Photographic Portfolio of 2024 Images and photographic notes of my successes for the year

Each year I like to produce a collection of my best and favourite images. Most have been published in books and magazines and possibly in conjunction with features and as such were chosen by the editor in question. I hope you like this snapshot of my published best work from 2024.

Portfolios by Category

F-4E(AUP) Phantom II (01520) of 338 Mira based at Andravida. Painted in the ‘Aegean Ghost’ paint scheme, it is flying low through a valley in the Peloponnese mountains in Greece.

Low-level portfolio - click here for more images and reports. This is my real passion. Finding a steep sided valley and waiting for some fast jet action is very relaxing. You might only get one or two jets in a day, but who cares? The scenery is often stunning and when you are alone it gives you a good chance to unwind from life's pressures. The anticipation of a jet flying up your valley is exciting. The thrill of capturing low flying jet with the terrain as a background is more than you can imagine.

Duke Hawkins - Ode to the Falcon, 50 years of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. "Ode to the Falcon" is a 404 page hardcover book. It brings the story on the F-16 in the 21st century in 500+ photos and 54 colour profiles, specifically made for this book. It is limited at 2,000 copies worldwide. The first 130 pages shows the F-16 in use in the US, from the Air Combat Command, to the Air Force Reserve Command, Training Command, Evaluation, Air National Guard, PAcific Command, Europe and Africa Command, and US Navy. Also in separate chapters are the Aggressors, US Thunderbirds and the QF-16 Zombie Viper, used as target drones. The next part of the book shows every air force flying the F-16, 27 countries in all. Each country is shown in 8, 10 or 6 pages. At the end, there's a technical view of the F-16, a look at the ordnance and all the different blocks explained. To conclude, the 54 profiles are listed once more and explained in detail. My contribution for this fantastic book was 45 images from 12 air forces taken between 2008 and 2024.

Duke Hawkins - Aircraft in Detail - LTV A-7 Corsair II. Developed to replace the aging A-4 Skyhawk within the US Navy, the Corsair II was a compact fighter jet, capable of carrying a huge weapons load. This books shows not only the A-7E, the most used version of the Corsair II, but also the A-7A, A-7B, TA-7C, the A-7D used in the US Air Force and the A-7H of the Greek Air Force and the A-7P for the Portuguese Air Force. Again, both the single seat and two-seat cockpits are included, as well as every other detail of the airframe. An extensive maintenance chapter allows you to see underneath the skin of the high-wing jet. My contribution for this book was 5 images in 2013.

Duke Hawkins - Aircraft in Detail - BAe Systems Hawk. This book was introduced exactly 50 years after the first flight of the BAE Systems Hawk and is probably the first one to show it in this close detail. The book holds one of the biggest maintenance chapters we’ve ever done, after having visited the hangars at RAF Valley extensively. It shows both the original version of the Hawk; T1, T1A and many of the export versions of the single engine trainer, but also the T2, recognizable by its long nose and extended wings. Cockpit, landing gear, fuselage, speed brake, wings and tail section are all shown in great detail. My contribution for this book was 5 images taken between 2009 and 2016.

Duke Hawkins - Aircraft in Detail - Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II. The A-10 is one of the oddest looking fighter jets operating today, but loves by the men on the ground as a close air support asset. Capable of turning in a very tight spot, packed with weapons and well protected by armor, the A-10 is a menace for enemy tanks, armored vehicles, artillery or enemy ground troops. In this 180 page book, we offer an incredibly close look at the Warthog, both on the outside and the inside. My contribution was these 4 images.

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules - Volumn 1: Europe, by Xavier Capy This is volumn 1 of the C-130 Hercules story, as they write; "More than 2,500 aircraft have equipped 75 air forces on five continents, not counting civilian companies and government agencies. Remarkably, it is still in production more than 70 years after its first flight..." Two of my images from 2012 and 2013 were chosen for this impressive book, written in French incidentally.

On air base and exercises portfolio - I visited just a few air bases in 2024, click here for more images and reports.

Duke Hawkins - Aircraft in Detail - Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter & Tiger II. For this book on the F-5, we were faced with another dilemma: do we bring only the F-5E/F/N or do we also include the F-5A/B, even though they are quite different. The solution was found by including a separate chapter at the end of the book on the earlier version of the compact two-engined jet. My contribution for this book was 5 images taken between 2006 and 2007.

