RAF Waddington Airshow 29/06-02/07 [89 photos /Complete!]

Airshow Photography from the UK and around the world
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Macc
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RAF Waddington Airshow 29/06-02/07 [89 photos /Complete!]

Post by Macc »

After Coningsby on the Thursday it was off to Waddington on the Friday. The weather was much more settled and although colder and windier it was much more settled with a couple of minor showers in the morning fading away and the sun coming out amongst the clouds. I was looking forward to the show as there were lots of highlights - Swiss F/A-18, Cougar, Black Eagles in the flying. Phantom and the Wedgetail in the static. And those were only some!

Before the photos, I'd also like to thank all those I saw over the long weekend for the company. You know who you were.

I'll start off with Friday:

1. I caught my first glimpse of the ROKAF Black Eagles in the morning, they only managed half a rehearsal so I didn't catch the impact of their display at all and wasn't really expecting them to be anything outstanding (oh, how wrong I was to be).
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Shine on by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

2. The breaks in the sky created some dramatic photo opportunities.
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Dramatic Eagles by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

3. The next was one of the best parts of the whole trip, seeing the Phantom come onto approach with the gear down expecting it to land. I noticed the arrestor gear, however, was down and then realised he was playing with the crowd as he held the aircraft at slow speed half way down the runway before applying power.
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Phantom hooker by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

4. He then thundered into the circuit and instead of slowing down, he sped up and turned in for a fast pass. I caught, well, half of the Phantom. The business end.
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Phantom phrust by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

5. Another Phantom shot.. :yahoo:
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Iconic shape by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

6. The Swiss Hornet then went out for a practice under the dark skies.
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Watercolour sky by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

7. The 360 degress high alpha turn was a stunning spectacle.
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Keep your nose up by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

8. Forgot to change lenses so a close up of the C-130 it was then!
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Eyes on the taxiway by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

9. Thankfully the Wedgetail was in a great place for photos.
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The Wedgetail by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

10. The Swiss Cougar was also great to see.
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Swiss Cougar by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

11. Then a few specials arrived, the jubilee Tucano, the Czech Gripen and 3sqn Typhoon.
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Tiger spirit by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

12. Even got a little wave from the airbrake.
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The third shall be first by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

13. The Frecce created their own backdrop.
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Smoke on! by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

14. The amazing 10 aircraft split.
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Frecce split! by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

15. The RNoAF Da20ECM had a bit of a wavy landing.
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Windstruck by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

16. The Chinook HC2 banked right over the PnV.
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Banking wokka by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

17. The Bell 212 was a nice rarity.
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Camo '212 by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

18. As was the SAAB340 AEW with the Erieye radar, which came in the best light of the day.
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The Swede's 'big brother' by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

19. I love photographing loadmasters, and this shot with the two loadmasters watching each other with the near one silhouetted I really liked.
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Puma pair by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

20. The Dutch went up for a rehearsal but were miles away most of the time.
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High alpha by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

21. The RNZAF Boeing B757 went up and landed in gorgeous light with a large cloud in the way for the whole display.
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Kiwi face by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

22. Looked very nice with the anniversary markings though.
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Happy 75th RNZAF! by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

Thanks,
Chris
Last edited by Macc on Sun 15 Jul 2012, 7:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

DeanW
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by DeanW »

Top set young Cheddar Cheese! :grin: First Hornet and the Puma images are smashing!

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LN Strike Eagle
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by LN Strike Eagle »

Puma pair and last 757 are excellent, Chris.
"You really are an oafish philistine at times!"

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Macc
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by Macc »

Onto the Saturday, the weather was meant to be the worst of the weekend and when we first got up it seemed so with low cloud and the threat of rain. One heavy shower later and the sky was clearing up and remained pretty clear during the majority of the day.

It was a long walk from Coleby to a decent spot, but it was worth it!

23. Can't get enough of these guys!
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Waiting on the pan by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

24. The rain forced a delay on us, and we got to a decent spot just as the Tornado GR4 role demo started their bit!
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Cloud thief by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

25.
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Topside Tornado! by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

26. Was good to catch some sun on the Swiss Cougar.
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Swiss bank.. by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

27. The Dutch F-16 display was fantastic from where I was, finally got a sunny topside!
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Smoke and burners by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

28.
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Vapour and smoke by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

29.
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Stitch's steed by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

30. The Red Arrows were great as always.
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Blue, white and red by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

31. Always great to see the white topped RC-135!
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The future by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

32. I was gutted when this never pitched up during the Friday, to then be surprised it was doing a fly through on the Saturday was a lovely change.
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Dutch heavy by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

32. Some lovely light on the BBMF!
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BBMF pair by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

33.
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Lancaster by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

34. Not quite as awesome as his low show, but still the most impressive of all the European fast jet displays I've seen this year.
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Hornet! by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

35.
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Burners on by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

36. These guys just impressed me so much. Couldn't stop going on about them after.
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Entrance manoeuvre by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

37.
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Formation turn by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

38.
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Pulling away by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

39.
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Layers of aviation by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

40.
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Korean diamond by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

41.
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Black Eagle by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

42.
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Through the smoke by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

43.
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Black eagle by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

44. The Frecce looked good in the weather.
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Split! by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

45.
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Freefallin' by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

46.
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Falling by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

47.
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Smoke is in the air by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

48. Great colour scheme, not so great display.
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Saudi underside by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

49. Great display this year!
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Tight turn by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

50.
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Diving down by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

51. Thought Team Orlik were actually pretty good.
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Polish precision by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

52.
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Orlik topside by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

53.
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Smokey Pole by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

54. Some lovely light on the NZ B757!
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An affy large Kiwi by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

Chris

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LN Strike Eagle
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by LN Strike Eagle »

By quite a distance, those are the best I've seen from Waddington this year. Dutch F-16 topside is fab.
"You really are an oafish philistine at times!"

