Randy's Grumman

I finally got to go up with Randy Feuge and get some photos of his AA-1A.

We flew on Memorial Day.  There was a big party at the airport, so we were there most of the day, then headed home.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky, so I sent Randy a message saying we should fly.  Of course this meant the clouds would roll in, but we just added them to the photos... problem solved!  With it's bright orange paint, his plane stood out against the clouds the green terrain below.

Good looking plane and we had fun flying.

RV-7A

Chris and Bill are partners in this beautiful RV-7A.  They bought it unpainted and flew it that way for awhile, choosing to work on the interior and get a feel for the plane first.  They recently decided it was time to get it painted and what a difference it made!

We planned to meet at the Georgetown Airport (KGTU) before sunrise and fly East into the sun, ending up in Hearne (KLHB).  It was strange flying into Georgetown without talking to the tower as it's been there so long now, but I got there around 6:30 and they don't open until 7:00!

Soon Chris and Bill had preflighted and were ready, so we took off, turned East and almost immediately I was snapping photos.  We flew over the San Gabriel River which had plenty of fog coming off of it, setting a nice background for us.

After a long flight to Hearne, with them staring into the sun the whole time, we landed and decided to head to Taylor (T74) for some breakfast.  Nice ending to a nice flight.

Bo & Ed Kalabus Christen Eagle

This was not just a photo shoot, but a cool adventure.

How far back should I start?  I've known Bo for several years now and he's one of my closest friends.  We met at a fly-in/camp-out and we've been to many since then, stayed up late talking about airplanes, and met up many times for the proverbial $100 hamburger.  We've stood side-by-side many times listening to the amazing sound of a radial firing up with grins on our faces.

Fast forward to today and Bo is moving into a new phase of aviation... the Eagle phase!

Bo's Dad Ed built a Christen Eagle when Bo was young.  It's now 29 years old, but looks like the day it was painted... you would seriously think its a new paint job.  Ed is trading planes with Bo so he can have the 140 to instruct more students in, and Bo is in love with the Eagle (and all of the memories she holds), so it's a perfect trade.

Ed flew into Mesquite, TX from Prescott, AZ on Saturday.  I flew up there on Sunday to join them and get some photos.  We sat around talking all day, chased an oil leak, and had a few friends stop by to check out the new plane!

Eventually the sun was getting low and we devised a plan.  Bo and Ed would go do some air work SW of Mesquite and I would head for Terrell.  We would meet in that area and do some air-to-air photography.  It took us a few minutes to find each other, but we did and here are the results!  I was extremely happy to get a chance to take the photos... my adrenaline was pumping for hours!

Not only do I love the photos, but the story behind them!  I can't put the things I witnessed into words that would do them any justice.  I can say I saw a very close relationship between a father and son.  I saw a father who is a very experienced instructor, but knows his son is already a good pilot.  I saw how Bo admires his Dad and listened to his every word of instruction and absorbed the info, then put it to use.  I saw the joy in Ed's eyes as he watched Bo going around the pattern solo in the Eagle... he was so proud.  What a relationship, what an adventure.  Thanks for letting me join!

Hope you enjoy!

Dayton Dabbs and John Craparo

Dayton and John set four speed records back in October 2015.  They flew from Dallas to Los Angeles to New York, NY and back!  They flew 73 hours for a total of 5365 miles!  Powered Sport Flying Magazine wanted some photos for a story they were doing on the trip.

We arranged it where Dayton and John took off in John's gyro (the one used for the record-setting trip) and Dayton's Dad, Robert Dabbs took me up in his.  We were soon flying over the lake and I took a lot of photos as we circled and chased a setting sun.  We were rewarded with a peaceful flight and a beautiful sunset!