On March 15, 2008, the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force held its annual “A Night in the ’40s Big Band Dance” and USO show in the CAF’s main hanger at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona. The Arizona Wing of the CAF is home for “Sentimental Journey,” one of the few remaining WWII B-17 4-engine bombers still flying. Like Sentimental Journey, Falcon Field also has historical roots in that it officially opened in September 1941 as a pilot training base for British Royal Air Force pilots during World War II and was named after the British hunting bird.

The CAF’s yearly Big Band Dance was attended by more than 1200 people. Most attendees dressed in 1940s civvies or WWII military style. A fun event, the “best costume contest,” took place midway through the evening. Parking was just north of the airport at Boeing Aircraft, where the Army’s Apache Helicopter is made. Large touring buses shuttled attendees to the main CAF hanger, which is located at the southwest corner of the airport grounds.

The event unfolded quickly, but the lighting was dim and mixed, with lots of fast-moving people, dancers and activities. Although I prefer handheld ambient-light shooting, shooting under dim lighting and moving subjects required flash and was challenging. I photographed the two orchestras, people candids, “best costume contest,” WWII Warbirds, '40s swinger dancers, and more. A few young '40s-style swingers came all the way from Tucson. The CAF Wing's pride and joy, the 4-engine B-17G Flying Fortress, Sentimental Journey, adorned with her famous nose art of Betty Grable in her most tantalizing pose, was parked just outside the hanger’s main door. Parked nearby were Su Su, a stunning newly-restored P-51 Mustang fighter; the CAF’s B-25L Mitchell bomber, “Maid in the Shade;” an F4 Phantom fighter jet from the Vietnam era and other WWII Warbirds. By the way, for those interested, you can purchase a memorable flight on Sentimental Journey.

Lots of WWII veterans from all branches of service attended --- some in wheelchairs, some with canes, others still walking in their 80s and 90s. I had the pleasure of meeting three Tuskegee Airmen, America's first black military airmen from WWII. They were P-51 Mustang fighter pilots in the 332nd Fighter Group that flew in Sicily and other areas of the European theater. The P-51 was WWII's best fighter plane and saved the war for the Allies by being able to fly 2000 miles round-trip to Berlin and back flying fighter escort for our B-17s and B-24 heavy bombers. I even got a pic of the Tuskegee Airmen standing beside the recently fully restored P-51 named Su Su that flew in for the event. What a fluke opportunity it was to be able to photograph them.

One WWII veteran attending the dance was shot down over Germany and spent the remainder of the war in a German POW camp. A British women who flew WWII Lancasters, Britain’s largest 4-engine bomber of the war, introduced herself to me in a strong English accent. She was thrilled to be visiting America and attending the Big Band event. She shared some of her WWII experiences with me and mentioned that she was returning home to England in two weeks.

During the night, I bumped into Rosie the Riveter, Gen. George Patton, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Navy Admirals, ship Captains, the German Luftwaffe, WWII Aircraft Nose Art girls (aka pinup girls), Navy sailors, GIs, Marines, nurses, Einstein and Machine Gun Sally, just to mention a few. Somewhere along the way, I was nicknamed the “Paparazzi.” Dunno why, must have been the ’40s fedora hat.

I took 231 photos, both RAW and large JPG --- about 3 GB worth of files. With the exception of a few early evening outdoor shots, most photos were taken in Manual Mode, Tv 1/60, Av f/4.5, Canon 580 EX Speedlite, ETTL, +1/3 FEC, Auto WB, AI Servo.

I had a fabulous evening and a fun time photographing the event. Yet, at the end of the night, I felt as if I worked a 12-hour shift hammering rivets on B-17 bombers with Rosie the Riveter. I was ready for a bus ride home and a cold one.......well, at least a ride back to my pickup.