#cessana

How on earth were these pictures taken?

When i was young i was convinced that they were just computer generated pictures for glossy aviation magazines. That went well, that is before i stumbled upon aviation photography. Man, it blew me when i found out these are for real. But here’s How .

Obviously, another aircraft with a camera does the shooting, which is usually referred to as the camera platform. That plane could be a retrofitted Cessna 172 or an aircraft a bit more sophisticated like an F-16 fighter jet.

To shoot outside and not through one of its windows, they purposely built and installed camera pods that are mounted to the belly, nose, or wings of the aircraft. These have cameras on a gimbal and gyroscopic system, with the gimbal allowing the camera to rotate unhindered, following its subject like a hawk.  This is one of Wolfe Air’s secret weapons that allow those marvelous shots to be captured, even while moving in excess of 300mph at 10,000 feet elevation.

PC : Avioners.