2018 a year of Aviation happenings

[Wbirdnut]

My year of plane spotting and other related aviation ventures, yes a bit of
a brag she has been a biggy in fact I don’t think I will ever top it! Seeing
this is the photography thread will attempt to relate to the story behind the
image as best as I can.

Have been lucky to call Lord Howe Island my home for the last 28 years.
A small and remote location that happens to be between Australia and
New Zealand, therefore we get a number of aeroplanes transiting the
Tasman Sea.

First cab off the rank this little rocket ship, try to shoot slow shutter speeds
one to get prop blur and two a blured back ground gives the impression of
movement. Glassair III image captured 9/1/18 ferried from New Zealand
now resides in Western Australia.


Been a model maker since I was a young lad initially plastic kits nowadays
RC planes all electric and favour the smaller ultra micros. Completed this
conversion of a 3.7volt powered Mustang to a more powerful 7.4 volts. She
flies fast and very responsive, small wing span. Hard to capture her in flight
at least the set of keys gives an idea of how small she is, span 410mm.


The largest aeroplane to visit the island’s 3,000ft strip luckily visit on a fairly
regular basis, RAAF C130Js are our emergency evacuation method after
dark. They visit three to four times a year to keep the crews current, this
gives me an opportunity to get a few different angles. They only ever visit
in the afternoons when the sun is not at the best location, I have a 150 to
600 lens so can get in nice and close. This first image was hand held at
full zoom, F22 at 125th bit soft but not too bad considering.




As I said they stay and do touch and goes into the night, got lucky with this
rainbow parking up behind the machine all images captured 6/2/18.


5/3/18 sometimes I just can’t jag the take off or landing, long time New Zealand
resident now lives in Australia.


24/3/18 somedays just beautiful in more ways than one, a brand new RNZAF
King Air she had around 80 hours on the clock at the time of her visit.


Not always sunny and nice out in the Tasman, took off and flew direct to New
Zealand 1,643klms taking 5.5hours to get there! Well known ferry pilot Stephen
Death comes through on a regular basis with a variety of machines in both
directions, image captured 27/3/18.


Love the adventures spirit of human beings, long distances over lots of ocean
in a small machine, great stuff! These three lighties venture to and from the big
brown land, 31/3/18.




Usually visit Sydney in the winter where our kids live and work, had an extra
trip for a couple of proud parents to witness a daughter graduate. By pure
fluke the weekend coincided with one of the Temora Aviation Museum’s mini
showcase airshows. Bit of a hike, 423klms but not too bad, excellent highway!

F10 at 250th, this image was cropped as well.


F11 at 160th, 468mm zoom, the trailing smoke makes tracking her in the sky
so much easier.


Beautiful day the sun gets into a worse position as the day progresses, F11
at 125th, 423mm zoom, all images 29/4/18.


Back home and a screen shot off go pro footage of my RAAF P51 MkIII, have
experimented with this a bit, camera mounted on my head and you need to fly
really close, they always turn out a bit blurry but I think this can add to the image
sometimes?


2/5/18 got unlucky here parked at northern end of the airstrip to get her turning
around in front of the mountains and old mate decided to turn around mid strip!


Very rare but this time it all fell into place and you get two at the same time,
XL 750 going west, second new RNZAF Kingair going east, 26/5/18.




F14, 160th 221mm zoom.


Just so happens the pilot of the 750 was Chris Underwood who flew the last
RNZAF Skyhawk in New Zealand, Chris kindly signed my book on the A4.


C130J afterdark on a tripod F8 with aperture open for 82 seconds.


24/6/18
Off the island for a winter holiday via Sydney town, popped down to check out
the seaplanes on Sydney Harbour, 24/6/18


Tricky image to capture, backlit, so overexposed F22 at 250th 435mm zoom.


Second half of the year to follow……………

[Airwolfhound]

A very nice selection, looking forward to part 2

[Tmyers123]

Very nice set, like the Herc shots.

[Wbirdnut]

An adventure and a half to the other side of the world, first stop Kent in the UK
a famous area for many reasons, for an aviation nut the area where the Battle
of Britain was fought. A number of museums first stop the Spitfire and Hurricane
memorial and Manston Aviation museums are a walking distance apart.


