I was unable to get down to the beach due to my son and I battling 101+ degree fevers but I didn't want to miss the rare opportunity to view the Phantoms East flight. The F-4 Phantom II being my all time favorite aircraft, I just had to experience them. Double Ugly sightings are increasingly rare (unless you're near Tyndall where they usually depart on one way trips) and I've missed the Collins Foundation's F-4 in the past. So fevers be damned, we downed some Tylenol, grabbed some Gatorade and my camera gear and headed to a ballfield/street hockey rink 2 miles off the departure end of ACY's RWY 31. Photography wise, the lighting and angles weren't optimal and the haze washed out most of the color but we got to feel the earth shake! We were also under the B-1B's orbit prior to it's passes and managed a few decent photos.
I've worked at MIV's airshows and Aviation Celebrations for a decade, and been in Airport Ops for more than 15. I've been up close and personal with many awesome aircraft over the years but the sight & sound of those QF-4Es overhead was something special.
Here are a few shots (Equipment: Canon EOS 60D with BG-E9 Grip and Canon EF 100-400mm L IS)
http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n211 ... Boardwalk/(Full disclosure, the first 2 photos in the Photobucket album are stock ICAS photos of the QF-4Es from their website)