Aviation Week 2024 Photo Contest Winning Entries
Aviation Week Staff December 04, 2024
General: Third Place
Airmen work alongside the McDonnell Phantom XT914 Cold War jet at RAF Wattisham, England.
BEST OF THE BEST
This composite image captures arrival traffic at Los Angeles International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, over a 15-min. period.
Photo Illustration: First Place
These American Airlines passenger aircraft sit at their gates at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. This photo was made up of 257 10-sec. exposures, making a 43-min. exposure in total.
Photo Illustration: Second Place
SpaceX launched Integrated Flight Test 5 of the Starship 30 spacecraft and Super Heavy Booster 12 at 8:25 a.m. EDT on Oct. 13 from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. After separation, the Super Heavy booster executed a controlled descent back to the launch site, where it was caught by “Mechazilla,” SpaceX’s launch tower equipped with massive “chopstick” arms. This composite image, created by merging four images, captures the Super Heavy booster catch sequence, the first midair catch of a rocket system.
Photo Illustration: Third Place
A Canadian Air Force Boeing CF-18 lands in Oshkosh under a star-filled nightscape that rivals the sparkling stars on the jet.
Air-to-Air: First Place
Pilots Kyle Fowler and Nathan Hammond bring fireworks to the 2024 Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo.
Air-to-Air: Second Place
Members of the Polish Zelazny Aerobatic Group fly in formation.
Air-to-Air: Third Place
Lt. Col. (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum leads the Alpha Jet element of the Polaris Program’s Ghost Sqdn. Demonstration Team back to Earth during a practice session over Avon Park Air Force Range in Central Florida. The Polaris Program, led by Jared “Rook” Isaacman, is designed to further capabilities of commercial space flight while supporting important causes here on Earth, primarily St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Ghost Sqdn. assembled to demonstrate precision formation flying to the public to inspire the next generation of aerospace enthusiasts.
Defense: First Place
Ballistic missiles, launched from Iran Oct. 1 are intercepted above Israel 2,000 km (1,200 mi.) away during the largest attack in the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. “The air resonated with the loud bangs of interception explosions above my head, and the entire building shuddered with each explosion in the air,” photographer Avichai Socher said. Arrow interceptors, David’s Sling and Iron Dome interceptors all worked at various altitudes to defend against the onslaught. “The Strategic Defense Initiative from 1984 came to life in 2024 in full scale for the first time,” Socher said. “It is the most unique photo I have ever captured."
Defense: Second Place
Swiss Air Force Boeing F-18C Hornets put on a show during a live-fire exercise above Axalp, Switzerland.
Defense: Third Place
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform an opposing knife-edge pass maneuver with General Dynamics F-16s at the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida.
Commercial: First Place
After a heavy storm, the sun reappears as this Air Malta Airbus A320-200 kicks up a cloud of water after takeoff from Runway 28 at Zurich Airport.
Commercial: Second Place
“I saw the air tankers coming back to San Bernardino International Airport after dropping on the Line Fire in the San Bernardino Mountains,” photographer Marty Wolin says. “Even the sky around the airport was filled with a light layer of smoke that produced a very warm light, such as the diffused light on 10 Tanker’s McDonnell Douglas DC-10.”
Commercial: Third Place
A Sunclass Airlines Airbus A321 descends toward Rhodes-Diagoras International Airport with a Blue Star Ferries vessel that had departed Rhodes Port in the background. The photo was taken from the hill over the village of Kremasti on a day when temperatures reached 40C (104F). "Climbing up the hill with all the photography gear to take this shot was well worth it," photographer Artur Jarosz says.
Space: First Place
A SpaceX Starlink launch streaks behind a Crew Dragon on the launchpad before the Polaris Dawn launch.
Space: Second Place
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carries the U.S. Space Force-52 mission past the Moon and into space on Dec. 28, 2023. The mission extended the flight envelope of the X-37B reusable spacecraft.
Space: Third Place
SpaceX’s “Mechazilla” catches a Super Heavy booster launched on Integrated Flight Test 5 as it descends toward the launch tower.
General: First Place
A 41-sec. exposure taken at the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo shows a warbird in silhouette against the nighttime air show finale.
General: Second Place
A Republic P-47D Thunderbolt World War II-era fighter rests on the ground at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot, North Dakota. The aircraft, nicknamed Bonnie, was located at Girua Airport in Papua, New Guinea, before beginning a 10-year restoration by AirCorps Aviation in Bemidji, Minnesota.
General: Third Place
Airmen work alongside the McDonnell Phantom XT914 Cold War jet at RAF Wattisham, England.
BEST OF THE BEST
This composite image captures arrival traffic at Los Angeles International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, over a 15-min. period.
