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Thread: What Satisfies Your Aviation Cravings?

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    Administrator PhilDernerJr's Avatar
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    What Satisfies Your Aviation Cravings?

    What is it that drives your passion for aviation? What is your "aviation climax" that you get when your practice your enthusiasm?

    Is it getting a photo accepted into a database? Laying your eyes on a rare bird? Being a passenger during takeoff just as you take flight? What is that one thing that makes it all worth it for you?
    Email me anytime at [email protected].

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    Senior Member 727C47's Avatar
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    flying the DC-3, whether round the patch or over the sea.
    The beehive hummm of the JT9D and GE CF680C2,the thunder of the JT8D-17,the rumble of the PW1830 and the high ,thin whine of the PW 545A are all music to my ears!

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    Senior Member gonzalu's Avatar
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    Standing on the tarmac at an Air Force Base and an F-15 roars off with full afterburners... A 747 departure of any kind... Airbus A380... Classics like L-1011 or DC-10, MD-11... A visit to the Smithsonian Air and Space or Wright Patterson AF Museums... looking at the XB-70 Valkyrie or the X-15 drives me nuts!

    At one point I have to get a pilot's license and fly a plane before I die, I am sure that will top all of the above.
    Manny Gonzalez
    Thrust Images | General Photography | R.I.P. Matt Molnar 1979-2013
    BRING BACK THE KJFK/KLGA OBSERVATION DECKS

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    Senior Member RomNYC's Avatar
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    Clearly a landing at SXM, whether it is right under it or from the Sunset Beach bar. My first was in 1996 and this is what got me into the whole thing. Never had such a thrill anywhere else (aviation or else combined). Oh wait, a RWY 27 take-off might have been my biggest thrill. AF A340 right in my face, with a pilot obviously showing off... I remember diving onto the sand, and my camera too.

    On several occasions I stood on the ramp separating the beach from the road (see my avatar pic). With my 6 foot 5, I could have easily jumped and touched a 747's landing gear... Talk about a thrill!!! (although I'm not that stupid).

    And yes, getting a photo accepted does appeal to me too. I remember how ecstatic I was the first, and only, time that happened!
    Last edited by RomNYC; 2011-02-13 at 01:34 AM.

  5. #5
    Senior Member sporky's Avatar
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    There is not just one thing for me, but really a combination of everything involved with spotting/photographing planes. Whether just around the local area or travelling around to other airports I love everything. Just wish I would win the lottery so I could travel a whole lot more.

    -Tad

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    Senior Member hiss srq's Avatar
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    For me... It is coming to work every day and getting paid to do what I do for a living... I have the job most enthusists would pay money to get... I am truely aviation blessed.....
    Southwest Airlines-"Once it pop's it's time to stop" Southwest Airlines-"Our Shamu's are almost real" Southwest Airlines -"We blow our top real easy" Southwest Airlines- "You can't top us..... really"

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    Senior Member Zee71's Avatar
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    I am very passionate about aviation and space, which has been with me since I was a kid. From taking a family trip to Europe and flying on an IL-62 to watching mans first steps on the moon. My aviation climax was being on board the USS George Washington (CVN-73) aircraft carrier and spending a few days on board with these young men and women. I was on the deck about 20 feet away from where they where catapulting and launching the F-14s..........what an awesome sight and feeling when those birds are shot off the deck. We watched cats and traps, night ops, and everything else you can think of related to aircraft carrier ops. The best part was when it was time to go home and leave the carrier. We got on a Grumman C-2 (Greyhound) and got catapulted off the aircarft carrier for our return home. My job also allows me to see things and visit places most you may only dream of...........such as the Mission Command Center in Houston or at North Island watching various jets, just to name a few. The combo of photography (my other passion) and aviation lets me capture and share the things I am most passionate about.
    Mark
    Queens, NY

    My website: http://mbsphotography.smugmug.com
    My photos at: JetPhotos and ANet

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    Senior Member lijk604's Avatar
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    My passion for aviation goes way back to when I was 3, and I took my first trip (well, my parents took me) it was on a 747-100 from LAX to HNL. We got to ride in the upper deck, and it was then, when I looked out that window down 37,000 feet to the ground through the occasional cloud, that I realized I was part of something special. Whenever I fly now whether as a passenger or as a pilot, knowing that we are breaking the physical bonds of earth's gravitational pull is awesome to me. When I am earthbound, and have my camera with me, the thrill comes from watching these marvels of technology fly. Every one is special in it's own way to me, from the small single engine GA prop, to the huge A380. The silence of a hot air balloon to the roar of a military F-18. To be able to watch or be a part of it is what makes me tick, and if I can be around others who share that passion, all the better.

