Raytheon T-6 Texan II

[Jay Beckman]

Stopped Props

[Daniel DeSart]

[Scott Youmans]

T-6 Texan II - I have to admit that the "new" Texan has never been one of my favorite aircraft.  The armed versions that Ned shot at DM were certainly impressive though.  What bothers me about the design is the too flat front cockpit canopy and the way the windscreen and front canopy don't blend smoothly into one another. Just for fun I decided "fix" it.  Bottom photo is the "after" version.  While I was at it I also fixed the tip of the vertical stabilizer/rudder to suit my taste!

[Anna M. Wood]

T-6 Texan II from Sheppard Air Force Base on final to Phoenix Sky Harbor.

[Scott Youmans]

Texan II - TAW-4

[Matt Ottosen]

Texan II - TAW-4

Very, very cool, Scott!

[Joe Copalman]

Pretty cool image given the Lex's role in training naval aviators for a very long time.

[Scott Youmans]

Texan II off Gulf Coast

[Scott Youmans]

"G" whiz

[Scott Youmans]

Bank Shot

[Jeff D. Welker]

Terrific work on the Texan II Scott. I'm especially fond of the first image. The subdued light allowed for a very nice, but subtle, contrast between the Texan II and the ocean. The full prop disk is a nice touch also - Mr. Steady Hands 

[Scott Youmans]

Thanks Jeff!  The one with the full prop arc was taken at 1/125 along with a few others (not posted).  Most of the rest were at 1/180 which didn't provide the full prop arc but did allow a higher keeper ratio.  The subdued light was both a curse and a blessing.  The shutter speeds were going to be what they were due to the prop arc issue but the dimmer light did allow more optimum aperture settings.  These were shot with a D810.  I noticed with some amazement at El Centro shooting with the EOS-7D Mark II that I couldn't get anything less than ISO 100 which forced me to use apertures up around f/16 (at 1/125) to shoot the Cobras.  If anyone has a work around short of a neutral density filter or polarizer I'd like to know about it.  Was hoping to shoot the Cobras at around f/8 but couldn't.

[Joe Copalman]

Thanks Jeff!  The one with the full prop arc was taken at 1/125 along with a few others (not posted).  Most of the rest were at 1/180 which didn't provide the full prop arc but did allow a higher keeper ratio.  The subdued light was a both a curse and a blessing.  The shutter speeds were going to be what they were due to the prop arc issue but the dimmer light did allow more optimum aperture settings.  These were shot with a D810.  I noticed with some amazement at El Centro shooting with the EOS-7D Mark II that I couldn't get anything less than ISO 100 which forced me to use apertures up around f/16 (at 1/125) to shoot the Cobras.  If anyone has a work around short of a neutral density filter or polarizer I'd like to know about it.  Was hoping to shoot the Cobras at around f/8 but couldn't.

I add exposure compensation the slower I go.  No hard and fast rule, but I'll usually shoot at +1/3 @ 1/250, +2/3 in the 1/125 - 1/160th range, and +1 at 1/100 and slower.  That said, it's not yielding f/8 apertures in broad daylight, but it is getting me as wide as f/12 or f/14, which is certainly better than f/22.  The trick is, of course, to not blow out highlights, and to shoot RAW to dial back the exposure in Lightroom or whatever. 

[Scott Youmans]

I guess I'll just have to start carrying my neutral density filter around. Bought an adjustable one a while back but didn't have it with me. That way I can shoot at the fastest aperture if so desired. We were in such a rush at NAFEC with the Cobras I probably would have missed half the shots fumbling through my bag trying to find the filter!

What I find strange is that Canon won't allow ISO 50 or 25 (equivalent) settings as on some cameras. I'm sure they have their reasons.

[Scott Youmans]

One more for the road....