Jetography: Capturing Jets at 40,000 Feet | Military Photography
In the December 1955 issue, Popular Mechanics hopped in the cockpit with photographers of a growing profession called "jetography." Armed with the latest cameras (by mid-century standards), they captured stunning aerial images of a relatively new aerial beast—the jet fighter. Here's how they did it. At 40,000 feet and near the speed of sound, you're gulping oxygen, struggling against a Herculean G-force that slams you into the seat, as heavy-armed and sweating you try to focus your camera—a camera which weighed a mere 10 pounds ground side, but now weighs 30. There, off to starboard and ...