James’ aviation image of the day – 31/03/2015

For the next week, I will be going over pictures I took during each of the seven show days at Sun ‘n Fun in 2014. The first day of the show saw many aircraft arrivals, both civilian arrivals for the week and then aircraft which would be involved in the displays later in the week. The above image is of the final arrival of the day, just minutes before 20:00, when the airfield was due to close. Whilst working with General Aircraft Camping at the 09 end of the runway, when I could see the familiar silhouette of a North American P-51 Mustang following the downwind leg on approach. Realising the type, with the sunset in the west, I grabbed my camera, set it to TV and hoped that I could get a usable shot. What I personally like about the image is the fact it is unique and how everything came together for that single shot. The aircraft is a 1944 built P-51D which was in service in California for nine years with a variety of units. Bought by FOX51 LLC (North Carolina) in 2007, the aircraft made its first post restoration flight in 2012, painted in its original scheme as ‘Swamp Fox’.

James’ aviation image of the day – 30/03/2015

Today’s image is of a Saab 35 Draken, belonging to the Swedish Air Force Historic Flight, photographed at the Jersey International Air Display in September 2014. The Draken came in to service in March 1960, and was operated for 45 years, primarily with the Swedish, Finnish, Royal Danish and, most recently, the Austrian Air Forces. As well as the private aircraft operated in Sweden, there a number of former Danish Air Force examples of the type based in the USA, some being used for test pilot training at the Mojave Spaceport. This aircraft, SE-DXP, first flew in 1962, and was operated by the Swedish Air Force, as one of 26 converted two seat aircraft, before being retired in 1997. It was restored by the Swedish Air Historic Flight, and made it’s first flight in early 2014.

James’ aviation image of the day 29/03/2015

de Havilland Sea Vixen, G-CVIX, performing a low flyby at Bournemouth Air Festival 2014.

Today’s image is of an aircraft, of which there is only a single flying example left in the world. The de Havilland Sea Vixen was a product of requirements outlined in 1946 by the Royal Navy for a twin engined, all-weather jet aircraft. In 1955, having initially opted for the de Havilland Sea Venom, the Fleet Air Arm later decided to equip itself with another offering from de Havilland, the DH.110, which later became the Sea Vixen. The aircraft photographed is an FAW.2 variant, registered as XP924, it originally flew with 899 Naval Air Squadron from HMS Eagle until 1971. More recently the aircraft has been based at Bournemouth Hurn airport, owned by DS Aviation, registered as G-CVIX. In September 2014 the aircraft changed hands, now being operated by Naval Aviation Ltd, a subsidiary of the Fly Navy Heritage Trust, working with the Royal Navy Historic Flight at RNAS Yeovilton. The aircraft has been seldom seen over the past few years, due to technical issues and a landing accident in 2012, I for one certainly hope to see this unique classic jet more over the coming years.

James’ aviation image of the day – 28/03/2015

Today’s image comes from just over two years ago, taken at my first nightshoot event at RAF Northolt. When I signed up for the event I was unsure at what to expect, though I knew what I wanted to come away with, specifically of the Historic Aircraft Collections (HAC) Supermarine Spitfire MkVb, which would be attending. However on the morning of the event the aircraft was discovered to have an oil leak at its base, Duxford, and would not be able to attend, but a just as welcome replacement was found from the same stable in the HAC’s Hawker Hurricane. The aircraft is a Canadian built MkXIIa from 1943, which served with the Canadian air force during World War Two. The Hurricane was brought over to the UK in 1985, where it was restored by Paul Mercer, making its first post restoration flight in 1989. Registered at G-HURI, the aircraft was bought by the HAC in 2002 and repainted in to the colours of a Hurricane MkIIb of 126 Squadron, fighting in the Siege of Malta. The aircraft now resides at Duxford Aerodrome, where it features in a number of airshows each year. This image appealed to me because of the stopped propeller, after I started to expose the image as the engine was being shut down, and then achieving the effect which I wanted.

USS Theodore Roosevelt visits HMNB Portsmouth 22/03/2015 – 27/03/2015

The last week saw the anchoring of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in Stokes Bay, Portsmouth, UK, on the vessel’s first stop of it’s world deployment. The Nimitz class Aircraft Carrier was positioned outside the HMNB Portsmouth, due to the width of the ship and depth of the port making it impossible to enter the single entrance and exit port. The ship was accompanied by Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, USS Winston S. Churchill, which will continue on deployment with USS Theodore Roosevelt until it reaches it’s final destination of San Diego, California, USA, which will become the new home-port of the aircraft carrier, after it stops in the Mediterranean, Middle East and later Japan, before reaching the west coast of America.

