Stealth Air Force One?

Completely unedited, the photo below seems to make the vertical fin on Air Force One look almost invisible! What’s going on?

Right: View of the vertical stabilizer from the first level.

I took this photo from behind the famous aircraft on the 3rd mezzanine level of the Air Force One Pavilion in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library when I noticed the unusual reflection pattern on the glossy surface of the rudder and vertical stabilizer. I knew immediately that I had a great shot! The lighting angles and the highly-polished surface of the airfoil rendered this intriguing optical illusion of near-invisibility.

Photo © 19 MAR 2006 by Damsel. Canon Digital Rebel EOS camera. Permission to publish is given provided credit and a link is given to Cap’n Bob and the Damsel

Update: Fix4RSO linked with “The Great Disappearing Air Force One Trick!

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