2020 Aviation Week Photo Contest Winners

Michael Lavitt

Best of the Best

Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Seattle

The world spins as our Iberia Airbus A340-600 works the holding pattern outside London Heathrow Airport in January 2020. Who would have thought that it would become an apt metaphor only weeks later.

Commercial: First Place

Marty Wolin/Moreno Valley, California

The Global SuperTanker 944 broke out of the smoke just in time to capture the modified Boeing 747-400 dropping retardant on the El Dorado fire in Yucaipa, California.

Commercial: Second Place

Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Seattle

Fog slices the Seattle skyline in half while a Kenmore Air DHC Otter slides under the deck for a landing on Lake Union on a September morning in 2009.

Commercial: Third Place

Tamas Kolos-Lakatos/Wheat Ridge, Colorado

Snorkeling and airplane spotting are two great hobbies that you can combine at the world-famous Maho Beach. It took a few attempts to capture the perfect selfie. Here is an American Airlines A319 about to land at Princess Juliana International Airport on the island of St. Maarten.

Space: First Place

Richard Angle/Melbourne, Florida

On the way to set up remote cameras for a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch at Cape Canaveral in August 2019, the normal Florida afternoon thunderstorms began to form. By the time we got to the launchpad, the entire cape was under a Phase 2 lightning warning while we sat on the bus waiting to set up our cameras. This was a handheld shot with the lens against the glass waiting for just the right moment to catch the perfect bolt.

Space: Second Place

Ben Cooper/Orlando, Florida

It was a wet morning on which a Falcon 9 lifted off with GPS III-1 on Dec. 23, 2018.

Space: Third Place

Ben Cooper/Orlando, Florida

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket zoomed into orbit carrying NASA’s TDRS-11 communications satellite on Jan. 31, 2013. NASA TV dishes, bathed in light from nearby yellow plastic-covered bulbs, frame the scene.

Defense: First Place

Jose Ramos/Lakeland, Florida

Cmdr. Rory Du Pont, then commander of VFC-111 Sun Downers, took his Northrop F-5 Tiger low over the Marquesas Keys in June 2019. The Sun Downers are a U.S. Navy Reserve squadron that flies adversary missions.

Defense: Second Place

Johnson Barros/Brasilia, Brazil

Symmetry is one of the elements that I like to see in images. One night at the Anapolis Air Base, there was an E-99 reconnaissance aircraft, manufactured by Embraer, parked in front of its hangar. It was standing exactly in line with the two adjacent hangars. Those hangars were occupied by two other aircraft. The scene was completely perfect. I positioned my flashes, climbed a ladder and photographed it.

Defense: Third Place

Johnson Barros/Brasilia, Brazil

A Brazilian Air Force Airbus H-36 Caracal helicopter’s flight mechanic watches the Amazonas-class patrol ship Apa approach. A reflection of the approach can be seen in his visor.

General: First Place

Andreas Zeitler/Manching, Germany

The venerable Douglas DC-3 flies through the clouds on its way to the next destination in Colombia’s Amazon jungle.

General: Second Place

Jim Koepnick/Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Two Cirrus SR22 aircraft bank east over the morning clouds near Miami.

General: Third Place

Jim Koepnick/Oshkosh, Wisconsin

A vintage PT-23 flies over Lake Poygan near Oshkosh.

COVID-19 Challenge: First Place

Phil Hosking Modbury/North, Australia

This photo tells the story of the pandemic and perhaps the psychological effects it brought. A grounded aircraft fleet is a frustration, but it also reinforces the realization of how lucky we are in Australia. The aircraft maintainers clearly are trying to remain upbeat, creating expressive faces on the temporary engine covers with tape.

COVID-19 Challenge: Second Place

Michael Halaby/London

This Supermarine Spitfire flies over National Health Service (NHS) establishments as it tours the UK to show appreciation for NHS staff and their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 Challenge: Third Place

Avgar Idan/Rehovot, Israel

During the lockdown in Israel, government authorities granted permission for hot air balloonists to take off from the runway of the closed Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport. I took this shot from an airborne balloon.

The Photo Contest in a Surreal Year

We knew this year would be a challenging one for the Aviation Week Photo Contest because so many events at which photographers shoot were canceled or postponed and travel was so restricted. In order to make the Photo Contest successful during the COVID-19 pandemic, we:

Accepted photos taken since 2000 so photographers could dig into their archives and offer great images that might not have been widely shared;
Created a special category, The COVID-19 Challenge, for outstanding photojournalism that tells the story of the pandemic and its effect on the world’s airlines and aerospace industry.

The world’s aviation photographers responded, submitting 656 photos for consideration. We hope you like the results.