"Reunion"

This weekend marked a milestone in military aviation history: The gathering of the last survivors of one of World War II's most daring missions and one of the largest groupings in recent times of the airplanes they flew during their daring raid on Tokyo.

Just how to pick a single picture that represented the material force of this gathering (the airplanes) was not an easy task. An entire day was spent attempting to capture a photograph that could portray the essence of the size of the group of airplanes on display this last weekend at the Fresno Yosemite Airport; as it turned out, the final moments of the day provided that which we had sought.

As the 11 B-25's returned from their formation flight and began a perfect formation taxi for return to position, we finally saw it: ALL of the airplanes at once and in the exact arrangement to best convey the feeling of beauty and power we were experiencing.

Of the series of shots taken during the formation taxi... which to use then became the question.

We believe this shot, showing B-25 "Super Rabbit" owner Jim Morgan's sheer delight, as he enthusiastically waves the American Flag from atop his airplane captures it best. We offer this week's choice as a tribute to the courage of the men who flew this historic raid and the continued dedication of men like Jim Morgan who are committed to preserving the flying heritage of it.

Photo © 2001 Wayne Sagar -all rights reserved-

Former Pictures of the Week

04-23-01 "Dago Red Sunrise" CLICK HERE	04-23-01 "Tornado!" CLICK HERE	05-07-01 "History Flies Again" CLICK HERE