Light Painting AH-1F Cobra N826HF
Here’s what the camera saw just before we got started light painting AH-1F Cobra N826HF.
Joannie and I are very pleased to share this truly amazing light painting project with you – the AH-1F Cobra N826HF Helicopter! This super cool aircraft was light-painted at the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation & Flying Museum (AAHF) in Hampton, Georgia. We did so on our return trip home from our working vacation in Florida.
Not only that, but we also light-painted their UH-1 “Huey” Helicopter that evening, too! That project will be coming in the days ahead.
Here’s AH-1F Cobra N826HF and UH-1H Huey N426HF. The Huey’s cool light painting is coming soon!
We actually light-painted the Huey first, but when I found out that this Cobra had been shot down, not once, but twice, and that a pilot lost his life in the first crash, AH-1F Cobra N836HF got to go first.
Trust me, the Huey will be just as cool!
Sometimes, It’s Who You Know
These two helicopter light paintings came about courtesy of our friends Ray and Melisa Fowler. Ray, who seems to know everybody, was kind enough to hook us up with his good friend Jack McCormick. Jack is the Director for FAA Compliance at AAHF.
After speaking with Jack on the phone about the possibility of creating something cool for the museum. He then spoke to Fred Edwards, the Director of Operations at AAHF, about the idea, and Fred gave it the green light!
So, after completing two cool light painting projects for Ray in Carrollton the night before, Joannie and I checked into a new hotel closer to Hampton. Then, we met with Jack and Fred to look at the two aircraft and decide on how we would set them up later that evening.
Here’s the cockpit of AH-1F Cobra N826HF.
Originally, we thought they might both be in the same image. But after seeing how large they are, I suggested doing them separately. We all agreed that way, they each would be in their own spotlight, and that would allow them to be much larger in the images, too. It meant a bit of work for Jack and Fred moving them around in the dark (they are really big), but it would be worth it!
These are pretty incredible aircraft, with even more incredible histories. Both are also airworthy! In fact, you can actually ride in them at airshows in several parts of the country!
You can actually take a ride on this amazing Cobra helicopter! Here’s the link to find out when, where, and how to sign up!
This is the setup photo of AH-1F Cobra N826HF. We would be light painting her shortly after this image was taken.
The Storied History of AH-1F Cobra N826HF
- In 1967, it was assigned to the 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 6th Cavalry Division. Fort Hood, Texas.
- From 1968-1971, it was assigned to A Battery, 4th Battalion, 77th Aerial Rocket Artillery (ARA), 101st Airborne Division, Camp Evans, in South Vietnam.
- Missions included support for Ground Troops, Landing Zone Preparations, Interdictions, Counter-battery Fire, and Aerial Escorts for MEDEVAC.
- Sadly, it crashed six months after arrival in the country from ground fire, which took out the tail rotor, killing one pilot and wounding the other.
- That didn’t stop it. N826HF was recovered, repaired, and placed back into action.
- It crashed a second time in Vietnam. And, once again, it was rebuilt. It then saw service at Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Knox, Kentucky, where it served from 1971 to 1980.
- From 1980-1990, they modified it into an AH-1F and assigned it to B Company, 229th Attack Helicopter Battalion, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
- From 1991-1997, it served in Operation Desert Storm with the 101st Airborne Division, making it a two-time combat veteran with the same organization.
- From 1997-2001, it served with the 1st Squadron, 230th Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army National Guard, Smyrna, Tennessee, until September 2001.
- AH-1F Cobra N826HF was retired into storage.
- From 2005 to the present day, it was acquired by the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation, restored, and FAA-certified.
- During these years, it has performed as part of the Army’s Cobra Demonstration Team.
Light Painting the AH-1F Cobra N826HF
Here’s the finished light-painted artwork of AH-1F Cobra N826HF. Pretty darn cool, isn’t it?
After getting the AH-1 Cobra positioned exactly where we wanted it, with the American Flag proudly on display behind her in the hangar, Jack, Joannie, and I began light painting it.
I can tell you that this is a very large aircraft, much larger than it looks. The AH-1F Cobra helicopter has a total length of approximately 53 feet from rotor to tail! The fuselage alone is 44 feet 7 inches in length. It seemed like a single pass with my light wand took forever!
Remarkably, we only took 64 images for this project (although it seemed like many more). Most of those were full-length passes from many different angles with the light on a long painter’s pole (the Cobra N826HF is pretty tall, too!). Of course, we also light-painted the entire hangar! I used 36 of those images, in 74 layers, to create the Master File.
The Movie
The link to check out the AH-1 Cobra’s “Build Video” on our YouTube channel is below. It’s only about a minute long, but it will take you from the beginning images to the completed artwork in that short time. We know you’ll enjoy it!
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read about our light painting passion! – M&J