Duke Hawkins - Aircraft in Detail - Boeing AH-64 Apache. This book features the Apache attack helicopter, seen from every angle and in spectacular action. Included are the early A version, as well as the D and E versions. Helicopters from many countries are identified: USA, UK, the Netherlands, Greece, Japan, Israel, and many others. This book also includes a huge maintenance chapter and close-ups of the different cockpit layouts. My contribution for this book was 5 images taken between 2010 and 2016.

Duke Hawkins - Aircraft in Detail - Sikorsky/Westland Sea King. For decades, the Sea King has operated in air forces around the world, in a variety of roles: from submarine hunter and Search and Rescue helicopter to troop transport and Airborne Early Warning asset. This 180 page book shows the many, many versions of the versatile and much missed helicopter as never before. In this book, Sea Kings from many countries are included: UK, USA, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Canada, Japan, Argentina, Italy, Egypt, Pakistan, India, and more. My contribution for this book was 9 images taken between 2008 and 2014.

Duke Hawkins - Aircraft in Detail - Saab 35 Draken. The Swedish Saab Draken was the first jet in the world to perform the famous “Cobra”, a maneuver that flipped the jet vertically, made it stall and then recover by pushing the nose steeply downwards, long before the Russian Flanker did it. In this book we bring another visit to the Swedish Air Force Historic Flight, this time to photograph every part of the compact double delta fighter jet. My contribution for this book was just 2 images taken in 2003 with my first digital camera.

Duke Hawkins - Aircraft in Detail - AgustaWestland A109. This book is built up into two parts: the first one shows the Belgian A109 demo team in close up during their airshow routine, preparations, and encounters with the public. In this chapter, you even get spectacular views from inside the cockpit. The second part of the book brings the walk-around of the versatile little helicopter in use with several air forces. The exterior, interior, cargo bay, engines, rotor gearboxes, everything is shown in very close detail. My contribution for this book was 3 images.

Left to right: Image of 56 Squadron Tornado F.3 (ZE736 'WB') for the book 'Panavia Tornado' by David Oliver.

Air to air portfolio  -  Click here for more images and reports.

Duke Hawkins - Aircraft in Detail - Hawker Hurricane. While the Supermarine Spitfire took most of the spotlights during the Battle of Britain, the Hawker Hurricane did much of the heavy work. This third book in the Classic series shows the WW2 fighter aircraft in very close detail. Mostly built up out of wood and canvas, the Hurricane was a fast and capable aircraft of which we wanted to shows every detail, from engine to cockpit and fuselage to wings. Only 8 of them remain in airworthy condition today and most of them can be found in this book. My contribution for this book was 14 images, including the front cover, taken between 2005 and 2021.

Air shows, Museums and Classic Aircraft portfolios - I don't think I attended an air show in 2024 but I did visit many museums for my new book, click air shows or museums and relics for more images and reports.

Buccaneer S.2B XX900 at Tatenhill during an anti-det engine run.

I was asked in 2020 to write a piece by the editor of Aviation News on the move of Buccaneer S.2B XX900 from Bruntingthorpe to Tatenhill. On meeting the team working on the Buccaneer I was told of their ambitious plans to re-paint the jet in a spectacular but authentic colour scheme it once wore. The scheme would not be revealed till the following year. We decided that this was the story and not just the move. Unfortunately Covid hit and work on the jet was disrupted. It was not until 2023 was the paint scheme applied and the article could be finished. Click for my article Keeping XX900 Alive for Aviation News, February 2024 issue, 2,000 words and nine images, one image used for full page add' for Tatenhill Aviation.

Left to right: My article "One man and his Jag…" for FlyPast Magazine August 2024 issue. 2,000 words and three of my images, Neil Atterbury provided some of his own. See my website article "Neil Atterbury's Baby".

The British Heritage Trust decided to use one of my images (downloaded from my website without permission) as sold as; "Exclusive" for the front cover of their 2024 calendar. My copyrighted image of Vickers VC-1 Viking (G-AGRW formally XF640) was taken in 2018 during a visit to Vienna, Austria.