Thanks for all the comments!
If this has piqued anyone's interest, here's a few tips:
They fly from Duxford on a few specific dates per year, and you can book them at the
Classic Wings web site. My flight did not seem particularly geared up for photography, so I would NOT recommend going with the sole intention of taking photos - it's all about the
experience.
But that doesn't mean you can't get some great shots anyway - and the following might be helpful:
Some seats in the Rapide are better than others for photography... but
you don't get to choose. You are allocated seats according to size/weight in order to balance the Dragon Rapide. The front seats might be the most difficult to get a clear shot of the Spitfire, due to wings/struts/bracing/windowframes in the way. Second from the front is OK (where I was), but still somewhat limited in the amount of clear field of view. 3rd from front is
possibly the best. Rear seats, I really don't know - maybe OK, maybe not.
Also, if you want to see the Spitfire's "Mylcraine" etc artwork on its port side... it's better to sit on the starboard side of the Rapide! This probably applies to any similar wing-to-wing flights if such things exist: if a plane has "nose art", it's most likely on its port side.
We boarded the Rapide two at a time, from the front to the back. So maybe better to loiter at the back, tie your shoelace or something, until the first two get on... and when it's your turn, run for it! Get there first and you can choose the starboard-side seat.
It's pretty cramped in the Rapide, especially if you are of the "large" persuasion (and BTW, some would have no chance of leaving the plane via the emergency "ring pull" exits in the roof!). So I wouldn't advise taking a big lens. The Spitfire flies very close so you need some wide angle, and on my flight there was no opportunity
at all for a shot requiring a long focal length. The chap next to me started out using a DSLR, and a lens that looked like about 300mm. I noticed he pulled out a tiny compact and started using that instead, after a short time. Maybe he didn't have enough wide-angle, didn't want to change lenses, or didn't bring a different lens... or maybe his lens was banging against the window. Then again, perhaps he just wanted to shoot some video, I dunno :-D
The Spitfire doesn't swoop in and out, peel away or anything like that. You might get a
very brief opportunity for a topside when it manouevres to the other side of the Rapide. But if you blink you might miss it. I had just one chance at that... and I missed it. It was gone before I could lift my camera.
*** EDIT *** This seems to depend a lot on who is flying the Spitfire. check rjlaker's photos on here, taken on another wing-to-wing flight a few days later: the pilot was different, and some cracking good topsides resulted!
Finally, the best and least-obstructed shots in my opinion, were available with the Spitfire behind the Rapide rather than alongside. To take those shots you needed to twist around in your seat (bearing in mind you are strapped in), and shoot somewhat behind you. This may be physically challenging for some - in which case a fully articulated rear screen on your camera could be a major asset.
It may help to plan your camera settings in advance. In my case, I created saved setups the day before, with spot metering and single-area AF (where I would normally use evaluative or centre-weighted metering, and multi-point AF). This was to avoid accidentally setting focus/exposure on bits of the Rapide.
I had one setup with IS and continuous AF on, since I expected the Spitfire to be largely "static" relative to the Rapide... and one with IS off and single-AF (which I use for sharper results when panning with my FZ200) just in case it moved around a lot. I also set "auto review" on, so I could quickly check results and adjust exposure compensation etc if necessary (I normally turn off auto review, gets in the way of my "live view"). If you don't shoot RAW, don't forget to set your white balance.
Goodbye 600D... Hello FZ150!
