Pictures Of The Week
Week 17, April 2017
Clockwise from top left:
Jaguar. Harrier. Raspberry Ripple. What's not to like? RAF Cosford was the venue for another Timeline Events photoshoot, featuring not only this fetching pair but several other examples of these two iconic and much-loved types under a variety of lighting conditions...
Image © Steven Harrison-Green
...including as this fantastic looking Harrier GR.3. Wearing the markings of 1 Squadron, the temporary arctic camo was regularly seen throughout the 1980s when Harriers and other frontline types would deploy to Norway for winter exercises. Here, under the cover of darkness, the white livery really pops, and the airframe itself looks almost as if it were ready to fly.
Image © Andy Knott
Our next image comes from yet another of the Timeline Event shoots, this time at Southend Airport with XL426 of the Vulcan Restoration Trust. The aircraft has been somewhat overlooked in recent times as XH558 took much of the limelight away from the ground runners, but is looking in fine fettle in this set of images as the preservation efforts continue.
Image © Cameron Sys
Bartosz's bold, creative and attention grabbing photography has won him many fans on UKAR and this might just be one of the finest sets of images he's ever shared with us. The focus this time is on the rotary elements of the Anakonda Exercise held in Poland, and during his time at Miroslawiec Air Base, the high sortie rate allowed him to capture every aspect of this large-scale exercise in his own, inimitable style. Jaw dropping photography.
Image © Bartosz Bera
The ex-RAF Merlin HC3s are now well into their time with the Royal Navy, and Shaun caught ZJ118 on a training sortie in Dartmoor, bathed in beautiful evening sunlight.
Image © Shaun Schofield
The Mirage 2000 is an aircraft that many have a strong affection for, not least Reinier Bergsma, who recently spent time on a photoshoot with the men and machines at Nancy-Ochey Air Base. We just loved this posed shot of pilot and aircraft outside a Hardened Aircraft Shelter.
Image © Reinier Bergsma
A member of UKAR for many years now, Stuart Thurtle rounds out our selection this week with an image from yet another night shoot that has taken place in recent days. Phantom FGR.2 XT914 at RAF Wattisham looks immaculate in this set of shots, and set against the aircraft shelter, there's an operational feel to this set-up that ticks all the right boxes.
Image © Stuart Thurtle
Pictures Of The Week
Week 16, April 2017
Clockwise from top left:
Philippe Rey recently enjoyed a photo flight with l'Escadrille 6 of the Swiss Air Force. Flying as part of a formation, this is a set that not only shows off the sleek shape of the F-5, but also gives you a sense of the skill it takes to fly in such close proximity. Naturally, the Swiss scenery looks every bit as good from above as it does from terra firma and provides the setting to a number of the photographs in Philippe's thread, this underside shot included.
Image © Philippe Rey
Andravida AB in Greece recently played host to the INIOHOS exercise. Staged over a two week period, the exercise brings in nations from far and wide to participate in Composite Air Operations, and this year saw detachments from the Air Forces of Israel, the UAE, Italy and the USAF AFRC, as well as from the Greeks themselves. Setting aside the Phantoms, the most numerous type was clearly the F-16 - the fantastically weathered and beaten Greek examples, the more modern lumpy and bumpy UAE jets and the unique desert colours of the Israeli jets pictured here leave the USAF examples looking rather bland.
Image © Savvas Savvaidis
When it comes to special paint schemes, the Canadians certainly know how to make an impact. Year after year they go over and above to create a striking design for their CF-18 solo display jet. Rod travelled to CFB Comox to photograph the spring training flights, returning with a fine set of images to show you this year's livery in all it's glory, from just about every angle. We love it, and we're sure you will too.
Image © Rod McDonough
A US Navy MH-60 was an unexpected visitor to Devon this week, but Kev was on hand to record the event as call sign "Doughboy10" dropped in on his location. Overcast conditions didn't help matters, but this is a rare catch nonetheless.
Image © Kevin Wills
RAF Lakenheath is the place to be at the moment. News that eight F-35As from Hill AFB, Utah were to forward deploy for a number of weeks has piqued the interest of many an enthusiast, as the F-22A Raptors visit from last spring had also done. One of the initial six jets is seen here on arrival on Saturday afternoon.
Image © Ali Hunt
The F-35 might well be the future of the base, but they have nothing on the present. Once again Kelvin was rewarded for his efforts, and the F-15Es of the 494th Fighter Squadron tearing through the valleys of Wales always make for an exceptional photo.
Image © Kelvin Sullivan
Sam's trip to the Far East for last year's Wonsan Air Festival allowed him to stop off at the China Air Museum in Beijing en route. Located on an airfield, the aircraft storage areas contain literally countless machines in various states of repair, whilst other areas of the site have rather more complete examples on display, such as this Beriev Be-6P flying boat. Under overcast skies and reflected in murky waters, the atmosphere of the image seems to fit the subject matter rather well.
