Pictures Of The Week
Week 17, April 2010
Clockwise from top left:
Basking in the Essex sun is the immaculate 'Janie'. One of the best looking examples of the P-51 Mustang on the UK display circuit, she is dramatically captured here at North Weald during the recent Warbirds and Veterans meet. Owned by Maurice Hammond, this flying legend carries the markings of the 353rd Fighter Group whilst based at Raydon in Suffolk. Flown by Major Bill Price of the 350th Fighter Squadron, Major Price named his Mustang 'Janie' after his sister.
Image © Image © Phil Whalley. Pentax K10D + Tamron 18-200mm lens
From 'Mighty Hunter' to 'Mighty Museum Piece' this photo captures the handover of RAF Nimrod MR2 XV226 to join the Cold War Jets Collection at Bruntingthorpe. XV226 was the first production Nimrod aircraft and first flew on 28 June 1968. Initially used for development work, she accumulated some 479 flying hours before entering operational service on 15 January 1973. She wears special markings to celebrate 40 years of the Nimrod in RAF service (1969-2009) including the crests of all previous RAF Nimrod operators on her bomb bay doors. It is hoped she will kept in taxyable condition for the excellent open days held at Bruntingthorpe.
Image © Damien Burke
Superbase Nyutabaru in Japan is the location of our next photo. Taken during a recent trip with 4Aviation, they were lucky enough to capture this F-4EJ Phantom taking off operating with the resident 301 Hikotai. The lines of 'Green Frog' Phantoms in the background show what a great base this is to visit.
Image © Peter Terlouw. Nikon D300s + Nikkor AF-S 300mm f4.0 IF-ED lens
A great capture of Spitfire PV202 bumping down at Duxford is our next selection. PV202 was returning to Duxford from the Veterans gathering at North Weald on Sunday 25 April 2010 along with the Buchon and Spitfire PL344. The rear three quarter aspect really amplifies the classic lines of this Mark IX example. This particular Spitfire was the subject of an extensive rebuild following a crash at Goodwood in 2000.
Image © Martin Eames. Canon EOS 7D + Canon 500mm lens
There's been some top class low level photography on UKAR and this shot is no exception. A 4(R) Squadron marked Harrier GR9 is superbly captured down in the weeds in the Mach Loop, Wales. Taken from Bluebell Hill on the 22nd April during the recent fine weather , 4(R) Squadron recently took over the Harrier operational conversion role replacing 20(R) Squadron at RAF Wittering.
Image © Mark Jayne. Nikon D300 + Nikkor 300mm f2.8 VR lens
Our next photo sees an RAF Chinook making the most of the dry weather and using the SPTA (Salisbury Plain Training Area) in Wiltshire for brown out training. Salisbury Plain is a 94,000 acre of southern England that has been in constant use by the British Armed Forces since 1887. The confined landing areas are perfect for rotary training and play an important part in the development of the British Armed Forces.
Image © Rick Ingham. Canon EOS 400D + Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L lens
Blast from the past with this unique midnight shot of the shuttle Enterprise riding on the back of a NASA 747 in June 1983. The shuttle was on a European tour which also saw it appear at Paris and Fairford. Enterprise now resides in Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport, where it is the center piece of the space collection.
Image © Nigel Blake
Pictures Of The Week
Week 16, April 2010
Clockwise from top left:
This week's top picture received an exceptionally warm reception from UKAR members when Laurie posted his latest low-level set on the forums, and for good reason! Taken from Cad West, at the foot of the Cader Idris mountain, this capture throws perfect timing, exposure, composition and savvy editing together, puts them on Gas Mark Five for ten minutes, et voila! A truly breathtaking image of a truly menacing aeroplane. We had some difficulty choosing which of Laurie's photos to include in this edition of Pictures of The Week, so be sure to check out the rest of his set.
