Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport – 11/16/2013 & 11/17/2013
Article and Photos by Steven Valinski
An appropriate title for this article would have been “Weekend at Willie”, but, since the former Williams Air Force Base is now a commercial airport, I chose not to confuse anyone. When the weather cools down in the state of Arizona, there are some things you can count on with aviation photography in Arizona. One of them is that the level of military aircraft activity at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport will increase, particularly on the weekends. This makes “Willie” a great place to observe/photograph aircraft on the weekends when most military bases have minimal activity.
This weekend did not disappoint. First, let’s discuss what I missed. As I arrived at “Willie”, 3 T-38’s from Vance AFB, in Oklahoma flew above. There were 6 of them at Willie and they were the last ones to depart. Even though “Willie” is a former Air Force Base, we do not get much activity from U.S. Air Force aircraft there. Most of the military activity at “Willie”, especially on the weekends, is from the USMC, and, occasionally, the U.S. Navy.
The weather was great all weekend. Many families, as well as photographers, were spending time at “The Hill” [GPS 33.310312, -111.669354] observing/photographing aircraft. At one point, there were over 30 people on and around “The Hill”. What I did catch were Harriers and Hornets from the USMC. The Harriers were in-and-out most of the weekend getting some training in. In any case, one can say, my “Weekend at Willie” was a positive experience.
Steven is from Long Island, New York and now resides in sunny Mesa, Arizona. Steven’s love for aviation began when he was a child with a fascination for WWII aircraft. This love of aviation was further fostered by his uncle, a long-time Trans World Airlines (TWA) employee who had a passion for all forms of aviation.
Steven’s interest in photography began when he was 16 years old when he received his first SLR camera, a Minolta XGA. It makes sense that eventually his passion for aviation and photography would merge into a love for aviation photography.
In addition to being the web designer, webmaster and chief editor of Aviation Photography Digest, Steven has been published in numerous magazines worldwide.
Steven has an M.S. from Boston University and uses Nikon photographic equipment.
Steven is a Nikon NPS member.
Steven can be reached at: [email protected]