The Week In Pictures
Week 4, January 2010
Clockwise from top left:
A challenging head-on photo taken outside the wire at General William J. Fox Airfield aka Fox Field, near Lancaster, CA, in September last year. The P-2V Neptunes from Neptune Aviation Services Ltd headquartered in Missoula, Montana were operating from Fox Field in support of the effort to contain the fires outside Los Angeles.
Image © Andrew Beaumont. Canon EOS 40D + Canon EF 400mm f5.6L USM lens
Operation COLBRA III, a recent joint exercise between the air forces of Brazil and Colombia saw this pair of Brazilian A-29s intercepting the C-98 Caravan camera ship "target" on its way back to Leticia, Columbia. A great air-to-air portrait captured in Brazilian airspace of a rare type presented against a perfect cloud background.
Image © Carlos Filipe Operti. Nikon D70 + Nikon 70-300mm ED D lens
A great example of sharp night photography with this shot of a TUI Fly 737 undergoing de-icing procedures this week by a Vestergaard Elephant Beta truck at at Salzburg Airport, Austria. During WWII, the city of Salzburg was subject to numerous bombing offensives by the USAF due to the German development of the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter but the airport, located 1.7 miles west-south west from the centre of Salzburg, remained undamaged.
Image © Kevin Daws. Nikon D90 + 70-300mm VR lens
More bue skies, this time from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. A lovely topside of a based A-10 on approach captured last October. This aircraft belongs to the 57 Wing at Nellis, where the crews do not come to learn how to fly, but instead learn how to be combat aviators. Training typically utilises the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) which encompasses 4687 square miles of desert terrain.
Image © Richard Collens. Canon EOS 1D Mk IIn + Canon EF 300mm f2.8 lens
Hangar 7 at Salzburg Airport, Austria was the location for this impressively lit shot of the B-25 that forms part of the the Red Bull 'Flying Bulls' collection. Reflections from every angle - floor, aircraft and even the roof make for dramatic effect. The latest addition to the ‘Flying Bulls’ fleet is a Lockheed P-38L Lightning which made the transatlantic flight from Texas, USA to join the Red Bull collection on 9th March 2009, bringing the total number of Hangar-7 types to eleven.
Image © Frank Grealish. Canon EOS 40D + Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.5 lens
This moody photo of a China Airlines Cargo 747 taking off from Los Angeles International Airport during the festive period certainly captures the atmosphere of LAX, taken from Imperial Hill as the jumbo lifts off in the late afternoon light. The seventh busiest airport in the world, LAX also functions as joint civil-military facility, providing a base for the United States Coast Guard and its Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles facility, operating HH-65 Dolphin helicopters.
Image © Peter Reoch. Pentax K20D
Hawks with hooks ! Gorgeous blue skies from Mississippi, USA with this top shot of a T-45 Goshawk on approach to NAS Meridian. In addition to the arresting hook, this underside angle reveals the other modifications to the base Hawk airframe for US Navy carrier use - strengthened airframe, more robust and wider landing gear with catapult attachment and a two-wheel nose landing gear.
Image © Mark Stevens. Nikon D60 + 70-300mm VR lens
The Week In Pictures
Week 3, January 2010
Clockwise from top left:
As the world of military aviation turns slowly but surely from a patchwork of bare metal and countless shades of camouflage to a uniform grey, we on the team are definite sticklers for the many hues of the US 'aggressor' schemes. Frank shot this F-16 last October from the back of an Ohio ANG KC-135 during Red Flag 10-01. The Viper pilot had little time to spare, but presented a fine photographic opportunity as he broke away from the tanker over the Nellis range.
Image © Frank Crébas. Canon EOS 1DS Mk III + Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8 lens
Prestwick International is a favourite haunt for those seeking some of the rarer heavies which make their way into the UK, and the impressive local scenery is just another reason for the keen photographer to give the place a try. On top of this, we can conclude from the images in this thread that there is a surplus of sunsets in the vicinity - even better!
Image © DJ. Canon EOS 30D + Canon EF 75-300mm IS lens
Interesting angles are always going to be a winner when it comes to making your photographs stand out from the crowd, and Stuart has implemented this to his advantage with this shot of an HH-60G from the 56th RGS. It was visiting the UK for RAF Northolt's annual charity photocall, an event that always proves popular providing an excellent excuse to try out some new photographic techniques.
Image © Stuart Freer (Touchdown Aviation). Canon EOS 20D + Canon EF 28-135mm IS lens
Yet more sunsets! A C-17 silhouetted against Oxfordshire's sunset-draped sky was our favourite from Kieron's impeccable thread of photographs from his recent ventures to RAF Brize Norton.
Image © Kieron Pilbeam
As the airshow season settles down for its winter hibernation and the weather outside remains a decidedly dreary palette of grey watercolour, we aviation photographers begin to wade through the thousands of photos that were overlooked in the heady days of the previous summer. Elliott is clearly much the same, posting a bumper thread of photographs from Duxford's Flying Legends. He has used some interesting compositional techniques, so the thread is well worth a look - it even contains some of Kent’s finest ale - Cheers!
Image © Elliott Marsh. Canon EOS 400D + Canon EF 70-300mm IS lens
The Gilze Rijen Aviation Society (GRAS) recently put on a photo afternoon for members of the group to photograph the based helicopters. This Police EC-135 put in a surprise appearance, resulting in a pleasantly composed and sharp shot from Menso.
