F-22, High Speed Turn

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Chris Calohan

PANAMA CITY, FL

F-22, High Speed Turn

February 18, 2021

I was fortuned to attend a private aerial display of the F-22 Raptor at Tyndall Air Force Base in 2017 where the highlight of the late afternoon/evening show was a demonstration of the Raptor’s many abilities.

One such maneuver was a full after-burner super tight turn. The sequence was shot using a D850, 200-500 at 500mm 1/2500 @f/8 +.7EV There were actually 15 shots in the sequence which covered approximately an area a half mile in diameter. Several of the shots were omitted because they overlapped too much of the sequence. The hardest part of the compositing was feathering out the vapor bleed off the wings. Next, of course was the sequencing closest to farthest in a believable scale.

A friend who had base access and was a familiar face on the flight line presented each pilot with a framed photo of this image as a “graduation” present when they accomplished their completion flight. The f-22 squadron has been replaced by the F-35’s. Tyndall AFB was heavily damaged during Hurricane Michael in 2018 so it might be a few more years before they can once again host the Thunderbirds.