Chicago O’Hare Up Close
This video gives you a good idea of the vantage point for Runway 10C at Chicago O’Hare:
Lakefront Plane Watching
Living close to the lakefront in downtown Chicago is a big advantage when it comes to watching aircraft. The O’Hare and Midway arrival patterns take planes right over the shoreline and my favorite times to watch are golden hours. When the wind is from the west, you can bet that planes will be landing on 28C 27L and 27R at O’Hare. Same story for the new RNAV approaches at Midway.
The new RNAV approaches have general aviation aircraft and Midway arrivals a little closer than before. GA pilots on the lakefront must be careful to stay under 2500.
See more aircraft photos on my Flightaware Photographer Profile
On The Wing
One of the advantages of using a GoPro camera is that they can be mounted almost anywhere – including on the wing of a Cessna Skyhawk.
This video shows clips from a typical downtown Chicago flight from the perspective of the wing. On high wing aircraft and a wide view, you get the prop in the frame which adds a little perspective.
Aviation Animation
Boeing 787
Lot 1 – Arriving at KORD (O’Hare International Airport)
Boeing 787-8 “Dreamliner”
United 33 Heavy – KIAH (Houston) to KORD (Chicago O’Hare)
Flooding at Chicago Executive
The runways were mostly clear, but the space between them was flooded with spring rains. The ducks and geese were enjoying the pop-up ponds while aircraft continued to land.
Gusty crosswind landing on Runway 30:
Some taxiways were flooded:
Visit Sint Maarten and Tickle the Airplanes
There are videos and photos all over the internet…if you know where to look. On the island of Sint Maarten (Saint Martin on the French side), the airplanes are an attraction. And it all happens on the beach at Maho Bay – steps away from the runway at Princess Juliana International Airport.
To get an idea of what it feels like to have a 747 land over your head…well, watch this video of a 747 landing over my head:
It’s an aviation photography paradise. Hope you enjoy this Flickr album of a few of my favorites.
Gallery
GoPro Hero 3 Silver
After discovering the fun of taking aviation photos and video on my Nikon DSLR, I knew it was only a matter of time before I considered an additional camera to take care of the video so I can focus on detailed shots.
The camera I decided on is the GoPro Hero 3 Silver Edition. In some ways, my delay in purchasing a GoPro benefitted me. The latest Hero 3 models have built-in Wi-Fi for control on phones/tablets and they are smaller and lighter. Another new feature of the Hero 3 editions is that they use Micro SD cards for storage.
The primary concern I have is getting a wide view. The Silver and Black Editions have Ultra-Wide, Medium and Narrow field of view options whereas the least expensive model (White) only offers Medium FOV. That quickly eliminated the White Edition for aviation purposes.
The Black edition’s primary benefit is ultra-high definition recording for resolutions higher than 1080p. White and Silver stop at 1080p (16:9) recording, but Black goes to 1440p, 2.7K Cinema and 4K Cinema. I’m not the kind of videographer that needs that intense resolution (nor do I have the screens that would support it), so I am satisfied by the Silver Edition’s 1080p.
My favorite feature so far is using the GoPro App on my phone to control the camera and change the settings. This is much quicker than using the two buttons and small screen on the camera to slowly click through the settings. The preview on my phone also makes an LCD add-on for the camera less of a priority for me. I’d take one if I happen to win one of GoPro’s daily “Everything We Make” giveaways though.
This is a video of thirty minutes of flight footage compressed into under two minutes. I hope you enjoy the audio – it’s loud (and funny)!
Chicago Air & Water Show
I thought I would share the perspective that many Chicagoans (and visitors) enjoy during the Air & Water Show weekend. Even if you aren’t at the center of action at North Avenue Beach, you can still enjoy the show from a distance. These photos are from the Museum Campus perspective.
Chicago Flying
Private pilot, Neil, points out our location as it relates to the terminal area chart
David Clark headset
Lake Zurich
Over McHenry, IL
Thanks, Captain!
Airplanes and Apertures
For the past few weekends, I have been visiting Chicago Executive Airport to capture shots of arriving and departing airplanes. While my great friend is in the air preparing to become a private pilot, I’m on the ground practicing my steady hand shots. For these trips, I have my Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 and Nikkor 50mm f/1.8.
It’s much easier to capture moving objects clearly with a fast shutter. Here’s a shot showing an airplane (Beech Baron) landing while I’m using a fast shutter speed and maximum aperture:
The fun method of shooting airplanes though is to capture them in a way that shows their movement. This second shot shows an airplane (Beechcraft turbo-prop) arriving while I’m using a slow shutter speed and smallest aperture:
I enjoy motion-tracking photography to capture airplanes in focus as they fly, while the background is blurred in the direction of travel. It requires that I have a steady hand and follow the motion of the subject smoothly. In addition to the skill of physically tracking the planes, setting the aperture and shutter speed manually is another great challenge that makes the great shots more fun to obtain.
– LP