by Tech. Sgt. Jefferson Thompson
173rd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
8/13/2014 - KINGSLEY FIELD, Ore. -- An
aerial photographer joined a routine training mission out of the 173rd
Fighter Wing at Kinglsey Field here destined for the range over the
eastern part of the state July 31.
James Haseltine of HIGH-G Productions noticed a number of wildland fires
as the aircraft made their way back to the base and snapped photos of
the Air Force F-15 Eagle aircraft flying in front of the billowing,
opaque clouds.
He did not know at the time how much attention these images would
garner. No one really knows how, but in the information age the photos
quickly went viral, finding their way through cyber space to the Today
Show broadcast on national television Aug. 5.
Images of Kingsley's own F-15 Eagles made the round from KDRV's 5 p.m.
news out of Medford to Mashable.com, and all the way to the NASA Goddard
Institute for Space Studies.
Firefighters on Oregon's Gulch Fire have battled the blaze for more than
two weeks and officials posted the photos in camp early in their
efforts. They contacted the 173rd FW Public Affairs office saying they
wanted to verify the photos hadn't been enhanced or altered, given their
dramatic nature.
Weather scientists were particularly interested in these clouds as they
are a phenomenon called pyro cumulus clouds, caused by the rising heat
of the fire carrying ash and water vapor into the atmosphere where it
condenses. Experts typically utilize satellite imagery to view these
cloud formations but expressed their delight to have an up close and
personal view from an aircraft.
Although the 173rd FW's mission does not include wildland fire
photography, these aircraft were in the vicinity by happenstance and
provided images that furthered science and the public interest.
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