Dayton Ohio's National Museum of the U.S Air Force was home to the official ceremony that marked the 70th anniversary of the Doolittle Raiders' World War II bombing mission against Tokyo.  On April 18, 1942, sixteen North American B-25 Mitchell bombers led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle and crewed by seventy nine other airmen, launched from the deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet; their  destination was Japan.  From ... Read More

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the raid which was the first strike against the Japanese homeland.  The National Museum of the United States Air Force has a B-25 that was restored by North American Aviation and presented to the Museum in 1958.  The aircraft was restored and painted to represent B-25B, Serial Number 40-2344 which was flown by Doolittle.   It's displayed as though it's on the deck ... Read More

Riverside Airport is packed into the middle of suburban Riverside, surrounded by houses on all sides.  While the main runway is just large enough to accommodate a C-17, the traffic pattern still seems more like driving directions than flying.  There is something nice about the smaller, local, airshows; there is a certain down to Earth quality about them which just is not a part of the large military airshows. The ... Read More

The  B-25 known as Executive Sweet began it's journey from Camarillo, CA to Dayton, OH. The aircraft will be one of Twenty-five B-25 Mitchell bombers that plan to pay tribute to the Doolittle Raiders as they commemorate the 70th anniversary of their raid on Japan. The reunion will take place  April 17-20 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton,OH. On the way to Dayton, OH the B-25 will make several stops,providing an ... Read More

On April 4, 2012 just after 2PM, Howard Pardue left us before his time had come.  He was 77 years young.  His XF8F-1 Bearcat NL14HP crashed shortly after takeoff from Breckenridge Texas.  We send our sincerest condolences from the staff here at PhotoRecon to his family and friends and we shall remember him in our prayers. Howard was known and loved by the warbird community.   He raced at Reno for ... Read More

The smell of jet fuel still lingers in the air at NAS El Centro following the conclusion of the first major air show of 2012. The first show brought delight to many after what had been a difficult off season that focused more on teams cutting back rather than building up budgets. The air show austerity forced the shutdown of most of the Air Force singe ship demo teams ... Read More

Weapons and Tactics Instructor In October 2011, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma was once again home for the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course or as it’s more commonly known as “WTI.” I was fortunate enough to be invited to WTI (class 1-12) and experience the world-class training of Marine Corps aviators first hand. Over the course of several weeks, I would make three trips to MCAS Yuma. During these visits ... Read More

 On January 7, 2012 at 6:00 am, I made my way to the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California. There, I was to be a passenger in the museum’s Cessna L-19 Birddog that was scheduled to be on static display the Cable Airshow in Upland, California. To say I was excited to fly in the Birddog, let alone to an airshow, and with my good friend at ... Read More

On January 14th the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, hosted  "A Legacy of Honor, Valor and Pride: A Tribute to the Tuskegee Airman" . Several hundred people turned out to honor the service and sacrifice of the warriors known as the Tuskegee Airman. On hand were several Tuskegee airmen from the Archer-Ragsdale, Arizona Chapter of the TAI. A presentation of colors was performed by re-enactors portraying Buffalo Soldiers. ... Read More

Every year 11,000,000 people look into the skies at airshows and see six blue and gold F-18s performing precision aerobatics representing the best the United States as well as the Navy and Marines have to offer.  The Blue Angels have been doing this since  June 15, 1946 and have been doing it well. The Team consists of 16 Officers and 110 Enlisted men and women from the Navy and the ... Read More

The F-15E Strike Eagle Demo Team was performing at the Alliance Air Show in Fort Worth,  Texas over the weekend and our own Brandon Farris was there to record the event. We had worked in the past with the flight crew after the Chino Air Show back in May. The Demo Team had put on quite a show in the semi-humid coastal region of Southern California and the jet was ... Read More

When I was informed by the Blue Angels PAO that I was selected to fly on Fat Albert during their show at Miramar, I was more than overjoyed.  I was bouncing off the walls.  To be honest, the few people I did tell about being selected seemed unimpressed but I knew the truth.  I knew the wild ride that was ahead of me, because I trained for it, practiced ... Read More

On September 10, 2011, while on assignment at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada, I had the unexpected privilege and honor of meeting Medal of Honor recipient Captain Thomas Hudner (retired). Captain Hudner was one of only two United States Navy pilots that received the Medal of Honor during the Korean Conflict. For those that do not know the Hudner story, don’t feel bad, I didn’t know ... Read More

As Dave and I sit in our hotel room in Reno, Nevada and reflect on the events of yesterday, we have decided to write this tribute to Jimmy Leeward. Dave arrived last Saturday and spent a lot of time around the unlimited pits, at times speaking with the crew of the ghost. We have gathered lots of images and video footage which we still need  to edit. Our thoughts and prayers go out ... Read More