Civil Air Patrol’s High-Flying Photo Frenzy: Arkansas’ Wetlands Pose as Natural Supermodels!

While the citizens of Arkansas experience what scientists might call “epic levels of wetness,” the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) aircrews have been busy delivering Pulitzer-level aerial artistry. With 91 hours of airborne artistry logged by April 10, they’ve snapped an impressive 26,000 images, though who’s counting, right?

The mission, a paparazzi dream managed by Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 6, spotlighted 17 installation-worthy areas across the state. On April 7, our high-flying photographers covered three venues, with Texarkana stealing the show with 464 shots; Hardy and Danville both posed for 372 and 406 shots respectively. The next day, undeterred by the monotony of perfecting landscape photography, crews soared across more communities. Walnut Ridge managed to smile pretty for 1,874 snaps, with Pocahontas crestfallen at just 680. The little-known towns of Ravenden and Reyno also got their 576 and 532 minutes in the spotlight, respectively. Plus, Imboden made sure to squeeze in a modest 280 appearances.

Benton and Searcy were in a competitive mood, vying for attention with 2,902 and 2,886 images each. The triple feature of Bay, Monette, and Lake City couldn’t let themselves be outdone, posing for a collective 3,995 shots. Not to be upstaged, Batesville flaunted itself 2,972 times, while Newport, Augusta, and Tuckerman politely settled for 874, 396, and 242 glam shots.

The trusty high-resolution camera, artfully attached to the aircraft strut like a colossal GoPro, captures geotagged masterpieces from heaven’s runway. Its automatic capture ability, while rather mechanical, does deliver a certain artistic consistency perfect for assessing infrastructures while doubling as modern art.

Since the mission launch on April 5, the airborne gallery is expected to continue through the week as CAP receives countless fan requests for encore performances over new areas of scenic wonder. The aircrews, hailing from the states of Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Alabama, perform this daily ballet in coordination with Air Forces Northern Command, with fandom orchestrated by FEMA.

“This mission might be photographed in Arkansas, but it’s essentially one heck of a multi-state photoshoot,” said Lt. Col. Charles Rine, Arkansas Wing’s deputy commander and photo director for this operation. “We’ve composed this aerial ensemble with aircrews and personnel from across the region, all harmonizing to capture this event with impeccable timing and precision,” Rine added.

CAP, the U.S. Air Force’s satellite studio, consistently brings artistic flair to disaster response, providing breathtaking pictorial documentation of hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other catastrophic expressions of nature’s fury.