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Great 5 star shot Gary! I always like the shots that are deceptive.

TYVM for the compli, Mark. The Huey was way out at the end of my TAMRON 70-300's reach, and it was raising dust and dirt. And the heat rolling up from the open ground was already making heat shimmers. So when I saw the Bellanca strolling into my v-finder and I fired a three-shot burst, I didn't truly expect any of the three snaps to come out. But the lens (and the T3i) came through for me; I love this scene.

Another excellent capture, Gary! 5 stars for sure! Great effect with the dust!

Hi, Dwight, and Thanx for the comment. As I mentioned to Mark, I had not anticipated all that dust and when it came blowing up, I figured that with the heat, the dust, and the distance all acting as negatives, the shot(s) were doomed, but I clicked 'em anyway. If I'd still been using film, as way back in the 60s, I'd never have wasted one on the film roll trying to get this scene, but with digital, if it doesn't come out, it is easily deleted with no harm done.
You taken any new ones lately? Last ones I've seen in your folder were the Thrushbird snaps.

You're welcome! I was jest at RDU on June 7, 2015 for the longest RDU visit anyone has ever done; 8 hours and 17 minutes! I got the only United 757-200 from IAD to RDU ever, American 777-200 arrive and depart, FedEx DC10, and much more! I will likely upload the first of those tomorrow.

Nice juxtaposition and detail.

Many thanks, Robert. I had good fortune with this shot; the gods of aircraft photo spotters must have been smiling down on me at just the right moment.

looks photo shopped

I can see how you might think so, but it isn't. But I'm well aware that mere words mean little, so I don't expect you to just take my word for it. After all, I can tell by your four pics that you are an expert at photography. Tell you what I'll do. Email me at OldeCarl (at) gmail.com and I'll send you the original RAW (CR2) directly from the card. In fact, I'll also send you the previous and following snaps too so you'll have the three-shot sequence. Then, after you've seen for yourself, you can log back on and tell everyone you were incorrect. Deal?

@aidaspot7455: I find it amazing that you would just accuse someone of photo shopping a picture with no evidence at all. If you go and look at the top photos on Gary's page you will find a lot of amazing shots that have a great number of views and votes which means that an already accomplished photographer like Gary would have absolutely nothing to gain from doing something like that. Being familiar with his work and the kind of person that he is, I can with 100% certainty say that he would never do anything like that and I also know that there are a lot of other photographers on the site who would say the exact same thing. Next time you should maybe have an idea of what you are talking about before posting a comment like that (then again I could be wrong and you are already an expert with your 4 pictures and 19 comments).

Sheriff + helicopter = a whole new meaning to the phrase "High Sheriff"!!!

That's a great photo, Gary... thanks for sharing this one with us.

Appreciate the compli, Cliff. After they landed, I was yakking with the two officers and showed them this shot and told them it looked like they were making a traffic stop. We all had a chuckle. It is a neat capture. Mark, your comments are also greatly appreciated. I'm not all that upset about the comment for 3 reasons: 1) certainly the building in the background DOES "divide" the pic in such a way as to convey an impression that the pic was PSed, 2) based on the four gallery contributions I see in his/her folder, Aidaspot knows little to nothing about Photoshop, and 3) the judgment of someone who hides their true identity behind big dark sunglasses so he/she cannot be recognized is of dubious value to me. However, I do admire a person who says what they are thinking, so I do have a small bit of respect for Aida, so I made my offer. If Aida is gutsy enough to suggest the possibility that the pic is phoney, then perhaps he (or is it a "she," hard to tell because of the dark sunglasses) then perhaps he/she is also gutsy enough to admit to an error after seeing proof. But I do appreciate your trust in my integrity. The pic is not a phoney. (Thumbs Up)

that's a nice looking BL-17 Gary...thanks for sharing this amazing photo with everyone

At first, I didn't know what RAVEN's Iroquois was waiting for; I just noticed it didn't seem to be approaching closer, Sam. Then in the right side of my viewfinder, the Bellanca just (sort of) "wandered" into the scene. It was only going to be in the scene for the few seconds, so all I could do was fire a burst of snaps. It came out as a sweet capture, but it was just a lucky catch.

Gary I see this every once in a while...med helicopter holding short of the active for departing or arriving a/c...not as great as your photo tho.

if anyone can tell me what the line is kind of cutting the picture in half then i will believe it is not photo shoped

What looks like a line is a white building with air conditioner units on top, the corner of it is just behind the wing tip of the Bellanca.

Why do you need anyone to tell you {quoting your words >> "what the line is kind of cutting the picture in half" << end quote of your words}? Five months ago, when you first gave your opinion, I offered to send you the CR2 RAW series so you could see the set of shots for yourself. Even though it is plainly obvious to 99.99% of viewers that the "line" is the top of a building that is far back in the distance, I gave you credit for stating your opinion and I offered you proof. Never heard a thing from you until now. But even though it has been almost a half of a year since I made that offer, and seeing as you have again decided to revive the issue, here is what I am now willing to do.
I still have the entire set of clicks. I will again repeat my offer to send you the set of RAW data shots (before and after) so you can view the series. If you know anything about photography, you will know when you see them that this pic is authentic. However, THIS time, before I am willing to send them ...
stop hiding behind a made-up "web" name. All the folks who have commented here have used their real names ... except you. I'll believe you are a truthful and honest person when you stand behind your opinion by stating who you are (your real name) and when you send me your email address. Until you do that, what you "believe" << {your word} about my picture here is of absolutely no interest to me because it takes no courage at all for a person to express his/her opinion while hiding under an anonymous puppy name. So, I have now offered ... twice ... to provide proof. Do you have the courage to put your real name with your opinion?

Gary, as for anyone who would suggest or think your photo here is less than authentic... i.e. - "photo shopped"... well, I'll wager they would eagerly buy a bridge from you!

And to You and a few other spotters, I wish to say Happy New Year and do so with a genuine desire that 2016 will witness your continued great camera work and exemplary photographic results as posted on Flight Aware.


Chaff always separates from the wheat, so to speak... and photographic quality always trumps sheer quantity of images submitted. It's better to show just one properly composed photo than hundreds of mediocre images dumped on this site for the sake of numbers.

The artistic integrity of your work, Gary, clearly stands above in such comparisons. This doesn't happen without true dedication and a passion for aircraft photography... as witnessed by your recent comment, "I was out here for 11 hours, and it was a great day for spotting"!!!

cliff is 100 percent right
gary is one of the best and honest photographers out there
I have never once questioned him
neither should anyone else

That is a great shot, Gary. I know you're not too worried about aidaspot's comments, but let me just add my endorsement that your picture is not photoshopped. Anyone with any real knowledge of photoshop would recognize that. And not that you need it, but one piece of evidence is/are the blades of grass visible in the foreground in front of the landing gear. If you had the time, inclination, and skill to photoshop that and make it look that good, then more power to you. If I could do that, I would tell everyone that it is photoshopped in order to show off.

Everytime I see this picture the "Bad Boy's" song from COPS come into my mind. I love this shot.