Personally I prefer flash with interior museum photos.






Short drive south to the evocative Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel le Ferne.




Next stop the wonderfully named Headcorn aerodrome for a Battle of Britain
show, four Spitfires and two Hurricane, bonus one flown by Kiwi Keith Skilling.


You can do photography flights in the Dove with a Spitfire in alongside, this
shot, F20 at 250th, bit soft but left in all the same..


Grass strip, Oak trees and Spitfires in the sunshine, priceless, F18 at 160th.


F18 at 160th.


After Kent headed north and stopped off at RAF Cosford, some rare gems.
The only complete Defiant in existence.


The oldest Spitfire in existence.




Not my shot, while I was away a T28 Trojan was ferried across the Tasman.


A couple of nights in the Cumbria area, always wanted to visit White Cross Bay,
on lake Windemere where Sunderland flying boats were manufactured and flown.


On the same day at the next lake up from Windemere, met a guy pirched up
on a small look out, had a chat and he asked if we where there to see the
jet come by, no we weren’t, five minutes later! Not my shot but he kindly
allowed me to share his awesome image!


Also in the area the resting place of Donald Campbell, not an aeroplane but
jet powered.


Next stop a long time mate who took my wife and I on the flight of a lifetime
from a small airstrip at Cumbernauld Scotland to one of the outer Hebridean
islands North Uist. A fly in held every year with some thirty types showing up.






on the way home flew over Harry Potter’s bridge, the Glenfinnan Viaduct, 8/7/18.


A couple of Cumbernauld area gems, 9/7/18.




After the Scotland on our way east then south stopped off at the bridge that
Ray Hanna flew his Spitfire under, Winston Bridge, 12/6/18.




Next stop Shuttleworth, 13/7/18.






Shuttleworth another great place for photography, Keith Skilling again.


Part 3 to follow.......

[Wbirdnut]

Not too far from Shuttleworth across to Duxford, Imperial War Museum




The American Airpower Museum.




Flying Legends two days of warbirds, tricky with the sun high and behind the
machines, gets into a better position as the day progresses.

A mixture of pic's taken 14-15/7/18, many highlights one of the best aspects the
formations, four Buchons in formation, F11 at 160th.


Battle of Britain formation, F18 at 160th.






F20 at 160th.




F9 at 160th.




A few fighters


F10 at 160th.




F29 at 125th.






F29 at 160th.




Some heavies.
F11 at 160th.




F10 at 160th.

[Wbirdnut]

28/7/18 back in Australia, did a trip north before returning home up to the Rathmines Catalina restoration.


Along way to go.


But progressing slowly.


29/7/18 also up that way Luskintyre not far west of Newcastle, said to be the
home of the Tiger Moth in Australia.




While I was there a Stearman did a couple of circuits, F22 at 125th.


14/8/18 back home, long range Jet Ranger.


16/8/18 the RPT Dash 8 200s have had paint jobs, F22 at 160th.


A few ultra micro rc warbirds knocked off, trick photography you can just see
under the wing have blanked out a piece of wire that was holding her.


Graham Frew’s Yak 3, gold unlimited Reno racer, may add the 35 one day,
converted from a micro Mustang.


This one modelled on the Fighter Collections Wildcat.


25/10/18 around-the-worlder from Austria.


F18 at 160th.


2/11/18 Warbird and crop-duster pilot, Stephen Death ferries all sorts in both directions
across the Tasman.


Another regular visitor sometimes for not such good reasons, Kingair Ambulance.


Rc ultra micro Thunderbolt forward dated her from a razorback to a bubble canopy.


5/12/18 final visitor of note a great one, on her last leg from Great Britain to New
Zealand in a Eurofox. piloted by Chris Pote and Abby Mcgill, F9 at 1/200th.


An awesome achievement by Chris his co-pilots and support team!


Phew what a year, don’t know how I will top it, probably won’t, thanks to the pilots
who take time to put up with me, the spies who tell me when they are coming and
my wife and kids who tolerate my obsessions!

[Sundowner]

Blimey, what a year!
Thanks for sharing it with us .

[Wbirdnut]

Thank you, yeah will be hard to top if ever!