Mini challenge #351 In Flight

spanky117ab

This challenge is all about flying, and anything that flies can compete. Subjects can include airplanes, helicopters, birds, insects etc.. Basically if it can fly then it's good to go. Here are a few examples.
Canadian Snowbird squadron flew over my house.

Redtail hawk

Canada goose

Bee in flight

Bee in flight covered in pollen

Good luck to all who enter this challenge and I look forward to viewing the entries.
The contest will close on April 17th 2023.
Here are the un official rules

OUR UN-OFFICIAL GENERAL RULES
1. Have fun sharing and seeing what others share!
2. The host supplies a topic and you post 1-3 images. The host judges the winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and is not eligible to enter.
The 1st place winner then chooses the next topic, judges the winner and then passes on the baton to the new champion.
3. Any photo you’ve taken is eligible, regardless of when taken or camera used.
4. Any amount of post-processing is allowed, including making composites as long as everthing you put in the photo is taken from a photo made by yourself. However, it is helpful if you list your camera and lens along with your photo.
You may comment on other contestant's images. If you want someone to leave you some critique or criticism, just ask within your post.
5. The winner has up to three days (72 hours) to begin a new mini-challenge, or the honor goes to the #2 finisher and so forth.
Guidelines:
1. Enter 1-3 photos and put them in a single post.
2. Either embed your image in the thread or, if you must, supply a link to it. Keep in mind, however, most people don't want to click to open photos hosted elsewhere (i.e. on your website).
3. Also try and resize your photos prior to posting so they're sized appropriately for viewing without having to scroll (~800 pixels on the longest side works best.)
4. Give each image you enter a title.
5. Enjoy discussion with members about their images, don't let this just be an entry thread!
6. When quoting a post change the IMG urls to a 200x200 size picture so it is clear your post is feedback and not another entry. (see here for help)
7. Don't be hesitant, share'em and enter!
Mini-Challenge pointers:
1. Upon winning a mini-challenge round your first step is coming up with a new theme, and start a new thread using the same format as others have used.
2. Make sure to notify the admin of this thread to update the main thread links with your entry thread.
3. Feel free to watch the thread as it grows or wait to the end time and look at all the entries all at once.
4. After the time/date has passed, then officially close the thread with a single post notifying everyone of the fact.
5. After you're finished judging start a new thread (again use the prior formats) and post your Winner and runners-up, it is important to have runners up incase the winner does not show within the 72hr window.
6. PM the winner with this info above and let them know they have 72hrs.
7. After the 72hrs and the winner does not show up, notify the next runner-up and post a message on the Winner thread of the fact.
8. Remember, if you're the Winner, you run the show.

Cavalier

Nice wide topic for flying things! I'll jump right in:

1) Entry in Albuquerque Balloon Fest (Albuquerque, New Mexico - one of my favorites of the event.

2) This is called "Butt shot of Turkey Vulture mid-glide on an impressionist background". I do have a couple of this guy, but prefer the racy one.

3) Crop Duster being chased by sunspots in the Palouse (Washington and Idaho)

Sorry Mike, I was going to ask you about stationary flying things and then promptly forgot before posting my log-rolling ducks.

spanky117ab

Before we get to far along I guess I should have mentioned that the subject must be flying as in “ In flight “ sorry for any confusion this may have caused . Ground based flying things would be far to broad a range of subject matter. Cavalier you can post another photo as the ducks sitting wont count. Once again im sorry about any confusion this may have caused, still kinda new to this.

sapphire73

@spanky117ab Looks like a fun challenge. I will try to find some photos that show something "in flight" but it may take a while. Coming back to add two but will keep looking.

