This is a photo of the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team from MacDill Air Force Base Airfest. The Aeroshell Aerobatic Team were performing as we were driving through the main gates of MacDill Air Force Base. Traffic was backed up so this allowed me to take out my telephoto lens to capture photos from a distance. It was fun to watch the planes from this distance as you would be able to see the full formation and patterns as well see the pilots setup for the next pass above the crowds. I really like this shot as you can see the initial loop the planes preformed before circling back around and banking. This photo reminds me of a motivational poster. It was an overcast day so I took some liberties to touch up the sky to make it more blue than gray.

The planes flown by the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team are North American Advanced Trainers, At-6 Texans. They are nicknamed “The Pilot Maker” and were originally designed as a basic trainer for the United State Army Air Corps (USAAC). The Texan was the primary training platform for all U.S. airmen in World War II that went on to fly fighter aircraft such as the P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, P-40 Warhawk and others. [1]

[1] Source – NAAT

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Each year MacDill AirForce Base hosts AirFest where the base is open to the public for the weekend and the base schedules exhibitions for the entire day. In addition to the show in the air, there are many planes parked on the tarmac for static display including this year C-5 Galaxy and two F-22 Raptors. The main event this year was the U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds.  I captured the image on the second day which was overcast most of the day. We worried that the show could be canceled due to visibility. I had to touch up this show in post due to the gray skies and I was at the right position and angle that it looks like I was in a chase plane flying at almost the same altitude as the Thunderbirds.

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