The Week In Pictures
Week 52, December 2009
Clockwise from top left:
In this season of making resolutions, giving up smoking is probably one the Mig-29 will never keep. Daniel shot this fantastic photograph at Radom Air Show in Poland, on Thursday, 27 August 2009. While it was supposed to be generally the arrivals day, Polish MiG-29 solo pilot treated the assembled enthusiasts that had gathered in the adjacent village with a surprise rehearsal that afternoon.
Image © Daniel Rychcik. Canon EOS 1D Mk3, Canon 500mm IS lens + 1.4x TeleConverter
This superb photograph brings back memories of seeing it previously published in the aviation press back in the 1980s. Lindsay provides us with the details of how it was taken:
"It was shot from the ramp of a RAF Hercules (driven by Dave Fry) over the North Sea. It was a real bun fight on the ramp and at the side doors... As Dave Fry said, he took a look and thought it was something between the Somme and the terraces at Millwall. I couldn't have put it any better myself even if I had spent months thinking about it. One of my clearest recollections of that trip was being kicked in the head by someone who was desperate to take some pics! Fortunately, he wasn't wearing Doc Martins!"
Image © Lindsay Peacock. Nikon FM + Nikkor 135mm lens
Although most of us have seen plenty of snow over the last couple of weeks it is probably a light dusting compared to what the Swiss Airforce have to operate in daily during the winter months. Paul took this photograph in January 2009 at Sion Air Base in Switzerland. The F-5s were deployed here along with the Swiss F-18s to provide Combat Air Patrol for the World Economic Forum at Davos.
Image © Paul Cameron. Canon 50D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS USM lens
During all the Christmas festivities it is good to take time out and get some fresh air and work off some of the over indulgence of chocolate, mince pies and turkey. Michael did just this and got this super action shot of a Thomson 757 at Bristol Lulsgate Airport during his hours break from his yuletide activities.
Image © Michael Lovering. Canon EOS 400D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS USM lens
Boeing's mighty 747 always makes a good photograph and this close up of an Atlas Air 747 freighter photographed on take off from Glasgow Prestwick on a cargo flight to Luxembourg is refreshingly different.
Image © DJ. Canon 5D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS USM lens
It is always good to capture a photograph of a newsworthy event and this photograph of Ryanair's 737 stranded on the grass at Glasgow's Prestwick Airport captures just that. It looks like the assembled passengers are being roped in by one of the cabin crew to push the plane out of its predicament! We're glad no-one was hurt in this incident.
Image © Tony Kane. Nikon D40 + Nikon 70-300mm lens
The Week In Pictures
Week 51, December 2009
Clockwise from top left:
Here's a worthy Picture of the Week - a shot with so much X-Factor, not even Rage Against the Machine could beat it! This Il-76 Candid has been drafted in to assist the moving equipment for the RAF's E-3D Sentry overseas detachment, and as such Tom ventured out to Waddington to catch it, using the freshly-fallen snow as a natural reflector to light up the underside of this formidable aircraft.
Image © Tom Hill. Nikon D2x + Nikon Nikkor 300mm f2.8 VR lens
The oft-lamented lack of big Russian jets on the UK airshow circuit makes seeing a shot like this taste far sweeter. Andrew snapped the Su-27 powering around the skies over Radom in Poland as it rehearsed for its display the Friday before the weekend's show.
Image © Andrew Jewson. Canon EOS 40D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lens
Our stateside friends are no strangers to 'time warp' formations such as the one pictured here. Pete captured these two cargo carriers (namely a C-17 from Altus AFB and Heritage Flight C-47) at Randolph AFB Airshow last month. One can really appreciate the size difference between two aircraft that played similar roles sixty years apart - and yes, the C-47 is in the foreground!
Image © Pete Fenwick. Canon EOS 40D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lens
We're usually a stickler for sunset shots, yet only one is featured this week - and what a cracking photo it is! Paul was due to jet off to Moscow later that morning, and as such decided to spend a little while before dawn getting creative at the end of Heathrow's 09L. Here a 747-400 slips gracefully out of a golden sky in order to introduce - in Paul's words - "an interesting and powerful dynamic to an otherwise peaceful scene". We'd be inclined to agree.
Image © Paul Nichols. Canon EOS 350D + Sigma 10-20mm lens
Richard is no stranger to air-to-air shoots, and this must be one of his best yet. The Stampe is leading a trio of Tiger Moths of the Tiger Club over the snowy Kent countryside before returning to Headcorn. None of the pilots needed any persuasion to take to the skies on such a sunny and clear day!
Image © Richard Foord. Fuji FinePix S7000 + 12mm lens
Some photo opportunities come around only once in a blue moon, and presumably an air-to-air shoot with an example of every type extant in an air force is one of them! Here we see the result of an arrangement Combat Aircraft magazine made with the Armed Forces of Malta's Air Wing for a feature article - look out for it and some more of Derek's fantastic work in the latest issue.
Image © Derek Bower. Canon EOS-1D MkIIN + Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS lens
Fred Martin's threads in the 'Golden Oldies' forum are always a great place to don your rose-tinted spectacles, and what more from such a post do we want than Lightnings…and lots of them at that! This shot features no less than twenty-one (count 'em!) of English Electric's finest lined up on the apron of Halcyon Britain. Marvellous.
