Birds on a wire

Flyboys
St. Thomas, ON, July 2009

About this photo: Our Thematic Photographic theme this week is "At rest", and when airmen need to take a break from handling air show crowds, they head for the wing. To share your own restful photo, follow your mouse here.

There's nothing restful about a C-130 Hercules. This venerable design is as tough as they come, with an inside as Spartan as a Soviet-era Army barracks. But when you're hauling precious cargo to and from some of the saddest places on the planet, this is the machine you want around you.

I came across this magnificent plane and her magnificent crew at the air show here last summer. I didn't have a whole lot of time to discuss the missions this crew and their plane had been on. But I knew enough about this plane that it was a good bet these guys all had incredible stories to tell. They deserved whatever little rest they got on this day.

Your turn: Where have these folks been?