Aviation Photography - Low level Flying in Greece

Low-Level Flying Photography
Photographic Logs for Greece 2024
(For all these shots I used a Canon EOS R5 and the following lenses;
Canon EF 400mm f2.8 L IS Mk II with and without a x1.4 extender Mk III).

Dassault Mirage 2000B-5EG (555) with 331 MPK (blue and white checkered fin tip), 114 Wing based at Tanágra.

Low-flying in Greece
The terrain in Greece is very diverse and so ideal for low-level flying training with many high mountains and deep valleys. Low-level flying photography is also possible if you can find suitable locations away from tree lined slopes and you are patient while taking sufficient preparations to survive the often intense heat.
I wrote that in 2013 after and epic few days shooting; an F-4E(AUP) Phantom II, a pair of A-7E Corsair IIs and an F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcon. I returned a few months later to shoot more of the these exotic low level flyers plus my one and only RF-4E Phantom. I say exotic, in those days I was the only non-Greek to shoot low flying aircraft in Greece. An article for Air Forces Monthly was to follow and later by ; Thunder Through the Valleys: Low Level Flying - Low Level Photography, both supported by my Greek friends.

None of this could have been done without the cooperation of the Hellenic Air Force and my good friends at Ikaros, notably Panagiotis Panagiotopoulos. Panos as he was known to his many friends died on August 29, 2020 and the world lost on of the pioneers of low level photography. Please click the link to find out more about the person. We agreed that I should not disclose locations and I kept my word to him over the many years and countless trips I made with him to the mountains of Greece over eight fruitful years. I have chosen to not publish my photographic logs up to now, perhaps after some more consideration I will.

Then in 2020 (not absolutely sure on this) a location was published, perhaps by accident, I will not go into more details but post covid the hills during the Iniochos Exercise have become alive with hundreds of non-Greek photographers. I say hills but that is exaggeration, on valley in particular. I cam across this valley first while travelling to an World War Two historic town, prompted by Nektaria, the long time girlfriend of Panos. A year or two later I was there with Panos to shoot next to nothing, he had previously shot an RF-4E from there. Its ironic that my article and book do not have any images from here at all. Is it the famed Greek 'Mach' Loop' that I said never existed, I don't know, it just feels like it is during the summer holidays.

It was nothing like this.
Greek Facebook groups have been used almost weekly to publish their low level images. This has been one of the factors that has 'encouraged' many to visit Greece hoping to get lucky. I now know some photographers have even visited outside Iniochos, with mixed luck. The Peloponnese and beyond has many spectacular valleys, which you would say would make wonderful locations for low level flying photography. The problem is there are so many and so few opportunities for shooting the low flyers. At a favourite location I have never seen a jet pass, at another 'well known' location over several days I only caught two jets, the photographs of which cannot be published, but here I once missed two A-7s by just a minute or two.

I had a meal with one mine and Panos's closest of friends this week, he was angry how photographer's have now swarmed to the hills that were once quiet, apart from occasional jet noise. He said visitors to the hills do not show respect to those that found the hillside locations over many years. The so-called foreign low level experts speak as though they know everything about Greek low flying. It might not be quite like that, but I certainly felt uneasy about some of the things I saw and heard this year. I think I will leave it there and not add any more comments.

The highlight for me this week were the HAF Mirage 2000s, but only because Panos had messaged me on October 27, 2015 saying for the first time he caught a Mirage 2000 at low level. He said shot it at a location called 'Paralogous'. This is a place I know, Panos had previously directed me to drive high up a mountain track to a very nice lookout point. A year or two after my first visit here an A-7 was brought down by some pylon cables which crossed the valley floor. The valley was subsequently declared off limits to low flying. He often messaged me with what he saw and sending images from the back of his camera. Its my understanding from asking around the regulars this week, no one before or since his sighting has seen a Mirage fly at low level. Judging by the skill the pilots showed, they must certainly often fly low, but they will have their own CPMs away from this area of Greece. Interestingly, the Hellenic AF celebrated their 50th anniversary of the arrival of their first F-4E on Thursday April 4, 2024 (April, 4 1974).

Day 1

Left to right: Dassault Rafale M (17) with Flottille 11F/12F French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale), based at Landivisiau Naval Air Base.

Left to right: General Dynamics F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcon (012) from 336 'Olympos' Squadron, 116 Wing Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia), based at Araxos.

Left to right: Pair (second was high) of McDonnell Douglas F-4E (AUP) Phantom IIs (01510 and 01520) of 338 Mira based at Andravida.

Left to right: Dassault Rafale M (34) with Flottille 11F Aéronavale.

Left to right: Dassault Rafale M (27) with Flottille 11F Aéronavale.

Left to right: General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon (1605) with 53rd Fighter Squadron 'Warhawks' (Escadrila 53) Romanian Air Force (Fortele Aeriene Române). They are based at the 86th Air Base 'Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mociornita' (Baza 86 Aeriana) at Borcea/Fetesti.

Day 2

Left to right: F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcon (011) it is from 335 'Tiger' Squadron, 116 Wing based at Araxos.

Left to right: F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcon (003) it is from 335 'Tiger' Squadron, 116 Wing based at Araxos.

Left to right: F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcon (009) it is from 335 'Tiger' Squadron, 116 Wing based at Araxos.

Left to right: F-4E(AUP) Phantom II (01520) of 338 Mira based at Andravida. The F-4E(AUP) Phantom IIs are painted in the ‘Aegean Ghost’ paint scheme.

Left to right: Mirage 2000B-5EG (550) with 331 MPK, 114 Wing based at Tanágra.

Left to right: Mirage 2000B-5EG (554) with 331 MPK, 114 Wing based at Tanágra.

Left to right: Mirage 2000B-5EG (555) with 331 MPK, 114 Wing based at Tanágra.

Left to right: Eurofighter Typhoon F2 (1018) with 10 Squadron, 2 Wing, based at King Fahad Air Base, Taif, Saudi Arabia.

Day 3

Left to right: F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcon (001) from 335 'Tiger' Squadron, 116 Wing based at Araxos.

Day 5 (Day 4 was a blank)

Left to right: F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcon (010) from 336 'Olympos' Squadron, 116 Wing based at Araxos.

Left to right: F-16D Block 52M Fighting Falcon (028) from 336 'Olympos' Squadron, 116 Wing based at Araxos.

Left to right: F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcon (012) from 336 'Olympos' Squadron, 116 Wing based at Araxos.

Left to right: Rafale M (13) with Flottille 12F French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale), based at Landivisiau Naval Air Base.

Left to right: Rafale M (7) with Flottille 12F French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale), based at Landivisiau Naval Air Base.

Left to right: F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcons (004 and 008) from 336 'Olympos' Squadron, 116 Wing based at Araxos.

Eurofighter Typhoon F2 (312) with 3 Squadron, 2 Wing, Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) based at King Fahad Air Base, Taif.

Left to right: McDonnell Douglas EF-18M Hornet (C.15-83 '46-11') of 462 Escuadrón 'Halcones' (Falcons), Ala 46 (46th Wing) Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire), based at Gando Air Base, Gran Canaria.

Left to right: EF-18M Hornet (C.15-82 '46-10') of 462 Escuadrón 'Halcones' (Falcons), Ala 46 (46th Wing) Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire), based at Gando Air Base, Gran Canaria.