Happy New Year 2009!

It's New Year's Eve and I'm in Times Square (New York City). I figured that you have to do this at least once in your life. It's my goal this year to a better person and I'm working on a specific action plan to make that a reality (I might share more about that later).

Each new year brings the hope of a new life and a new direction. Challenge yourself to be more than you are today. Challenge yourself to love your wife and family more. Go beyond the ordinary life and grab life by the throat. Make the most of your talents and be a blessing to others.

Make 2009 the best year of your life.

F-16 Up Close and Personal 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Wouldn't you love to be there? Thirty degree angled seat, side stick controller, fly-by-wire, and 30,000 lbs of afterburning thrust kicking you along. Nothing like it in the world.

Super Hornet with Flare 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Hopefully you've recovered from all the holiday candy. Enjoy a pair of F-18 Super Hornets on that new widescreen monitor!

Merry Christmas 2008!

I want to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas. It's my hope you're surrounded by loved ones and that you know the true joy that comes from the one called "Emmanuel" (God with us).

Merry Christmas!!!

P.S. Try not to eat too much.
P.S.S. I hope Santa brings you a new Widescreen Monitor!

F-16 Falcon In Flight 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

It's Christmas Eve here in the U.S. and I'm heading to Pensacola, FL to be with my wife's family. It's about 7 1/2 hours driving from here, but it's always a nice trip.

Today's widescreen desktop wallpaper is up-close shot of an F-16C in flight. I know the F-35 JSF is technically superior, but the F-16 has "mojo" (see Austin Powers).

F/A-18E Super Hornet Refueling 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

This shot is spectacular. I made some slight enhancements, but baseline it's a tremendous photo with a great subject and background. Maybe you're like me, but shots like this remind me why I love aviation so much.

B-2 Bomber In Flight 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

The B-2 has one of the most distinctive shapes in aviation. It's a beautiful flying wing designed for stealth that only flies because of advances in fly-by-wire technology.

B-1B Refueling 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Today's widescreen desktop wallpaper is a top-down view of the B-1B Lancer during refueling operations. In the lower left corner you'll see the Sniper targeting pod.

Space Shuttle Endeavour Rolling To Launch Pad 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Beautiful framing on this shot of the Space Shuttle Endeavour rolling out to the launch pad. I actually caught the launch a few weeks ago. Even though I'm on the Western side of Florida, I still saw it launch. Pretty easy to spot at night.

CH-53 Refueling With A C-130 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Great shot here of a CH-53 catching fuel from a C-130. You can see the drogue chute middle left. Check out the airspeed -- it says 90 knots. Even with full flaps, that's got to be real close to the C-130's stall speed.

MH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter With USAF Pararescue 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

In the US Air Force, there's a special group of guys whose job it is to come rescue downed pilots. These guys are incredibly talented, well-trained, and brave. In this wallpaper you see them being picked up by a MH-60 Blackhawk.

F18 Super Hornet Over Carrier 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Hope everyone had a good holiday and lots of great food (I know I did). Today's desktop wallpaper is an F-18F Super Hornet flying over an aircraft carrier. The hook down is a nice touch...

F-16C Pilot 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Growing up this is what I used to dream about. Just me and a fighter jet flying through desert canyons. Best seat in the house.

Happy Thanksgiving

It's an American holiday, but still I wish all my friends here a Happy Thanksgiving. Even the least among us can find something in life to be thankful to God for. I wish you and your families the best.

Thanks for making this blog what it is. I'm definitely thankful for all of you.

JT

F-16 Break Turn 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

This is what it looks like to sit in the back of an F-16 Falcon when your flight lead makes a break turn. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

CH-47 Chinook Cockpit 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Fly along with the power CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Check out the toy car and air freshener! Go figure? Pilot on the right is checking the flight chart. Great stuff.

KC-10 and F-18 Refueling 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Shot somewhere lonely over Afghanistan, here's an F-18 refueling with a KC-10 Extender. Hats off to you guys stationed over there. The worst I saw in the USAF was being stuck at Wendover, Utah (we used to call it "Bendover"). Ahh, the good ole days.

Blue Angel Cockpit Shot 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Warning: this wallpaper might cause dizziness...

Seriously, check out this shot over San Francisco. That's Alcatraz prison to the bottom left.

Try this one on your monitor and let me know how it makes you feel...

Friday Video: Belgian Air Force F-16 Demo Aviation Nation Las Vegas 2008

I couldn't make it out to Las Vegas in time for this year's Aviation Nation air show at Nellis, but some videos are the next best thing. This year Nellis hosted the Belgium F-16 Demo team and these guys put on an amazing demo. Enjoy!



