Aviation Photography - Low level Flying

Low-Level Flying Photography
Photographic Logs for 2015
(For all these shots I used a Canon EOS 5D Mk III 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).

Bell CV-22B Osprey (11-0058) using callsign 'Knife 75' from the 7th Special Operations Squadron based at RAF Mildenhall in July 2015.

Wednesday August 12, 2015 A really slow day with just one C-130 and three Hawks, more jets went up BYG (4 x F-15Es and 2 x Typhoons) than I had at BB.
Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH882) of 30 Squadron and Hawk T.1 (XX239) of 208(R) Squadron.

Left to right: Hawk T.2 (ZK026 'Q') of 4(R) Squadron.

Thursday August 6, 2015 Today was all about the Swiss Air Force PC-21s from the Pilotenschule at Emmen which were deployed to RAF Valley for the week and were flying low along a low-level route which included the Loop. The three morning sorties avoided the Cadir pass due to an 'Avoid' issued that morning so I relocated to the Bwlch. The first pair in the afternoon sortie came through at 1000 feet AGL and dived towards Cad'. The second and third pairs were much lower and came around twice each. As they were so close it was not easy shooting the second aircraft.
Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH885) of 30 Squadron.

Left to right: Swiss Air Force Pilatus PC-21 (A-102) the lead aircraft of the pair, the second was close behind and high for both passes.

Left to right: Pilatus PC-21s (A-106 with A-107).

Swiss Air Force Pilatus PC-21 (A106) with an RAF pilot in the backseat, believed to be the 208(R) Squadron Commander.

Left to right: Pilatus PC-21s (A-106 and A-107).

Left to right: Pilatus PC-21s (A-106 and A-107) on their second pass.

Wednesday July 15, 2015 Two days of little activity in the Loop (Snakepit) this week spent hearing countless rumours of traffic that was supposed to be on its way to the RIAT at Fairford. In the end a pair of King Airs (one avoided the my patrt of the Loop) and a couple of the rarer Hawk T.1s from Boscombe Down were my only reward.
Left to right: Hawk T.1 (XX191) unmarked but from the QinetiQ MOD fleet at Boscombe Down. Hawk T.1 (XX239) of 208(R) Squadron.

Left to right: Super King Air B200 (ZK456 'P') of 45(R) Squadron at RAF Cranwell and Hawk T.1 (XX162) of Qinetiq RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine with a '9G' or 'G9' logo on the tail not seen before.

Thursday July 9, 2015 Another fantastic day with three Tornado GR.4 and two CV-22 Osprey passes with many Hawk T.1/T.2 passes all seen from two locations.
Left to right: Hawk T.1 (XX318 '95Y') inscribed '1912-1917' for the 95th anniversary of 100 Squadron and Hawk T.1s (XX348 and XX188) of 208(R) Squadron.

Left to right: Hawk T.2 (ZK032 'W') of 4(R) Squadron and Hawk T.1 (XX188) of 208(R) Squadron.

Tornado GR.4 (ZA607 'EB-X') of 41(TES) Test & Evaluation Squadron at RAF Coningsby.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA607 'EB-X') of 41(TES) Test & Evaluation Squadron using callsign 'Rebel 83'.

Left to right: Hawk T.2s (ZK027 'R' and ZK012 'C') of 4(R) Squadron.

Left to right: Hawk T.1 (XX256 and XX239) of 208(R) Squadron.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG791 '137') unmarked but using callsign 'Voodoo 2' of 31 Squadron.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG791 '137') unmarked but using callsign 'Voodoo 2'.

Left to right: Hawk T.1 (XX158) of 208(R) Squadron.

Left to right: Bell CV-22B Osprey (11-0058) using callsign 'Knife 75' from the 7th Special Operations Squadron based at RAF Mildenhall.

Left to right: CV-22B Osprey (11-0058) using callsign 'Knife 75' from the 7th Special Operations Squadron.

Tuesday June 30, 2015 Well over double figues of passes; including three Tornado GR.4s, three C-130s and many F-15E Strike Eagle and Hawk passes.
Left to right: Hawk T.2 (ZK015 'F') of 4(R) Squadron and Hawk T.1s (XX348 and XX188) of 208(R) Squadron.

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (00-3001 'LN') of 494th FS, 48 FW callsign 'Shifty 11-12'.

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (00-3001 'LN') of 494th FS, 48 FW and F-15E Strike Eagle (97-0219 'LN') of 492nd FS, 48 FW.

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (97-0219 'LN') of 492nd FS, 48 FW.

Left to right: Two passes from Hawk T.1 (XX350 'D') with 208(R) Squadron in special World War One commemorative scheme in March 2015.

Left to right: Hawk T.2s (ZK035 'Z', ZK031 'V' and ZK012 'C') of 4(R) Squadron.

Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5s (ZH878 and ZH883) callsigns 'Zorro 1-2'

Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH875) callsign 'Ascot 366'.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA405 '014') using callsign 'Voodoo 1'.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZD788) using callsign 'Voodoo 2' in the 1974-2014 Tornado 40th Anniversary special scheme.

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (00-3001 'LN') of 494th FS, 48 FW and F-15E Strike Eagle (91-0327 'LN') of 492nd FS, 48 FW using callsigns 'Strong 51-53'.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZD742 '090') as 'Marham 32' still in its old 617 Squadron colours.

Tornado GR.4A (ZA373 '007') wings out stretched and without tanks on a flight from Warton as 'Tarnish 21'.