Image © Laurie Hughes. Nikon D300, Nikon 300mm f2.8 lens + 1.7x Teleconvertor
One of our stalwart low-level photographers, Nigel Blake, returned to Snowdonia for the first time this year - and what a set to make a comeback with! In this instance he ventured to a location not far from the Bwlch (that's 'gap' for all you non-Welsh speakers), where he was sure there would be some cracking head-on photo opportunities. By the looks of it, he wasn't far wrong!
Image © Nigel Blake. Canon EOS 1Ds MkIII + Canon EF 600mm f4 IS lens
Each year, the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden airfield holds a training week prior to the commencement of the airshow season, in order to practice displays, keep type-current and to learn new flying techniques such as banner towing. Elliott visited the Collection on both Wednesday and Friday, and whilst the latter featured some sporadic aircraft movements throughout the day, the former saw the airfield as a veritable hive of activity, made even more special by the glorious sunshine. In this photograph we see Trevor Roche and Dave McKay preparing for to rehearse their 'Sopwith Duo' display.
Image © Elliott Marsh. Canon EOS 50D + Canon EF 400mm f5.6 L lens
Next up, an air-to air photograph of Nimrod XV226 from the cockpit of its sister ship, XV232. The sortie was a formation practise for the hangar flyover at the Nimrod MR2's farewell ceremony, marking the end of an era for Nimrod MR operations. It's a crying shame to see such a distinguished aeroplane stand down from service, even more so when it leaves such an important capability gap in the RAF's inventory.
Image © Alan Cox. Nikon D500 + Nikon 18-55mm VR lens
The F-4 Phantom one of a dying breed of smoky old jets, as this photography from Wittmund demonstrates so perfectly. Dino van Doorn was present during the NATO exercise 'Brilliant Ardent', in which the F-4Fs from Wittmund were involved. This particular Phantom was performing an touch and go on the runway, the photographer capturing it just prior to the pilot breaking off.
Image © Dino van Doorn. Canon EOS 50D + Canon EF 300mm f4 L IS lens
We get a look into the future here with Rich's photograph of the new AgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat, which in due to enter service with the Army in 2014, followed by the Royal Navy in 2015. We haven't seen many shots of these rare machines on the forums, so it's nice to see that the project is chugging along nicely.
Image © Richard Pittman
Pictures Of The Week
Week 15, April 2010
Clockwise from top left:
A vintage week for photography on UKAR, as we continue to be the destination of choice for the very best aviation lensmen in the UK, Europe and beyond. Our main image this week comes from the ever-photogenic Swiss Air Force, and one of their Eurocopter EC635s. It's a second POTW appearance for Philippe Rey, and one which is richly deserved. Any number of images in this thread, or indeed his fixed-wing glacier thread, could have been considered, but in the end the UKAR jury plumped for this splendid composition.
Image © Philippe Rey. Nikon D300 + Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 lens
The French Air Force's Dassault Rafale blew us away at RIAT last year - certainly it has taken on the mantle left by the Mirage 2000 as a real star of the airshow scene. Steve Vonlanthen's POTW entry is a naval version of the jet captured during the 2009 display season. We loved the raw power captured in this photograph, and can't wait to hear and see this terrific jet in British skies again soon.
Image © Steve Volanthen. Canon EOS 50D, Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS lens + 1.4x Teleconverter
Old Warden is one of our favourite venues for photography. We're hard pressed to think of any other UK show venue where you can get so close to the action, and shoot against a classic and uncluttered backdrop. With the April sunshine came the Shuttleworth Collection's pilot training, and Simon George made the most of the conditions to produce a stunning photographic set. Picking a favourite was a tough job for the UKAR panel, but eventually we decided on this awesome Bucker Jungmann shot. Any sharper and we'd be cutting ourselves.
