separate hard drives, ensuring my archive will remain safe and protected.
Hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday season!
Departure day, a full day of aviation and photography for the ultra-passionate. Since this was going to be my last opportunity at capturing this year’s attending aircraft, I struggled with how I was going to capture them. On one hand, I can use settings that will pretty much guarantee the shot and the other is riskier but produces a much more striking image. That is to shoot with a slow shutter speed while panning the aircraft as it is taking off. The result is an image where your subject is tack sharp and the background is blurred due to the panning motion. The sense of speed makes the subject appear to leap out of the photo. And after three days of off and on practicing this, I felt confident and comfortable with my panning abilities. I found the key was to shoot within a certain range of shutter speeds.
My range was as slow as 1/80th and my safe zone was 1/200th. A factor that you must keep in mind is the speed of the aircraft as it is taking off. The faster the takeoff, the faster the shutter speed you can get away with. This also means the slower the takeoff, your shutter speed had to be slower as well to show a sense of motion. Something else to keep in mind is that it is far easier to successfully pan with a small lens versus a larger one. For example, I had no problems shooting as slow as 1/60th of a second with my 18-135mm. But compared to my 100-400mm, the slowest I comfortably shot at was 1/125th. Unfortunately, shooting a large telephoto zoom at such slow shutter speeds, my keeper rate drops significantly. Remember, all you need is one to be spot on.
I’m not going to say it was an easy decision and to execute it. Shooting aircraft with slow shutter speeds, handheld with a large telephoto lens, sitting down on the next to last upper row of the grandstand, was so unnerving. Especially knowing there’s sure-fire technique just one turn on the main dial away. I was super hesitant to shoot the Greek and Turkish Phantoms with a slow shutter. But I had to trust in my abilities and knowing that the outcome would be totally worth it. So, without further ado, here’s 45 of my favorite images from Departure Day at RIAT 2024. Enjoy!
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