Photo Illustration: First Place
These American Airlines passenger aircraft sit at their gates at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. This photo was made up of 257 10-sec. exposures, making a 43-min. exposure in total.
Photo Illustration: Second Place
SpaceX launched Integrated Flight Test 5 of the Starship 30 spacecraft and Super Heavy Booster 12 at 8:25 a.m. EDT on Oct. 13 from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. After separation, the Super Heavy booster executed a controlled descent back to the launch site, where it was caught by “Mechazilla,” SpaceX’s launch tower equipped with massive “chopstick” arms. This composite image, created by merging four images, captures the Super Heavy booster catch sequence, the first midair catch of a rocket system.
Photo Illustration: Third Place
A Canadian Air Force Boeing CF-18 lands in Oshkosh under a star-filled nightscape that rivals the sparkling stars on the jet.
Air-to-Air: First Place
Pilots Kyle Fowler and Nathan Hammond bring fireworks to the 2024 Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo.
Air-to-Air: Second Place
Members of the Polish Zelazny Aerobatic Group fly in formation.
Air-to-Air: Third Place
Lt. Col. (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum leads the Alpha Jet element of the Polaris Program’s Ghost Sqdn. Demonstration Team back to Earth during a practice session over Avon Park Air Force Range in Central Florida. The Polaris Program, led by Jared “Rook” Isaacman, is designed to further capabilities of commercial space flight while supporting important causes here on Earth, primarily St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Ghost Sqdn. assembled to demonstrate precision formation flying to the public to inspire the next generation of aerospace enthusiasts.
Defense: First Place
Ballistic missiles, launched from Iran Oct. 1 are intercepted above Israel 2,000 km (1,200 mi.) away during the largest attack in the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. “The air resonated with the loud bangs of interception explosions above my head, and the entire building shuddered with each explosion in the air,” photographer Avichai Socher said. Arrow interceptors, David’s Sling and Iron Dome interceptors all worked at various altitudes to defend against the onslaught. “The Strategic Defense Initiative from 1984 came to life in 2024 in full scale for the first time,” Socher said. “It is the most unique photo I have ever captured."
Defense: Second Place
Swiss Air Force Boeing F-18C Hornets put on a show during a live-fire exercise above Axalp, Switzerland.
Defense: Third Place
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform an opposing knife-edge pass maneuver with General Dynamics F-16s at the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida.
Commercial: First Place
After a heavy storm, the sun reappears as this Air Malta Airbus A320-200 kicks up a cloud of water after takeoff from Runway 28 at Zurich Airport.
Commercial: Second Place
“I saw the air tankers coming back to San Bernardino International Airport after dropping on the Line Fire in the San Bernardino Mountains,” photographer Marty Wolin says. “Even the sky around the airport was filled with a light layer of smoke that produced a very warm light, such as the diffused light on 10 Tanker’s McDonnell Douglas DC-10.”
Commercial: Third Place
A Sunclass Airlines Airbus A321 descends toward Rhodes-Diagoras International Airport with a Blue Star Ferries vessel that had departed Rhodes Port in the background. The photo was taken from the hill over the village of Kremasti on a day when temperatures reached 40C (104F). "Climbing up the hill with all the photography gear to take this shot was well worth it," photographer Artur Jarosz says.
Space: First Place
A SpaceX Starlink launch streaks behind a Crew Dragon on the launchpad before the Polaris Dawn launch.
Space: Second Place
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carries the U.S. Space Force-52 mission past the Moon and into space on Dec. 28, 2023. The mission extended the flight envelope of the X-37B reusable spacecraft.
Space: Third Place
SpaceX’s “Mechazilla” catches a Super Heavy booster launched on Integrated Flight Test 5 as it descends toward the launch tower.
General: First Place
A 41-sec. exposure taken at the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo shows a warbird in silhouette against the nighttime air show finale.
General: Second Place
A Republic P-47D Thunderbolt World War II-era fighter rests on the ground at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot, North Dakota. The aircraft, nicknamed Bonnie, was located at Girua Airport in Papua, New Guinea, before beginning a 10-year restoration by AirCorps Aviation in Bemidji, Minnesota.
General: Third Place
Airmen work alongside the McDonnell Phantom XT914 Cold War jet at RAF Wattisham, England.
Throughout the Aviation Week Photo Contest’s 32 years, we have strived to keep it fresh and relevant to our readers. This year is no exception: We introduced an Air-to-Air category, and this year’s Best of the Best photo was entered in the Photo Illustration category, introduced only last year. Our expanded outreach efforts also appear to be paying off—we received 873 complete entries, about 100 more than last year, from 19 countries on six continents and 35. U.S. states.