Image © Fred Martin. Nikkormat FT, 50mm lens + Kodachrome 64 film
The Week In Pictures
Week 50, December 2009
Clockwise from top left:
There was no debate in UKAR HQ as to what our Picture of the Week should be for December's second instalment. After years of delays Airbus' A-400M finally took to the skies from EADS Spain's Final Assembly Line complex in Seville, Spain. The test flight would last approximately three and three quarter hours and it was only a matter of minutes into this maiden flight that Tony Osborne's shot popped up in our forum.
Image © Tony Osborne. Canon EOS 40D + 70-200mm lens
It's nightshoot time again but instead of Northolt we've gone to Coventry for Air Atlantique Classic Flight's second event. One of the aircraft on display was their Meteor NF.11, giving attendees the opportunity to photograph Gloster's night fighter, rather appropriately, after dark.
Image © Huw Hopkins. Canon EOS 400D + Sigma 17-70mm lens
There's nothing quite like topsides in the sun and during an outing to Heathrow Charles had the added bonus of his subject being the American Airlines 777 in "Oneworld" livery.
Image © Charles Cunliffe. Canon EOS 50D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lens
Rob Laker spent a day at a hazy Marham testing his new Sony 70-400. From the evidence it seems to be working fine and we decided to choose this shot. A Tornado, a sunset, simples.
Image © Rob Laker
Carrying on with the Tornado theme here's BAE Systems camouflaged GR4. The aircraft was up on a flight continuing Tornado/Paveway IV compatibility work and Ian took this shot as she carried out a high-speed pass to break into the circuit.
Image © Ian Finch. Canon EOS 400D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lens
For our penultimate shot we make a welcome return to Japan although in this instance the photographer was no less than our own staffer Mike Hall. Mike was on an Ian Allan tour in the "Land of the Rising Sun" and took this shot of a JASDF E-2C Hawkeye on finals for runway 28 at Misawa. The aircraft is one of 13 operated by the Hiko Keikai Kanshitai which is based at that airfield.
Image © Michael Hall. Canon EOS 1D MkIII + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lens
It seems to be the season for inaugural flights at the moment and once again a UKAR forum member was there to capture it. Resident of the Evergreen State Keith Draycott braved the wet at Paine Field, Everett to witness the first flight of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, as seen here, before making a quick dash down the interstate to catch it arriving at Boeing Field.
Image © Keith Draycott. Canon EOS 40D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lens
The Week In Pictures
Week 49, December 2009
Clockwise from top left:
UKAR's own technical guru Nick Challoner is first up this week, with a cracking capture from the latest hugely-successful night shoots at RAF Northolt - a perfectly exposed shot of a 32 Squadron BAe 146. Night shoots are becoming increasingly popular, and Northolt's are fast becoming favourites and getting a regular following. Keep an eye on UKAR for Nick's report on the event, coming soon!
Image © Nick Challoner. Canon EOS 30D + Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS lens
If it's well-worn classic jets you want, then Greece is the word. Our Hellenic chums have one of the most eclectic and venerable fleets of warplanes anywhere in the world, so of course we're delighted when a photo thread featuring Greek aircraft appears on UKAR. Giovanni Colla's "Dinosaurs" thread was full of "possibles" for this week's POTW selections, in the end we plumped for this terrific Buckeye.
Image © Giovanni Colla. Nikon D300 + Nikon 18-70mm lens
The Swiss Hunterfest 2009 took place back in August, but Studer David has held off posting his pictures until this week, and they certainly brighten up a grim December! We tried to think of a Tiger Woods pun to go with this Tiger-liveried jet, but sadly our collective minds drew a blank. Hawker Hunter HB-RVV has featured in POTW once already this year, and here's another dramatic shot of a stunningly presented classic.
Image © Studer David
Neil Jones has been well-represented on this page so far, and his latest entry was another of those from a thread which could have filled Picture of the Week on its own. A winter's afternoon, a low sun and the ubiquitous Vickers VC-10 all come together to produce a terrific photograph.
Image © Neil Jones. Canon EOS 1D MkII + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS lens
Andy Sheppard was lucky to be air to air with this Danish F-16, and a pilot whose festive millinery clearly shows that Santa Claus has decided to retire his flying reindeers for something a bit more, well, modern...
Image © Andy Sheppard
It's always nice to see new names added to the Picture of the Week ranks, and this week we welcome John Eacott with a rather nice blast from the past. John's picture takes us back to the early 1970s and a wonderful lineup of US and Royal Navy McDonnell-Douglas Phantoms at sea. Some lovely colours, not least on the Fleet Air Arm jets, with those lovely red tails and full colour roundels. Happy days!
Image © John Eacott
UKAR member Malcolm Bezzina completes this weeks high quality set with a rather fine capture from Luqa airport, Malta. It's a Royal Saudi Air Force Tornado caught during a stopover on its return home from BAE Systems at Warton, Lancashire.
Image © Malcolm Bezzina. Nikon D100 + 28-105mm lens