Image © Simon George. Canon EOS 40D + Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS lens + 1.4x Teleconverter
When judging the week's photographic contributions, we like to recognise slightly left-of-field thinking. One of our farthest-flung photographers is StereoImage from New Zealand, and he seemed to have a tremendous time at the famous Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow. He managed to get himself in the back of the RNZAF's KiwiBlue parachute team's C-130H, to produce an image the like of which we've never seen posted on UKAR's hallowed pages before, proving further that our photo section remains the home of the best creative aviation photography, where the thought that goes into a shot is appreciated as much as the image itself.
Image © Chris Gee. Nikon D300S + Nikon 28-70mm lens
Next we cross the Channel to the Netherlands, and a first-timer in POTW, Andre Jans. This beautiful Stinson L-5 Sentinel was part of a formation of vintage communications aircraft which took to the Dutch skies to mark the 65th anniversary of the Allied liberation of the north-east of the country, dropping poppies as a poignant reminder of the human cost of the conflict.
Image © André Jans. Canon EOS 50D + Canon EF 70-200mm f4 lens
Belgium v The Netherlands has become one of the most eagerly awaited battles in the summer skies. We refer, of course, to the F-16 solo demonstrations. As fierce as the flying competition, is the contest fought in the paint shop. The Belgian Air Component revealed their new Falcon display colours this week, but our pick from the thread was another nod to the artistic eye of the photographer, in this case Frank van de Waardenburg. As for the jet's new look, reaction on UKAR has been fairly mixed, but kudos to an air force who are prepared to give the public a front-line display jet to be proud of, rather than saving the "special" paint for the trainer fleet.
Image © Frank van de Waardenburg. Nikon D2H + 80-200mm f2.8 ED lens
Pictures Of The Week
Week 14, April 2010
Clockwise from top left:
This spectacular image of an F-4F Phantom resplendent in it's original 1970s camouflage was taken at Kaufbeuren Airfield, the home of TSLw1 of the Luftwaffe. This is the German equivalent of RAF Cosford, which is responsible for technical training etc. Like Cosford it has a selection of old military aircraft tucked away for the students to play with. Mick took this shot with the support of the base fire department and the clear Bavarian night sky, which helped to create this striking image.
Image © Michael Balter. Canon EOS 1D Mk.III + Canon EF 28-135mm IS USM lens
Clear blue skies and the Red Arrows always make for an eye-catching image, but we all know how hard it can be to capture the two together. Steve's photograph of the Red Arrows at Ferté Alais in France during May last year provided him with this opportunity.
Image © Steve Volanthen. Canon EOS 50D + Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS lens
It is always pleasing to see new members work here on UKAR and Dino made a big impression with this photograph of two E-2C Hawkeyes at last years Misawa Airshow in Japan. We liked the way the low viewpoint makes the aircraft stand out from the background.
Image © Dino van Doorn. Canon EOS-50D + Canon EF 24-105mm f4 IS lens
If you like cold war era aircraft this week is a good one. Slawek photographed this Su-22M 'Fitter' at Miros?awiec in Poland. The brutish lines of the 'Fitter' certainly make a photograph with a lot of impact.
Image © Slawek Krajniewski (Hesja). Nikon D300 + Nikkor AF-S VR 500mm f4/ 0G lens
More soviet fast jet action! This time from Air Force Station Ambala in Northern India. During February 2009 Séan was on assignment to photograph the Indian Airforce's Jaguars when these MiG-21s just happened to pass his lens. It'd be rude not to shoot them, wouldn't it?
Image © Dr Séan Wilson. Canon EOS 1Ds Mk.II + Canon EF 300mm f2.8L IS lens
Brian was in the right place at the right time on one of his many trips to Duxford. Here he stumbled across the Spitfire and Hurricane of the Historic Aircraft Collection being positioned outside their hangar for use as a backdrop to a photo shoot for a car magazine. A white Triumph Spitfire and a black Vincent Hurricane were the two cars being photographed in front of their WWII namesakes.
Image © Brian Marshall. Sony Alpha 350 + Sony 11-18mm lens
