THINGS THAT GO- 'BUMP!' IN THE NIGHT

[BuckyD]

Re: THINGS THAT GO- 'BUMP!' IN THE NIGHT

Great stuff, but when do I sleep?

Tim - That's a VERY relevant point! I recall several times being out in the hot sun working the cameras after night photo sessions (including some all-niters covering crews doing engine swaps) & wondering why I was- 'burnin' the candle in the middle'. Worst case scenarios were same situation, but after attending the traditional Sat. nite 'Smoke Oil Party', and then having to navigate all-day Sunday nursin' a concrete wig. Oh Boy! At least I had plenty of company! Great times over the years & looking over archive images brings back alot of cool memories of people & planes, and makes me jazzed air racing's still a happening thing. DBD

[Bill@Interstell]

Re: THINGS THAT GO- 'BUMP!' IN THE NIGHT

Great stuff, but when do I sleep?

Sleep, we don't need no stinkin sleep.

[BuckyD]

Re: THINGS THAT GO- 'BUMP!' IN THE NIGHT

'Saving' - Jeannie'...

Resembling the frienzied activity of an outdoor ER during the night shift, here's a series of four available light photos - all documenting the Tue. 9/14/82 all-niter engine change of Race #69's Zeuschel Merlin following rod & piston failure during Skip Holm's qualifying attempt that day.

This maximum effort by Wiley Sanders' team to keep their reigning Unlimited Gold queen in the running, to defend her title against the potent new rookie 'cloned' P-51 rival racer- #4 Dago Red, was valiantly-assisted by members of Don Davis' Casper, WY-based- Tired Iron Air Racing Team.

The replacement engine was run by next evening & test flown by Holm on Thursday morning (9/16). Jeannie would suffer two more maydays during aborted attempts at making a successful eleventh-hour qualification run - the second of which, culminated w/a frighteningly-dramatic screaming runaway prop situation, during Skip's pullup overhead the field & deadstick landing- bringing an end to Jeannie's short-but-sweet two-year reign as Reno's Unlimited Class Champion heavy-metal thoroughbred.

The last shot at right, was taken exactly one year later (Wed. 9/14/83) - showing the Tired Iron Air Racing Team crew working into the night on their own Zeuscel-powered Mustang Unlimited - #81 Habu (N5449V), raced by pilot- Earl Ketchen. Habu won Silver at Reno '82 & Bronze in '83. (Note in comparison - the difference in the cast lighting color temperature/hue given off by the work lamps utilized by each team, and its' influence upon the daylight-type ASA-64 slide film.) DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: THINGS THAT GO- 'BUMP!' IN THE NIGHT

Use- 'Available Light' or- FLASH???

Whether you're shooting film or digital photos, day or night, most experienced photographers find themselves sometimes having to decide when to use their flash units (or not). During Avail. Light Night Photography sessions, we've seen how using existing lighting sources captures 'the real look' of what we're actually seeing, and how judicious use of 'fill flash' can bring out details or highlight areas of A-L night photos, to enhance the shot.

Often, shooting straight flash picture of night subjects produces rather 'flat'-looking pictures w/less depth to them. (Flash units are setup to produce 'simulated daylight').

Sometimes A-L technique won't provide enough sharp clarity required to bring out the important details we want to show in the picture & you must use the flash/speedlight instead. During daylight photography, the flash is an important tool for filling-in dark cast shadows during strong sunlight conditions.

Here's a few photo examples to view, shooting the same subjects using BOTH- 'Available Light' source & 'FLASH' exposure for comparison:

Photo subject info: Unlimited Class air racer- Lyle Shelton's World Speed Record Holder- Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat- Race #77 Rare Bear (N777L). On Fri. - 9/8/91, Lyle flew up the mighty Bear from Mojave Airport to Reno/Stead at a high rate of airspeed, averaging around 400mph during the flight. During landing at Mojave- the Bearcat's tailwheel system malfunctioned, and the aircraft's tailcone fairling assy. was damaged.

Lyle's son- veteran Unlimited air racing maintenance expert- John Slack, was kind enough to provide some details about this: "The actual incident involving the tailwheel collapse, was on landing at Mojave & had to do with Lyle's briefcase- it was put in the hell hole and was not tied down. This had been done before, and was no big deal. This time it was put on the old radio rack in the back. As the tailwheel retracted, it just lifted the briefcase out of the way - as it extended, the briefcase blocked the extension and (the briefcase) was partly crushed. As a funny side note- I was sitting there talking to Lyle a couple weeks ago, and noticed the briefcase he had with him was the one that had the wrinkle from the tailwheel incident. Pretty funny to me that he hasn't replaced it!"

Following Shelton's arrival, his crew members immediately went to work addressing various noted squawks, and to commence qualifying & race preparations to ready #77 for competition. The night photos document the Fri. nite repair work on the tailcone assembly, using A-L technique & flash.

Photos (L-R):

1. Daylight portrait of Lyle Shelton after arrival from Mojave w/Rare Bear, w/his pet pooch- 'Bear', who was already waiting to greet her master, appropriately wearing her #77 team T-shirt. Here, we see a good example of when use of 'fill-flash' would've greatly improved the photo by taking care of the hat bill shadows, etc. to bring out the details. (Alas- my flash unit wasn't handy, being in the camera bag stashed inside my car back in the parking lot )

1-bottom. Daylight photo detailing the F8F's tailcone damage from Lyle's Mojave landing. Here again, fill-flash would've been helpful to a lesser degree than for the portrait pic.

2. Crew work on repair of the tailcone - installing a fairing patch on the assy. w/Cherry Max riveting. This is an available light night photo using a somewhat dim work lamp stand as the light source. (The veteran Unlimited crewmen pictured are (L-R): the late Bill Prewitt - fabricator par-excellence, & Ray Din. Thanks to John Slack for providing Bill's ID.)

3 & 4. Both pictures are straight flash speedlight photos - excellent detail clarity, compared to the A-L photos.

5. Last photo shows Ray Din (at left) & Bill Prewitt working on their backs out on the cold Stead tarmac to complete the sheet metal repair work. Most Reno air racing folks can attest to the reality that crew work more often occurs outdoors vs. inside a more comfortable hangar. Maintenance personnel aren't called- the 'unsung heroes of aviation' frivolously! A reminder to the viewer - this entire photo essay thread's dedicated to these tireless, hard-working individuals who- 'Keep 'Em Flyin''! BIG THANKS - GUYS! You make the sport of air racing possible through your efforts! DBD