Photo Taken by Skyelar Cai

“SMAX”, the former CO of the Florida Air National Guards 125th FW landing at KJAX after a BFM sortie over a MOA in South Florida. 

For over a decade”SMAX” piloted F-15C Eagles for the FANG, deploying aboard supporting the units Air Superiority Mission with the ACC. Pictured is his final flight in the Mighty Eagle, in late September, 2024.

Published 5/3/2026

Photo Taken by Jacob Blane

Photographed here is an HMX-1 VH-3D Seaking hover taxiing to its final landing zone during the final minutes of sunlight light on July 2nd, 2025.

The VH-3D Seaking is still actively used by HMX-1 even with the recent completion of their order of VH-92A Patriots.  While Patriot takes over the dominant role of directly carrying the President from location to location the Seaking can still be found within these iconic helicopter formations.  Now flying alongside the VH-92s the Seaking serves within a supporting role for the Patriots and is always kept in perfect flying order just in case a VH-92 has mechanical issues before a lift. 

Published 5/1/2026

Photo Taken by Siddhant Upadhyay

In early February 2026, a F-16C Fighting Falcon from the 177th Fighter Wing landed on the runway at Atlantic City Air National Guard Base. This aircraft represents the New Jersey Air National Guard, which operates a fleet of General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft in the air defense role at the base.

The primary mission of the 177th Fighter Wing is homeland defense under North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The wing maintains a 24/7 alert posture to safeguard the skies over the northeastern United States, primarily covering the New York/Philadelphia area. The F-16s of the wing are equipped for rapid response intercept missions, capable of identifying, intercepting, and, if necessary, engaging potential aerial threats.

Beyond its modern mission, the 177th Fighter Wing has a rich operational heritage dating back to World War II. Its lineage is tied to the 119th Fighter Squadron. Over the decades, the unit has flown a wide range of aircraft, from P-51s to F-106s, all the way to F-16s, reflecting the evolution of U.S. airpower. The iconic “Jersey Devil” emblem on the wing’s tail symbolizes both regional culture and local legend, representing the unit’s identity.

Published 4/24/2026

Photo Taken by Jonah Rossiter

Two T-38’s from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing depart Moffett Field (KNUQ) to perform a flyover at a 49ers football game. The 9th Reconnaissance Wing is based out of Beale Air Force Base and is home to the U-2 “Dragon Lady”. Starting in the early 1970’s, T-38’s joined the wing as a companion trainer to the U-2. The T-38 allowed U-2 pilots to maintain flight proficiency, practice instrument procedures, and stay mission ready, since the U-2’s unique characteristics made it difficult and expensive to train with. Now approaching the end of its service life, the T-38 is gradually being replaced by the T-7 Red Hawk.

Published 4/13/2026

Photo Taken by Rin Sakurai

An E-2C with the 601st Squadron comes in for a touch-and-go at Misawa Air Base on a frigid winter afternoon. The squadron - under the JASDF's Airborne Warning & Control Wing - has phased out most of its Charlie-model E-2s for the newer Delta variants, and the type is very much in its twilight hours of service with the JASDF. 

Published 4/08/2026

Photo Taken by Elvis

VORTEX 261, a Chinook HC.6A of 28 Squadron, lifting from a confined landing area in LFA1C (Low Flying Area 1C) of the UK low flying system. 28 Squadron is the operational conversion unit for the Royal Air Force's Chinook fleet, meaning they specialise in teaching crews to fly on the type out of RAF Benson, in Oxfordshire. This specific flight saw a crew on course number 69 conducting their first confined landings since graduating from the much smaller Juno HT.1 at RAF Shawbury. 

This clearing is one of the more challenging ones in use due to the sloped ground, meaning crews must use techniques for both confined and also sloped landings. 

Published 3/28/2026

Photo Taken by Charlie Cumming

The Avro Vulcan, photographed here as a preserved example at Wellsbourne Aerodrome, was Britain's answer to the cold war, it was capable of a nuclear payload near to 10,000Kg. The aircraft remained in service from 1956 until 1984, however certain airframes remained flying in the hands of civilian organisations. 

Vulcan XM655 is one of three remaining taxiable airframes, maintained by the 655 Maintenance & Preservation Society since 1998, 655 is the youngest Vulcan still in existence,and performs regular taxi runs to ensure that everything remains operable. 

Published 3/16/2026

Photo Taken by Matthew Dawson

Pictured here is a CH-53E Super Stallion lifting the legendary M-777 Howitzer, one of the most recognizable artillery systems used by the Marine Corps today. I had the incredible opportunity to capture this moment from across the airfield during the amazing MCAS Miramar Airshow. The COMMSTRAT team invited me out to photograph the demonstration, and it was an opportunity I simply couldn’t pass up. Watching the Super Stallion maneuver while carrying such a heavy load really highlights the power and capability of this aircraft. I’m truly grateful to the team for giving me the chance to get up close and document the CH-53E Super Stallion doing what it was built to do.

