FREDERICK, MD – The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) announced the winners of this year’s AOPA Photo Contest, sponsored by Faro Aviation. AOPA received more than 750 entries for three categories. AOPA Photographer Chris Rose, Senior Art Director Jill Benton, and Editor Ian J. Twombly selected the finalists and the winners were chosen by online voting. Winners will each receive a Faro G3 Carbon Fiber Headset with Bluetooth and an AOPA Case Logic Compu-Backpack which is available in the AOPA Pilot Gear store online.
Jeff Titterington of Florida took his photo, “Yellow Hot Rod,” to win the “aircraft” category. The airplane is the Granville brothers’ Gee Bee Z City of Springfield, which is in the Fantasy of Flight museum in Polk City, Florida (now closed to the public).
W. Scott Olsen, of Fargo, North Dakota, a frequent contributing writer to AOPA Pilot and Flight Training magazines, won the “people” category with his photograph, “Prairie Crosswind,” of Jacey Mitziga in 40-knot winds on the northern prairie at Fargo’s Hector Field.
Paul Morel of Georgia, a former Delta Air Lines pilot, took his photo, “Waiting for Weather to Pass,” of Glen Gladis’ 1942 Stearman with his Nikon D90 55mm lens to win the “places” category. “I used high dynamic range (HDR) to give the photo more vibrant color and details,” he said. It garnered the most votes in the online voting.
AOPA Photo Contest honorable mentions go to Mike Young for his photograph “Are We Home Yet?" of puppies on board and Patty Veenstra Reyes for a toddler in a headset, “Cleared for Takeoff,” in the “people” category; Kevin Young for “Campers Take Cover” and David F. Clemmer for “Grassroots GA” in the “places” category; and Richard Jones for “Proteus” and Mike Mulligan for “Preparing to Launch” in the “aircraft” category.
Read AOPA’s story to see the winning pictures.
About AOPA
Since 1939, AOPA has protected the freedom to fly by creating an environment that gives people of all ages the opportunity to enjoy aviation and all it has to offer. As the world’s largest community of pilots and aviation enthusiasts with representatives based in Frederick, Md., Washington, D.C., Wichita, Kans., and seven regions across the United States, AOPA’s events, initiatives, and services bring current and future pilots together and make aviation more accessible to everyone. To learn more, visit www.aopa.org.
