NASA Photographer Soars Over Washington in a Fighter Jet

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A person in a flight suit and helmet takes photos from an aircraft above Washington, D.C., with the Washington Monument and cityscape visible below. An American flag pattern is seen on the aircraft’s wing.
NASA photographer Jim Ross flies above the Washington Monument in Washington on Saturday, July 4, 2026, in an F-18 plane, as a part of a flyover to have a good time America’s 250th birthday.

NASA photographer Jim Ross not too long ago flew over Washington, D.C. whereas seated in an F-18 plane and took photographs of the capital on America’s 250th birthday.

Ross was in one in all 4 fighter jets that flew over the Great American State Fair on Saturday, July 4, which befell on the National Mall in Washington.

“I grew up in Bozeman, Montana, when it was still considered a small town, so if someone told that little kid that he would be flying in an F-18 over the National Mall, he would have never believed it,” Ross tells NASA. “I love documenting history, and having the opportunity to capture flights and launches has kept me doing it for almost 37 years.”

A pilot in a flight suit and helmet takes a selfie inside a jet cockpit while another jet, decorated with a stars and stripes design, flies nearby over a scenic landscape with water and fields.
NASA photographer Jim Ross takes a selfie from the rear seat of a NASA F/A‑18 throughout a cross‑nation flight from Spokane, Washington, to Washington, D.C., on Thursday, July 2, 2026. The company’s F‑15, flying alongside the plane, is seen by means of the window. Both plane, from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, participated within the Freedom 250 flyover with different NASA and army plane on Saturday, July 4, 2026. | NASA/Jim Ross
A fighter jet with a stars-and-stripes American flag design flies over a city at sunset, with another aircraft's wingtip visible in the foreground.
A NASA F‑15 plane is proven flying subsequent to a NASA F/A‑18 throughout a cross‑nation flight from Spokane, Washington, to Washington, D.C., on Thursday, July 2, 2026. The full F‑15 is seen, together with a partial view of the F/A‑18’s wing, as each plane show new crimson, white, and blue paint to have a good time America’s 250th birthday. The plane, from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, participated within the Freedom 250 flyover with different NASA and army plane on Saturday, July 4, 2026. | NASA/Jim Ross
A pilot in a cockpit takes photos with a camera, wearing a helmet and flight suit. Another jet, decorated with a U.S. flag motif, flies nearby above a landscape of fields and clouds.
NASA photographer Jim Ross flies above Washington on Saturday, July 4, 2026, in an F-18 plane, as a part of a flyover to have a good time America’s 250th birthday.
Four fighter jets fly in a tight formation against a clear blue sky, leaving white vapor trails behind them.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman leads a flyover that includes his personally owned F-5 Tiger through the Great American State Fair, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. NASA/Keegan Barber
Four jets fly in formation leaving white trails behind the Washington Monument, with the upper portion of a Ferris wheel visible in the foreground against a clear blue sky.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman leads a flyover that includes his personally owned F-5 Tiger over the Great American State Fair, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. | NASA/Bill Ingalls
A pilot in a jet with red-and-white striped wings takes a photo mid-flight; another jet and scenery with houses and trees are visible below under a partly cloudy sky.
This plane is from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and it joined different NASA plane for the flyover. A NASA F-15 and T-38 are seen flying to the edges of the NASA F-18.
A fighter jet painted with stars and stripes, resembling the American flag, flies above the clouds in a clear sky.
A NASA F‑15 plane is proven throughout a cross‑nation flight from Spokane, Washington, to Washington, D.C., on Thursday, July 2, 2026. The plane shows new crimson, white, and blue paint to have a good time America’s 250th birthday. The F‑15, from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, participated within the Freedom 250 flyover with different NASA and army plane on Saturday, July 4, 2026. | NASA/Jim Ross
A group of people fist bumps an astronaut in a blue suit with the name “Victor Glover” visible on a patch. Others wear casual clothes, bracelets, and a smartwatch. The scene is outdoors on a sunny day.
NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, fist bumps an viewers member after taking part in a panel dialogue through the Great American State Fair, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. | NASA/Bill Ingalls

Ross has labored for NASA since 1989 and have become the picture lead for the area company in 1997, a job he continues to at the present time.

Also current on the Great American State Fair had been the astronauts from the profitable Artemis II mission.


Image creditNASA

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