1) Lilac Breasted Roller in Masai Mara, Kenya

2) Egret in Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Florida, USA

Found this vulture last night but will try to find some photos of flying insects next week...
3) Vulture in Masai Mara

spanky117ab

Looks like I picked a lousy challenge, I figured people would have some birds in flight photos are airplanes flying at least. Seems like all these forums are dying, hardly anything new in macro or wildlife, I expected that during the holidays but we are now into April and spring . Oh well, thank you for participating Cavalier and Gretchen.

sarasphotos

@spanky117ab
although I have a few photos that fit the bill, I can't enter this time because the next few weeks are even more full than usual at our house - visitors, renovations, upcoming vacation. My stress level is currently on the high side!!

bfluegie

So... this theme is not my usual type of photography, and it shows. I usually only photograph things in motion accidentally. For example, when showing up at the airport for a flight I find out that the adjacent Air National Guard station is having an air show. I find this out when the parking lot is buzzed by a low flying Thunderbird. After my levitation ended I grabbed my camera. Good thing I showed up extra early for my flight since I stayed in the parking lot for almost a half hour.

1. USAF Thunderbirds in formation
   

2. USAF Thunderbirds (scary close together from my perspective)
   

3. Zeppelin
   

sapphire73

@spanky117ab said:
Looks like I picked a lousy challenge, I figured people would have some birds in flight photos are airplanes flying at least. Seems like all these forums are dying, hardly anything new in macro or wildlife, I expected that during the holidays but we are now into April and spring . Oh well, thank you for participating Cavalier and Gretchen.

@spanky117ab, one never knows what topic might elicit photos. You may find more people posting photos next week. We'll see. Fun to see entries from Jo @Cavalier and Barbara @bfluegie . And Sara @sarasphotos, I totally understand your reasons for not entering this time around. Hope all goes well for with your renovations and all!

I may still have a few photos that fit this theme but typically leave the birds in flight photos to my husband because he has a longer lens and tends to focus on photographing birds.

Cavalier

@spanky117ab - I understand your concern about how many photogs are continuing to contribute to Dgrin Minis's and in general. To make you feel a little better about this Mini, here are enough birds in flight to last a lifetime:! Not for entry, just a little feel better attempt!

.

spanky117ab

@Cavalier said:
@spanky117ab - I understand your concern about how many photogs are continuing to contribute to Dgrin Minis's and in general. To make you feel a little better about this Mini, here are enough birds in flight to last a lifetime:! Not for entry, just a little feel better attempt!

.

Thanks Cavalier, that was funny and helped as well lol. Certainly enough birds to last for quite a while.

grandmaR

So many good pictures already - a little intimidating. As I often do, I will try to post something a little different. Getting a photo of an insect in flight is difficult. I had a nice dragonfly, but I think he was resting on a branch. I know this wasp was in flight

1. A wasp trying to get out of my bathroom window
   

2. Brown noddy tern in the Galapagos from a zodiac
   

3. News helicopter following a cruise ship out of the harbor
   

Not for the competition - I was going to post a photo from the Watsonville Antique Airplane fly-in that I took in 1965, but I thought the cropduster one was better

The story was that I wanted a photo of the field from above, so I asked if someone would take me up, and this guy put me in the front seat of a 1929 Waco and went up, did one circle over the field and landed. Then I found out that he had just bought the plane and had never flown it before. But I think I have told that story here before.

spanky117ab

That was an interesting story grandmaR thank you for sharing it.

GSPeP

1. To the moon

2. Searching for food

3. Flying duo

lynnma

Just for fun...

spanky117ab

@lynnma said:
Just for fun...

Wow so very amazingly close, well done.

lynnma

Thank you Spanky, I was testing out my new 300 lens.. got lucky with a couple..

spanky117ab

Last day of the challenge folks, I will go over the entries in the next couple of days and decide the winners .

moose135

I hope I'm not too late for this!

1 - Space Shuttle Enterprise being delivered to Kennedy Airport in New York in April 2012.

2 - Thunderbirds performing over Jones Beach on Long Island in May 2021.

3 - At last year's Dover Air Force Base air show, both the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels performed, a fairly rare occasion. Here are the Blues taking off for their demonstration behind the parked Thunderbirds.

Not for the contest, but just to share. In a prior life, I flew KC-135 tankers in the Air Force. My wing had the only tankers that could also receive fuel, so I got to fly some receiver missions. This is the view out the front at one of our tankers.

spanky117ab

Challenge is now closed, I will need a couple of days to come up with the winners. This will not be easy as there are so many great photos here to choose from. A big thanks to all those that took the time to enter. Best of luck to all.
Regards....Mike