The carrier stopping in the UK ends the wait since the anchoring of the USS George H.W. Bush, CVN-77, in Portsmouth on its maiden deployment in May 2011. This occasion was also the first time I have been able to properly photograph an aircraft carrier with a Digital SLR. The gap between this current deployment and the last, forced me to make the most of this visit, heading along to Portsmouth on three of the five days of which the ship was anchored. The following pictures come from two days at Stokes Bay and a boat trip, going up to the 150 metre exclusion zone around the ship, giving me a closer view of the aircraft from Carrier Air Wing One aboard, this being the main reason for my visit.

The evening of the arrival as the bow of the USS Theodore Roosevelt catches the setting sun.

Accompanying Destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill sits in HMNB Portsmouth soon after arrival.

Stars and Stripes proudly flown in-front of the Spinnaker Tower.

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USS Theodore Roosevelt’s bow view in the morning sun.

Stern view of the USS Theodore Roosevelt with the MV Rossini replenishment ship alongside

The centre of operations on and off the ship.

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18F Super Hornet 166625 – VFA-11 – Strike Fighter Squadron 11 – Red Rippers.

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18E Hornet 166825 – VFA-136 – Strike Fighter Squadron 136 – Knighthawks.

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18F Super Hornet 166813 – VFA-211 – Strike Fighter Squadron 211 – Flying Checkmates.

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet 164964 – VMFA-251 – Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 – Thunderbolts.

Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye pair – VAW-125 – Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125 – Tiger Tails.

McDonnell Douglas EA-18G Growler 168270 – VAQ-137 – Electronic Attack Squadron 137 – Rooks.

Sikorsky HH-60H Seahawk 165256 – HS-11 – Helicopter Anti Submarine Squadron 11 – Dragon Slayers.

Crowded Carrier, crowded sky – USS Theodore Roosevelt from Stokes Bay beach.

I hope you enjoyed the images and quick report, any feedback and comments would be greatly appreciated!

James’ aviation image of the day – 27/03/2015

Today’s image takes a relevant detour from the Sun ‘n Fun, 12 months on images, which will properly begin on the 31st of March. The reason for this relevance is that today, 27/03/2015, should have marked the withdrawal from Royal Air Force service of the Hawker Siddeley HS-125. Though the initial out of service date for these aircraft was 2022, the lowered requirement for their use due to ‘royal flights’ now using more civilian chartered flights has brought the retirement date forward significantly. The aircraft in this image, ZD621, belongs to 32 Squadron, ‘The Royal Flight’, was delivered to the RAF in March 1983, as an HS-125-700. Over time the aircraft has undergone many changes for services in different areas, from VIP use for the Royal Family to working down in the Middle East during conflicts including the Second Gulf War. With the retirement of the aircraft, three airframes are up for sale by the MOD, though they are unlikely to find a buyer due to the working life of the aircraft and will be stored at Dunsfold Aerodrome for the meantime, whilst ZD621 will become a gate guardian outside the 32SQN hangar at RAF Northolt.

James’ aviation image of the day – 26/03/2015

Today’s image takes me back 12 months exactly, where at this moment I would have been sitting on Virgin Atlantic Flight 27, from London Gatwick to Orlando International Airport for Sun ‘n Fun 2014. The image was taken over the North of Canada somewhere, from around 37,000 feet, but the different colours and tones which feature in the image for me make it very nice on the eye. The next few days are going to feature some pictures from Sun ‘n Fun, a year on from when they were taken, some can be seen in the feature below. Also it would be most appreciated to get some feedback on the article, and also whether or not I should do some more similar pieces on other events. The upcoming pictures won’t necessarily be all Sun ‘n Fun, but on the days I did take aviation images I will choose a favourite.

My Sun ‘n Fun Experience

Today (26^th March 2015) marks a full year from the day I departed to attend the Sun ‘n Fun fly-in in Lakeland, Florida, USA. I was one of thirty air cadets from London and South East Region ATC to be selected to travel across the Atlantic, to one of the world’s largest aviation events. The opportunity was a great one and I have taken many things forward from it, including having work published in General Aviation News’, ‘Sun ‘n Fun today’, a relationship I am to continue over time. But this wasn’t the main thing I took from the whole experience, the main thing that sticks in my mind is how different the event was to anything held in the UK on so many different levels, all of which I look forward to experiencing again in the future.

The Saturday morning mass balloon launch attracted huge numbers of early birds

On arriving at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport and the opening of the first show days, the enormity of the event was quickly obvious. Masses of people on a mix of business and pleasure visits made the trip to central Florida, from places far and wide, with over 220,000 people coming through the gates over the three main days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, significantly surpassing previously set records, from the shows 40 year history and an especially large increase over recent years, especially the 160,000 person attendance in 2013.