Image © Sam Wise
Pictures Of The Week
Week 15, April 2017
Clockwise from top left:
Just to make you feel old, we kick off this week with a "Golden Oldie" from 2006, which feels like only yesterday... *sigh*. Philippe caught the gargantuan Super Frelon on a rare visit to Sion. These seldom seen machines have long since been withdrawn from French service, the last examples retired in 2010, but licence build Z-8 variants to still soldier on with the People's Liberation Army in China.
Image © Philippe Rey
It's hard to narrow it down to a single image from some threads, and Sean's set of the many varied and interesting types on show at the 2017 Sun 'n Fun airshow in Florida is one of them. We've opted for this immaculate looking, privately owned F-5B. The US Navy sent some of their equally attractive F-5N Aggressors to the show too, but they weren't pictured in quite such dynamic fashion as this one was!
Image © Sean Kelly
We remain in the United States for our next image, at the Tico Warbird Airshow to be precise. Although Keith says in his thread that military participation was down this year, the US Navy still sent along a "legacy" Hornet for the display, seen here squeezing every drop of moisture out of the Florida skies. The fetching, retro livery adorned on the jet just make it that much more special an image.
Image © Keith Draycott
Location, location, location. It's all important, and this is a great example of how being aware of your surroundings can do wonders for an image - an otherwise routine side-on perspective of a taxying F-18 is brought to life by the vista that occupies the rest of the frame. Fine work frOm Mathias.
Image © Mathias Grägel
The Aérospatiale Gazelle celebrates the 50th anniversary of the type's first flight this year, and to mark the occasion a Gazelle fly-in was held at Middle Wallop. Amongst the array of civilian owned examples, the highlight for most attendees were the pair from the French Army, one of which is seen here redistributing the grass clippings upon departure.
Image © Jakub Zurek
The A400M Atlas is still relatively new to the RAF, and as such low level sightings haven't been that numerous, but it looks at home passing by Dunmail Raise in Kelvin's photograph. The special markings on the tail aren't much, but something is better than nothing.
Image © Kelvin Sullivan
The Vampire Preservation Group are still looking for a buyer to take on WZ507, but in the mean time it's begun 2017 as a frequent flyer from its North Weald base. Trevor Jago took full advantage of his role on the airfield to find this position, allowing him to capture the aircraft gliding in on finals over the blooming springtime fields of Essex.
Image © Trevor Jago
Pictures Of The Week
Week 14, April 2017
Clockwise from top left:
Our forums are regularly visited by some of Poland's best photographers - a country which seems to produce some outstanding work, and with a very varied aviation inventory. Piotr has really captured the essence of the power produced when an F-16 takes off, that one mighty engine throwing up spray as the jet lifts off. Poland has one of the most advanced F-16 fleets in the world, having operated the Block 52+ model since 2006, alongside the considerably older MiG-29A.
Image © Piotr Kostur
A great bit of outside-the-box thinking produced this marvellous photograph from RAF Lossiemouth. Sadly the person writing these captions doesn't know enough about golf to make the puns this image deserves, but it's telling how play has stopped to watch this "birdie" on approach - wonder if the players know it's not an "Eagle"? That kind of knowledge is certainly "par for the course" among the enthusiast community. We're always grateful to see shots from Joint Warrior, a location sadly all but inaccessible for most of us in the country, especially as there is usually a great variety of naval equipment.
Image © David Jones
We are only a month away from the UK airshow season getting underway but the American audiences are already enjoying their fix of aerial entertainment. Parachute displays are often accompanied by interesting aircraft, that may not otherwise be seen regularly at airshows; and it was one of those that is the subject of Peter Fenwick's image from the 2017 El Centro Airshow. The US Navy Grumman C2 Greyhound captured by Peter was utilised by The Providers team as their jump ship and is surrounded by some glorious blue sky - lets hope we see plenty of that in attendance throughout the UK season!
Image © Peter Fenwick
The wonderful "Scooter" continues to do sterling work in Germany as part of Discovery Air Defence Services providing aggressor training for the German armed forces. Though the A-4 isn't a jet one could realistically call beautiful, it certainly looks the business, especially with all the flaps and panels opened up as in Peter's shot. Sadly they so far haven't travelled to the UK, meaning that one has to travel to catch these Cold War gems.
Image © Peter Steehouwer
What one German pilot called "the most masculine jet in NATO", the Panavia Tornado certainly looks more like a flying punch than an assassin's dagger. It won't be long before the RAF's fleet flies no more, with these tired workhorses starting to show their age. The Tornado is probably the UK's hardest working aircraft type since the Second World War, having taken part in every conflict since the first Gulf War. Despite this, they still perform their duties and took part in Frisian Flag in the Netherlands this year.
Image © Reinier Bergsma
Our final image from this week's edition of POTW, comes from the Leonardo Helicopters HQ in Yeovil. This example of the AW101, ZR339, was captured by Stu Weston looking resplendent in the Somerset sun, displaying a much colourful appearance to the Merlin than we commonly get to see in its various military guises.
Image © Stu Weston