Not to be outdone, check out the Royal Netherlands Air Force Demo team as well!

Blue Angels over San Francisco 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Here's your chance to fly with the Blue Angels. Sit with #4 as you fly over San Francisco with the Golden Gate bridge in the distance. Outstanding.

The Hog 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

One of the most distinctive faces in military aviation. The A-10 Insurgent Killer stands alone as one of the most loved and hated aircraft in the world.

B-1B Full Afterburner Takeoff 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

There's nothing more powerful than a B-1B full afterburner takeoff. This baby is one of the loudest aircraft you'll ever hear. Simply awesome.

When I was stationed at Nellis AFB, there was only one aircraft that ever woke me up -- the B-1B. You get used to the F-16s and F-15s flying early morning ops, but when a B-1B would takeoff, it was thunderous and shook the entire dorm building. Loved it.

Wintery Scene F-16's Taxi for Takeoff 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Getting you ready for Winter (in the Northern hemisphere), here's two F-16s taxiing for takeoff. Just makes you cold looking at it...

F18C Hornet Cat Launch 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Excellent shot here of an F-18C Hornet getting shot off the bow of the USS Ronald Reagan. Great framing with the F-18F on the deck.

Navy F-5N Adversary Fighters 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Here's a sight, two retired Swiss F-5s converted to US Navy Adversary aircraft. The Navy is going to use these F-5N's to train fleet pilots in adversary tactics.

I'm kinda surprised on the plane choice but I'm sure they have their reasons. The F-5 used to pull adversary duty with USAF Aggressors but now F-16s and F-15s do it. The Navy definitely won't be simulating SU-30's with these completely outmatched F-5s.

EA-6B Prowler Show Pass 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Gotta love show passes! Nice shot of the soon to be retired EA-6B Prowler. It's definitely not a plane you call sexy, but you can admire its bug-like qualities.

EA-18G Growler 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Update: Excellent work guys. You got it right, it's the EA-18G Growler, replacement for the EA-6B.

It's a modified F/A-18F that packs the EW equipment where the gun used to be and on the wingtips. Whereas the EA-6B was a four-man crew, the stipulation on the EA-18G was it had to work with two just two crew members (read: lots of automation).

It's going to go through ops testing this year and should be in the fleet in 2009.


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Ok, let's see how good you guys are. Here is one of the newest F-18s in the Navy. Can you name it?

I'll reveal more when you guess the correct aircraft.

F16s Flightline Lineup 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

I'm back from my Chicago trip. Had a great time, but more on that below. Here's a nicely composed shot of Minnesota F16's. Go Bulldogs!

So for the Chicago pics, the first one is from the Drake Hotel grand ballroom where I gave my presentation.

The second shot was taken from the Milton Lee Olive Park area looking back toward the city.

The third shot is from Millennium Park looking toward downtown Chicago.

If you visit, you have to take a walk along Michigan Avenue in the area called the Magnificent Mile. Just amazing, clean, great shops, and great food.

Of course, I had to get a famous deep dish Chicago pizza from Geno's East. Good stuff.

I'm definitely going back. Great city.

F18 Hornet Sunrise 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Excellent shot of an F-18C Hornet at Sunrise. Check out the vivid colors and the night glow strips. Love it.

FYI, I'll be in Chicago for the next three days and won't be back to Saturday. This is my first trip to the windy city so I'm hoping to experience some of the highlights but I am going on "business" (I have to do a presentation). At minimum, I'll need to find me a deep dish pizza and visit at least one site where they filmed the Blues Brothers.

F-18C Hornet High Speed Pass 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Nice shot here of an F-18C high speed pass. Not bad for a Hornet with bags!

Royal New Zealand C-130 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Check out this Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 courtesy of my friend Murray over at Widescreen Stuff.

Murray's doing a ton of great work and I'm sure you'll enjoy his wallpapers as well.

Right now he's got a series going on Nimitz class aircraft carriers. You don't want to miss it.

F-15E Strike Eagle Head-on 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Stunning head-on shot here of the F-15E Strike Eagle. It may not be "stealthy" but it's one bad looking jet.

Enjoy!

F-16C Falcon Poster 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Creative mood again today. I took an average shot of an F-16 and turned it into a poster style widescreen wallpaper. Hope you like it.

Leap of Faith C-130 Style 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

When you serve as a pararescueman, your job is go anywhere, any way possible. Here's a great shot of these courageous guys jumping out of the back of a C-130.

I hope today's widescreen wallpaper inspires and reminds you to seize the day. Take a chance and go for your dreams.

JSF F35 At Edwards 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

The time is drawing near when the Air Force will be transformed from F-15s and F-16s to F-22s and F-35s.