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    Senior Member Derf's Avatar
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    nothing really, having a F-86 Sabre fly 200knots 50 feet away from me and 10 feet below me is fun or watching Chris in his P-51 at 8 feet ripping down the runway is nice... But the only thing that holds me over from each Airshow season would have to be NYCA!
    The three most common expressions in aviation are, "Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" and "Oh Crap".

  10. #10
    Senior Member cancidas's Avatar
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    flinging my wings around at 50ft off the deck... singing to myself "i am the greatest" over and over sure helps too!
    it is mathematically impossible for either hummingbirds, or helicopters to fly. fortunately, neither are aware of this.

  11. #11
    Senior Member Derf's Avatar
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    Now that was a BAD movie!
    The three most common expressions in aviation are, "Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" and "Oh Crap".

  12. #12
    Administrator PhilDernerJr's Avatar
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    The answers in threads like these make me all warm inside. :)

    For me, I get great satisfaction when I would plans a photo, then go out and make my vision materialize. I'd get home open up the photo, and a quick adjustment of levels and unsharp mask to give it some life and BOOM. I literally give a cheer and would have to stand up from my desk. To CREATE a vision based on things that we largely can't control (plane position, light, weather, etc.) has been amazing.

    Feeling the roar of fighter jets overhead. Seeing a nice smokey airline touchdown and smelling the rubber afterward. Seeing or hearing an older bird (L-1011, 707, etc.) pass me, feeling the history and playing it over in my mind.

    One of ym favorites is just being in the air. In flight, at cruise, looking out the window. I-Pod playing music, a beer on my tray, and a pad and pen letting me writing in what is my most possible relaxed state on this planet.
    Email me anytime at [email protected].

  13. #13
    Senior Member gonzalu's Avatar
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    Phil,

    Funny you say that... the one time I actually planned a photo and actually materialized was with the Evergreen Tanker... I actually pictured it banking over the bridge and shooting it from HoBe... rarely does it actually happen (look at my fiasco with the Cargoitalia and Finnair lol) but that Tanker just worked out great and getting it back home and seeing it properly exposed and sharp was a great feeling of success.. then closing it by getting it accepted into A.net!!

    But, in a lot of instances, the thrill of catching an elusive bird is also very thrilling. Once I captured the Finn MD-11 and the Cargoitalia MD-11 the feeling that it is actually finally going to happen is great!

    Now, can we all go out for a beer and a burger?
    Manny Gonzalez
    Thrust Images | General Photography | R.I.P. Matt Molnar 1979-2013
    BRING BACK THE KJFK/KLGA OBSERVATION DECKS

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    Senior Member AirtrafficController's Avatar
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    Reading the 7110.65 (Air Traffic Control Bible)
    Watching 4 arrivals into KLGA
    Sitting at Howard Beach taking photos of 31L departures.
    Reading VFR sectional, TAC, High and Low altitude IFR charts
    Listening to Live ATC (KEWR, KJFK, KLGA)
    Aspires to become an Air Traffic Controller at Kennedy Tower.
    http://web01.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=31094

  15. #15
    Senior Member Big Tim #70's Avatar
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    I love all forms of aviation but the thing that really gets the blood flowing are high powered airshows.
    I love every aspect of a great show. The crowds, sometimes hundreds of thousands of people sharing a common passion. It's fun to complain about the dummies that we encounter but just like a sporting event, I love to hear the gasps, claps, & shear joy when something really cool happens. I love the rocking tunes that accompany the routines. The CF-18 demo in 2010 was probably the best score I've ever seen for a demo. The same can be said with good narration. I'm not talking about the hack that really doesn’t have a clue what they're talking about but when you get another true aviation enthusiast doing the talking, it's truly a treat. Brian Norris from Team Oracle is a personal favorite.
    Lastly, it's knowing the routine, setting up the shot, & finally seeing the results. The extra special shots are the ones that you take where you say, "I think I got something cool", only to find when you get home, an even better shot than you imagined. There have been many a post airshow nights where I sat there smiling while going through the shots. Unfortunately for me, I probably have just as many curses flying as performers! But hey, that's part of the fun too right? :)

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