Flood Lights
Prose: Richard Souza
Photography: Richard Souza, James Woodard, Ryan Kelly, Ryan Tykosh, Joe DiAntonio
Like many of you, Full Disc Aviation was left scratching its head as air show after air show announced their cancellation. With the season crumbling, Full Disc Aviation began looking in its back yard for opportunities. It didn’t take long for the Northeast crew of FDA to find such an opportunity in the backyard. It was actually something that had been in the works some time but timing and schedules never synced.
This past October, Ryan Tykosh, Ryan Kelly, James Woodard, Richard Souza and FDA Friend and Collaborator Joe DiAntonio met up with Jason Flood and his Father Joe Jr. and Brother Joe III at their home base in southern New Jersey. There, we would get a glimpse of the Flood Fleet in all its glory. The chosen location for this photo shoot was the small historic Peaslees Airstrip. The clear skies and warm autumn weather made this the perfect location for an evening of shooting planes.
When the FDA Northeast crew arrived, the Flood yellow and green Fleet was all lined up, Pitts S-1C, Aeronca Chief, Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser (owned by Jim Schultes) and a “smiling” RV-4. One plane was notably missing. Jason Flood would be flying in later in his Pitts S-1S affectionately named “The Red Ghost”.
With the FDA crew set up at the end of the beautiful grass field, Father Joe Jr. and Brother Joe III, took to the skies for a couple of passes in each aircraft. With every minute, the autumn light in south New Jersey got better. After the planes landed and we enjoyed a calm 5 to 10 minute wait, a message was received… “inbound”. In the distance was a red dot that kept getting larger. Jason made sure smoke was on as he dropped down and hugged the deck. Jason made an impressive entrance, and pass, for the photo-hungry photographers at the end of the field.
As the sun set, the Flood Family graciously invited the Full Disc Aviation contingent to join them for pizza in the hangar. With bellies full, the Floods set the stage for the night shoot. Lining up the fleet, each aircraft was powered up, photographed and powered down. When one was finished, we would move on to the next. Good teamwork made everything seamless and effortless. It is always enjoyable to work with folks that understand what we do. Full Disc Aviation would like to thank Jason, Joe Jr., Joe III and the entire Flood Family for trusting us and making this shoot possible.
