Your Rarest Catch

Communal photo threads for specific aircraft types, operators etc.
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CJS
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Your Rarest Catch

Post by CJS »

Simples really - one photo of your most unusual aircraft, still in service (so no museum shots, however rare those beasts often are!).

Mine, a Fokker F-27 from the Bolivian Air Force

Image
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sdad
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by sdad »

Still in service when photographed or still in service now?

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Blackbird
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by Blackbird »

How about this one - a pair of Namibian Air Force Harbin Y-12s
Imageby Andrew Shaw, on Flickr

Andy :smile:

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boff180
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by boff180 »

Far too many to choose from....

USAF Global Hawk
NASA Global Hawk
NASA DC-8
NASA ER-2
NASA 747SP SOFIA
NASA F-18
NASA F-15
NASA X-29
NASA T-34
NASA F-104
NASA HiMAT
Lockheed YO-3A
MQ-8C Firescout
MQ-1 Predator
E-9A Widget
YF-23
YF-17

to name but a few :grin:

Think it comes down to either the YO-3A or the E-9A....

I chose the E-9A as it looks cool, is never seen outside the USA and very rarely seen outside of Tyndall AFB where the only two in existence are based.

I was lucky enough to see one making a rare visit to Houston to be on static at Wings Over Houston in 2012... even luckier enough to gain access to the pan before dawn!

ImageE-9A Widget - 84-0048/TD - USAF 'Team Target' by Andrew Evans, on Flickr

Andy

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jingernut
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by jingernut »


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CJS
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by CJS »

sdad wrote:Still in service when photographed or still in service now?


Yeah, good point. When photographed was my thinking. But it had to be rare then. So (for example) a photo of a B-29 from when they were still in service wouldn't count as there would have been loads of them. But basically anything of Andy's list (jeleous? Just a bit!) would fit the bill perfickly.
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RobS
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by RobS »

Greek RF-84F Thunderflash, landing at Volkel (Netherlands) on 29 July 1988. Maybe not rare for a someone living in Larissa, Greece, but rare for everyone else. 51-1253 is a former RNLAF Flash and was added to the military aviation museum in Soeterberg. So this was the last flight.

Reading and seeing the other posts, more rare catches come to mind. Like a Japanese Navy Bell 47, a Russian Tu-16 and MiG-21's, Hondurese Super Mystère, Uruguay Navy Wessex, Brazilian and Argentine Trackers... All still in service. And nice: I flew in the F-27 in the first post. :wink:

ImageRF-84F Thunderflash by Rob Schleiffert, on Flickr
Last edited by RobS on Sat 04 Nov 2017, 12:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Paul_Reflex
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by Paul_Reflex »

I think this US Army EO-5C is just about the rarest thing I've caught.
ImageEO-5C departure by Paul Smith, on Flickr

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sdad
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by sdad »

How about this? Were Senegal Air Force Dakotas rare?
Image
Toulouse-Blagnac 13 Jul 1976.

ErikNZ
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by ErikNZ »

Rare being of course somewhat subjective as what is rare to one person may only be uncommon or perhaps an every day occurrence to someone else.
To me, rare aircraft are those that a certain air arm may only have very few of and that aren't often seen elsewhere.

So in that light, a few things came to mind that I have managed to snap in the past that I considered rare - to me.

US Army O-2 Skymasters at the Yuma Proving Ground
Italian Air Force NH-500D (not E)
Maltese Air Force Bell 47G (living in NZ I wouldn't count RNZAF Bell 47s as rare but for someone in Europe they may be pretty rare I suppose)
US Special Operations Forces C-41A (CASA 212)
UAE CH-47C (ex-Libyan Air Force)
Uruguayan Navy Wessex (sole remaining Wessex by the time I visited Uruguay), T-34Cs (only 2x) and their sole AS355
Russian Air Force IL-20

But in the end, I settled for this one:

Image

The reason being that in all the cases above, I purposely traveled to these locations with the very purpose to shoot those aircraft or with a high chance of probability of seeing it.
Perhaps the exception being the UAE CH-47C which was test flying at the Agustawestland plant while I was visiting Frosinone so that was pretty unexpected too. Though given that it was an Agusta facility, one could typically expect something exotic or strange.

The Royal Thai Navy TA-7C, of which they had four, was shot at NAS Meridian in 1995, right around the time they received their A-7Es. It was just a completely surprise for me to see it there which is why I went with this one.

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Tommy
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by Tommy »

Nice idea for a thread, Chris. I was thinking about making the very same!

Shame it's limited to just one photograph, I bet some people have absolute gems hidden on their hard drives (awaits Sam to post something from NK).

I've seen plenty of really rare stuff, but I guess "rare" is a matter of perspective.

