Pilots: Photo Pilot

Logbook

Who | Bruce Moore, photo pilot
Hours | 19,000
Certificates | ATP, CFI-G, FAA designated pilot examiner
Extra | “Flying an airplane well isn’t easy. An instrument approach, an aerobatic sequence, or teaching someone to fly, is demanding work—but you feel good about yourself at the end of the day knowing you’ve given it your best.”

In perfect position

Bruce Moore’s love of flying and photography started the same year.

“I began flying when I was 16 years old, and I got my first 35-millimeter camera about the same time,” Moore said. “I’ve been taking pictures of airplanes everywhere I go ever since.”

Now 64, Moore is an accomplished photographer in his own right. But he’s best known for flying the photo ship in air-to-air photography flights with subject airplanes ranging from ultralights to supersonic fighters. He plans and briefs each mission, and he typically handles the navigation and ATC communication for all participants.

“Photo flying is a team effort, and that’s what I find so satisfying,” he said. “When the light’s just right, there’s an interesting background, and a cool subject—it’s just magic.”

Moore got his advanced pilot ratings at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, and became a flight instructor and corporate pilot. But corporate flying didn’t satisfy Moore, who was attracted to more dynamic forms of aviation such as aerobatic and sailplane flying.

“I like having my hands on the controls and my weekends off,” he said.

Moore owned a warbird flight school for 18 years and taught in North American T–6 Texans that traveled all over the country. In 1991, Moore teamed up with aerial photography ace Jim Koepnick at the annual Sun ’n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida, and the two became an exceptionally productive team. Moore flew a Cessna 210 that had been customized for aerial photography with sliding doors that opened on both sides of the airplane.

“Jim had never flown with a pilot who was also a photographer,” Moore said. “I understood what he was looking for, and it just clicked. He ended up getting great results.”

Moore and Koepnick formed their own business, Photo One, and over the years they have worked together to capture air-to-air images of more than 1,400 aircraft, including a B–29 Superfortress, White Knight, and F–4 Phantom.

“I can fly a lot better than Jim, and he’s a much better photographer than me,” Moore said.

Moore has logged more than 19,000 total flying hours, and he recently became an FAA designated pilot examiner, a position that keeps him “as busy as I want to be.”

Moore’s photography has branched out to other activities he enjoys, such as scuba diving, kayaking, and hiking. But he still brings a camera wherever he goes, and he looks forward to flying aerial photography missions as much as ever.

“There’s nothing quite like being airborne at dawn and watching the sun light up a biplane’s wings,” he said. “The world is beautiful at those moments. I savor those times, and then I cross my fingers and hope and trust that Jim’s back there getting the perfect shot.”