Pictures Of The Week
Week 25, June 2014
Clockwise from top left:
A shot of Hellenic Air Force starts us off this week. Savvas attended the 341M "Arrow" 60th Anniversary celebrations at Nea Anghialos AB. The squadron put forward a special commemorative tail in celebration of the event, however it was this creative shot of a standard model that made it to the top spot.
Image © Savvas Savvaidis
Nikon D300 + Nikkor 70-200mm ƒ2.8 lensPOTW regular Rick Ingham once again features this week with a stunning shot of this RAF Merlin HC3A. It's not often that mother nature plays ball in this hobby, and even less often that it works in one's favour, however a mixture of luck and skill paid off for Rick, and we think that this colourful image is a sure candidate for one of the best Merlin shots we've seen.
Image © Rick Ingham
Canon 50D + Canon EF 70-300mm L IS lensFast becoming a POTW regular himself, Paul posted yet more superb air-to-air shots and (we think) some pretty epic 'selfies'. This Hawk T2 of IV Squadron flying out of RAF Valley was captured flying over a rather exotic-looking Trearddur Bay.
Image © Paul Heasman
Some Japanese hardware features next. Michael came away with some fantastic shots of Japanese Navy aircraft from his trip to the NAF Atsugi. Particularly interesting was this study of a Kawasaki P1, however with all of the hardware featuring in his thread, it proves just how capable the Japanese Navy really is.
Image © Michael Lovering
Canon EOS 7D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lensIt's that time of year, and once again Tiger Meet has come around. As we've come to expect from the Luftwaffe, they put forward a fabulously schemed EF2000. JG74, the "Bravarian Tigers", took the mantle from the late JBG32, with a clear emphasis of the importance of maintaining the Tiger ethos into the future. One can't help but notice that the comparison with the RAF is a stark one.
Image © Peter Seehouwer
Nikon D3X + Nikkor 24-120mm VR lensWe always have room for classics in POTW, and we think that this one thoroughly deserves recognition. Keeping a somewhat low profile is this Westland Whirlwind reportedly based near Crewkerne. Not much is known about G-BVGE/XJ729, however, with appearances seemingly more regular, we hope to see her stretch her wings fully in 2014.
Image © Andrew Brown
Canon EOS 50D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lensClosing this week is Niels' dynamic shot of another Tiger Meet aircraft in the shape of this French Air Force Mirage 2000 hailing from EC 05.330 based at Mont-de-Marsan. As per the German machine above, it sports a striking commemorative livery for the meet at Schleswig-Jagel.
Image © Niels Roman
Canon EOS 7D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lens
Pictures Of The Week
Week 24, June 2014
Clockwise from top left:
The well publicised deployment of USAF assets to RAF Fairford commences this week's round up. Stuart's head-on shot with this B-52H, callsign "Doom 12", is as good as we have seen for a long time of that smokey old favourite.
Image © Stuart Freer
Canon EOS 50D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lensStaying at Fairford next with Laurie's rather different shot. It shows that with a bit of imagination and creativity you can come away with something really special. The use of a fisheye lens might have seemed a bit unorthodox but a shot like this, showing the B-2's famous shape very well, speaks for itself.
Image © Laurie Hughes
Nikon D7100 + Nikon 10.5mm ƒ2.8 fisheye lensAnother gem touching down in the UK this month was the AN-225. As Barrie told us, sticking to a 300mm Prime lens for shooting the largest aircraft in the world at point blank range might have seemed a bit daft to some, but we think his commitment was paid off with this beautifully lit shot.
Image © Barrie May
Canon EOS 7D + Canon EF 300mm ƒ4 L IS lensWhilst Cosford airshow was taking place in the UK, the famed La Ferte Alais was taking place across the channel in France. Steve came away with shots that captured the atmosphere of the show, and we are particular fans of the topside shot of this MS.760 "Paris".
Image © Steve Screech
Canon EOS 7D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lensWith news of the Canadian Lancaster's tour of the UK having firmly broken, it's fair to say that enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike are itching to see the pair together. To whet our appetites, Sean posted beautiful shots from CWHM's Sunday Bomber Night Run2E
Image © Sean Kelly
The Kazakh Air Force features next, with Alex's shot of this Mi-17 taking part in KADEX 2014. Be sure to check out the rest of his thread for a smorgasbord of Soviet hardware!
Image © Alex van Noye
Last but by no means least this week is Darrell's shot from Old Warden. It was difficult to pick a favourite however, in the end we simply had to go with this lovely shot of the recently built Type R "Mystery Ship". After a successful first flight in 2012, it's great to see this aircraft stretching its legs in the 2014 season.
Image © Darrell Thompson
Pictures Of The Week
Week 23, June 2014
Clockwise from top left:
Over the past couple of weeks a large majority of UK aviation enthusiasts have made there way to RAF Fairford in the hope of seeing the Grumman B-2 "Spirit", and luckily many came away with stunning shots of the futuristic looking aircraft. One that particularly caught our eye was this picture by Nick Porter of the large stealth bomber on final approach to land after a sortie.
