The Reno Air Show (located in Reno, Nevada) is an anual event for which Breitling has been a major sponsor for many years. I was invited as their guest to attend the event this year.

Here's a shot with David Martin (professional stunt pilot) and the Breitling stunt plan he flys, in front of the Breitling hospitality tent:



Here's another shot of the plane. Breitling was gracious enough to arrange for me to have a flight with David on Sunday - we drove over the California border to a small air strip where they'd transported the plane. David performed barrel rolls, loops, and we went completely upside down! At one point, we experience "3 G's" of force - equivalent of what astronauts experience during take off. :o David was even kind enought to let me have some time "on the stick" and let me take the controls. :-/



As many well know, Brietling hired celebrity actor and aviation enthusiast John Travolta as a spokesperson for the company last year. Mr. Travolta attended the event, and I had the opportunity to interview him for an upcoming article. He was also present during a nice dinner on Saturday night. Mr. Travolta was very gracious and an all-around nice guy - here's a shot taken after we spent time chatting during the interview:



I also managed to get (in true WIS fashion) a good wrist shot of Mr. Travolta. That Navitimer looks pretty good on him....hmmm....I've been thinking about getting another watch.... ;D



During the airshow, I was taken to the Breitling chalet in the middle of the air show for unparalelled photo opportunities! :-X The following photos were taken with my camera, and a Canon 100-400L series lens and are NOT photoshopped beyond some crop and color correction. These are actual photos of planes in flight. I cannot begin to tell you how difficult it is to capture a jet plane "on film" that's flying just under the speed of sound. :o









Here's a shot of yours truly on the top level of the Breitling chalet:



I cannot begin to express my appreciation to Breitling for the invitation to this event. It was an incredible weekend I'll not soon forget.