Afterburner on the way home from a night mission over Afghanistan

These are all amazing images. How did you take them - tell us about it - apart fomr looking at them and thinking how astonishing they look I wonder just how and when you found the time (the position?) to take them!

- Wolf

I read a comment on these pages that sometimes it just the camera. These photos are a lot of camera. Of the 38 or so combat missions I flew over Afghanistan in support of the ground troops there, I took about 3800 photos. I snapped pictures on every mission except 2. A blind squirrel gets lucky and as my experience improves, I'll be able to take better advantage of the unique opportunities afforded me and be able to setup/compose better pictures. Investing in a digital camera was one of the smartest things I've done in a long time. I would not have taken so many regular photos.

A lot of my flying is done at night, either going into it, in the middle of it, or coming out of it. Any comments on night considerations, IR (with the 707, that is an option), and moon issues are welcomed.

I found the original picture and cleaned it up using PS 7. It dosen't have all the JPEG artifacts.

Rob

This is one of the best pictures I have seen of aircraft. Totally awsome.

awesome photograph, guess a little late in the comment, but what the hell.

the cleaned up one is very awesome./