Image © Nick Porter
Nikon D700 + Nikon 70-200mm ƒ2.8 lensNext up is a subject quite as futuristic but certainly just as appealing to the eye. Here we see the beautiful Supermarine Spitfire PR XI, lovingly owned and cared for by Peter Teichman and his team at Hangar 11, on approach to RAF Cosford the day preceding the show.
Image © Robert Cotter
Nikon D3200 + Nikon AF-S 70-300mm VR lensSticking with aircraft at the RAF Cosford show we move onto the SEPECAT Jaguar GR3, still in "The Saint" special colour scheme when it was in service with 16 Squadron of the RAF. The aircraft was twinned with the equally attractive Jaguar T4, with both "Jags" performing a taxi-run before the Cosford Air Show began in earnest. Here Ben Stanley-Hall has done a smashing job of "The Saint" turning to the crowd at the end of run.
Image © Ben Hall
Canon EOS 7D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lensHere on UK Airshow Review we always enjoy seeing aircraft tearing up the skies of the Mach Loop and other Low Flying Areas across the British Isles, so we were particularly pleased to see this RAF C-130J Hercules powering its way through Cad West of the Mach Loop.
Image © Jack Williams
Nikon D3100 + Nikkor 70-300mm VR lensAn aircraft that is discussed at great lengths on this forum is of course Avro Vulcan B2 XH558. Despite people having mixed feeling on the aircraft's display routines over recent years there is still no denying she is incredibly "camera-friendly", with Russell Collins doing an excellent job of capturing the aircraft as she turns away from the crowd at the recent Cosford Airshow.
Image © Russell Collins
Canon EOS 50D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lensThe Saab J35 Draken is perhaps one of the most innovative designs to be produced from the Saab company over the years, with it's double-cranked delta wing being instantly recognisable. Recently the Swedish Air Force Historic Flight has returned this particular twin seat example to airworthy status, with the aircraft making her début at the F17 Bleikinge airbase as part of the Swedish Armed Forces Airshow. We certainly look forward to see and hear the Draken over UK skies this summer!
Image © Adam Skowroński
Nikon D800 + Nikkor 300mm ƒ2.8 lens & 1.4x TCRounding off this edition of POTW is an incredibly rare example of two Polish Mil Mi-2Ch performing a task very rarely captured. The photographer, Bartosz Bera, explained to us that "the shot was taken on the Drawsko shooting range, with the two "chemists" being called upon to create a smoke screen over the lake and other parts of the range, with the idea being to re-group land assets." Sadly the Mi-2Ch will be withdrawn from service soon so this may be a sight never to be seen again.
Image © Bartosz Bera
Canon EOS 5D MkII + Canon EF 70-200mm ƒ4 L IS lens
Pictures Of The Week
Week 22, June 2014
Clockwise from top left:
Andrzej Rogucki opens this week's selection of images, with one of his many fine captures from the Pardubice Airshow. The majority of people dread rain whilst photographing at airshows, but Andrzej embraced the weather and produced this great image of the Corsair of The Flying Bulls.
Image © Andrzej Rogucki
Canon EOS 1Dx + Canon EF 500mm ƒ4 L IS lens & Canon 1.4x TCMany, including the photographer, were unsure of the D-Day striped Typhoon when images were first published on our forums, but Stuart decided to create a thread exclusively for his photos of this aircraft at the Duxford D-Day show and we feel that this image shows the scheme at it's finest.
Image © Stu Freer
The Polish Army organised a media day in recognition of the temporary deployment of French Rafales. Karol was present at the 22nd Tactical Air Base, located near Malbork, for event and got rare 'behind the scenes' access to the aircraft and took advantage of the reflections in the water on the ground to capture this fine image.
Image © 'Carlito'
The anniversary of D-Day provided many opportunities to see the C-47 Skytrains, including this example which made the journey from Connecticut, to take part in the commemorations. Tony had the opportunity to photograph the C-47 at night, during its stay at Lee-On-Solent
Image © 'Bestlasham'
As part of a visit organised by the Gilze-Rijen Aviation Society, Niels Roman had access to 82 Bo-105s. The image portrays one of the German Army examples at their Celle base.
Image © Niels Roman
Canon EOS 7D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lensLike Karol's image that featured above, Anton also benefitted from special access to a media day organised, on this occasion for the Thracian Star exercise held at Graf Ignatievo Air Base. The taxiing Su-25 represents part of the large Bulgarian contingent present for the exercise.
Image © Anton Balakchiev
Canon EOS 7D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lensIn the UK we are treated to the occasional use of pyrotechnics to aid displays of military aircraft, such as the Army Apache. However, at the New Castle Airshow in South Africa, Gerard witnessed CC Poccock's "bush flying" display in the common-or-garden Cessna 172, with the aid of pyrotechnics. Probably the most dramatic image of a Cessna we've ever seen!
Image © Gerard Griessel
Canon EOS 50D + Canon EF 100-400mm L IS lens