Living History

Recently, I had the chance to meet up once again with the awesome men and women from The Collings Foundation as they did their annual Wings of Freedom tour.
When I arrived at the Kissimmiee Air Museum, the sun was out and the day was warming up nicely, with almost no clouds to speak of. The Collings Foundation stores their B-25J Mitchell medium bomber there, since she has had a persistent oil leak problem. If she looks familiar, I've shot her before, and others like her. Or, you're a history buff, and know that the B-25 Mitchell, though the "B" version instead of the "J" here, was the aircraft Jimmy Doolittle used to strike Tokyo flying off the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. Here we have a couple shots of "Tondelayo".

No Autographs, please........I'm shy!

Nestled under her wing.

Looking ready to launch. I liked the fact that she was parked at an angle to the taxiway center-line

So, of course, I dropped to my stomach and shot down the line towards her.

The First of the Heavies to arrive was the gorgeous Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, stalwart of WWII in Europe. The Foundation's aircraft is painted as "Nine O Nine", and th sound of the four-engined heavy bomber was immestakable as she came in over the tree line to do a pass before landing. If you have seen the movies "The Memphis Belle" or "Twelve O'Clock High" this is the kind of bomber that was the star of those films.

Graceful lines

Coming in to land

Nine-O-Nine taxis toward me

I love the symmetry

After she had gotten all parked and set up, we heard over the tower radio that "Witchcraft", the Consolidated B-24J Liberator, was in the approach pattern. The B-24 was the most mass-produced American bomber of the war, and she fought in all the theatres, with the USAAF and the USN. Sadly, today, there are only three airworthy examples left in the world, (I have shot all three) and only two that regularly fly (and I now have airborne shots of both). From your left.........a little Witchcraft!

She kind of looks like a flying pig from this angle....

Y'know, no matter where I go, there's always some yabo that thinks it's ok to walk in front of me when I'm shooting. Not the guy in Blue, he's staff.....but the other two.....actually, the guy on the right was pretty cool, he was a mechanic on Liberators in the war. I let him stand in front of me assuming I could shoot over him. Never saw him in the viewfinder, but....lol. Dude on the left, however......jumped in front of me more than once.

bomb bay doors snap open as she is marshaled into position

Well, hello gorgeous!

Finally, while "Witchcraft" was still shutting down, the Foundation's North American TP-51C Mustang, "Betty Jane" roared by overhead and set up for landing.

Note the elongated cockpit. This is a modified P-51C that has two fully functional sets of controls.

No one in front of me THIS time!!

and into the shelter.

Shiny

After all the birds were safely down, they were opened up for tours (for a small fee, of course) and you could even get rides in them (for a much larger fee). Of course, I did the former, but would have had to sell an arm for the latter. Interior shots can be found on my Picasa site here, which also has more of these beautiful ladies, and some of the RA-5C over in Sanford. For video of the Foundation arrivals, go to my YouTube channel.
As many of you know, I don't shoot people much, but I have always wanted to do a pin-up or period style shoot with vintage Warbirds. As the photographer, TYVM. So if anyone wants to be my subject, let me know. I already know the fine folks at Fantasy of Flight would accommodate me by moving birds into the open, so.......

Heroes aren't just in Comic Books.

At the risk of sounding ass-kissy here, I am posting yet ANOTHER blog that deals with my friend Carie. I know, I know. Bite me.

The more I get to know Carie, the more amazed I am that people like her truly exist outside novels and movies.

I mean, I KNOW there are good people out there, I should, as some of the best on this earth have been my friends for the past twenty years or so, but we had no choice in the matter.

Military life made us Über-chameleons (or nuts…or both), so we’re able to be extremely adaptive to many situations and can get along (or act like it), with all kinds of people.

BUT, and it’s a big but, (add jokes here), my friends and I have the hardest time liking or caring about typical civilians.

Small makes that easy. Not only is she a geek, an athlete, AND funny, but she truly does have a huge heart, and directs that compassion towards something near and dear to MY heart, the United States Armed Forces.

You see, Carie is a backer of a program called RWTT, or Rehabbing with the troops.

Rehabbing with The Troops is a nonprofit organization that helps wounded warriors not just physically but mentally readjust to life back in the USA and cope with their injuries by connecting with their favorite pro athletes.

Coming back from single or multiple tours of duty over in, as those in the Military call it, “The Sandbox”, is never easy at the best of times, fully healthy and surrounded by family and friends. Add the complication of being injured into the mix and it can be extremely daunting.

And that’s where Carie, and people like her, come in.

