Gregory Knott – Why Knott Media

Sharing the world through my lens.

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I live in rural Champaign County and grew up here on my families farm. Today I actively involved in the agriculture.

  • B-29 Doc Still Flying High

    b-29 airplane, doc, flying in a clear blue sky
    B-29 Doc at the 2025 Dayton Airshow.

    The B-29 Superfortress was a great advancement in long range bombers during WWII. Eventually the B-29 carried the atomic weapons that were dropped over Japan, that ended WW II. 3,970 of these planes were built and by 1960 they were retired from active service. Most were scrapped and many others became museum pieces or simply junked in the desert or elsewhere.

    This B-29 known as Doc was restored after a long process and returned to the air in 2016. You can learn more about Doc at https://www.b29doc.com/. It is one of only two B-29s still airworthy, the other being Fifi.

  • Spring Beauty

    Spring is a beautiful time of year. As we creep towards summer, the prairie fields are ready.

  • Purdue Aviation Day 2025

    Will Josephson and the T-6B

    Will Josephson is a civilian who is in the @usnavy test pilot training program in class 168. He flew this T-6B to @purdueaviationday 2025. We had a great conversation and it interesting to hear his story and goal of being in the astronaut program. The T-6B is a versatile training platform whose predecessors date back to WWII. Good luck Will!

  • Spring Storms Role Through

    Spring is here in east central Illinois! This storm front rolled through on March 30, 2025. Winds were ferocious and the rain was nearly blinding. This photo was just east of Homer, Illinois.

  • 2025 Buckeye Air Fair

    B25 airplane flying over the Arizona desert at sunset
    B25 flys in the Buckeye Air Fair in the evening air show.

    The 2025 air show season is now underway. I was able to attend the 2025 Buckeye Air Fair in Buckeye, AZ February 14 and 15. This show is in partnership with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). AOPA had several seminars that you could attend to learn about the latest happenings in aviation safety, regulations, etc.

    Also featured were airshows on Saturday and Sunday with some great pilots and aircraft to the delight of the visitors. I was especially intrigued with the B-25s that were present. Two of them made the trip to Arizona.

    The great thing about airshows is all of the people that you meet. I was able to meet some additional photographers who were sharing the photo area with me. We only had 5 people taking photos in the pit, so it was a great way to get some amazing photographs.

    I will post more photos on my air adventures throughout 2025.

  • Airshow Season 2025

     It’s almost time for the 2025 airshow season. I will be venturing out to Arizona to visit the buckeye airshow near Phoenix. I can’t wait to start another season of seeing these amazing aircraft in flight..

  • Classic Stearman

    I was able to photograph this classic Stearman last fall in Arizona. These planes were primarily used for flight training during WW II and many were sold after the war to civilians who used them in many different manners.

  • A Beautiful Sight

    A pair of Bald Eagles

    Growing up, the only time I could see a Bald Eagle was on TV or perhaps in a zoo. But the last few years they have made there way to east central Illinois. This pair was feeding on a deer. They took off when they say me, but it was a beautiful sight watching them soar above.

  • The Broadlands

    The storm front was working its way through the Broadlands, Illinois area as 2024 is coming to a close.

  • Wreathes Across America

    A couple of weeks ago I stopped at Andersonville national Cemetery on December 14. That was the day that Wreathes Across America was putting a wreath on each veterans headstone.

    Andersonville is a historic civil war cemetery. My great great uncle Josiah Maddock is buried there. He was a union soldier who was captured and held at this confederate prison. He and thousands of others died of disease and dysentery. The conditions at Andersonville were horrible. Let us remember his sacrifice and all who have served and given us our freedom.

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