Retroblogged and expanded from my LiveJournal post for 13 June 2011.
In the summer of 2008, just before my older son was born, the Experimental Aircraft Association of Oshkosh, WI brought one of the few surviving airworthy B-17s to Champaign. The B-17 is not the only old aircraft they maintain in flying condition; they also maintain a 1929 Ford Tri-Motor, and on June 12 it was at Frasca Field in Urbana. They were giving rides as well, so my father-in-law and I grabbed a couple of seats, and were soon barnstorming above Shampoo-Banana. It was noisy and much bumpier than a big commercial airliner, but lots of fun.
Despite the cliché, I couldn’t resist doing the full old-timey shtick on this image in post: monochrome and vignette. (Sepia would have been so far over the top that even I couldn’t stomach it.) I printed a copy for my father-in-law on Canson Infinity Arches Aquarelle Rag, a matte paper that beautifully suited the subject.
This is my favorite image from the day. It reduces the aircraft to form and line, with the wide lens exaggerating the dramatic forward thrust of the fuselage.
Nicholas Haggin Photography 