PDK’s annual Good Neighbor open house was last weekend.  Rather than deal with the crowds, The IP just chilled at home and caught a few of the aerial performers as they banked and turned over his abode during their air-show routines.

The above AeroShell team flew over The IP’s Skyland neighborhood the evening before the show.  Because they fly a hyped-up version of the classic AT-6 with its awesome Pratt & Whitney radial engine, they were the only aircraft at the show that evoked that resonant and scary WWWII warplane sound; all the  other teams flew planes that sounded like flying chainsaws.  No. The IP did not take that above pic, but they did fly over his abobe, sans contrails.  But if you want to see more of that photographer’s work, which is quite good, visit the airshow recap site here.

Nothing like a free air show you can watch off your back stoop. 

The IP actually gets to watch a free air show every night around 9:00 when his batty friends come out of hiding for their evening meal.  The big open bowl of green with the stream running through it is the perfect venue in which these bats can gobble down insects at a rate of over 1000-per-hour.  At first it was only a couple of Little Brown Bats, but soon a Big Brown Bad joined the show.  At one point one of the LBBs started swooping down on the BBB, much like a blue jay would harass a hawk.  What a show!

The above is a photo simulation of a LBB dive-bombing a BBB as described earlier.

It’s curious to note that the LBBs tend to fly a good 30 feet above the BBBs.  The latter are able to echo-locate the emerging fireflys and Junebugs; maybe that’s why they’re bigger. 

Blog at ya later!