More spotting at Santa Barbara Airport

A few more photos from a spotting day at KSBA back in 2012. Some general aviation stuff, and some commercial traffic as well, including a shot of one of the Frontier Airlines Embraer 190's, featuring "Ollie the Great Grey Owl" on the vertical stabilizer. Hope you all enjoy!

James :-)

2013 Wings Over Camarillo Air Show

The Wings Over Camarillo Air Show, held back in August, brought out all sorts of warbirds, from Mustangs to Corsairs to Hellcats, and much more. Always an enjoyable show that the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force puts on. Despite the fact there was no military involvement due to sequestration, this show turned out to be a massive success, and I thoroughly enjoyed shooting it. Enjoy the photos!

James :-)

Atlas V 501 NROL-39

 

 

On 6 December 2013, at 2314 hrs. local time, an Atlas V rocket carried a classified payload, known simply as NROL-39, and a host of small, student built CubeSats into orbit from Space Launch Complex-3E (SLC-3E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA. These are shots from my vantage point approximately 2.75 miles from the launch site. It was a frigid night (by California standards) for a launch. So cold in fact that, as temperatures dipped below freezing at some points, there were concerns that it would be too cold to proceed with the fueling process. The pre-launch forecast actually called for a 60% chance of no-go for that reason. Thankfully that didn't happen, and it was definitely a show well worth standing out and freezing for, though.

Click on the thumbnail to view the photos, and enjoy!

James :-)

Just an update on Tomcat Photography...

Hey everybody! As you all probably have noticed, I've been on a sort of "hiatus" here as of late. Tomccat Photography is still going strong, and it will continue to go strong, but I have been blessed with a position on the Lompoc High basketball coaching staff, which over the next few months will take up large chunks of my time. The sport of basketball has always been my passion, but due to chronic knee issues, I was basically told that my body wasn't "built" to play, and that I had to give it up. Needless to say, this opportunity is one that I am beyond excited to have in front of me at this point. Don't worry though, I will never give up presenting the aviation and rocket launch photography that (I hope) everybody here has come to know and love.

On that note, still in the on-deck circle are albums from the 2013 Wings Over Camarillo show and the fantastic Warbirds Over Paso Robles show as well, so make sure you stay tuned for those.

Thanks so much for your continued support. Thank you a million times.

James :-)

Inaugural VAFB Falcon 9 launch

 

On 29 September 2013 at 0900 hrs., the inaugural SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base roared to life, successfully carrying the Canadian Cassiope satellite into orbit. This launch also marked the first flight of the Falcon 9 v1.1 with upgraded Merlin engines, and the first time a payload fairing has been used on this launch vehicle.

The launch was a huge event that marked many firsts for SpaceX and Vandenberg Air Force base, and I was honored to be there to photograph it. Click on the thumbnail to enjoy the album!

James :-)

Thank You

Hey everyone!

Well, as you are probably aware, I covered the Delta IV NROL-65 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base on 28 August 2013 and I posted the album here a couple days later. Well, I was playing around over on my photo hosting site today and I could not believe my eyes when I looked at the amount of views that the launch album got. I've been doing this now for two years, I've posted quite a few albums here, and for the most part, I've been thrilled with the amount of views that they get. This one, though? This one absolutely shattered, obliterated, and destroyed every record. Over 3,000 views for the launch album, and over 6,000 (yes, that is SIX THOUSAND!!!!) individual visitors to my website on 30 August 2013. I just wanted to say THANK YOU! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you all SO MUCH for supporting my little endeavor here and checking out my photos. You all totally rock and make this worthwhile. Love you all!

James :-)

Delta IV-Heavy NROL-65

 

On Wednesday, 28 August 2013, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, a massive Delta IV-Heavy launch vehicle successfully carried a classified payload, known only as NROL-65, into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Click on the thumbnail to check out the album!

James :-)