Seafair

Each year during the warm summer weather, Seattle hosts Seafair, a month-long series of events including visits by navy ships, air shows, boat races, and other activities. Over the past few days, I attended first a 'practice' air show and then a hydroplane boat race which included one of the two official performances. Following are some pictures from those events.


A Chinook twin-rotor helicopter flies by with American Flag as National Anthem is sung at the beginning of the event.


A turbine-driven race boat passes by in the pace lap.


Another turbine-powered race boat blasts by during the race. In the background is the huge rooster-tail of another boat having rounded the curve and now traveling in the opposite direction.


A Coast Guard demonstration of aerial insertion technique.


The Patriots, a privately sponsored air demonstration team flying small Eastern European built L-39 trainer jets. The Patriots put on an impressive show but with their smaller aircraft, there were fewer good pictures to share.


As if part of the festivities, between the Patriots practice show and that of the Blue Angels, a wild bald eagle treated us to its own little air show. This image is a montage of eight separate exposures of the same bird taken moments apart.


Affectionately known as "Fat Albert", the Blue Angels service C-130 aircraft flies by beginning their segment of the show.


And welcome the Blue Angels.


Five of the six Blue Angels aircraft descending into a loop maneuver.


Six Blue Angels begin a "Break" maneuver.


A lone Blue Angel fighter passes the smoke trails made a moment earlier by several other team members.


Four of The Blue Angels fly by the seattle skyline. Note the distortion from the jet blast behind the aircraft.


A high-contrast shot shows the Angels at a steep angle opposite the sun. As their smoke trails are brightly illuminated, note the shadow cast in the residual smoke ahead of the formation.


Beautiful Delta Formation.


The source of the smoke trails is not the engines. It's there specifically for these demonstration shows, making it much easier for the spectators to see the action.


Just can't get enough of that Delta formation.


One of several F-15s in a flyover. The roar of these planes is overwhelming.