Fishing Cats - San Diego Zoo

I spent a few hours on Saturday morning at the Zoo, mostly watching the Malayan tiger cubs chase each other around in the water. I'll put up some pictures of them later. When I first stopped by the Fishing Cats on my way down Tiger River, Miri was sitting up on her favorite spot just watching.

The one I've never been able to get good pictures of in the past is Bullet, the male. On Saturday I got lucky. After spending quite a while with the tigers, I stopped by the Fishing Cat enclosure again on my way out. I watched Miri for close to 30 minutes but she barely moved, so finally I decided lunch was more important. Right before I got to the Zoo exit I ran into the keeper who takes care of Miri and Bullet. She had a bowl of fresh meat in her hand, and said she was on her way to give Bullet a snack. She was going to pull Miri in off exhibit, places chunks of meat in various spots around the enclosure, and let Bullet out so that he would have something to go looking for.

Bullet weighs about 25 lbs but doesn't really look all that big. He moves pretty fast too.

He's spotted a piece of meat on the log that crosses the pond.

I think this next one is my favorite shot of Bullet so far.

Click here to see more pictures of Miri and Bullet, and a bunch of shots of the Malayan tigers as well, from Saturday morning, October 1, 2011 at the San Diego Zoo.

     

Miramar Air Show 2011

New Photos Added 10/8/11: Here are some more images from the MCAS Miramar Air Show 2011. One of the first planes up on Friday was the B-25 Mitchell bomber. This particular aircraft was built in 1944-45, and has been restored to its original condition, complete with operable bomb bay and a Norden bombsight.

After watching the B-25 we decided to walk around the static exhibits for a bit, including climbing inside an MV-22a Osprey. Here's the cockpit. Looks complicated.

The Marines keep a rescue helo fired up and ready to go immediately.

The Air Force brought out an F-16 Viper.

Here's a shot of the Heritage Flight - an F-16 Viper along side a WWII-ear P-51 Mustang.

After the F-16 it was time for the F/A-18 Super Hornet. That's condensing water vapor, not smoke, coming off the wings.

I didn't quite get the full donut-shaped ring of vapor when the F/A-18 got up to just below Mach 1, but I came close. I saw it clearly with my eyes, which meant that my camera didn't get it. Oh well, it was still fun to see it that close. The bright sun produced all sorts of color effects in the vapor.

The Navy called this one a Legacy Flight - an F/A-18 Super Hornet along side an F-6F Hellcat from WWII.

All in all it was a great day to be out at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar with a bunch of friends and a whole lot to see.

If you scroll further down this page I have separate posts for the Blue Angels, the Oracle Challenger Bi-Plane, and the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) demonstration, each with links to their own galleries with more images.


Click here to see more images from the MCAS Miramar Air Show 2011. Note that these are not the same pictures as in the galleries linked in the other posts.
    

Miramar Air Show 2011 - The Blue Angels

The Blue Angels shows always start out with Fat Albert, the C-130T Hercules transport that is used to carry all of their maintenance and support personnel and supplies. Unfortunately they ran out of Jet-Assisted Take-Off (JATO) bottles in 2009, so we don't get to see those spectacular jet-assisted take-offs any more. It's still an impressive aircraft to watch fly.

The Blue Angels have been performing for 65 years. These days they're flying F/A-18 Hornets, which they get from the fleet once the plane has reached the end of its carrier arrestment functionality. Here's the lead pilot, in Blue Angel One, taxing for take off.

The Diamond Formation. Blue Angel Seven is a two-seater, where they can carry a guest. I imagine it must be quite a ride.

We had really great weather at the air show on Friday, there were some nice clouds to give some character to the sky.

There was also enough moisture in the air to produce some great vapor effects at times.

Quick question - how many planes in this next picture?

Check out the heat mirage coming from the engines in this next shot.

 

"Maybe if we split up they won't know which one of us is which." I think this is the first time I've seen 2 Blue Angel Sevens in the same show. I think Friday may be considered sort of a practice day, and they were taking the opportunity to give rides to 2 different special guests.

That's it, time to head off into the clouds.

Click here to see more images from the Blue Angel's performance at the MCAS Miramar Air Show 2011 on Friday, September 30, 2011.
   

Miramar Air Show 2011 - Sean Tucker's "Oracle Challenger III"

This little plane can really move. It may be a bi-plane, but it's made from very modern materials including kevlar and titanium. I don't know just how fast he's flying during most of the show, but for the pass through the 2 poles to slice up the ribbons which are 25 feet off the ground, he's moving at 220 mph.

You can see the bits of ribbon still in the air after he's sliced through them with his wings.

Click here to see more images of Sean Tucker flying the Oracle Challenger III at the MCAS Miramar Air Show 2011. 
     

Miramar Air Show 2011 - Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Demonstation

One of just about everyone's favorites at the Miramar Air Show is the demonstration assault on the air field by the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). We were pretty much front and center for this on Friday.


From the description in the Air Show program:


"MAGTF's are self-sustaining combined-arms forces organized to accomplish specific missions. Each MAGTF is made up of four elements: Command, Ground Combat, Aviation Combat and Combat Service Support. . . Within a matter of days a MAGTF can arrive anywhere in the world, and can immediately set out to accomplish its mission. . . This highly trained team is also an extremely effective disaster relief unit, delivering supplies, offering medical aid, assisting in rebuilding efforts and saving lives."


It all starts out with the jets flying in to take a look around, then the AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18s refuel from the KC-130 tanker, and the assault is on. 

A UH-1Y Huey drops in and a group of Marines fast rope to the ground.

Once this first group has completed their task they're extracted from the field by the Huey. All the while the Harriers and F/A-18s are circling overhead, along with a few Cobra gunships, and a pair of MV-22A Ospreys.

A pair of CH-46 Sea Knights come in to drop off supplies, while a Cobra gunship stands guard not far away.

A CH-53E Super Stallion brings in a vehicle.

Meanwhile, additional ground troops are advancing on the air field. . .

. . . along with armored support.

At one point the troops on the ground call on the Harriers, which swoop in and drop napalm on the enemy.

Once the field is secured the Ospreys return, tilt their rotors for landing, and unload their supplies.

Finally, the Harrier comes in for a vertical landing.

After the demonstration the Marines walk down the front of the spectator area to greet the crowd.

Click here to see more images from the MAGTF demonstration at the 2011 MCAS Miramar Air Show.