Fleet Week Reminder…(as if you really need one)

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Airshow, Canon 40D, Canon 50D, CSO, Fleet Week, McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet, San Francisco, US Navy Blue Angels, Weapons Systems Officer, WSO

This week is Fleet Week San Francisco 2012…along with other bay area events – America’s Cup Racing, San Francisco Giant’s playoff games, The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, Stanford football, Cal football, possibly Oakland A’s playoff games, Madonna concerts Saturday and Sunday, a Justin Bieber concert, and a few other things that I’m forgetting to mention. So, if you’ve been thinking about staying away from the city and not going trekking down to Marina Green with the pulsing masses of humanity that is always there, I’ve decided to entice you with a few of my favorite shots from the past couple of years. Yes, I will be there this year…on a sailboat out of Sausalito…you think I’m crazy enough to face the traffic in the city this year? I don’t think so!

Filling the Frame! – Camera: Canon EOS 40D – Lens: Canon 400mm f/5.6L – Exposure: 1/1000 Second @ f/5.6 ISO200

Shock Wave! (Scientific name is the ‘Prandlt-Glauert Singularity’) – Camera: Canon EOS 50D – Lens: Canon EF 400 f/5.6L – Exposure: 1/1250 Second @ f/7.1 ISO100

US Coast Guard Cutter Hawksbill – Camera: Canon EOS 40D – Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L w/1.4 Extender @203mm – Exposure: 1/1600 Second @ f/5.6 ISO100

Number Five High Speed Pass – Camera: Canon EOS 50D – Lens: Canon EF 400 f/5.6L USM – Exposure: 1/500 Second @ f/7.1 ISO100

Front Row Squatter No.2 –  Camera: Canon EOS 50D – Lens: Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM – Exposure: 1/2500 Second @ f/6.3 ISO100

F-15E Strike Eagle – Camera: Canon EOS 50D – Lens: Canon EF 400 f/5.6L – Exposure: 1/1000 Second @ f/7.1 ISO100 – The F-15E Strike Eagle is not like other F-15’s in that is has a two man crew, a pilot, and a Weapons Systems Officer (WSO)…although I think the new name is Combat Systems Officer. In a previous life, many years ago, I was a WSO in the F-4D Phantom II, (prior to flying helicopters). McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing) made the F-4 and makes the F-15 as well. Right about now, I’d give my left you-know-what for an opportunity to go for a ride in a Strike Eagle!

The Patriots Jet Team – Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) – Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/4.0L with 1.4X Extender II @280mm – Exposure: 1/500 Second @ f/7.1 ISO100

Comin’ at Ya! – Camera: Canon EOS 40D – Lens: Canon 400mm f/5.6L – Exposure: 1/1000 Second @ f/8.0 ISO200

So, set your alarm for 4:30AM to ensure you can find a place to park, drag your ice chest down with plenty of drinks and snacks for the kids just to find out that you can’t bring it in with you to your seats you bought, get your backside pinched by who-knows-who, and see one of the best airshows this side of Farnborough. Oh, and don’t forget to wave as you see me floating by on the sailboat. 🙂

Final Flight – Space Shuttle Endeavour

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Alcatraz, Boeing 747, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, NASA, San Francisco Bay, SCA NASA 905, Space Shuttle Endeavour

Today was the final flight for the Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV-105). While it is a fairly short distance from Edwards Air Force Base (KEDW) to Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX), today’s flight took a more meandering route. It’s journey took it north from Edwards to Sacramento and a fly-by of the California State Capitol. From there, it went westward towards San Francisco Bay for two passes by the Golden Gate Bridge and then for a low pass at Moffett Field (KNUQ), which is my old stomping grounds. After a low pass at Moffett Field, it finally headed south and landed later in the morning at LAX.

I’ve posted a couple of shots below that I took this morning and will have some fabulous close-up shots posted next week after I get the film developed. Film you say…yes, film I say. I still shoot a lot of film (mostly medium and large format) and decided that since the Endeavour is back from the pre-digital days, I thought that it was only fitting that I load a roll of Kodak Ektar 100 into my Canon EOS-1N HS and fire away at the six frames per second that it is capable of. I opted to put my long lens on the 1N and that is why the close-up shots will have to wait until I get the film back from the lab.

