48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Communal photo threads for specific aircraft types, operators etc.
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AndyXH558
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by AndyXH558 »

That last one is the Swashbuckler if I am not mistaken,
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Wrexham Mackem
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by Wrexham Mackem »

AndyXH558 wrote:
Sun 01 Nov 2020, 5:00 pm
That last one is the Swashbuckler if I am not mistaken,
It’s not Andy, that shot was taken at Boscombe Down in 1990. Same era though.

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CJS
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by CJS »

And the winner is...
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FarnboroJohn
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by FarnboroJohn »

CJS wrote:
Mon 02 Nov 2020, 4:41 pm
And the winner is...
I'm sorry, a busier end to the weekend than I expected. Also there are a bunch of contenders that are very close. Decision before 1930 today.

FarnboroJohn
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by FarnboroJohn »

Thanks to everybody for the contributions to this thread. Some of the most remarkable big beasts of aviation have featured as well as some familiar icons.

Speaking of which, as a life-long Lancaster fan over the Flying Fortress I was amazed to find the photographic advocacy of the B-17 in this competition kicked the Lanc well and truly into second place.

The other thing is that I have to echo Chris's recent comment on Nick's photos: "for goodness' sake"! If this was about a portfolio I'd have had to give it. However and without further ado I may as well say that the real WTF moment went indubitably to Wrexham Mackem with a B-52 in an apparent vertical bank and that is this thread's winner for sheer action value.

Second is Stu Weston's Bone take off which edged a couple of similar offerings.

Third actually does go to Nick with a superb study of Sally B.

I liked so many others, including most honorably the Halifax, Big Stick, and taxiing Tu-95 at RIAT as well as the B-52 and Tupolev facing off: also the semi-ethereal B-17 off the nose of the C-47 (maybe should be in the Aviation ghost stories thread!)

Over to you WM!

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capercaillie
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by capercaillie »

For those unfamiliar with Norman and Nigel's earlier reference to Swashbuckler, this was the B-52G display from Loring AFB at Air Fete 1990 at Mildenhall famed for its immediate nose pitch down take off followed by a very steep bank out. Here is the nose down take off past the tower and you need to watch the video for the wow effect of the take off and bomb run.

Imageimg223 (2) by Paul Downes, on Flickr

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My flickr photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/146673712@N06/

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AndyXH558
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by AndyXH558 »

The best display I saw was in 1994, he really did throw the aircraft around.

A couple of months later tragedy struck. When the 52 crashed after a very steep bank.
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Blackbird
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by Blackbird »

Cracking video. Interesting that the B-52 didn't use a chute on landing.

Andy

Spiny Norman
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by Spiny Norman »

First of all, defininitely the correct choice of a winner in the comp. I made an invoIuntary noise on seeing it.

Here's the start of the 1994 display. This was followed by a relatively steep pull-up and not that heart-stopping take-off captured by Paul four years previously. I missed the 1990 show but maybe just as well as I wasn't wearing the brown cords then!

ImageB-52 at Mildenhall in 1994 by N, on Flickr

I believe the pilot for the 1994 display was not the one who later killed himself and others at Fairchild a few months later.

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capercaillie
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by capercaillie »

A bit more from the "special" :zipper_mouth: side, narrated by John "I'm a Concorde captain" Hutchinson.

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Spiny Norman
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by Spiny Norman »

Blimey, that wheels-down, side-slipping wing-waggle!

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Wrexham Mackem
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Re: 48 Hour Photo Comp: Heavy Bombers

Post by Wrexham Mackem »

Thanks John, an honour indeed among the standard of entries. I think it was the B-52 that did all the work with that one though, I just pressed the shutter. :-)

That photo was taken from the end of the airfield at Boscombe Down, from the photobus as we were waiting to cross the runway, according to my hazy memory.

B-52 displays were typically livelier, but that tragic accident from a rogue pilot who wasn't a regular display pilot put paid to it all, as we know.

Love the Mildenhall vids above. I can have a game of 'spot myself' now!