Meet Panchito: A WWII B-25 Bomber that was flying around at our recent air show. Here the bomb bay was open and this would have been a very dangerous pov during WWII.
I was fascinated with this plane having just read a couple books about WWII, and one was even about airmen that went down in their plane (Unbroken).
Thanks so much for your great response to my airshow shots. It was an amazing event to attend and photograph. I have another event coming up this weekend that I am excited to shoot. Stay tuned...
This is very interesting to me, Amanda! I too read "Unbroken," and I liked learning about how the crew worked together. In WWII, New Mexico was home to bombardier training because there is so much empty desert to drop concrete bombs on. It takes a lot of training because the weight, altitude and speed all have to be calculated correctly to hit a target accurately. There are still concrete bombs to be found in the desert to this day, and many trainees came to live here permanently after the war. The actor Jimmy Stewart was influential in bombardier training (both as a trainee and funding a field with his own money), and in fact served in both WWII (where he was a highly decorated general) and even covertly in Vietnam (where his own son was killed). Sorry this is such a long comment--it comes from a former teacher of both high school American history and movie appreciation, and a daughter of a WWII pilot.
AWESOME shot Amanda!!! I can even see the pilot/co-pilot in the window!! My husband was an aircraft mechanic for many years and he just oooooooo's and awwwwwwwwwwww's this photo!!! I love the power they have and how you can feel it when they pass by, land or take off!! Superb details and clarity! Must have been so much fun to see all the different planes and what they could do!! FAV!
Yup, super capture. Being able to see the pilot inside gives a clue as to just how big this plane is. I too have read 'Unbroken', twice in fact. It's in my top-ten 'profound stories'.
@amandal My sentiments as well. I read the book first which I'm so glad I did. After seeing the movie, I went back and reread the book to fill in all the details the movie didn't/couldn't possibly include.
@skipt07 It is amazing. Love that my hubby works with jet engines. He loves his job!
@cashew It was amazingly amazing to be there and have such a great pov.