Bell V-22 Osprey (16-8018)

Having just completed a hot refuel, one Marine can be seen inside the Osprey buckling himself in as the aircraft prepares to depart on a second night sortie.

Holy cow! What a great shot! This one will end up in FA all-time best for sure! 1*2*3*4*5*

Excellent shot, Gary!

perfect nightshot gary!!

10 stars if I could Gary, nice shots!

Thank you for a great photo and informative comment.

Great shot with the tip lights. I always liked night hops. It is amazing how much the tips of Phrogs moved up and down in the track while flying and night hops with more than one bird let us see such.

Truly a great pic!

Wow wow wow wow wow!!! One for each star!!

Been watching these guys in Reno a lot lately. Way cool and superb shot!

Wow! Nice one man!! Keep it up!!

Using some free time this morning to catch up and I must express my most sincere "Thanks" to all who commented here. I won't try listing all your names, but I deeply appreciate your positive comments and I'm very happy that you all enjoyed this snap. Also, in just the 3 days that this has been posted, over 2,450 folks have viewed it (and 65 votes, too), and I am extremely grateful to all 2,450+ of you for taking a moment to view my photo. .... Gary C. "Olde Carl" Schenauer

Concour with Issac,s comment.this picture is better than a painting it's so artistic !

Ned, (wave) I've got a better one of the other Osprey. Connect via email at [email protected]

"large" poster quality - Game room, stuff,,!! 5x2 rotors= 10 stars!

One of the coolest pictures I have ever seen!

Cool capture! Love the lighting. Filling in all 5 *'s

Stunning. Just Stunning.

** !!! Gary M. ... Call me!! Right now it is 7:15 PM on Friday night. Imperative you call me within the next 24 hours. After that, it will be too late. Trust me, this is totally unique and waaaaaay awesome!! Charge your camera batteries and call me!! Ned, Jet4ANG, and Bill V (Carson City) .... Email me!!! I have never met any of you guys personally so you will have to trust me on this, but you will never get another chance for snaps like this. I have been clicking av pics since 1962 and this will even be a first - and probably only - chance for ME!! Email me at [email protected] within 24 hours.

Gary, you sound super excited !! Whatever it is, I hope and trust you will enjoy, and that the experience will be worth the effort. I cannot wait to see the fruits of your expedition !!

Howdy, Viv. I was definitely super excited. I had received an invitation to have a brief flight on a military aircraft. I had asked if I could invite anyone else, and I was told I could but I ought to be extremely discreet. I was advised it would be best if I did not publicize the offer; however, I could invite one or two others. So I used this gallery to try to get in touch with a few members who I was certain would have enjoyed the VERY unique opportunity. I figured if I reached out to four, perhaps one or two would respond. Since I could not actually say what it was here, I posted my urgent message to them under THIS picture. Using THIS pic of mine was the only "hint" I felt I could give them. Then, if one or two did contact me, I could explain fully. Unfortunately, none of the four responded. So I went alone. The flight was at night, and it was brief (only about ten minutes), but I'll never get another flight like it. One AMAZING experience!

This is a great shot, Gary! I'm not sure why I didn't comment on it earlier, but I did see it and gave it a 5. I'd give it more if possible. There are a few other similar shots out there, but this is undoubtedly one of the best, if not THE best. It also reminds me of a shot (I think) by Michael Yon. He is a writer, photographer, war correspondent. I first saw a picture on his website of a Chinook showing the effect. He describes it as the Kopp-Etchells effect. He named it after two soldiers (one US and one Brit, I believe) that were killed in Afghanistan. It is described further here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kopp-Etchells_effect_visible_in_a_CH47_Chinook_helicopter_in_Afghanistan_-_2012.jpg

His website is here:

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/

Anyway, thanks for a beautiful shot!

Best pic of an Osprey that I have ever seen Gary !!

This Photo Is The Best Osprey Photo Out There! Five Stars, NOWHERE Near My Skills, But Someday I'll Get There...

This is a spectacular photo. Action and art in one.

Greg, Ken K., Chris, Scott, peterjp5, Darryl, and Don .... My Thanks to each of you. You're all very kind. I'm glad you enjoyed this shot And I'm honored that you rank it so highly. Many months after I took this, I was contacted by a member of the unit asking for a clean (not w/marked) copy which I immediately sent. Maybe it is in a frame and hanging in a ready room somewhere. That'd be neat.

terrible; you would think you would know how to get sharpness i mean good grief get your camera stable.

That is one cool shot Gary!