I took this photo on a Canon 90D with a Sigma 18-50 lens attached. 

Published 3/7/2026

Photo Taken by James Martin

Buccaneer XX544 Seen at sunset at Kemble Cotswold airport, during The Buccaneer Aviation Groups annual nightshoot for the two Buccaneer S.2Bs that they maintain to a taxiable condition. Retired in 1994, this jet had an extensive service with the RAF’s Technical Training school at RAF Cosford, due to this particular airframes tendency to have fuel leaks whilst in frontline service. This meant that XX544 spent most of her time in a hanger whilst in squadron service. In 2004, it was purchased from a scrapyard near Shawbury where it became the third buccaneer to join the other classic retired jets at Bruntingthorpe. In 2008 the jet ran its engines for the first time since 1983, and in 2011 it made its first public appearance, alongside 2 other buccaneers (XX894 and XX900), making it the first time since the buccaneers retirement that three jets were seen running together.

I took this photo on the Canon R7, using an 18-135 IS STM lens, at 2.5 second exposure, F/5 and ISO 100. 

Published 1/23/2026

Photo Taken by Ethan Wong

The 114th Fighter Squadron has flown the F-15C from Klamath Falls for decades, earning a reputation as a cornerstone of the Pacific Northwest air defense mission. Tasked primarily with aerospace control alert, the squadron has stood armed and ready to respond to unidentified or uncooperative aircraft along the West Coast.

This image captures four F-15C Eagles of the 114th Fighter Squadron, 173rd Fighter Wing, executing a right break over show center during the Sentry Eagle Airshow in July 2025. The lead aircraft, nicknamed "Sandman", guides the final four-ship formation during the Sunday performance.

As the 114th FS prepares for its transition, the Sentry Eagle Airshow represents one of the final public appearances of the unit's F-15C fleet. It brings a storied chapter to a close while signaling the wing's evolution to fifth generation air power with the F-35A. The final F-15's departed Klamath Falls in December 2025 marking the beginning of the squadron's transition to the F-35A in fiscal year 2026.

Photo Taken by Rin Sakurai

A J-20 "Mighty Dragon" with the PLAAF's 19th Air Brigade lifts off from an air base in Northeastern China on a clear autumn evening. The 19th AB is one of the latest units to transition to the J-20 - only receiving its first airframe in Aug 2024 - and thus has some of the newest jets within the PLAAF. In fact, this particular airframe, 63106, is the 300th standard J-20 to ever be built.

Photo Taken by Neal Bansal

An F-35C of the VMFA-314 "Black Knights" (Tail No. 301) on approach for landing at Moffett Field after the second sortie of the day. This specific jet scored 4 JSOW glide bomb hits during it's 5 month deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) late last year. In early November of 2024, VMFA-314 conducted multiple strikes on Houthi rebel facilities in Yemen. These strikes, utilizing the 1000 pound AGM-154 "JSOW" bomb, mark the first ever use of the F-35C in combat operations. The aircraft was one of four jets from VMFA-314 to visit Moffett Field for routine training, with each pilot having just recently been awarded the Air Medal for their service during the prior deployment.

Photo taken by Ty Cady 

The Slovakian Air Force recently brought an F-16V Block 70 based in Tucson, Arizona, 1st Tactical Squadron, to the Fort Wayne Airshow in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, in July 2025, this marked the first American Airshow appearance of the new F-16 Block 70 Fighting Falcon, pictured here is F-16V 1006 departing KFWA the following Monday after the airshow, marking a new high in the partnership between the Indiana Air National Guard and the Slovakian Air Force. The 122nd Fighter Wing out of Fort Wayne International Airport assisted the Slovakian Air Force with delivering their first two Block 70s to Slovakia in July 2024, to this day the Slovakians and the Indiana Air National Guard have close ties with each other and continue to work together in many different ways. 

Photo taken by Matthew Dawson

This photo was taken during after the ending of the VMFA-232 Centennial ceremony which was a blast to go to. I remember talking with the intelligence officer very nicely asking if I could take some pictures of the transient birds before going to the Officer Club party. The story behind this picture transcends beyond thought.  I had no clue there was an ATARS bird here on the flightline. It was until I looked up and actually saw the modification. I thought it was just a normal F/A-18D with no markings. This bird was next to a former NASA F/A-18B, VMFA-112 (Now MALLS-11), F/A-18C+, and F/A-18C from VMFA(AW)-224.

Photo taken by Emmett Lopez

NAS Lemoore's own 2024 West Coast Rhino Demo Team banks over the crowd at the California Capital Airshow. The demo team consists of  aviators and personnel from the VFA-122 Flying Eagles, the west coast F/A-18 fleet replacement squadron (or FRS). As an FRS, their job is to train new naval aviators on everything there is to know about flying the Super Hornet in order to prepare them for active service. The United States Navy currently has two F/A-18 Fleet Replacement Squadrons, with the VFA-106 Gladiators being the east coast equivalent to the Flying Eagles.