Diamond Back F-18 Hornet Cat Launch 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
As a side note, I got moved into the new house. There are still boxes everywhere, but life is slowly returning to normal. I'm just now catching up on E-mail so I'm sorry if I haven't responded yet.
HH-60 Pave Hawk On Mission 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
F-14D Bombcat Aerial 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
F-22 Raptors In Formation 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , F/A-22 , Formation
Friday Video: C-17 Landing
Ever wanted to fly shotgun in a C-17? Here's your chance. If you didn't know any better, you'd think this was a carrier trap landing.
Blue Angel Photo Op From Fat Albert 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Blue Angels , F/A-18D
Blue Angels Solo Extreme Vortex 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Blue Angels , F/A-18C
Personal Update
, In Admin
Wanted to give you an update. My wife and I bought our first house and we are moving in this weekend. I'm going to be away until next Tues (assuming we get everything set-up by Monday night). My Internet connection will be cut tomorrow night so I'm offline until next week.
Catch up with you then,
JT
F-14B Tomcat with Two Croatian MIG-21s 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , F-14B , Formation , MIG-21
Lockheed Martin F-35B 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
I'm glad we are finally seeing some good shots of this outstanding fighter.
* Photo is copyright of Lockheed Martin and commercial use is not allowed.
Lockheed Martin Flickr Gallery
F-14B Tomcat with F-18E Super Hornet In Formation 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , F-14B , F/A-18E , Formation
F18 Hornet Full AB Catshot 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Artistic , F/A-18C
This wallpaper is in the artistic category since I've significantly modified the original with multiple processing effects. Hope you enjoy it.
Thunderbirds Over NASA Kennedy Space Center 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Thunderbirds
It's also Easter Sunday, so happy Easter!
Planet Jupiter 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Planet Jupiter
B-1B Lancer Aerial 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
B-1B Lancer Takeoff 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
Space Shuttle Discovery On Launchpad 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Space Shuttle
I rotated the image to give you a sweet looking desktop wallpaper (along with the standard enhancements).
Enjoy!
Since we are on the Space note, you have to check out the new Star Trek Movie trailer. This movie is going to blow you away.
B-1B Lancer Aerial Refueling 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , B-1B , Refueling
F-117 Stealth Fighter Stars and Stripes 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
F-117 Stealth Fighter Final Flight 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
F22 Raptors In Vertical Stack Formation 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , F/A-22 , Formation
Last week I had to travel to San Francisco again and I caught a pretty bad cold. I'm getting better but it's been a rough few days.
Enjoy!
NASA Space Shuttle Atlantis Landing In Florida 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Space Shuttle
As a pilot, it's impressive to me how they glide that aircraft to landing. With no engines, there's no go-around. You have to be perfect every time!
Friday Special: Flying The F-16
, In F-16B , Flight in F-16 , John Thomas
Here are some photos from that day. The first shot shows me strapped into the back seat and searching for some important switch.
The second shot is pure fun as I've got the oxygen mask on and visor down. I was a fighter pilot for a day!
The third shot here is when we were taxiing out to the runway. At this point, I'm about as excited as I can get.
This fourth shot shows us overhead after takeoff. There is nothing like a full afterburner takeoff in the F-16. The engine puts out 25,000 lbs of thrust and our aircraft was slick (no pylons or fuel tanks). I was completely blown away by the force of acceleration. Incredible.
This last shot is after we returned and were taxiing back. The flight lasted about 45 minutes and I was able to fly the plane for about 15 minutes. Let me tell you that flying the F-16 was a blast, but nothing prepares you for the g-forces you will experience. My badge of honor was that I didn't puke from the ride, though I did grey-out during a high g pull-out.
I knew when I joined the USAF I was going to do whatever it took to get a ride. If it took winning competitions, I was going to do it. I was so hooked after that flight that I went on to win two more competitions and was awarded another incentive flight. I never got the second ride since they pulled out some old policy thing that said you were only allowed one flight per tour of duty.
