Friday Video: Steve You With Me?

Hehe, this poor guy Steve gets put through the wringer as he takes a back seat ride in an F/A-18 Hornet. Yes, it's funny but go easy on the poor guy. Unless you've experienced 6-7.5 g's, you have no idea how hard it is. I know from experience, it hurts and staying awake is tough. What you're seeing in this video is "G-LOC".

Internation Space Station In Orbit 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

What an amazing photo of the International Space Station (ISS) in orbit around Earth. The picture was taken from the Space Shuttle. With a little work in Photoshop, this wallpaper came to life.

Enjoy this awesome widescreen wallpaper!

F-16C Falcon Close-up 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Another great shot of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. This is my all-time favorite fighter jet. Did I mention that I've actually flown in one before? Maybe I'll tell the story here... ;)

A-10 Thunderbolt II Aerial 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Nice aerial shot of the A-10 Tank Killer (TM). I bet this plane is fun to fly even it is SLOW...













Check out this crazy low pass by an A-10! He must have passed within 25 feet of the camerman.

F-15 Eagle Pilot 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Ride along with an F-15C Eagle pilot. I liked the perspective on this shot. You get some great cockpit detail.

F-15E Strike Eagle Formation 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Excellent shot of two F-15E Strike Eagles in formation somewhere over Alaska. The Strike Eagle is a huge departure from the original design of the F-15 as an air superiority platform. With the -229 engines, this baby rocks!

The MV-22 Osprey 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

From an artistic point of view, this photo tantalizes on many different levels. The MV-22 Osprey is almost insect-like and makes an excellent subject. The ground level perspective and the night colors give it an almost futuristic, sci-fi look. It definitely got my attention.

F-15C Eagle 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

To go with the F-15C Eagle video, I've created an F-15C widescreen wallpaper. The F-15's here are stationed in Hawaii. Must be rough flying F-15's in Hawaii.

For this shot, I desaturated the image and then adjusted the brightness/contrast. I then used a photo filter to finish the job.

Friday Video: The F-15 Eagle

One of the best F-15 videos I've seen. The Eagle is about big engines and a big radar. It's an amazing fighter platform that has served many nations with distinction.

US Navy Hits Satellite with SM-3 Missile 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Go Navy! Great job to the crew of the USS Lake Erie (CG-70) for nailing a satellite overnight with an SM-3 missile. Talk about a proverbial needle in a haystack traveling at over 17,000 mph!

In honor of the strike, here's a widescreen wallpaper of the actual missile launch released today.

Read the full story here.

Planet Mercury 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Consider this another freebie. I've taken a black and white photo of the planet Mercury, cropped it off-center, colorized it red, and pumped up the contrast.

I like it... do you?

F-14A Tomcat Takeoff In Japan 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Nice full afterburner shot here of an F-14A Tomcat taking off from somewhere in Japan.

Enjoy!

F/A-18F Cat Shot 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

What a shot. Here's an F/A-18F Super Hornet getting a cat shot off the carrier. Probably the best ride in the Navy...

Important Survey

I need your help. Would you please take a few minutes and fill out this brief survey? I'm always looking for ways to make the site better and since you are the most important part of what's happening here, I need to hear from you.

Free Widescreen Wallpapers Site Survey

P. S. Don't worry if the fields look small, they'll hold as much as you want to type.
P. S. S. I'm doing this through Google Docs and their online form feature.

Formation Flight Over Key West Florida with USAF and USN Aircraft

Great shot of an F-15C, F-16C, F/A-18C and F-14A ("Black Bunny") in formation near Key West Florida.

Had a great time in Disneyworld. :) You guys should definitely check out the new ride called "Soarin'". It was amazing though the lines are insane (90 minutes+) so get there early and get a fast pass.

USAF and USN Aircraft Formation Flight 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Nice formation shot of an F-16, F-15C, F-15E, and an EA-6B. That would be one heck of a strike package! F-16 and F-15 provide air cover, F-15E's do ground strikes, and the EA-6B providing EW cover. Sweet!

FYI, I'm out of town tomorrow night. Be back late Sunday. Going to Disneyworld in Orlando! Never been so I hope it's good...

