Welcome back. I was recently helping a friend who is dipping a toe into aviation photography. During that conversation, I commented about how each photo he takes is absolutely unique. There will never be another one just like it. Same day, same time of day, same exact location, perspective, weather, camera, etc. It's easy for that notion to get lost. After I said that I had to reflect on every I've taken over the last 40 years. It made me pause to think about creating a still life of a moment in time. And with that thought, this blog post is about a photo a took over 40 years ago. The aircraft is a Douglas A-26 "Invader". Or more accurately, an RB-26C reconnaissance version of the Invader. These aircraft fought in WWII and Korean War and also flew counterinsurgency missions in the Vietnam War until finally retired in 1969, It should be noted that the Vietnam version was essentially a heavily rebuilt, modernized descendant of the WWII Invader. This particular Invader was built delivered to the USAAF as a B-26C in March of 1945 but missed seeing combat. Jump ahead to 1951 it was sent to Japan where it was converted into the reconnaissance version RB-26C. As a history major, I like to dig into the background of the aircraft I photograph to uncover the story behind the plane. Knowing these details just brings the aircraft to life. Thanks for reading and we'll see you next time.
Talley ho!
Steve