There was a time when one could just waltz into an airport and stand in front of the window at the gate for no other reason than to watch the planes land, taxi, take off and the little tractors tow trains of baggage carts around the tarmac. Those days are gone. Now you have to buy a ticket, or park outside the fence and watch the sky. Which turns out is pretty cool.

The video above was shot at London Heathrow Airport by Kevin MacLeod using normal DSLR time lapse technique on a Canon 5dii.

This is my first video from London Heathrow. This video shows how short the distances between approaching planes at LHR are. Thanks for watching and I hope you like it. [Kevin MacLeod]

The video reminded me of some amazing photographs I’d seen years ago and after some searching, I found them again.

The Jet as Art: Photos of Aircraft From Below by Jeffrey Milstein

The photos below are by Jeffrey Milstein and are used here with his permission. The text is excerpted from his profile on The Young Gallery website.

Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor
Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor.

 

Flying an airplane was one of my earliest dreams. Building and flying all the model planes I could afford, I became intimately familiar with aircraft design, and at the age of 17, I received my pilot’s license.

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

Heavy metal, as the wide body jets are known, is the ultimate achievement in engineering and design. While aircraft evoke many different feelings, since 9/11, no one can ever again look at a large airliner without the distant but ominous memory of how easily they were turned into weapons by a small band of terrorists. They are a symbol of how vulnerable our highly technological society has become.

American Airlines Boeing 767-200
American Airlines Boeing 767-200

In this portfolio I explore a typology of the varied cruciform shapes of jet aircraft flying precisely overhead as if frozen in space. I have decontextualized these highly detailed photographs to express the complexity and beauty of form. That these giant conglomerations of aluminum, can gracefully lift from earth is amazing. That they can return safely some hours later on another part of the globe is even more amazing. My aircraft photograph.

Aircraft photo by Jeffrey Milstein
Aircraft photo by Jeffrey Milstein
British Air Boeing 747-400
British Air Boeing 747-400
Blimp, or airship
Blimp, or airship
LA County Fire Dept. Bell 412EP #5
LA County Fire Dept. Bell 412EP #5
Aircraft Photos by Jeffrey Milstein
Aircraft Photos by Jeffrey Milstein

These and other photos by Milstein are Awesome. Check them out.

-Mike

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