The Week In Pictures
Week 39, September 2009
Clockwise from top left:
As we mentioned last week, it's the time of year for sunset images and as the days get shorter, dusk shots already seem to be a recurring theme on the forums and in particular, this week's selection. Mark Rouse's shot of an AN-124 back tracking the runway at RAF Brize Norton kicks things off in fine style.
Image © Mark Rouse. Canon 40D + EF 70-200mm f2.8 lens
This dramatic shot from Luqa International Airport depicts a Canadair CL415 I-DPCC of the Italian Protezione Civile SOREM performing a fire fighting demonstration at the Malta Airshow 2009. We don't get to see water bombing demonstrations here in the UK, and despite UKAR's global community of photographers, it's quite unusual to shots like this posted on our forums.
Image © Peter Terlouw. Nikon D300s + Nikkor AF-S 300mm f4.0 IF-ED lens
In recent weeks RAF Lyneham has played host to an F-4F Phantom from WTD-61, the Luftwaffe's Test Centre at Manching. During its stay the aircraft has been doing Electronic Warfare trials and simulated ship attacks off the south coast at Portland, and is seen here returning to Lyneham after one such sortie.
Image © Michael Buckle. Nikon D80 + 70-300mm lens
Lincolnshire's Lancaster Association day at RAF Coningsby was the venue for this shot. LLA members are annually invited to spend a day with the BBMF at the end of the season, and with the majority the flight's aircraft active for the occasion, it's a great opportunity for creative photos like this one.
Image © Steve Buckby. Canon EOS 40D + EF 70-200mm f2.8 lens
Old Warden. Where else? Last weekends "Meet the Pilots" evening show at the Shuttleworth Collection was not only blessed with some amazing light, but also a calm enough evening to take the Edwardians up at sunset. The result is an image that sums up Old Warden in a nutshell.
Image © James Pluck. Nikon D50 + Sigma 170-500mm 1:5-5.3 APO DG lens
As the memories of RAF Jaguars tearing through Britain's skies fade, it was fantastic to come across these shots of India's Big Cats, taken at Air Force Station Ambala in February 2009. We found the resemblance to those one-time familiar shots taken from the end of runway 22 at Coltishall uncanny!
Image © Dr Séan Wilson. Canon EOS-1Ds II + Canon EF 300mm f2.8L IS USM lens
Another dusk shot, this time a dramatic photo from Kleine Brogel on the final evening of NATO Tiger Meet 2009, as pilot Mitch Beulen put the Belgian F-16 through its paces. The flares are just the icing on the cake!
Image © Frank van de Waardenburg. Nikon D2H + Nikon AF/ED 300 f2.8 lens
The Week In Pictures
Week 38, September 2009
Clockwise from top left:
Truth be told, we were spoilt for choice this week when it came to the NATO Tiger Meet, where there were some really bold markings applied to the participating aircraft, which were photographed in pretty much perfect conditions at Kleine Brogel. In the end we went for this shot of Dietmar's, just because we like the colours so much.
Image © Dietmar Fenners. Canon EOS 5D MkII + Canon EF 400mm f2.8 lens
This is one of the best shots of the Reds we've seen in a long time. Steven ventured to Tynemouth to see them display over the Great North Run, selecting the unique viewpoint of a medieval monastry, Tynemouth Priory.
Image © Steven Hadlow. Canon EOS 40D + 400mm f5.6L lens
It hasn't just been a good week for Tiger Meet photos - Mark Jayne's was one of a couple of threads containing excellent images of Lakenheath based F-15s at low level in the UK. The dramatic angle and composition on this shot of a 'Mudhen' blazing past Cad West, situated in the famous 'Mach Loop' was our favourite.
Image © Mark Jayne. Nikon D3 + Nikon 600mm f4 lens
Autumn is a great time of year for photography; the air is clear and the light is at it's best, and on UKAR, it's traditionally the most popular time of year for sunset photos to be posted too. Mark's shot of an A380 into Heathrow kicks off the 'sunset season' in fine style - there'll be plenty more on these pages in the weeks to come, we're sure!
Image © Mark Kwiatkowski
Switzerland must surely have some of the most stunning backdrops in the world for aviation photography. Jan Eenling was fortunate to spend a day at Alpnach, home of most of the Swiss helicopter fleet and returned with some brilliant shots, including this Eurocopter Cougar, known in Swiss service as a 'TH98'.
Image © Jan Eenling
The world's oldest Spitfire has been given a new lease of life, courtesy of Duxford's Aircraft Restoration Company, who have just completed an overhaul and rebuild of the BBMF's Spitfire Mk IIa. Brian had actually been on the airfield to catch the Vimy's last flight from Duxford before it is retired at Brooklands Museum in Surrey when P7350 was rolled out from ARC's hangar for an air test, resplendent in its new 92 (East India) Squadron markings of 'QJ-K'.
Image © Brian A Marshall. Sony Alpha 350 + 70-300 G SSM lens
This one from our 'Golden Oldies' forum sees a MiG-27D departing from Lärz Airbase in the former G.D.R. on 23 March 1993, the day on which the regiment left Germany for Russia. Their route took then via Bobruisk and Lipetsk to their final destination at Chebenki, near Orenburg.