Image © Menso van Westrhenen (MilAviaPress). Canon EOS 40D + Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L lens
Simon should be extremely proud of this pin-sharp shot from Axalp 2009. This was the first time the Super Puma and EC-135 had flown together at the event and was taken from the control area prior to them splitting for their solo displays.
Image © Simon George. Canon EOS 40D + Canon EF 400mm f5.6 L lens
The Week In Pictures
Week 2, January 2010
Clockwise from top left:
In creating the Sanicole Airshow 2009 photobook, Eric and his Photocrew had the opportunity to photograph most of the participants from the air. The Hungarian Gripen was one of the highlights of last year's event, which Eric tells us it was pulled up behind the Skyvan photoship for a mere 2 minutes and 56 seconds.
Image © Eric Coeckelberghs. Canon EOS 5D Mk II + Canon EF 24-105mm lens
This shot was taken during a base visit to RAF Leuchars on 15th December. The Tornado in question - 'JU' of 111 Sqn - was waiting outside its HAS in anticipation of taking to the skies later that morning. The winter sun was very low in the sky at such an unsociable hour (only 90 minutes after sunrise), leaving long shadows and a warm glow.
Image © Barry Farquharson. Nikon D80 + Sigma 10-20mm lens
Ian spent the one of the 'snow days' at Deptford Down, one of the helicopter training areas on Salisbury Plain and came home with a stunning sequence of this 673 Squadron Apache, from which the shot featured here is taken.
Image © Ian Harding. Canon EOS 50D + Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L lens
Kieron has made a habit out of posting juicy Eastern Bloc hardware on the forum, and he has struck once again - this time with a selection from a trip to Lipetsk last August. We chose this shot of an Su-24 Fencer powering its way into the sky, but in reality we could have picked anything from the thread; take a look for yourself!
Image © Kieron Pilbeam
With heavy snow blanketing the south, Steve took a chance and headed to Deptford. His gamble proved worth it as the trip was rewarded by several helicopters practising white-out landings, and we feel that this Lynx shot was one of the best, making use of the beautiful summer sunlight.
Image © Steve Sinton. Nikon D300 + Nikon 70-300mm VR lens
The photo was given to Dave and he had always assumed it was taken from the other Hercules that accompanied the Lightning's final air-to-air photo session, but some of our forum members reckon it was taken from the other Lightning. We're not sure ourselves, but we do know that this is one superb photograph taken as the curtain fell on the golden era of British aviation.
Image © Unknown (via Dave Fry)
The Week In Pictures
Week 1, January 2010
Clockwise from top left:
If you can be bothered to pull yourself away from a warm living room, the rewards for winter photography can be terrific, with crisp clear blue skies and superb stark lighting. Early sunsets are a welcome bonus too - Steve Coe took full advantage at Heathrow, catching this Turkish Airlines Airbus A340 from the Terminal 5 end of the airport.
Image © Steve Coe. Canon EOS 40D + Sigma 50-500mm lens
Mike Shreeve's warbird shots are the perfect antidote to our winter blues here at UKAR. He's been air-to-air again, to produce this terrific image. Nearest the camera is Tom Morris's lovely North American SNJ. Chris Prevost is at the controls of the TP-40 (the trainer variant of the ubiquitous Curtiss fighter), while the P-51D is flown by George Perez. The scenery is the Sonoma Valley, California, with all three machines available for pleasure flights from nearby Schellville.
Image © Mike Shreeve. Canon EOS 50D + Canon EF 24-105mm L IS lens
We're looking forward to RIAT 2010, especially since Romanian MiG-21 Lancers were listed as participants. With that in mind, we were delighted to see Dirk Jan de Ridder's latest post on the board, images from an air-to-air sortie he had in 2008 to mark the 95th anniversary of military aviation in Romania. The aircraft photographed is a Lancer A, while the lucky Mr de Ridder was shooting from a two-seat B model.
Image © Dirk Jan de Ridder. Canon EOS 20D + Canon EF 24-105mm f4 IS lens
Another glorious MiG-21, you can never have too many, this time in the markings of the Hungarian Air Force. UKAR member Monox is the photographer, with this image being captured 15 years ago. The shot came from a fascinating thread in our ever-popular Golden Oldies section, which continues to go from strength to strength.
Image © Monox
Frank Noort makes his Picture of the Week debut with a rare gem indeed - a Royal Jordanian Air Force F-5. The shot was taken during the photographer's visit to Base H5 in May 2000, where he tells us temperatures were recorded in the region of 50C - a bit different to what we've got in Blighty this week, then...
Image © Frank Noort. Canon EOS EOS 5+ Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L lens
There's snow business like Wokka business. Alex van Noye caught this Dutch CH-47D at Gilze-Rijen airbase. Alex's shots came at a price though, he tells us he fell through the ice and "drowned" his camera and lens. Let's hope all make a speedy recovery!
Image © Alex van Noye
Mark Stevens paid a visit to Predannack down in Cornwall this week, and produced one of the most interesting threads of the week, with some haunting images of some vintage airframes seeing out their days being used for fire and rescue training. We love old Harriers, and GR3 XZ969 appears to be clinging onto life better than some of the other aircraft there. And didn't RAF jets look so much better in proper camoflage?
Image © Mark Stevens. Nikon D40 + 18-70mm lens
