Download the QuickTime player, free . Scott pulls our Learjet out and away to allow the 777 to join as we follow the parade around the orbit. Turns are gentle at 15 degrees bank angle. The light is quite good but time is running short as the sun breaks over the horizon. Visibility is over 100 miles and the rapidly moving front to the west has not yet appeared.
Conditions are perfect with no noticeable winds and smooth air.
Now the work of maneuvering the formation to the best heading for each shot begins. Any pilot can call a halt to any maneuver he's not comfortable with. At first the formation is spread out, too wide for the best shots, but as the morning progresses and each airliner pilot becomes more at ease with flying the formation, it tightens up to a crisp, perfect military style echelon. The Blue Angels would be proud. The low cloud deck, then areas totally clear, the shimmering waters of Lake Michigan, sun glistening off its surface along with the farmlands of Michigan and Wisconsin, all make a perfect backdrop.