There is quite simply nothing else like it. The sights and sounds of military aviation are a privilege to experi‐
ence up close. The chest rattling sensation that only comes from standing next to a runway while the en‐
gines of a Navy F/A‐18 Super Hornet spool up into afterburner producing 44,000 lbs of thrust. The warmth
of used jet fuel washing over you as T‐45 Goshawk training aircraft pass by doing circuits of take offs and
landings. The smell of burnt rubber as a C‐2 Greyhound's tires go from zero to 130 mph the instant they
touch the ground. These are just some of the completely unique experiences involved in photographing mili‐
tary aircraft operations while standing less than 50 feet from the edge of an active runway. And every single
time I find myself in the privileged position of being on a military airfield shooting aircraft operations, lyrics
from the Taking Heads "Once In A Lifetime" come to mind: "Well... How did I get here?"
When I consider the opportunities I've had that have resulted in the privilege of participating in a photo
shoot of military aircraft next to an active runway on a military base, the Photo Call held at Naval Air Facility
El Centro (NAFEC) in sunny Southern California on February 18th, 2016 was a unique first. My initial oppor‐
tunity came when a friend in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) offered to escort me around 4 Wing Cold
Lake for a couple days to shoot at the multinational Maple Flag exercise being held in June of 2010. By the
time I left Cold Lake I felt like I had had a once in a lifetime unforgettable experience and if I never had the
chance to do it again I'd be happy. As time passed the euphoria of my first shoot began to wear off and I re‐
alised it had only taken one hit to get me addicted. I needed a fix and started looking for other opportuni‐
ties. Over time I realised I couldn't rely on friendship and air shows alone to feed my new found addiction
and I made the leap to submitting story requests to magazines like The Aviation Magazine in the hope of
gaining access to shoot and tell the stories of military aviation. It seemed like a Hail Mary pass as I had no
press credentials but to my surprise I was successful at getting my images and stories published first in The
Magazine by Air Shows Review online magazine and later in print publications. The NAFEC opportunity how‐
ever didn't involve a letter of intent to publish to gain access to a shoot, it came up in a different way:
through my membership in ISAP.
I've been a member of the International Society of Aviation Photographers (ISAP) for three years and have
seen several opportunities to apply to join a group of ISAP members on various Photo Calls. I had submitted
requests for some but the NAFEC event was the first time I'd been contacted to discuss my participation.
After a frank conversation with ISAP President Larry Grace about my involvement with ISAP (or more hon‐
estly, my lack of involvement) it was agreed that if I would get my member portfolio completed for the
website and provide a "Meet The Member" article for ISnAP in a timely fashion, I could join the group at
NAFEC. I felt both tasks were little to ask of a member and the conversation gave me the push to do what
I'd put off and get them done. The conversation made me realise that being a member of ISAP wasn't
meant to be a passive experience. Getting involved and contributing was the way to get the most out of
being a member and my latest fix in El Centro was proof.
A patch was made for the February Photo Call at NAFEC and it included the phase "Closer than you ought to
be?". Looking up