This jet (AA-1) landed at Edwards AFB to begin a round of in-flight air shutdown and restart operations. To date the aircraft has completed 50 hours of testing including refueling and flight with full weapons loads in internal bays.

Here's an interesting PR snippet:
"The F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5th generation stealth fighter. Three F-35 variants derived from a common design, developed together and using the same sustainment infrastructure worldwide will replace at least 13 types of aircraft for 11 nations initially, making the Lightning II the most cost-effective fighter program in history."

Replacing 13 types of aircraft?! This fighter will be like the F-18 Hornet is to the Navy currently. You'll be seeing it everywhere (Air Force, Marines, Navy).

I still think the F-16 is way sexier.

Eurofighter Typhoon 1680x1050 widescreen wallpaper

I'm back !

Here's Pieter from Belgium. I know it has been a long time, but I have been busy with my exams and working. Here's a nice picture of the Eurofighter Typhoon flying over the Italian Alps. It's the twin seater version. I love this plane!

Flying with Eagles 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Fly along with some F-15 Eagles as they catch a drink from a tanker. I love shots like these on my desktop. It just puts you into another world...

P-51 Mustang 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Here's an artistic interpretation on a P-51 Mustang shot I took at a Nellis AFB airshow back in 2003. Think of it as modern art ... :)

Navy F-18C Cat Launch 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Next best thing to being there, check out this cat launch shot of an F-18C Hornet. I worked on flightlines in my USAF career, but this must be quite a rush.

Blue Angels Head-on 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Amazing head-on shot of the Blue Angels in a six-ship formation.

Top Down F-16C Falcon 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Amazing shot here of an F-16C during refueling. The top down perspective and the beautiful engineering of the F-16 come together perfectly.

Someone asked me recently if I do anything to the wallpapers before posting them. The answer is "yes" I do.

Here's a brief working outline of what I'm doing.

1. I review hundreds of photos and pick the ones with the highest scores for composition, lighting, subject, etc.
2. I make artistic decisions about where and how much to crop.
3. I resize all images to 1680 x 1050.
4. I adjust image levels, contrast, saturation.
5. I apply sharpening (if needed).
6. I apply filters (if needed).
7. I apply various advanced processing techniques on "artistic" wallpapers.

Each wallpaper is a mini-work of art.

F18 Super Hornet 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

I decided to have a little fun with today's widescreen desktop wallpaper. I tried to make it look more "poster" style and I think it turned out "ok".

If anything, I hope it inspires you to be more creative in what you do. If you don't go outside your current boundaries, you'll never grow...

Enjoy!

Fly With A C-17 Crew 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Here's a great high-res shot of a C-17 Globemaster III cockpit. I particularly like the Heads-up displays and joysticks. Wish I was there...

WC-130J Weather Recon Cockpit 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

With all the hurricanes going on the Gulf of Mexico, these guys are pulling hard duty flying weather recon missions. This WC-130J aircraft is specially modded with extra fuel tanks so their missions can last 11 - 14 hours!

They do a great job so hats off to them!

Artistic F-22 Raptor 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Here's a great shot of an F/A-22 Raptor right after takeoff. The wallpaper design incorporates a few artistic filters and gives the final product a unique look. Maybe I'm the only one that thinks it rocks... Thoughts?

AC-130 Spectre Gunship 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

I've nicknamed this photo "A Flare For The Dramatic". Here we have an AC-130 Spectre showing off its countermeasure prowess. Impressive display but I'm sure the ground support troops aren't happy with having to replace all those flare canisters.

CV-22 Osprey and MH-53 Pave Low Special Operations Aircraft 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Excellent photo of the CV-22 Osprey in formation with a MH-53 Pave Low helicopter. The Osprey will replace the Pave Low in special operations duty. These aircraft are based out of Hurlburt Field in Florida.


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Friday Video: Flying Backseat in an F-15E Strike Eagle

Ever wanted to fly in an F-15E Strike Eagle? Well, here's your chance. Check it out.

AC-130 Spectre Gunship 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

The AC-130 Spectre evokes an array of emotions. This variant of the lowly C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft first saw service in Vietnam and has participated in conflicts ever since.

The USAF has one in the National Air Force Museum and I got a picture of the nose art.

Sepecat Jaguar Attack Aircraft Refueling 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Here's a shot of the Sepecat Jaguar attack jet catching some fuel. I think some nations still fly the aircraft but it's slowly being replaced by the Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon.

Friday Video: F-15 Eagle West Coast Demo Team

Here's some great F-15 Eagle flying from the West Coast Demo team. A slick Eagle has impressive power and this video shows it to you.

C-17 Globemasters 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Talk about a boatload of C-17s, check out today's widescreen desktop background. It's impressive.