Aerial Photos: Flying M Photos

Gunsight Butte and Lake Powell

(Flying M Photos) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 23:43:13 GMT

Gunsight Butte, shot from the air in mid afternoon. That's Navajo Mountain in the background. Lake Powell's surface was smooth as glass, offering limitless reflections of rock and sky.

Submarine

(Flying M Photos) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:20:20 GMT

Padre Butte, known as "submarine" by local tour pilots because of its shape, casting its reflection on the glassy lake surface. One of many buttes rising above the clear blue water of Lake Powell.

Forepaugh Ranch

(Flying M Photos) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:39:57 GMT

This ranch is nestled at the base of two hills in Forepaugh, AZ, out of sight from the main road (Route 60) only a mile or so away. It reminds me of an earlier day of ranching, when remote ranches were self-sufficient homes on the range.

Central Arizona Project Canal

(Flying M Photos) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:47:05 GMT

The Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal system criss-crosses Arizona. This shot was taken north of Hope, AZ, looking southbound late in the day. The clear sky is reflected in the canal's smooth water.

Desert Mountains

(Flying M Photos) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:08:46 GMT

The mountains just seem to go on forever in this aerial shot of mountains in southwest Arizona, not far from Quartzsite. Lake afternoon light casts long shadows.

Desert Freeway

(Flying M Photos) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:58:59 GMT

The folks back east probably have no concept of the long distances of nothingness on a freeway that cuts through the desert. This shot of two tractor trailer trucks passing each other in the barren wasteland of the Imperial valley's southern extremities might give them an idea.

Sand Dunes

(Flying M Photos) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:50:04 GMT

Here's a closeup shot of the Algodones Dunes from the air. This shot was taken from about 500 feet above the ground, over I-8, just west of the Arizona-California border.

Glamis Sand Dunes

(Flying M Photos) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:30:41 GMT

Formally known as the Algodones Dunes or the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, the Glamis Dunes is a huge series of sand dunes west of the Colorado River, northwest of Yuma, AZ in California. The dune field stretches 45 miles north to south and 6 miles east to West. This photo shows only a portion of the dunes, looking north from the I-8 area. The dunes are extremely popular for off-road vehicles; this photo was taken on a relatively quiet Friday morning.

Combine in Action

(Flying M Photos) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:59:15 GMT

Late July is harvest time for the wheat on the high plateaus of north central Washington. This photo was snapped between Chelan and Banks Lake.

Grand Coulee Dam

(Flying M Photos) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:39:02 GMT

The Grand Coulee Dam, photographed from about 700 feet up, southeast of the dam.

Columbia River at Wenatchee

(Flying M Photos) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:36:36 GMT

Mike took this aerial shot of the Columbia River at Wenatchee, WA from just downriver. Wenatchee is on the left and East Wenatchee is on the right. This photo was shot from about 500 feet.

San Francisco

(Flying M Photos) — Sun, 10 May 2009 14:53:01 GMT

I was on a flight from Arizona to Seattle in May 2008 when I shot this photo from my helicopter. We'd been driven in off the coast due to the marine layer moving in below us. San Francisco tower cleared us to fly over the city at about 3,000 feet. The view was spectacular.

Cactus Plains

(Flying M Photos) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:58:07 GMT

This aerial shot of the Cactus Plains, an old sand dunes area east of Parker, AZ, clearly shows the forces of nature in molding the shape of the land. To give you an idea of the scale of this image, each of the dark dots are bushes 3 to 4 feet in height.