Florida Army National Guard Unit Deploys to Amelia Island for the Concours d’Elegance

The title may sound a bit ominous but as part of a training exercise and to provide support due to the increased air traffic at the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport during the 24th Annual Concours d’Elegance this weekend, members of the 2-111th Aviation Operations Battalion (Mobile Tower System) from nearby Camp Blanding Joint Training Center in Starke, Florida were on hand to lend their assistance in ATC (Air Traffic Control).

The local airport typically fills-up with a wide variety of airplanes from small single-engine aircraft all the way up to the largest business-class and private jets.

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The unit, made-up of Florida Army National Guard Soldiers from Camp Blanding, operate from an ultra-modern mobile ATC vehicle that can deploy rapidly to anywhere they’re needed on short notice. Totally self-contained and self-supporting, the Soldiers set up their communications antennas and mobile generator and assist local air traffic control operators in the safe ground operations at the airport they’re supporting.

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I met with the three Soldiers and came away impressed with their professionalism and dedication to the mission at hand (as I knew I would).

 

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From left to right, Warrant Officer 1 (WO1) Charles Smith, Sergeant (Sgt) Sara Newby, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) Holly Denny.

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Also at the airport today, members of the American Military Historical Society had some of their vintage (and still driveable) military vehicles from the early 1900s all the way to the late 1980s.

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World War II USMC Willys Jeep

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1968 Kaiser Jeep Ambulance

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1984 AM General Cargo/Troop Carrier

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1983 Chevrolet Utility Cargo Vehicle (CUCV) in US Navy SEABEES trim

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S8+ and Fujifilm FinePix S9900W

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

 

1943 Willys Jeep – 1950s Hotchkiss M201

This beautifully restored Jeep from World War II is on display at the Fernandina Beach airport terminal lobby. (Amelia Island, Florida)

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Wonderful attention to detail throughout – a stunning vehicle and a part of US-French history.

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Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

F4U Corsair Model at the Fernandina Beach Airport Terminal

I finally got the chance to check out the Corsair reproduction that hangs in the airport terminal building here on Amelia Island. The terminal was completed late in 2018 and represents a significant upgrade to the facilities that it replaced. Well done to all involved!

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The Corsair was flown by the US Navy and Marines in the Pacific theater of operations during the latter stages of WWII and enjoyed a reputation that was second to none.

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The Corsair was powered by a super powerful Pratt & Whitney engine.

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The main lobby before the addition of the Corsair.

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The terminal building is designed to evoke a WWII F4U Corsair fighter-bomber.

Thanks for stopping by and if you find yourself anywhere near northeast Florida make time to stop and visit our unique airport terminal.

My camera shop is always open and always filled with some classic cameras and gear. You can find my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S8+

Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

The power of trees

On December 30th of last year, our river maples in the front yard were in full-color bloom –

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December 30, 2018

On March 5th the leaves are starting anew –

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March 5, 2019

You see leaves but what you’re really witnessing is the raw power of a tree. In less than sixty days the old leaves fell and new leaves established themselves.

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These two river maples were started from seeds from other maples in our backyard – we transplanted them at about the two-year point in their lives. They should add some significant height this year as we’ve had a super wet Winter so far.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S8+

Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to check out some new additions in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

azalea blossoms – 3.5.2019

Late afternoon in the garden – azalea blossoms “pop”

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Camera: Samsung Galaxy S8+

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

a man, a watch, a camera

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Mr. David Yulee as seen in downtown Fernandina Beach

Yashica Pentamatic S 35mm SLR mated with the sharp 5.8cm f/1.7 lens which I believe was designed by Zunow. No direct written evidence to support that claim but the design cues are clearly more Zunow than Tomioka. The camera is from 1961 and the lens is from 1960.

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Yashica Pentamatic S with attached exposure meter.

Yashica’s first SLRs represented a steep learning curve for the company.

The original Pentamatic ’35’ was co-designed with Nicca Camera starting in 1958. The camera was groundbreaking for Yashica to be sure but a miss overall against the competition (think Nikon F). Yashica’s best was yet to come. I happen to appreciate the rock-solid construction of this often overlooked camera. The lens was only in production for six months and disappeared from Yashica’s lineup at the same time as Zunow’s demise (January 1961). It was the standard lens for the Pentamatic II. This was not the lens that was supplied with the S – Yashica went back to the 5.5cm, f/1.8

Shot with my Samsung Galaxy S4 – January 2015

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com for some great cameras and photo gear. – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

 

Happy SUNday! – Heading South

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The beginning of A1A in North Florida along the coast of Amelia Island.

Have a beautiful day! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Happy SUNday! – Part 2

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A foggy North Florida morning seemed like the perfect time to grab a shot of my maple trees. This is about as much color as we can get out of these river maples without having a freeze or frost. I’m rather proud of these two as I grew them from seeds taken from one of my other maples in the backyard. I started them in pots and then transferred them to the front yard. I’d guess that these are just shy of ten years old – they’re doing well in the front which gets lots of afternoon sunlight.

Camera – Samsung Galaxy S8+

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2018 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

summer dreaming

Wishing for my Florida sun, warm water, and waves.

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Have a beautiful day! – Chris

Camera Fujifilm FinePix XP70

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2017 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.