Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II

[Scott Youmans]

F-35B VMFAT-501 - Off the coast of Savannah, Georgia

[Scott Youmans]

Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II - VMFAT-501

[Tower Guy]

Great F-35 shots Scott. Was this from a C-130? What a great opportunity to be able to get that vantage point.

[Scott Youmans]

Thanks Harvey! Yup, KC-130J.

[Joe Copalman]

SO much to love here.  The 'softbox' lighting, the clouds in the background, the cleanliness of the background, and (my favorite) how the vortices coming off the starboard wingtip follows the shape of the canopy . . .

[Jeff D. Welker]

Great F-35 shots Scott. Was this from a C-130? What a great opportunity to be able to get that vantage point.

SO much to love here.  The 'softbox' lighting, the clouds in the background, the cleanliness of the background, and (my favorite) how the vortices coming off the starboard wingtip follows the shape of the canopy . . .

Besides my complete agreement with the Harvey's and Joe's comments, this second photograph has a very interesting perspective for me. Almost as if the 35 was to close to the 130 ramp and you had to go with wide glass to get the entire airframe in the image. The nose/cockpit section has that ever-so-slightly enlarged distortion I associate with wide angle lenses. While I'm not doing a good job of expressing myself on my viewpoint, rest assured I think it is a terrific look and gives the F-35 a very complimentary emphasis of its unique lines and form. I also love how there is no definitive horizon line. Both the blue sky and ocean melt into each other creating a wonderfully soft/clean background (as Joe noted). Excellent work Scott.

[Scott Youmans]

Thanks Harvey, Joe, and Jeff! Nature has a way of creating some nice light from time to time! Long story but I was lucky to get anything on this trip. The F-35s were a complete suprise.

[Dave S.]

Thanks Harvey, Joe, and Jeff! Nature has a way of creating some nice light from time to time! Long story but I was lucky to get anything on this trip. The F-35s were a complete suprise.

Chiming in here with some accolades too.  I was (pleasantly) surprised to see the double wingtip vortices, most notably off the port wingtip, but also visible off the starboard tip too.  Very cool image.

[Scott Youmans]

Thanks Dave! Those vortices seem to show up more readily than I would have imagined. With the flaperons down you get the two spiraling streams which is pretty cool. It was very humid out there which helped plus being up at 10,000 feet. Will post more later.

[Scott Youmans]

Two's company - F-35Bs of VMFAT-501

[Tower Guy]

Very nice Scott, you are right about the tail markings, they are very similar to the Aussie paint scheme. Looks like fun to me.

[Scott Youmans]

Thanks Harvey! Here's one that's a little more dynamic.

[Scott Youmans]

Bank Shot

[Anna M. Wood]

Awesome F-35 images Scott....  Looks like it was a great trip.

[Jeff D. Welker]

As I told you on Thursday, I love the crop/framing of your "Bank Shot" image. The photograph looks even better on my monitor. It really shows off the complex curves and angles that comprise the exterior of this bulbous aircraft. You've made it look almost handsome. When looking at your wonderful imagery of the 35, I recall the commentary by an elderly couple viewing a painting of Kramer on Seinfeld:

"He is a loathesome, offensive brute. Yet I can't look away. He transcends time and space. He sickens me."    

Excellent work as always Scott.