Tuesday June 23, 2015 A special day on Bluebell with nine Tornado passes and three F-15E Strike Eagle passes, a Royal Navy Lynx and Royal Navy Hawk T.1.
Left to right: Tornado GR.4A (ZA373 '007') as 'Tarnish 21'.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4A (ZA373 '007') as 'Tarnish 21' on second pass.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA412) the last of the pair of Dambuster 70th Anniversary' 617 Squadron specials still flying.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA412) using callsign 'Marham 83'.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG729 '127') callsign 'Batman 1'.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG729 '127' and ZA473 '032') callsign 'Batman 1 and 2'.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZD716 '084') callsign 'Marham 09'.

Left to right: Hawk T.2 (ZK010 'A') of 4(R) Squadron. Lynx HMA.8SRU (XZ725 '339') callsign 'Skua 393' of 815 NAS HQ Flight based at RNAS Yeovilton.

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (98-0133 'LN') callsign I think was 'Dawg 31'.

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (98-0133 'LN').

F-15E Strike Eagle (98-0133 'LN') callsign I think was 'Dawg 31'.

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (98-0133 'LN').

Left to right: Hawk T.2 (ZK029 'T') of 4(R) Squadron. Hawk T.1 (XX240 'CU-840') of 736 NAS Royal Navy based at RNAS Yeovilton.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG729 '127') returning to the Loop as 'Fang 2' after hot pitting at Marham.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZG729 '127').

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZD740 '088') as callsign 'Voodoo 1' in the colours of 617 Squadron.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZD740 '088').

Last shot of the day, Tornado GR.4 (ZD740 '088') as callsign 'Voodoo 1' in the colours of 617 Squadron.

Wednesday May 13, 2015 A short day down at Corris for the expected 48th Wing Commander pass on their way to the range. The obligatory 13:00 swap over was made but not to the usual Cad' but to the MFTA an hour's drive north for a chance of catching a Puma deployment.
Left to right: Two passes from Hawk T.1 (XX256) of 208(R) Squadron over Tal-y-Llyn lake.

Left to right: Hawk T.1 (XX161) of 208(R) Squadron.

Left to right: Over Tal-y-Llyn lake Tucano T.1 (ZF291).

Left to right: Tucano T.1s (ZF293 and ZF205) all the Tucanos were on a NavEx (Navigational Exercise) to RAF Valley seperated by 5 to 7 minutes.

F-15E Strike Eagle (98-135 'LN') 492FS callsign 'Eagle 12'.

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (98-135 'LN') 492FS callsign 'Eagle 12'.

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (91-0321 'LN' and 96-0205 'LN') 492FS callsign 'Eagle 11' and 'Strong 34' which had apparently been left behind by the rest of his flight.

Left to right: Hawk T.1 (XX191) devoid of markings it was with QinetiQ at Boscombe Down.

Left to right: Hawk T.1 (XX191) on the second pass.

Thursday April 9, 2015 A slow day with just six Hawk passes, but one was the 208(R) Squadron 100 years special.
Left to right: Hawk T.1 (XX303) of 208(R) Squadron.

Left to right: Hawk T.2 (ZK021 'L') of 4(R) Squadron.

Left to right: Hawk T.1 (XX350 'D') with 208(R) Squadron in special World War One commemorative scheme in March 2015.

Wednesday March 18, 2015 A slow day hoping for A10s which were flying from Lakenheath but stuck to the east coast all week.
Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.4 (ZH867) callsign 'Ascot 188' of Brize Norton Transport Wing.

Left to right: Hawk T.2 (ZK033 'X') of 4(R) Squadron and Hawk T.1 (XX188) of 208(R) Squadron.

Tornado GR.4A (ZG705 '118') with faded mission marks.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4A (ZG705 '118') using callsign 'Marham 57'.

Wednesday February 4, 2015 Another sunny winters day this time on the 'Exit' with roughly the same mix of aircraft as yesterday but with an impressive force of F-15Es from Lakenheath. 18 passes today half of which were F-15Es some of which however were too high for the Exit.
Above: Tornado GR.4A (ZA372 '006') callsign 'Wolf 1' of 12(B) Squadron.

Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH882) callsign 'Ascot 068'.

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (91-0308 'LN') 492FS callsign 'Duster'.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA456 '023') callsign 'Marham 23'.

Left to right: Hawk T.2s (ZK018 'I' and ZK014 'E') of 4(R) Squadron.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4A (ZA372 '006') callsign 'Wolf 1' of 12(B) Squadron.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4A (ZA372 '006').

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA553 '045') callsign 'Wolf 2' of 12(B) Squadron.

Left to right: Tornado GR.4 (ZA553 '045').

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (91-0327 and 91-0307 'LN') callsign 'Duster'.

Left to right: F-15E Strike Eagle (91-0307, 91-0308 and 91-0301 'LN') callsigns 'Duster' and 'Raider'

C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH882) callsign 'Ascot 068'.

Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH879) callsign 'Jigsaw 1'.

Left to right: C-130J Hercules C.5 (ZH882) callsign 'Jigsaw 2'.

Left to right: C-130J Hercules (ZH879 and ZH882) callsign 'Jigsaw 1 & 2'. Eurocopter EC135T2 plus (G-WASS) callsign 'Helimed 61' of Wales Air Ambulance.

Tuesday February 3, 2015 A sunny winters day was spent with Will and Barry of ForcesTV who were filming a piece on low-level flying photography called Forces TV Fast Jets and Long Lenses. I had been invited to feature in their program which should be broadcast soon. They were cold and becomingincreasingly dispondent as there were no aircraft in the first four and half hours. Two passes by a pair of Tornados followed by a C-130 Hercules lifted their spirits and by sunset we were rewarded with 16 passes.
Above: Tornado GR.4 (ZA553 '045').

Left to right: Two passes from Tornado GR.4A (ZA372 '006') which was high both times, callsign 'Marham 07' or 'Marham 69' as both were on the scanner and came through together.