Pic(k) of the week 48: C-17 SHOOTING FLARES - Dubai Airshow 2021
As somebody who has visited airshows all over the world for more than 40 years, it's quite interesting to see how some of the flight demonstrations have evolved!
The demo of an UAE Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at the 2021 Dubai Airshow (14-18 NOV) was a good example of this! Some people might be surprised that transport planes like the C-17, also carry a lot of "Flares"; aerial countermeasures used to confuse (and hopefully avoid) air-to-air and surface to air heat seeking missiles.
The actual launches of flares during an airshow make for interesting images. Knowing when the aircraft will release them is however often largely unknown. Observing the airshow rehearsals a few days earlier provides the photographer with a good head start.
The C-17 transport aircraft was part of a larger military formation opening the show on NOV 14. The Mirage fighter jets ahead of the C-17 had also just released some flares, making for lots of smoke and quite a dramatic image.
Image details:
- Fujifilm X-T3 with XF100-400 lens
- ISO 320, 1/700s, f10, 183mm focal length
- RAW development using Lightroom Classic
- DxO ColorEfex Pro 4 using Color Contrast filter
Having been to all Dubai Airshows since 2007, it's nice to see the event grow over time. Since quite a few years the trade-show is on par with airshows like Le Bourget (Paris Airshow) and Farnborough in the UK. The latest image collection shot at the 2021 Dubai Airshow, can be found here.
The image above has been added to my Aviation Portfolio. Check it out here.
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