A Nikon photographer, inspired to craft visual stories through the pictures and videos I capture. ©️ All rights reserved.

Capturing the Magic: Thunderbirds’ Mirror Passes at the 2019 Cleveland Airshow

Living in Northeast Ohio, attending the Cleveland Airshow during Labor Day weekend is an absolute must for me. I try my best to watch this spectacular show from Voinovich Bicentennial Park, joining thousands of other people like me. In 2019, with my latest addtion, Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 lens, I was able capture many up-close pictures of Thunderbirds.

Among the incredible show by the Thunderbirds, what caught my attention were the #5 and #6 F16s during their opposing solo performances. I was lucky to capture their renowned mirror passes, including the belly-to-belly calypso pass and the inverted pass.

During these maneuvers, the first pass showcased aircraft #6 flying upright while #5 flew inverted, and in the second pass, the roles were reversed. What’s truly remarkable is that regardless of their orientation (upright or inverted), the numbers 5 or 6 on the aircraft always appeared correctly oriented to the air show crowd on the ground.

Truly amazing! Don’t miss it!

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