Low-Level Flying Photography
Photographic Logs for 2012
(For all these shots I used a Canon EOS 5D Mk III and 7D with the following lenses;
Canon EF 400mm f2.8 L IS Mk II, Canon EF 300mm f2.8 L with and without a x1.4 extender Mk III and a Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS). |
| Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht) Boeing CH-47D Chinook (D-102) from 298 Squadron based at Gilze-Rijen Air Base in March 2012. |
Tuesday December 11, 2012 Blue sky and unlimited visibility worked well in the first few hours with an early Hercules, a Hawk T.2 pair and a Tornado from Marham with two passes. Unfortunately Coningsby then Marham closed due to fog and our day ended prematurely.
Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH883) of 30 Squadron. |
| Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH883) of 30 Squadron. |
| Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG713 '123-G') in 2 Squadron colours but believed to be with 31 Squadron was using callsign 'Marham 03'. |
| Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG713 '123-G') in 2 Squadron colours but believed to be with 31 Squadron was using callsign 'Marham 03'. |
| Tornado GR.4 (ZG713 '123-G') in 2 Squadron colours with a 67 degree wing sweep. |
| Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG713 '123-G') in 2 Squadron colours but believed to be with 31 Squadron was using callsign 'Marham 03', its second pass included a 67 degree wing sweep. |
| Left to right: 4(R) Squadron Hawk T.2 (ZK037 'AB') and Hawk T.1 (XX324) of 208(R) Squadron. |
Thursday November 29, 2012 Very bright today with unlimited visibility, ideal for the 'Exit'. Three pairs of Hawk T.2s one pair twice were the passes. The second aircraft in each pass was high perhaps reflecting the students stage in the course.
Left to right: 4(R) Squadron Hawk T.2s (ZK031 'V', ZK027 'R' and ZK010 'A'). |
| Left to right: 4(R) Squadron Hawk T.2s (ZK032 'W' and ZK010 'A'). |
Wednesday November 14, 2012 Overcast all day with swirling low cloud in the valley.
Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA398) 'Shiny Two' of 2 Squadron using callsign 'Marham 48'. |
| Left to right: Typhoon FGR.4 (ZK310 'EL') of 6 Squadron using callsign 'Leuchars 37'. Flying south from Scotland it had put down to low-level using ATC at Liverpool airport with an over-shoot of the runway. |
| Left to right: Typhoon FGR.4 (ZK310 'EL') of 6 Squadron using callsign 'Leuchars 37'. |
| Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG777 'EB-Q') of 41 Squadron using callsign 'Rebel 41'. |
| Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG777 'EB-Q') of 41 Squadron using callsign 'Rebel 41'. |
| Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH888) of 30 Squadron, it had I think been working with a Cobham Mystere 20 using callsign 'Ascot 661'. |
| Left to right: Hawk T.1s (XX174, XX176 and XX194) all in 208(R) Squadron markings and Hawk T.1 (XX317) which was unmarked. XX176 was fitted with a 30mm Aden canon pod fitted underneath the fuselage centre-line. |
Monday October 15, 2012 Back again for more on a cold, dull and damp day was spent hoping for a Hunter and Jet Provost (you don't often say that) which both appeared along with a Hawk T.1 exactly at the right time for the low cloud in the valley below to make the picture.
Left to right: Hawk T.1 (XX256) of 208(R) Squadron. |
| Left to right: Hawker Hunter F.58A (G-PSST) first pass. |
| Left to right: Hawker Hunter F.58A (G-PSST) second pass. |
| Left to right: BAC Jet Provost T.3A (G-BVEZ / XM479) of the Newcastle Jet Provost Group run by Neil McCarthy. |
| Left to right: BAC Jet Provost T.3A (G-BVEZ / XM479). Hey, I know there are too many images of these warbirds, I just like them all. |
| Hawker Hunter F.58A (G-PSST) flown by Jonathon ‘Flapjack’ Whaley |
Friday October 12, 2012 A late-morning dash to the Loop followed by a 'gallop' up the hill and I was rewarded by two passes of the beautiful 'Miss Demeanour' on its way to Duxford for the Autumn Show on Sunday.
Left to right: Hawker Hunter F.58A (G-PSST) first pass. |
| Left to right: Hawker Hunter F.58A (G-PSST) first pass. |
| Left to right: Hawker Hunter F.58A (G-PSST) second pass some minutes later after 'Flapjack' came out of low-level to call RAF Valley for clearance. |
| Tornado GR.4 (ZD844 '107') |
Tuesday October 9, 2012 With an over-night stop in Selkirk it was easy to make the top of the hill by 08:30. The morning produced two RAF Tornados followed by the highlight of the day and the reason for being in Scotland a flight of four German Tornados which skylined before dropping into the valley three miles away to appear around the corner at 250 feet AGL at 13:56. A Tucano and a pair of Hercules in the TTA slot at 16:48 finished off the two days perfectly.
