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.”
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 RossA 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 RossNASA 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.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 BarberNASA 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 IngallsThis 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 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 RossNASA 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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