The US Navy Blue Angels breaking from behind

The USAF Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor demo was one of the highlights of the show

There are multiple possible reasons for this dramatic change in numbers, firstly the return of any US Military support was very welcome, with contributions from the USAF in the form of the F-22 Raptor demo and the US Navy with the Blue Angels. This leads me on to another observation, being the appreciation for this support at airshows in the USA, whilst also continuing to support members of these forces which travel around the world, this being vastly different to the respect shown by some airshow attendees in the UK.

Floating down from the deep blue, Stars and Stripes opening the display

A tribute to men and women in the American services then and now

Another factor which made the show for me, were the people involved, whether it be organisers, volunteers or the public there to watch the show, all had the up-most respect for others and the show. The opening of the show which included the flying of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the performance of the Star Spangled Banner, really set the atmosphere of the show at a level I’ve never witnessed in a UK show before. The other volunteers at the show were all welcoming towards us and our help at the show, whilst many people would openly ask us about what we thought of the show, what we were doing or who we were with, this just adding to the atmosphere.

F-22 Raptor crew, Lite Gray and Zeus Renner, after arrival on Wednesday

AD-5 Skyraider leads a train of T-28 Trojan’s back to Warbird Parking

The accessibility of the show was also part of the winning formula. People within reason had free run to look over any of the aircraft, whether they be the military types, warbirds or peoples aircraft which they had flown in for the week or even the day on some cases. This freedom went from 8:00am, when the gates opened, right in to the evening and night on the days featuring the evening airshow. The only kind of events which have this kind of access in the UK are fly-in’s hosted at small airfields most weekends over the summer months, whilst airshows have a much tighter restriction over how close you can get to the flying and static aircraft. This especially for me, walking round with a camera around my neck was a fantastic experience, being able to get nearly anywhere, asking aircraft owners or exhibitors if I could look in here, which significantly helped me produce different images which reflect the experience from my personal perspective.

Boeing B-17 ‘Texas Raiders’, departs post show on a passenger flight

I also believe that there was an aviation culture emerging from this show. Some volunteers had been attending the show for every one of its 40 years running, watching it evolve from a small scale fly-in in central Florida to the world famous aviation event it is now. The way that people could fly-in from all over North America, in most cases, would come to the show in the morning becoming one of the 12,000 movements over the week, making Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, the busiest for air traffic in the world! People flying in from further afield would camp with their aircraft overnight, along with thousands of other pilots and like-minded people, sharing stories and experiencing others.

Part of our role as cadets was to assist with the parking of aircraft in the different areas

A small section of the General Aircraft Camping area on the first night

This is by no way a dig at UK airshows, on average I will attend four or five per year around the UK, however my Sun ‘n Fun experience opened up a mass of ideas and what ifs about shows in the UK, and how things may have been different in the past. This experience has made me think a lot more differently about airshows, the people, the respect, the accessibility, are all things which added to my involvement in the event, making it different from anything else I have attended before, also making me very envious of the lucky people attending the 41^st Edition on April 21^st to 26^th 2015.

My favourite image from the show, A North American P-51 Mustang arrives just before the airfield closes for the night.

James’ aviation image of the day – 25/03/2015

Today’s image is continues on from the subject of a few days ago, being the visit of US Navy aircraft carrier. USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). Courtesy of a locally organised boat trip, I managed to get a closer look at this giant, really putting the numbers that come with an engineering project of this magnitude in to perspective. The main reason for getting closer was to have a better look at the aircraft types aboard and, I will be following this soon with some images of the flying machines which reside on one of the US Navy’s 11 Tracy Islands in motion.

James’ aviation image of the day – 24/03/2015

Today’s image comes from a quick stop at Eastleigh this afternoon, of a subject unique in the UK on the route between Southampton and Alderney. Built on the Isle-of-Wight, the Britten-Norman Trislander was first flown in 1970, as a type that could be used in locations, previously not accessible with larger fixed wing types, with very short, grass runways, due to its good short space take off and landing capabilities courtesy of three Lycoming engines. This characteristic means that the aircraft has been exported to many remote places, such as the Cayman Islands and Vanuatu over its career, despite production running in very limited numbers. The sole remaining operator in the UK is Aurigny, who currently use four aircraft on routes between the Channel Islands and Southampton. The aircraft over the next year are set to be replaced with leased Dornier 228’s, however this change has been impending for a number of years and the first lease of a Dornier has only recently come so hopefully these charismatic aircraft have a bit more left in the tank.