1 - Waiting for media at about 5:15 pm was a fenced off area with a flatbed truck trailer and steps for photographers. This is the view looking back at members of the Illinois Air National Guard who had come to witness the arrival of their national commander in chief. Prior to my arrival, at the request of media coordinating administrators, all media present had placed their camera and sound gear on the trailer for inspection before we were admitted to the area.
2 - Visible in the background as two gentlemen chat in the foreground is the tail of a mission support C-17. That aircraft had delivered the presidential vehicles, and was parked on the ramp of the former 183rd Tactical Fighter Group away from the media. Even so, the support V-17 was visible to the public; the presidential VC-25, would not be visible to the public except when taxiing.
3 - Amoung the support contingent was at least one Illinois State Police car and officer. My guess is that the men and women dressed in black suits were federal employees.
4 - As we waited for the arrival of the presidential aircraft, this Embraer ERJ-145, flown by Trans States Airlines, landed and taxied by the area cordonned off for the arrival slated for about an hour hence.
5 - No doubt the captain or first officer was on the public address microphone about this time, telling the passengers about the special occasion.
6 - The sky was perfect for this occasion. The day had been exceptionally bright and sunny, temps in the high 30s.
7 - As so often happens -- through absolutely no one's fault -- if there is an interesting aircraft on the wrong side of a fence, meaning the side of the fence where the photographer is not, chances are that the sun will be on the wrong side of the fence as well.
8 - I could not replace my telephoto lens fast enough to take a wide shot as he passed by. At least we know the name of the scheduled carrier. Nicc looking airplane!
9 - The brightly lit numbers are signs that direct pilots of aircraft in motion to specific runways for takeoff.
10 - The view from the flatbed trailer was perfect for media camera work. The floodlights would play prominently as darkness began to settle in.
11 - The military service personnel assmbled in an area of their own, a short distance from the media, had come to cheer the President and welcome him back to Springfield.
12 - They were members of the Springfield=based Illinois Air National Guard.
13 - Another view of the array of vehicles northeast of "center stage" where the presidential aircraft would park.
14 - The highly decorated Marine, whose name I did not obtain, talks with a security person barely visible on his left. In the distance is the large aircraft maintenance, outfitting and repair facility of Standard Aero, an interenational company with a major "office" at SPI.
15 - The local airport security director had expressed interest in obtaining a photograph of the driver of this vehicle, so when he rolled his window down to talk to an associate, I took this picture. The gloved hands in the foreground left belong to the gentleman pictured in #14.
16 - Though not scenic, this view shows the Trans Air Embraer parked at the terminal. The view looks southeast.
17 - What appears to be a stylistic eagle head is two boarding/deplaning ramps which, I believe, were flown in for the occasion by the C-17.
18 - The ramps seemed identical. The reason for two of them is unknown to me. My best guess is that one was backup to the other.
19 - Close-up of the insignia displayed on both ramps.
20 - Looking straight east at the oldest building on Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport. When completed in 1947 it served as the original terminal and control tower which was located at the top of the high part of this building. In much modified and expanded form, the thoroughly modern facility remains the airport's terminal for charter airline and scheduled airline service. A new control tower was built and placed into service on the west side of the airport in the early 80s.
21 - Early into the evening, a reporter talks with his camera crew.
22 - The flatbed was a busy place in the minutes after media were escorted to the cordoned off area set aside. It was occupied mostly by video crews. After spending a few minutes "elevated," it was obvious I would do better in the ground where I would have to try very hard to fall off and could change positions easily without getting in anyone's way. Early on I discovered I could stand between the trailer and the fence as we gazed onto the tarmac and not block anyone's lens with my expansive head. It was an excellent arrangement.
23 - The setting sun provided a colorful backdrop for media professionals setting up their gear on the flatbed trailer.
24 -
25 - With just a touch of blue in the western sky, a reporter from WCIA Channel 3 Champaign TV files a "standup" with her cameraman.
26 - The script had been typed and edited by this time. I know this because a few sheets of script slipped out of her hands in the gentle wind and fell to the flatbed floor. I picked it up and glanced at it; handed it back to her after the take was done. Viewers of Channel 3 would not see the paper when the story was broadcast, simply because it was out of view of the camera's "eye." If Channel 3 would only broadcast their station's excellent programs (CBS and local) to Springfield viewers without cable or satellite, I would be able to tell you her name because I would watch the Channel 3 news regularly. I would also watch Late Night with David Letterman -- also sadly, not available in Springfield -- but whining about that travesty should be beneath the dignity of a webmaster; aye?
27 - The atmosphere as the floodlights came on reminded me of the final part of the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This would be a "close encounter of the presidential kind" and was even more enjoyable than the classic Speilburg flick.
28 - From between the flatbed and fence facing west, shadows of camera crews decorate the adjacent concrete. Just visible on the left are two security persons, clearly vigilant, looking for the tell-tale sign of a large Boeing transport approaching Runway 22.
29 - The highly decorated Marine, and the female security person pictured earlier in #14 had not moved more than 12 inches for more than an hour. Note the shadows from the camera crews. At this time, the VC-25A carrying President Obama had just touched down. The three lights above and slightly to the right of the woman's cap illuminated the Presidential seal and the American flag and tail number at the rear of the airplane.
30 - To the left of the media flatbed and on the other side of the partition, this gentleman, a US Air Force master sergeant, I believe, waited with large wheel chocks as the aircraft proceeded slowly along the taxiway before turning onto the tarmac. After the aircraft parked, he would place the chocks on either side of the nose wheel, preventing motion forward or back caused by wind against the airplane.
31 - A single security person watches the aircraft just moments before it turned right, onto the tarmac and taxied to the well-marked parking place.