By STAN KASPRZYK

FlightLog Archive

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Aircraft Flown

Skyvan Photo Session - Aug 2024

One enjoyable side benefit of formation flying is the opportunity to obtain impressive air-to-air photographs while in close formation. A good pilot flying in a stable close formation provides a photographer with almost no relative motion and the chance to compose crystal clear images. If the airborne photography platform provides for open windows or open bays, fantastic shots can be achieved.

The Aviation PhotoCrew was formed in 2009 by Eric Coeckelberghs in Belgium to provide an airborne platform for photographers, using the unique Shorts Skyvan aircraft for impressive open ramp photo opportunities. The Aviation PhotoCrew has expanded beyond Europe to provide an airborne photography platform in venues throughout the world, focusing on air shows that provide multiple opportunities for formation join-ups.

Eric contacted the Cascade Warbirds in the summer of 2024, offering join up opportunities while the Skyvan was based at the Chilliwack airfield in British Columbia, Canada, supporting photo sessions at the nearby annual Abbotsford International Airshow. The Skyvan would plan to cross the US-Canada border and orbit between Bellingham and Mt. Baker for US photo missions.

I coordinated with Justin Drafts to provide the close formation portion of the photo mission in his Nanchang CJ-6A, since Justin is still practicing the close in maneuvering portion of formation flying. Dave Desmon in his Navion was the only other Cascade Warbirds pilot to accept the offer of royalty-free hi-resolution photos, so we planned a two-ship flight during an available slot in the Skyvan's schedule.

Our planned mid-morning join-up was delayed due to low clouds and IFR weather at Paine Field, but a break in the weather allowed us to launch and rejoin with the Skyvan at 4:00 near the Acme Field airport (WA12) by the Mt. Baker foothills. We had pre-briefed a rejoin orbit point, altitude and airspeed, but ADS-B made our rejoin effortless, and we were soon in trail and taking detailed direction from Eric over the radio to give the photographers the best angles and positioning for photos. It was fun coming up into close trail and seeing the small army of photographers inside the open aft ramp on the Skyvan, all pointing their large lenses at us. We swapped leads in trail, and proceeding alongside for formation photos with Mt. Baker behind us.

We enjoyed a good 20 minutes of formation time with the Skyvan, then peeled off for our return to Paine Field and the Skyvan's return across the border to Chilliwack. Our photo results were linked to us after a couple of weeks, and we feasted on the great results of our photo session. We're looking forward to 2025 with more aircraft planning to join the Aviation PhotoCrew in the air!