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SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas — Thousands upon thousands of photos were taken of the solar eclipse Monday, but a photo of two planes perfectly lining up with the eclipse may just take the cake for best photograph.
Red Bull pilots Kevin Coleman and Pete McLeod flew 1,500 feet in the air, just 5 feet apart, in Sulphur Springs, Texas, in their aerobatic planes. A third pilot on the ground directed the pilots into the line of totality.
"Normally, this would be a manageable maneuver. But when you have to fly a few feet wing to wing, navigate the darkness from the eclipse, a flight angle that needs to be perfectly in line with the sun, and only four minutes to take the shot while moving at 180 mph, it makes it incredibly challenging," Coleman said. "It's a game of inches — 2 inches off, and we lose the image."
A team of photographers on the ground was set up and prepared to take the epic photos. The team made a primitive sundial contraption using a pole, string and shadows to help guide the pilots in the direction of the sun.
"Are you supposed to get chills during the solar eclipse?" one of the pilots asked in a video Red Bull released.
To make sure the planes would show up in the picture, reflective vinyl was applied to combat the darkness created by totality.
"This is one of the hardest photos that I've ever tried to capture," photographer Mason Mashon said.
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