Happy Friday!
Thunderbirds over Las Vegas Motor Speedway (NASCAR) 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In F-16A , Thunderbirds
Enjoy!
F-117 Stealth Fighter Retirement 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , F-117A , John Thomas
Wow, hard to believe this story but time marches on. The F-117 is being retired by the USAF to make room for the F/A-22 Raptor (which is rumored to have a similar radar signature profile).
To honor this occasion, I've brought out a F-117 photograph from my personal collection. I took this shot in 2003 at the Miramar Airshow. Never thought I wouldn't get another opportunity to photograph this amazing aircraft.
When I was in the USAF (1986-1990) and stationed at Nellis, we knew a bunch of guys that were secretly working on this aircraft. They used to refer to Area 51 as "secret squirrel land". The pilots used to fly modified A-7 Corsairs when they would shuttle up to the range from Nellis (that should give you an idea of how the F-117 handles in flight...). When the story broke and the first pictures leaked, it was a big relief. It's hard keeping secrets from family and close friends.
This aircraft will be missed.
U-2 Dragon Fly Cockpit 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Cockpit , U-2S
F-16A Fighting Falcons 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Artistic , F-16A , Formation
Chuck Norris Fact: When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
F-16 Aggressor F-16C Red Flag 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Afterburner , F-16C
I was just out in Vegas again this last week and parked my car out near Nellis to watch the jets. That's one of my favorite parts of visiting out there.
Enjoy!
World War II Memorial General George C Marshall Quote 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , John Thomas , World War II Memorial
When I visited London, I made a point to visit the Winston Churchill museum. It's quickly coming to a time when the generation that fought this war will be gone.
A-10s In Formation 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Desktop Wallpaper
Anyone remember when they made a version of the F-16 called the A-16? Yeah, they had a bunch of those testing at Nellis during the 80's. It would be neat if I could find a picture of those I could use for a wallpaper.
The A-16's were camo green and quite interesting. They were supposed to be replace the A-10. Not sure what happened but they never worked out.
Friday Video: F-15 Eagles vs Drones
Here's an excellent live fire video of F-15C Eagles vs QF-4 drones. You'll see some spectacular missile shots and fireballs. Happy Friday!
B-52 Bomber 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
Last months I didn't have much time to post on the blog due to examinations. It’s getting warmer which means the airshow season is approaching. The first airshow I will visit is at Leeuwarden, the Netherlands the 21th of June. I secretly hope to see one of these jumbo-bombers pass by… Keep on dreaming, I guess…
Pieter
F-14A Tomcat 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Artistic , F-14A
Enjoy!
F-15E Strike Eagle Popping Flares 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
The Strike Eagle is an awesome plane.
Posters Available Through Zazzle
Please check out the Zazzle sidebar widget and let me know your thoughts. For those of you that do purchase a poster, let me know. I'll gladly post your testimonial here!
Over the next weeks I will continue to add products.
SPECIAL OFFER: If you want a particular photo here made into a product (t-shirt, cup, etc.) just let me know and I'll create it for you and send you a link.
P.S. My Zazzle account is named "greatdesigns".
FSX Acceleration F-18C Hornet 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In Artistic , F/A-18C , Flight Simulator X
Today's widescreen desktop background is taken from a screenshot in the sim. After performing a lot of Photoshop enhancements, I think this shot turned out great.
What do you think? Do you have any great shots to share?
F-16C In Flight 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
AV-8B Harrier Takeoff 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , AV/8B Harrier
Enjoy!
Space Shuttle Discovery Approaching the International Space Station 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper
, In 1680x1050 , Space Shuttle
Friday Video: Steve You With Me?
Hehe, this poor guy Steve gets put through the wringer as he takes a back seat ride in an F/A-18 Hornet. Yes, it's funny but go easy on the poor guy. Unless you've experienced 6-7.5 g's, you have no idea how hard it is. I know from experience, it hurts and staying awake is tough. What you're seeing in this video is "G-LOC".