Carie, as you may or may not know, shattered her ankle and leg in an LFL practice, so, not only is she a pro athlete mentor to the troops she does RWTT with, she is also a fellow rehabber, as she is recovering from a bad injury as well.

Carie has been doing RWTT for about the last month or so, and, even though we are only just getting to know each other, even I can tell that the experience is having its impact on her. She has always thought of these men and women that protect our rights and persons as heroes, and rightly so, but I think she is actually starting to see the human and not just the hero sides of these brave souls, which, unless I completely miss my guess, makes them even more admirable as people than just as ideals.

I think the help might be going both ways.

I know getting the chance to realize people like Carie Small exist, and not just exist but actually care about them as a person, is a huge mental reinforcement and a great lift for those troops recovering from their injuries.

I can tell that it goes both ways though, and that, when she gets depressed about how much her injury has changed her life, all she has to do is talk to one of “Her” troops and it set things in a completely different perspective for her.

Rehabbing with the Troops is a great program to help those true heroes injured in the line of duty get back on their feet, not just physically, but emotionally as well. The men and women that serve our country are true heroes, and I know that I, for one, often take their being there for granted, even though, as having them in my nuclear and extended family,

I am too painfully aware of the problems faced with coming home from fighting an unpopular war to defend people who neither know nor care anything about their plight or the sacrifices they make for us every day.

And then, there are people like Carie, who, through programs like RWTT, renew my faith in people and give me hope for tomorrow.

For more info about RWTT, go to their facebook page here: RWTT

What Dreams May Come

Yes I stole the title from a 90s movie and a Mattheson novel. Deal with it.

Normally, I don't dream, or, if I do, I never remember it upon waking.
In the last week, however, I have had two especially vivid and realistic dreams that not only do I know I had them, I recall the majority of th dream itself, even now, when one of them was back on Monday. Both involved friends of mine. And no, thy were not THAT kind of dreams.

I know it just means that those people are on my mind a lot lately, but still........

Common Courtesy

If you're going to pop by my blog....at least leave a comment, mmmmkay? I get 4-5 dozen hits a day and....no comments.
So let me know why you dropped by, what you thought, whatever.
Or I might have to take this bad biyotch private again.....

Favorite things

There are certain things that everyone who knows me....and most people that have even met me in passing, would be able to say I am passionate about.
However, having started a new job, I am starting to notice that I get the confused look when i wear a different sport/team jersey to work every Friday, lol.
So, here we go, a little list of my favorite things!
The things I am passionate about:
1. My friends/family
2. Music - fave bands include
Bon Jovi
The Monkees
Journey
LL Cool J
Halestorm
Pearl Jam
Public Enemy
Anthrax
Rammstein
N*E*R*D*
Tim McGraw
Fourplay
3. Photography
4. Aviation. Particularly Military aviation and Aviation History
5. Automotive. I love cars, especially 60s muscle and European Exotics.
6. Sports. I LOOOOVE sports. Including, and generally in this order:
Racing- Track and Field, Cross Country. I may not be able to compete any more, but I still love to watch.
Auto Racing- F1, IRL, Grand Am, LeMans Series, WRC
American Football: NFL-Denver Broncos LFL-Tampa Breeze
Basketball: San Antonio Spurs and will also watch the Boston Celtics
Soccer: any I can catch ;)
Baseball: Boston Red Sox
7. Modelling. The plastic type. Wait...that's still confusing. The kits you buy and build. I'm more comfortable behind the lens when it comes to the other kind.
8, Reading. You name it, I'll read it.

Aaaand now the Rolex 24 broadcast is about to be back on. Enjoy your weekends, people! And Welcome to February in a couple days!

One of my new fave sports, the LFL

As most of you know, I have never exactly been the type to “keep it between the lines”, and love to go my own way whenever I can.

No surprise then that I have that most of my close friends also think that way, and that I have always admired people that look at the mass of followers that say “You can’t do that”, and just say, “oh yeah….watch me!”

It surprises no one that some of my idols, if you will, are James Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, Eugene Bullard, Chuck Yeager, Larry Bird, John Elway, and Lance Armstrong. (Feel free to look up those you don’t recognize…or just ask ;) )

Some, however, look at my personal library and are surprised that I also consider Amelia Earhart, Lydia Litvayak, Jackie Cochran, Lyn St James, Patty Wagstaff, Hanna Reitsch, and Sarah Fisher pioneers and idols as well.

I like strong personalities, and I love women. Put the two together, and the fact that, while maybe not a feminist, I love strong women, shouldn’t really surprise anyone.

Don’t get me wrong about the “not a feminist” thing. I think women are every bit as good as any man, and need to have the same chances. I just hate labels and don’t conform well to putting them on myself.