Image © Hugo Mambour. Canon EOS 10 + Canon 100-300mm lens
The Week In Pictures
Week 37, September 2009
Clockwise from top left:
The easiest selection for Picture of the Week we've had to make so far. Glenn Bloore is the envy of us all at UKAR Towers, with nothing less than a splendid sequence of shots of Space Shuttle Discovery landing at Edwards AFB. In UKAR's decade of leading the way in online aviation photography, we can't recall similar images ever being posted.
Image © Glenn Bloore. Nikon D3 + 200-400mm VR lens
Photographs of F-15s are pretty commonplace on UKAR, so it takes a real standout image to tickle the fancy of the POTW judges, and Gary Stedman's done just that. This picture was taken in near-perfect conditions on September 11th at RAF Lakenheath, and really shows just what a cracking bit of kit the Eagle is.
Image © Gary Stedman. Canon EOS 400D + EF 100-400mm L IS lens
North Weald welcomed back some former residents last weekend when the Royal Norwegian Air Force turned up to mark their 65th anniversary with a pair of F-16BMs, a Falcon 20 and six veterans who flew the RNoAF Spitfires from the Essex station during the Second World War. Dean's image here shows the formation flypast over the airfield as they began their journey home last Sunday.
Image © Dean West. Canon EOS 350D + EF 100-400mm L IS lens
Peter Steehouwer's shot of this Czech Air Force Hind at Hradec Králové is exactly what we look for when selecting POTW - a dramatic image which makes us wish we'd taken it! As one poster commented, it depicts perfectly the "deadly beauty" of the Hind.
Image © Peter Steelhouwer
Will we ever tire of seeing pictures of Vulcan XH558? Not if they're of the quality of this one from Ian Finch. Another shot from sunny (how often have we said that in recent years?) Leuchars. What a glorious machine she is!
Image © Ian Finch. Canon EOS 40D + EF 100-400mm L IS lens
Our own Andrew Dickie travelled to the States this month to shoot, among other things, EA-6B Prowlers at NAS Whidbey Island. A long way to go, but let's face it, these glorious old jets won't be around for too much longer!
Image © Andrew Dickie. Canon EOS 5D MkII + EF 17-40mm L
Leuchars 2009 was one of the few shows blessed with great weather this year, and arguably the best set of pictures posted from the event belonged to Mark Meades. In truth, we could have plumped for any of the shots he put up, but after much debate, we decided on this glorious shot of a Belgian Air Force F-16.
Image © Mark Meades
The Week In Pictures
Week 36, September 2009
Clockwise from top left:
Described by one forum member as a "Duxford moment", last Sunday's airshow at the Imperial War Museum saw Jonathon "Flapjack" Whaley in his extravagant Hunter 'Miss Demeanour' pair up with Mark Linney in the F-86A Sabre for a memorable formation pass.
Image © Gary R Brown. Nikon D300 + 300mm Nikon F2.8 with 1.4 converter
Certainly a worthy inclusion in this edition of the Week In Pictures, and a contender for Lucky So-And-So Of The Week too, is Martyn Coleman's image from the back seat of The Fighter Collection's Hawker Sea Fury, flown by Pete Kynsey. In his own words: "One of Hawker's finest. Is it fast? You Bet!"
Image © Martyn Coleman. Canon EOS 40D + EF 10-22mm
Mike Shreeve makes another welcome appearance in this section with a shot of WhiteKnightTwo, the prototype "mothership" for the Virgin Galactic commercial suborbital spaceflight project. This image comes from the aircraft's public debut at Oshkosh, flown by Peter Siebold and Clint Nichols. Also aboard was Sir Dickie Branson himself!
Image © Mike Shreeve. Canon EOS 30D + EF 100-400mm L IS
Yes, it's an airliner, but who can say 'no' when the photos are this good? Dave's shot here is just one from a fine set of images, and shows an SAS Airlines MD-82 landing over a road at LGSK Airport on the Greek island of Skiathos.
Image © Dave Potter
With skies like that, you can probably guess this wasn't taken in the UK! Showing one of the Swedish Historic Flight's J32 Lansens, Sweden's Göteborg Aero Show, held at the former Save Air Base, was the venue for this photo. This was last Lansen to roll out of the factory in May 1960, spending most of it's service life at the Central Test Unit as a trials aircraft. Marc attributes "good weather, a curved flightline and more relaxed flying regulations than those in the UK" for the striking images in his photo thread.
Image © Marc-Antony Payne. Nikon D200 + Sigma 50-500mm
Northolt's nighshoots have quickly become very popular events over the last 12 months. Adding a new twist to the formula, the fourth event in this series held last week was an evening shoot which ran from daylight into darkness. Martin's capture here makes great use of the available light, illustrating one of the Navy's specially marked Hawk T1s under the lights whilst at the same time isolating its black paint from the night sky.
Image © Martin Needham. Pentax K100D + Sigma 70-300mm DG Macro (Non-APO)
Photos of the Hellenic Air Force are always well recieved on UKAR, and Hans' wonderful set posted this week highlights just about everything Greece has to offer. We picked this shot of Mirage 2000s lined up on the ramp at Tanagra AB, but we could just have easily gone for one of the F-4s or F-16s in this great set of photos.
Image © Hans-Juergen Breuer. Canon EOS 300D + EF-S 18-55mm