Until then, enjoy these couple of shots below…Doug

Endeavour and The Rock – Camera: Canon EOS 40D – Lens: Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro @40mm – Exposure: 1/1600 sec @ f/5.6 ISO 100

Endeavour Over San Francisco Bay – Camera: Canon EOS 350D – Lens: Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 – Exposure: 1/1250 sec @ f/5.0 ISO 100

Stanford Life Flight

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Air Methods, Aviation, Canon 350D, Canon 430EX, Canon L Lenses, Eurocopter EC145, Flight Medic, Flight Nurse, Kaiser Hospital, Medical Helicopter, Medivac Helicopter, Stanford Hospital, Stanford Life Flight

Some of you know that I am a helicopter pilot and flew medivac for a number of years. Earlier today one of my friends called to tell me that there was a helicopter in the field by Kaiser Hospital about a mile from where I live. So, being the aviation geek that I am…along with being a photographer, I grabbed my camera bag, jumped in my Jeep and headed over to Vallecito Elementary School to check it out.

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) – Lens: Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro @18mm – Exposure: 1/400 Second @ f/11 ISO100 – Lighting: Camera mounted Canon 430EX for fill

The helicopter that I found is a Eurocopter EC145 from the Stanford University Hospital Life Flight program that was doing an interfacility transfer of a patient from Kaiser back to Stanford. While the helicopter flies for Stanford, it is owned and operated by Air Methods based out of Englewood, CO. Air Methods is one of, if not, the largest medivac operator in the country.

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) – Lens: Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro @20mm – Exposure: 1/40 Second @ f/11 ISO100 – Lighting: Camera mounted Canon 430EX for fill

Besides being twin-engine and single pilot IFR certified, the aft cabin is one of the largest in the medivac industry. Having room for a medcrew of three ensures that the patient will get only the best of care. Medivac helicopters have many of the same specialized medical equipment that is found in hospital emergency rooms… defibrillators, suction, medical oxygen, the ability to intubate the patient, and many life saving medications.

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) – Lens: Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro @50mm – Exposure: 1/80 Second @ f/11 ISO100 – Lighting: Camera mounted Canon 430EX for fill

The speed that helicopters brings to patient transport can mean the difference between life and death in many cases. The pilot told me that the flight from Stanford to San Rafael took all of 23 minutes. The drive to Stanford, which I do from time to time as my primary care physician for the past 22 years is there, takes about an hour and a half. Needless to say, when transporting a critically ill patient from one hospital to another, or taking a seriously injured accident victim to a trauma center, speed is of the utmost importance.

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) – Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L @180mm – Exposure: 1/250 Second @ f/6.3 ISO100

The standard medical crew for most medivac operations consists of a Flight Nurse and a Flight Medic. All programs have minimum requirements for each position that usually specify a number of years of experience. The Flight Nurse is usually required to have several years of experience in either the ER, the ICU, or the CCU. The Flight Medic will usually have a minimum of two to three years experience in the field either working with a fire department or with an ambulance company. Having a RN and a Paramedic working in tandem ensures that the patient is well taken care of. The nurse has the clinical skill and knowledge, while the medic has the street trauma experience and is usually the crewmember that starts IV’s and intubates that patients. For many medics and nurses, being a crewmember on a medivac helicopter is the pinnacle of their career.

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) – Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/4.0L @70mm – Exposure: 1/160 Second @ f/11 ISO100

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) – Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/4.0L @200mm – Exposure: 1/125 Second @ f/11 ISO100

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) – Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/4.0L @200mm – Exposure: 1/160 Second @ f/11 ISO100

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) – Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/4.0L @200mm – Exposure: 1/640 Second @ f/6.3 ISO100

Just know that if you, or a loved one, are ever is in a situation where you are transported by a medivac helicopter, you are in hands of some of the best professionals in the business.

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) – Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/4.0L @70mm – Exposure: 1/200 Second @ f/11 ISO100