“Geek” is about as far as I go that way, and it’s a rather broad term.

Everyone also knows I love any sport that has to do with running and jumping, and will play or watch them whenever I can. I’m not a bad athlete myself, and have played Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Volleyball, and Rugby at various levels, and have had some success in Track and Cross Country.

It should come as no surprise, then, that I love the LFL, which combines the two things I mentioned above.

I am fortunate enough to call one of the ladies of the Tampa Breeze LFL team, Carie Small, a friend. She is the one that introduced me to the LFL and ended up inviting me to my first game, ironically, AFTER she was no longer an active player. More on that later.

Carie and I goofing around pre-game

Let me give you a little background on the league:
The LFL, which stands for Lingerie Football League, though no one calls it that, started as a gimmick to go opposite the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Models dressed up in lingerie and “played” football.

It was the epitome of the term “Powder Puff Football” when it started.
Then, in 2009, that gimmick expanded into a league.

The models disappeared, and were replaced with athletes. (However, many of these women are very easily more attractive than your typical model. Thought that is a personal observation, as I have always enjoyed healthy, in shape women over the anorexic starving waif look that seems to be popular lately.)

Bryn Renda snags a catch in warmups

The games are set up on the same rules and groundwork as some of the old Indoor Football league, with 7 on 7 for 17minute halves, and many of the women play iron man, being on both Offense and Defense.

Passion Breaking a Run

Quick Screen Pass

Getting Ready to Go

Run it down their throats

Handing off

It is a gimmick no longer, although, unfortunately, it is still being marketed as if it were one.

The thought of watching scantily clad women play sports lures people in to the game……and unfortunately endangers the players, as well as putting preconceptions in some people’s minds.

The LFL’s image actually hurts it in terms of being taken seriously as a sport in some ways. The uniforms are called Lingerie……but they aren’t. It’s more of a sports bra and short shorts, or bikini, type outfit. As you can well see for yourself.

Split WRs

Breeze head onto the field

In the trenches

The sport isn’t really well marketed, and tends to rely on word of mouth to get butts in seats, and then MTV2 really doesn’t do the game justice, showing chopped versions of the games late at night and one or two weeks later.

It needs to be seen live, full length, and maybe even on ESPN. I mean, really, ESPN shows poker, spelling bees, and billiards, none of which are sports (the first and last are GAMES people), but they don’t show real athletes playing a real sport.

And trust me, these women are real athletes. They train, promote, and play hard for a sport they love to play.

And that is one HUGE difference between the LFL and NFL, in my mind.

The players play for the love of the game in the LFL, something that, sadly, has been missing in recent years from the NFL.

Hence the pending lockout. Don’t get me started.

If Tom Brady played QB, for, say, the Miami Caliente, wearing just the uniform they wear (which is a thought that will haunt my nightmares. Brady in a bikini. AAARRRGGGH. My mind….my miiiiiiiinnnnnddddd. Though, in fairness, he has longer hair than some of the women I know ;) ), he would not be getting up after taking the kind of hit these women deliver. Let’s face it. Brady is probably the Princess of The league as far as QBs are concerned. I don't dislike the guy....not a fan of his BS though.

Maybe he was a bad example, but, pound for pound, these ladies could go toe to toe with most NFL players their size….and I’d put odds on the women.

They don’t play around, and the amount of injuries these athletes sustain will attest to that.

There def has to be more thought given to player protection, I mean, those women hit HARD (And this is from an ex rugby player), and the hockey helmets don’t really do much for protection from that. These women only have shoulder pads, but NONE of the collisions really seem to happen at shoulder height or above.

Injured Breeze on the sidelines

As Carie and I have discussed, most of the hits are well below the pads they wear, and hitting that artificial turf doesn’t help matters either. Back to my friend Carie, she is one of the several injuries that have been sustained this season by the Breeze, the local team here in Tampa. Her ankle got shattered and her leg broken in a practice, badly enough that she is now, as she jokingly calls herself, a Cyborg.

In my first LFL game, where the Breeze played the Miami Caliente, two other women were seriously injured and didn’t finish the game, and in the second game, versus the Passion, while no one was injured out of the match, more than a few of the girls were sporting large turf burns due to the impractical, if attractive, uniforms. And with the teams playing both sides of the ball, the opportunities for injury are even larger.

Touchdown Coming Up....

Reciever in motion

Pregame warmups - Philly Passion

In the middle of that scrum is the ball carrier

WR, meet the Breeze DB

But I don’t think, unfortunately, that the LFL is marketing towards safety minded sports fans just at the moment. Just look at some of the team names and you can see what direction they are marketing towards. Orlando Fantasy. Philly Passion. L.A. Temptation. Chicago Bliss. You get the idea.