Left to right: Unmarked Tornado GR.4 (ZD844 '107') thought to be with 15(R) Squadron at Lossiemouth it was fitted with a AN/AAQ-28 Litening III Targeting pod. |
| Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA398) 'Shiny Two' of 2 Squadron it is inscribed 'Second to None' it was using callsign 'Marham 82'. |
| Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA398) 'Shiny Two' of 2 Squadron. |
| Left to right: Tornado ECR (46+24) of JBG 32 German Air Force based at Lechfeld. |
| Left to right: Tornado ECR (46+24) of JBG 32 German Air Force based at Lechfeld. |
| Left to right: Tornado ECR (46+36) of JBG 32 German Air Force based at Lechfeld. |
| Tornado ECR (46+46) of JBG 32 German Air Force based at Lechfeld. |
| Left to right: Tornado ECR (46+46) of JBG 32 German Air Force based at Lechfeld. |
| Left to right: Tornado ECR (46+49) of JBG 32 German Air Force based at Lechfeld. |
| Tornado ECR (46+49) of JBG 32 German Air Force based at Lechfeld. |
| Left to right: Tornado ECR (46+49) of JBG 32 German Air Force based at Lechfeld. |
| Left to right: Tornado ECR (46+49) of JBG 32 German Air Force based at Lechfeld. |
| Left to right: Tucano T.1 (ZF378). C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH881) of 30 Squadron the first of a pair flying through the TTA slot at 16:45. |
| Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH881) of 30 Squadron. |
| Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH883) of 30 Squadron. |
| Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH883) of 30 Squadron. |
Monday October 8, 2012 This week I made an ealier start for Scotland leaving at 03:30 which was just as well. Making the climb up the hill I was in position at 08:45 just in time for the first movement at 08:53 a pair of German Tornados which arrived high to drop into the valley. By 09:40 and RAF Tornado and Typhoon had flown past. After a very long wait the final pass was a Hercules at 16:45 which was in the Tactical Training Area (TTA) slot which allows aircraft to go down to 100 feet Above Ground Level (AGL).
Left to right: German Air Force Panavia PA-200 Tornado ECR (46+49) of Jagdbombergeschwader 32 (JBG 32) based at Lechfeld. It is carrying a AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) on the centreline pylon. |
| Left to right: German Air Force Tornado ECR (46+46) of JBG 32 based at Lechfeld. It is carrying a AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM). |
| Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG756 '131') of 617 Squadron from Lossiemouth. |
| Left to right: Typhoon FGR.4 (ZK307 'BU') of 29(R) Squadron. |
| Left to right: Typhoon FGR.4 (ZK307 'BU') of 29(R) Squadron. |
| Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH883) of 30 Squadron. |
Thursday October 4, 2012 I left the house at 05:00 for the 250 mile drive to the Scottish borders. After a 1 1/2 mile walk and a climb through a bog I looked left to see two German Tornados bearing down on me. There's no time to get the camera out so all I can do is just watch them zip through the valley and around the corner. This was the second big miss of the year if only I had left the house 15 minutes eariler. A Tucano was the only other movement of the day before the long long drive home.
Left to right: Tucano T.1 (ZF145). |
| Sea King HC.4 (ZF124 'L') |
Wednesday September 5, 2012 A Royal Navy Sea King HC.4 was the only interesting pass of the day through the Loop.
Left to right: Sea King HC.4 (ZF124 'L') of 846 Naval Air Squadron (RNAS Yeovilton) using callsign 'Navy 411' on its way to RAF Valley as part of a Special Forces exercise (Ex Chamelion). |
| Left to right: Hawk T.1 (XX286) of 208(R) Squadron, Hawk T.2s (ZK026 'Q' and ZK011 'B') of 4(R) Squadron. |
| Left to right: Hawk T.2s (ZK028 'S') of 4(R) Squadron. |
| Left to right: Hawk T.2s (ZK024 'O', ZK019 and ZK029 'T') of 4(R) Squadron. |
Wednesday August 8, 2012 With 'Mad Monday' cancelled it was a case of giving the Lakes a go today. The only movement at 12:25 was a Tornado GR.4 carrying an AN/AAQ-28 Litening III Targeting pod. Not long after hang gliders were launching into the valley having apparently set up an avoid which curtailed all low-level flying for the rest of the day.
Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA459 'F') now with mission marks it is inscribed 'XV 1915 to 2005' it is in the colours of 15 Squadron but has been flying with 9 Squadron for most of this year at least. |
| Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA459 'F'). |
