[M_Six]

Thanks for the tips, Dave. Part of the issue was the intense haze that day. The more overhead the plane was, the less haze I had to shoot through. And the 70-200mm L is still on my wish list. I'll have one someday. The nifty-two-fifty is a great lens for the ridiculously cheap price, but like you said, it's not the sharpest tool for this type of shot. I was also somewhat disappointed in the AF. I would have a shot lined up, and suddenly the lens would go completely OOF and start to hunt. Not sure what that was all about. Shooting fast moving subjects is definitely something that requires practice, though.