Cocoa Beach, Florida
In the waist gunner position; a face is visible; and there is something black streaming from the opening. There is an interesting story to this photograph. I had earlier seen the aircraft flying out over the Atlantic Ocean from our condominium balcony. At the time I could not make out whether the aircraft had two or four engines. If it had two, the twin vertical stabilizers probably meant it was a B-25 Mitchell; but if there were four engines; it had to be an aircraft I had never seen in flight before; a B-24 Liberator. It flew low over the ocean for a while then turned back toward the coast. I ran for my camera and the lens was a 300mm F/4 Nikon and I had a 1.7x teleconverter attached. This is a non-VR lens, so I had to ensure the shutter speed was high enough to ensure a sharp image. The bomber flew closer and I soon realized it WAS a B-24. Moreover, it was on a vector that would take it directly overhead. This is the shot that I obtained; and I couldn't be happier with the capture. Later research found that this aircraft is based at N. Smyrna Beach, Fl. However; and more to the point; the original pilot during WW2 was from Cocoa Beach; and had recently passed away. This flight was to scatter his remains off the coast of his home town. Pretty special moment; and I was pleased to have captured a bit of history. The black streamer from the waist gunner position was the bag that had held his remains.