Safety doesn’t get butts in the seats, even though if the ladies were able to wear NFL style uniforms (face it, the NFL boys wear stretch pants with pads), with obvious modifications to the upper body padding, they would still be attractive AND protected.

However, I don’t see that happening any time soon, at least until they have a larger league and more games, which in turn brings in more funding. Safety and protection don’t put butts in seats in the world we live in.

Innuendo and skin do. Which, sadly, is just a reflection of the world we live in.

Of course, would I be saying this if I didn’t personally know someone on the team?

Well, it’s me, so, yeah, probably.

Either way…….I’ll be at all the Breeze home games I can manage!

If you are a true sports fan, do yourself a favor….look past the trappings and go to an LFL game if you have a team in your city.

Believe me, you’ll be hooked. Everyone I have ever brought to a game is now an LFL fan, both men AND women!

2010 Catchup and hello 2011

Welcome to 2011 my friends and followers!

It's been a little while since my last post, so I'll try to wrap up some of the things that have gone on in the tail end of 2010 and the trouble I shall be getting myself into come 2011 ;)

So let's get started, shall we?

When last I left you, I was getting ready to head over to Fantasy of Flight for their 15th Anniversary celebration.
The celebration was three days of aviation goodies, with Kermit flying fifteen aircraft over the three days. I went on the third day, where he flew the Avro Cadet, Fiesler Storch, North American P-51D Mustang, and Travel Air B-4000, the first and last of which I hadn't seen fly before. I also got to crawl in each of their cockpits as a perk of being an annual member ;)

The Avro Cadet banks overhead

Grumman Duck

Travel Air

inside the cockpit of the Storch

In the beginning of December, I hit the Tampa Bay International Auto Show hosted by Motor Trend, as I do every year.

Gorgeous day to drive some cars........or all of them. Which you know I eventually would.

I'm up next in the Camaro SS ;)
After spending a couple hours outside driving everything available, I headed inside to shot the cars on display.

Stingray Concept

Geek wet dream

The New Ford Focus. Every time I see this car, especially in this color, I think of Clarkson using it as an Amphibious lander in Top Gear!

I also managed to get some hobby work done in the latter part of the year.
You'll be glad to know that the Doolittle B-25B finally got decaled and flatcoated. Here she, and a few other new builds, are:

Some of my recent builds. Only the F-117A, F-15E, F/A-18E, F-14D and A-6E are pre this year.

The Doolittle B-25B Mitchell all done and the Junkers Ju 88A-4 representing Opa's bird from KG 30.

Erich Hartmann's Bf-109G-10

A good view of the Ju 88 I did to represent my Opa, Wolfgang Reidel's KG 30 mount. I unintentionally made the call letters spell out Abwehr, or German SpecOps. The WR was on purpose for Wolfgang Reidel. The AB I had extra letters of. ;)

In none me-centric news, but keeping it in the family, my little brother's novel 47 Echo
is to be published in just over a week. I guess that means I have to get the Stanley stuff published now :P

Job wise, the year has been a mess. I had the volunteer days at Star Wars Celebration V, then the two week tease at JP Morgan Chase back in November. Cannot TELL you how sick of wearing a suit to interviews i have become.


Finally, we can all quit looking for work. With Scott and Caroline at a job fair in Clearwater. That's right, I got a job. Started it the very last week of December, working Tech Support for AOL out at CGS in north Tampa. That's been keeping me pretty busy, actually.

I have also made a couple of new friends this year, both of whom, ironically, I met at Celebration V while working there back in August. Since then I have gotten to know both Lindsay and Carie better and am honored to call both of them friends. Linds is an amazing artist and geek in Orlando. Carie, though currently on IR, in addition to being hella cool and from the same area as my family, plays in the LFL for the Tampa Breeze.

LFL's Tampa Breeze Offense takes the field, and the league, by storm

I got introduced to the LFL while getting to know Carie Small, and went to my first game last month.
I'm heading to another game on this coming Thursday with Steve and Lindsay, to harass Carie and watch the Breeze take sole control of the LFL lead. The LFL is something I enjoy, but I'll mention more on that in my next blog, hopefully next weekend, when I think I'll devote a blog just to the sport, after i take some better shots this weekend ;)

In developing news, I may be working as an airborne photog at an upcoming airshow in March, so keep your eyes open for that one ;)

Lastly, I opened a Deviant Art account as well. feel free to pop by and harass me there too ;)