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Best photos of 2016

AOPA photographers delighted members in 2016 with stunning photography that invited pilots to explore general aviation and the community that drives it. Join these professionals on a behind-the-scenes visual journey to learn more about their top photo picks and to help celebrate aviation's special moments.

  • Contrasting colors and shallow turquoise water make a red AirCam pop from a lagoon at Long Island, Bahamas, during an annual AirCam owners fly-out. Strong diagonal lines help draw viewers into the image. Photo by Chris Rose.
  • Ed Haerter of Madison, Wisconsin, is framed by a North American F-100 Super Sabre during a Fort Wayne, Indiana, reunion of the Super Sabre Society, an organization that celebrates the aircraft and the men who flew them. Photo by Mike Fizer.
  • Battle Lake in southwestern Alaska's Katmai National Park frames a de Havilland Beaver floatplane from Alaska Rainbow Lodge on a backcountry fishing trip. Photo by Chris Rose.
  • Beautiful scenery at Alpine Airpark and a reflection from a pond perfectly frame Marion Schulte near an Aviat A-1C Husky based at the idyllic Wyoming airstrip near the Snake River and Grand Teton National Park. Photo by Chris Rose.
  • New Mexico's blue sky and contrasting foliage draw attention to a Seeker, the versatile light observation aircraft that was specifically designed and developed for surveillance missions. Photo by Mike Fizer.
  • The setting sun provides a backdrop for David Wakefield's restored 1947 North American Navion during a California flight from Chino Airport to Catalina Island. Photo by Mike Fizer.
  • Strong diagonal lines and a subject centered under a brilliant Maryland sky help frame a vintage Cessna 180. Photo by Chris Rose.
  • Piper's new M600 single-engine turboprop is perfectly lit during a flight along the pastel-colored coast of Florida's Vero Beach. Photo by Mike Fizer.
  • Hundreds of special and traditionally shaped hot air balloons lift off into a clear blue New Mexico sunrise during the 45th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, as seen from the basket of pilot Colin Graham's 'Bud E. Beaver' balloon. Photo by David Tulis.
  • High school student Joel Cihak concentrates during his first solo flight as he breaks ground in a Cessna 150 Commuter at Liberty University's inaugural New Horizons Solo Camp in Lynchburg, Virginia. All six high school students attending the aviation camp performed their solo flights. Photo by David Tulis.
  • Team Redline's Ken Rieder and Jon Thocker trail sparks during a night aerial fireworks routine at 2016's EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. The photo was made with a slow camera shutter speed and panning with the subject. Photo by David Tulis.
  • A CubCrafters PA-18 Super Cub floatplane is framed by the leading lines of a wooden dock and fair-weather clouds at Washington's Kenmore Air Harbor. Photo by David Tulis.
  • Future pilot Deacon Pinegar, 2, is framed by aircraft on the ramp as he plays with a toy airplane at AOPA's 2016 Battle Creek Fly-In. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • Flying above a foggy Kentucky landscape, Dorian Walker turns Friends of Jenny's Curtiss Jenny replica toward the sunrise. Photo by Mike Collins.
  • World War II U.S. Army veteran Quentin West, 91, savors his first flight in a Stearman biplane since 1947. His pilot was Darryl Fisher, founder of the Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation. Photo by Mike Collins.
David Tulis

David Tulis

Senior Photographer
Senior Photographer David Tulis joined AOPA in 2015 and is a private pilot with single-engine land and sea ratings and a tailwheel endorsement. He is also a certificated remote pilot and co-host of the award-wining AOPA Hangar Talk podcast. David enjoys vintage aircraft ad photography.
Topics: Aircraft, Aviation Industry, People

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