My rarest catch was a Venezuelan Mi-26 Halo whilst I was over there several years ago. Sadly sans camera, though I did take a very shaky video of it, which I'll have to dig out.

But, for photos, I'll settle with something closer to home - very seldom seen away from their base at Frosinone, and utterly beautiful little buggers, Italian Air Force NH-500s:

ImageFrosi-Copter by Tom Jones, on Flickr

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CJS
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by CJS »

I get what you mean Tom but just thought limiting to one photo might make people think a bit more about it - which seems like it might be the case.

Fascinating selection so far! Rob how did your flight in the Bolivian f-27 come about? It was just sat there when we landed in Rurrenebaque in 2014 so I snapped it quick!
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warferry
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by warferry »

Probable that I have a few but this one springs to mind as it was as it was flying at Lepe on Southampton water in 1977.

Image

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RobS
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by RobS »

CJS wrote:Fascinating selection so far! Rob how did your flight in the Bolivian f-27 come about? It was just sat there when we landed in Rurrenebaque in 2014 so I snapped it quick!


In 1997 I travelled from La Paz to 'Rurre' by bus, via the Yungas road. That is (or was) one of the most dangerous routes in the world. I got really scared, sitting in the back of that bus looking down bottomless ravines. Immediately after arrival in Rurre I booked a flight back to La Paz. That was done a few days later by F-27 FAB-91, still in old colours.

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Dr Cake
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by Dr Cake »

Not that rare but I think they've only got one:

Swiss Federal Office of Topography Twin Otter

ImageIMG_7513 by Dr Cake, on Flickr

ImageIMG_7515 by Dr Cake, on Flickr

ImageIMG_7641 by Dr Cake, on Flickr

ImageIMG_7646 by Dr Cake, on Flickr

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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by Domvickery »

Maybe not that rare, but to me these were

ImageNATO Tiger Meet 2017 834 by justdom1, on Flickr

ImageNATO Tiger Meet 2017 139 by justdom1, on Flickr

Maybe not rare in itself but how many have captured PA474 looking like this

ImageDuxford PA474 Visit 033 by justdom1, on Flickr
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planenuts
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by planenuts »

Hi chaps,

I'm gonna cheat and post 2 photos, as I couldn't quantify which one is rarer.......

This Tu-16 was modified by Myasischev to test the gun targeting system for their M-17. Designation 17LL-2. Seen at Zhukovsky 1993, was still active.
Only 1 other chap behind me got a photo of it, before security chased us away. I believe it was Peter R. March......
Image020 by Rupert Kelley, on Flickr

Bulgarian AF Bell 430 in 2002. Military ones are rarer than rocking horse poo. Only one in service (2000-2004), only flew in Bulgaria between Plovdiv and Sofia. Rare.
Image133 by Rupert Kelley, on Flickr

Happy snapping chaps, Rupe
Last edited by planenuts on Sat 13 Jan 2018, 9:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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effects
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by effects »

Quote "And nice: I flew in the F-27 in the first post. :wink: "
Out trumped!! :lol:
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Go4Long
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by Go4Long »

Got to be either the E4-B:

Image
E-4B by Steven Szabo, on Flickr

The Super Guppy (honorable mention to the NASA WB-57 in the background):

Image
Super Guppy by Steven Szabo, on Flickr

Or the AN-225 (which I've seen twice)

Image
AN-225 Wheels Down by Steven Szabo, on Flickr

Image
Antonov AN-225 - 4 by Steven Szabo, on Flickr

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jalfrezi
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by jalfrezi »

For me it's the E-4B (which has already been posted) or this Ilyushin Il-20M ELINT aircraft, one of roughly 20 built during the 1970's. Not one of my best pics because of the backlighting, but I was happy with it anyway!

ImageIlyushin Il-20M - 2 by Nick Jennings, on Flickr

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Skyflash
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by Skyflash »

P-3AEW&C, operated by the US Dept. of Homeland Security as an ELINT platform for busting drug-smuggling rings. There are only approx. 8 in existence - this one snapped arriving through the murk at the start of Oshkosh 2016:

Image
by Gordon Duncan, on Flickr
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effects
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by effects »

Take your pick, and I doubt anyone on here has flown in either! :lol:
Image

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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by Airwolfhound »

Took this whilst on honeymoon a few years ago, apparently the 2nd oldest Huey still in service, seen overhead at Yosemite National Park :-

ImageHuey N28HJ - Yosemite National Park by Tim Felce, on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24874528@N04/

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SWATCO
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by SWATCO »

Not necessarily the rarest aircraft I've seen but certainly not a sight you will see over the skies of Somerset anytime soon!
ImageB-2 spirits by Stu Weston, on Flickr

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Tommy
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Re: Your Rarest Catch

Post by Tommy »

That's 10% of the entire (still existing) B-2 population in one shot, though. Pretty fine. :up:

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