Friday Video: F-16 Airshow Routine HUD perspective

Ever wonder what it's like to fly an airshow routine in an F-16C Falcon? Watch this video and be amazed. :)

Flying with CH-53 Sea Stallions 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Here's a great shot of CH-53s taken from the back of a C-130. It looks like the guys are anchored by cargo straps! That would be blast.

AV-8B Harrier Takeoff 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Nice shot here of an AV-8B Harrier taking off. I used to see them when a squadron would deploy to Nellis (they don't like hot weather...). It was fun watching them get loaded with weapons since the weapons troops loaded bombs by hand!

The Navy P-8 MMA (Modified Boeing 737-800) Cockpit 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Showing that I take feedback seriously, one of the first responders to the survey wanted to see more cockpit photos, so here ya go!

This is from the P-8 MMA aircraft. The aircraft itself is pretty amazing and I love the cockpit. This will make a great widescreen background.

EA-6B Prowler 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

The EA-6B Prowler is a modified and upgraded A-6. It carries an impressive array of electronic warfare systems and serves the Navy as a fleet defense and escort.

I can't say this aircraft is "sexy" like the F-16, but it gets the job done.

An A-10 With A Flare For The Dramatic 1680 x 1050 Widescren Wallpaper

Excellent shot of an A-10 pulling a high-g turn and popping flares. For those of you that don't know, flares are used as a counter-measure against infrared seeking missiles.

Made it home safely from San Francisco. I flew a Continental 737-300 model to Houston and then a 757-200 to Tampa, Florida. The 757 was partially loaded and we took off like a fighter jet from Houston. Best airliner takeoff to date.

F/A-22 Raptor Refueling 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Amazing shot of an F-22 Raptor being refueled. I love the pilot and the HUD. Excellent!

My stay in San Francisco is over and I'll be flying home tomorrow.

F-16C Fighting Falcon 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Here's another great formation shot of two F-16s with awesome camo paint scheme. They are doing a cross-country flight evidenced by three bags and a travel pod on station 3.

Enjoy!

A-10 Takeoff 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Here's an excellent shot of the A-10 Tank Killer (tm) taking off. I love the nose art.

Enjoy!

F/A-22 Raptor Sunrise 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

There are just so many reasons I enjoy this photo. I love the morning colors in the sky, the subdued lighting, and the color reflecting off the canopy. It's a great photograph. There is beauty in the design of this amazing aircraft.

A-10 Thunderbolt II Refueling 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

If you know anything about the A-10, you know it is a heck of a bomb truck but it's as slow as your Grandma's Dodge K car. Here you see the A-10 catching a drink from a tanker and that definitely had to be one full flap slow flying tanker.

That withstanding, it's still a rock'in wallpaper! Enjoy.

The Top Gun poll is over and Maverick personality took first place. Congrats to all you Mavs out there. I too voted as a Maverick so I'm in good company.

To show how old I am, I remember seeing Top Gun when it first came out while I was in USAF tech school in Denver, Colorado. Speaking of which, Feb 4th is always a day to remember for me. It was on Feb 4th, 1986 that I joined the USAF. Will never forget that day.

Now, as for the Patriots, that just sucks. On my flight to San Fran, I had a lay-over in Houston, TX. I caught a little of the 3rd and 4th quarters and was hoping the Patriots would finish off the Giants. Needless to say, on the flight the pilots broke in and told us that the Giants had won. There was little response and a lot of unhappy people (myself included). Congrats to you Giant fans. You guys suck...

F-16 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper In Blue

Earlier this week I was working with photo filters and came up with a blue filter and tried it on this F-16 shot. I figured that some of you might like it, so I'm posting it.

So who's going to win the Superbowl? I'm putting my money on the Patriots. I'm actually flying to San Francisco tonight (during the game!) so I won't know anything until I get there around midnight.

Looks like Maveric is going to win the Top Gun character survey. We'll see in a couple of hours.

F-16C Formation Flying 1680 x 1050 Widescreen Wallpaper

Ride along here with a four-ship of F-16's from the Wolf Pack.

Don't you love shots that put you in the action like this? Outside of being there, this is the next best thing.

Friday Video: B-1B Bomber

Here's an excellent video on the B-1B Bomber. The USAF transformed this strategic bomber into a tactical role. It's not fitted with the latest tactical weapons and is able to perform missions normally assigned to fighters. It's quite a testament.

Happy Friday!