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stevieb
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by stevieb »

By quite a distance, those are the best I've seen from Waddington this year. Dutch F-16 topside is fab.


+1 Cracking stuff Chris!
Hunting for the bygone picture, reviving phantoms of the past. Claudia Brücken
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Blackbird
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by Blackbird »

An outstanding set :clap: :clap: :clap:
What kit do you use?

Andy :smile:

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triple_ace
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by triple_ace »

Great shots Chris, you are masterful. :clap:

Craig_85
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by Craig_85 »

Best waddo set i think i've seen :smile:

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Macc
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by Macc »

Progressing to Sunday now:

The weather began as it left off when flying finished on Saturday, blue skies all around with just the odd cloud. Sadly it didn't stay that way and digressed as the day continued. Because of the weather and the previously successful day combined with the fact that the Euro 2012 final was on that night me and my Dad headed back a bit early (just before Team Orlik). Having missed the ISTAR and E-3D display the previous day I was more than happy to catch it on the Sunday.

55.
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Eyes in the sky! by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

56.
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Through the blue by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

57.
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Sentry post by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

58.
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AWACS above by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

59.
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Heavy metal by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

60.
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Upside down by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

61.
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Catching the rays by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

62.
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Lit cans by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

63.
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Fly it like you stole it by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

64.
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Dragging the weather by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

65.
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Vapour monster by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

66.
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Swish Swiss by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

67.
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ROKAF maestros by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

68.
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Golden Eagle by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

69.
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Burner.. on a trainer? by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

70.
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Treehugger by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

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LN Strike Eagle
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by LN Strike Eagle »

E-3D shots are superb. :up:
"You really are an oafish philistine at times!"

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swingy
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by swingy »

# 6 For me Chris :clap:

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Macc
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Re: RAF Waddington 29/06-02/07

Post by Macc »

As you can see, each day the weather deteriorated further.

Monday, the last day, was no different! The intentions of Coningsby in the afternoon were written off by a NOTAM which I was thankfully informed about before we tried to go. Thanks Paul! So yeah, the weather wasn't great but was better than expected with a deluge crossing the country and only hitting us by about 12 o'clock when most of the action was done.

71. As expected the Swiss were up early and off the ground by about 9!
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Back to the Alps by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

72. A lot of waves were exchanged between the crowd and the crew!
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Waving goodbye! by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

73.
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Open canopy by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

74. Hawk close ups..
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The T.2 racing ahead by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

75.
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Mmm, ice cream by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

76.
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Czech him out by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

77. Close up of the tiger markings.
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Tiger spirit by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

78. Continuing to wish Tony all the best.
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Bronco-saurus by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

79. It's nice to see Austrian SAAB J105OEs getting about at UK airshows!
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Toy trainer by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

80. Even more so with this colour scheme!
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Purring SAAB by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

81. Then what most people had been waiting for..
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What's that coming over the hill? by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

82. I make no apology for the amount of F-4 photos.
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Smoke on! by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

83.
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Face to face by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

84.
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Burning away by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

85. Even a great flypast from the crew..
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Phast and phurious! by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

86.
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Burning away by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

87. It was a tad wet when the Wedgetail surprised me by taxi-ing when I wasn't keeping an eye out!
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Park and view enclosure by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

88.
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Lumpy by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

89. It even blow dried the runway on departure, perfect.
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Wedgetail in the wet by Maccphoto.co.uk, on Flickr

So that was Waddington, I'm trying some HDR and monochrome edits on some of the the photos which I might add later. But this concludes my four days of Waddington. I really enjoyed the show in the end, a great number of flying highlights - Swiss Hornet & Cougar, Korean Black Eagles, RNZAF Boeing 757, and a similar number of static highlights - German F-4, special Gripen, Australian Wedgetail. Superb show! RIAT next..

Chris

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Re: RAF Waddington Airshow 29/06-02/07 [89 photos /Complete!

Post by JackyRIATWilson »

Some great shots, the RNLAF F-16 topside and taxiing F-4 do it for me :clap: Is this the standard gear you were using? If so, what set up?

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Re: RAF Waddington Airshow 29/06-02/07 [89 photos /Complete!

Post by tankbuster81 »

Awesome and best shots of the korean's I've seen!! what kit were you using,and well done!!!! :rock:
Don't bother running, you'll only die tired!!

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Re: RAF Waddington Airshow 29/06-02/07 [89 photos /Complete!

Post by Macc »

Thanks guys. Most photos were taken with a Nikon D90 + Nikkor 300mm f/4 (some also with 1.4x converter) and a couple with my Sigma 18-200mm and Sigma 70-200mm.

Hope this helps.

Chris

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