Erickson Aero Tanker’s MD-87 does a drop at July’s Rabbit Fire near Moreno Valley using a new retardant made by a company called Fortress. This was taken in the late afternoon as the Sun was setting. This year, the MD-87 does not have to lower its landing gear when dropping.
Credit: Brandon Scheid, Great Falls, Virginia
An Air Canada commercial passenger jet flies through a massive rainbow at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. My son and I took this photo while at the airport.
Credit: Ashley Askew, Hampton, Georgia
This departing JetBlue A320 lines up nicely between the setting Sun and the lens flare as the aircraft leaves Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida on a busy seasonal route.
Credit: Brian Jenkins, Jericho, Vermont
A Beta Technologies ALIA-250 electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft flies over the trees during a flight test in Vermont.
Credit: Maciej Hatta, Ottawa, Ontario
A United Airlines Boeing 787 red-eye flight approaches Runway 24R at Los Angeles International Airport.
Credit: Matt Hughes, Exeter, England
Photographed from high on Reptile Ridge, a British Antarctic Dash-7 VPFBQ flies over icebergs after departing Runway 36 at Rothera Research Station, Antarctica. Icebergs congregate around the northern end of the runway due to currents and a prevailing northerly wind.
Credit: Eric Adams, Marina, California
Joby Aviation’s electric vertical-lift air taxi prototype glides into a golden sunset in Marina, California. The prototype has helped push the company’s exhaustive flight test program past more than 30,000 mi. Photographed with a Sony A1 mirrorless digital camera from a chase helicopter.
Credit: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Seattle
The last Boeing 747 to roll off the production line comes in for a landing at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, its wingtip vortices producing a heart of sorts.
Credit: Michael Seeley, Melbourne, Florida
Boeing 757-232: 7.57 mi. away. The Sun: 93 million mi. away. Delta Air Lines Flight 8841, traveling from St. Louis to Miami, was photographed as it passed in front of the Sun at 457 kt. Details: 1/4000, f10 and ISO400 with a Canon R5/RF100-500mm with 1.4x TC and a solar filter. Standard safety rules apply: Don’t look at the Sun without protection.
Advanced air mobility aircraft makes an impressive debut among this year’s entries. Firefighting aircraft and commercial aircraft round out the competition.