Growing up with my father I learned to love airplanes. Actually I love all kinds of machines. For example, my cameras give me great pleasure to just handle them and use them. They are precision instruments and, when you stop and think about what they do, they are amazing. So are airplanes!
A few years ago I went to the Abbotsford Air Show and reserved a place in the Photography Enclosure and had a great time. But my lenses were not suitable for capturing the aircraft while they were flying.
Well, this year I have again reserved a spot in the Photo Enclosure at the Abbotsford Airshow to be held on the weekend of 12 July. After I reserved my space I learned of a smaller airshow to be held at the Boundary Bay Airport on July 22nd. It was an embarrassment of riches.
About two years ago I came across a second hand Canon lens, an EF 100-400mm lens with a 2x Extender. That was a lens that should be able to capture the flying aircraft. The price was really good so I bought it.
Since I had acquired this lens I had not had any occasion to use it so I was quite excited about the show in Abbotsford. And Boundary Bay was perfect because I could have a chance to work with the new gear and get used to it. And what follows are picture I took at Boundary Bay.
It was a beautiful day at the Boundary Bay Airport. I arrived early so that I could get comfortable with my gear and take a few test shots. Here I am waiting with the crowd for the gounds to open. In the center of the picture is an early variant of the World War II B-17 bomber.
The B-17 was a very popular exhibit. I was surprised that people were allowed to walk up to it and around itand to touch it. What a great opportunity for people to see this piece of history.
This airplane is in wonderful condition considering its age. It flew in to Boundary Bay and I am green with envy of the people who flew in with it. I would love to fly in this airplane.
An amazing flying display was given by three Pitts S2B’s. These are beautiful airplanes and appear to be great fun to fly.
Another airplane that looked like an amazing machine to fly was this Boeing Stearman Bi-Plane. As you can see it was cared for like precious jewel which I think it is.
There was a Harvard Trainer at the show painted in Canadian colors. Grandpa trained hundreds of pilots in this type of airplane while he was an instructior at Trenton with the Commonwealth Air Training Plan before he went overseas in late 1942.
There were two World War II fighters on display and they were flown for the crowd. The first was a Curtiss-Wright P-40. It was not as famous as the Mustangs and Spitfires but it was a workhorse throughout the war. The basic airframe was fine but the plane was dogged by underpowered engines and poor or no turbochargers which restricted it’s performance at altitude.
The second warbird fighter was a true classic, a Vought-Chance Corsair, which was in an awesome state of preservation. It is hard to imagine dozens of these incredible machines lined up along the runway as they were in 1944.
It is important to remember that this Boundary Bay Airport is a World War II training base where thousands of pilots and navigators received their flying training. There would have been lines of these fighters along the runways. Hard to imagine all these years later.
This Curtis P-40 Warhawk was another WW II fighter in incredible condition. It did not have the glamour of the P-51 or Spitfire but it was a workhorse fighter of the Second World War and produced in the thousands.
Probably the most perfect restoration was this Vought-Chance Corsair from WW II. It was bright as a jewel and certainly looked better than the day it came out of the factory.
The US Air Force sent two A-10 Warthogs to the airshow. I had not seen these previously and I found them very interesting. They are not pretty but they do look like a machine built for a purpose. I was amazed to see that the A-10 could fly around in a circle inside the perimeter of the airport. That is tight!
I think the most impressive airplane of the show for sheer speed and power was our Canadian CF-18’s. There were two of them and they put on an amazing show. When they kicked in their afterburners and climbed away from the flight line the air vibrated with their roar. These are truly impressive machines!
And that was my day at the Boundary Bay Airshow. I was very impressed with this little airshow. What aircraft they had were of exceptional quality and historical interest. The crowds were reasonable and there was no difficulty finding a spot along the fence to stand and take pictures.
I was happy with the performance of my new lens although there was a steep learning curve. Shooting with long lenses, as long as 800mm, is not the same as a with normal 50 to 100mm lens and there is a whole set of new problems. But I learned lots and I think I will now be better prepared for the Abbotsford show next month.
The “Marr Family Pictures” is created by me, Flynn Marr, and is a private photo album of the Marr family and it’s offshoots.
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