A wet day at Luton

Not that I was there all day, I had spend much of the day at my accountants and decided to go home via crash gate 5 at Luton, it had been OK weather but when I arrived the rain started and all the other aircraft enthusiasts headed home! I got soaked through but really enjoyed the challenge that the weather presented, a few images below, and lots more in the Luton set on my Flickr pages  click here!
 

Typhoons

A dawn until dusk day at RAF Coningsby in February that despite being cold and grey was very enjoyable, some great light first thing and an opportunity for some night shots late afternoon and evening and loads of action in between!.

 A great place but you need to have a step ladder in some positions as the fences are just too high for tip-toe shooting!

20th anniversary of F-15E arrival at RAF Lakenheath

On February 21st 1992 the 48th Fighter wing at RAF Lakenheath received their first F15E strike Eagle, 20 years on, the 10th February 2012 there was a celebration flight to mark the anniversary, I aimed to be there at dawn and was a bit stunned at the snow when I woke up. The roads were OK though and I got there well before the light started to creep up the sky, and not long after I heard the first engines starting up. The crisp frost and dawn light made for some great photography! 

Magical Marham

Marham in Norfolk is home to the RAF Tornado, during January I spent several days there photographing them in some spectacular winter sunsets, No need for more words, just enjoy the images!

Night Eagles

I have been a regular visitor to RAF Lakenheath since the F100 Super Sabres were based there in the 1960's, as I am sure you have guessed I have a big passion for the truly awesome F15 Eagles that currently live there. After so many visits it is always nice to get shots that are different.

So when during November & December the usual pre-flight arming and check area was closed for resurfacing and the north EOR pan was used instead I spent several days photographing the action from so much closer than is usually possible. There were a few run-ins with security at first but once they got the measure of why the plane spotters were there, pressed hard against the fence, it all seemed quite relaxed.

 What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to get night shots, the like of which have not been possible previously, as well as some human element, I am especially happy with the second from last shot "Eagle dancer" which shows the marshaller with blurred jets moving around him,, a slow shutter to catch the movement, but his face, the expression of concentration on the job at hand, is needle sharp! 

A big thankyou to the guys involved and the friendly MODplod boys too!

A year already...

..since the Harrier disappeared from our skies.

The 1 (fighter) squadron association site is now up and running

Typhoons

A bit of balancing things up here, I seem to have several USAF aircraft and an increasing amount of airliner shots on this blog, so armed with a shiny new set of steps I headed to RAF Coningsby for some Typhoon action, usually when I visit this base I get cold and wet  and come home with a handful of pictures, but this was a full on day with loads of flying.. and a not bad sunset too!

Lots more on my Flickr http://www.flickr.com/