The ISAP theme continues! In a previous post (that you can read here if you missed it) I talked about some shooting I did with some friends outside NAS Oceana, the premier fighter base for the US Navy on the east coast. Well, the field trip from the symposium included a visit to Oceana as well although this was to be on the flightline. VF-31 was the Squadron that hosted us. They provided us with an excellent visit.
The squadron was not undertaking operations that day so their part of the ramp was occupied by planes but nothing was moving. This gave us a great space in which to move around. We were basically free to go to the end of their line where it met the taxiway and to shoot from anywhere in there. The only restrictions were the normal ones on a Navy base. No shooting open panels and no shooting Super Hornets down the inlets.
There was a fair amount of activity on base and the weather was very nice (if a little breezy). Since we were there in the morning, we had the sun pretty much behind us which worked out well. The squadrons that were flying that day seemed to have a steady stream of jets on the move. They would taxi passed us on the next taxiway from the one we could get to the edge of so we could see the jets coming by easily and when they were in the hold they were easy enough to shoot.
The warm weather meant that shooting anything too far away was going to be fruitless if using a long lens since the heat distortion was too much. However, if you went a little wider, you could minimize the effect of that, at least for the size of shots that are going to be posted online. They wouldn’t stand up to too much enlargement I suspect but they certainly show what was going on.
Interspersed with the regular jets were a few in special schemes. There were a number of the squadron specials up and flying as well as one of the CONA marked aircraft. We also saw a few jets that were in the aggressor colors but that had moved to a new squadron so we a combination of new and old markings. I am sure they will be repainted in gray before long so that is something good to have seen while it was around.
The VF-31 special aircraft was at the end of the line up and the squadron kindly provided some steps to allow us to get a higher look at it. These were originally for us to get a group photo in front of the jet but, once they were there, most people took the opportunity to get a few shots as well. These things tend to work quite well with everyone taking a turn but occasionally, as with people who linger very close to a subject, you get a few people who forget that they aren’t the only person involved. Thankfully, he majority are very considerate and “help” the less fortunate to play well with everyone else!
The next squadron along the ramp was VF-213. They did have some operations underway. One of the things they were doing was providing experience flights to midshipmen who were yet to decide their career path in the Navy. Additionally, they appeared to be in the process of training up a number of the ground crew. Consequently, when one of the jets came in for a running change of backseater, we got to see the midshipmen swap over and the ground crew being shepherded through the process of turning the jet. It was fun for us but I wonder how much they enjoyed having their early work being watched by so many. Many thanks to them, though, for tolerating our presence.
Our stay was slightly extended since our bus driver had been taken ill while we were on base and a replacement had to come in and help out. I didn’t hear the final outcome but hopefully he was feeling better later on. With a new driver in place, it was time for us to move on. Considering the size of the group we had, the team at Oceana did a great job of hosting us. Many thanks for everything.
I took a couple of trips to Pungo in Virginia recently to the Warbirds Museum. The first visit was part of the ISAP field trip while the second trip was for the airshow on the day after the ISAP symposium had wrapped up. The field trip was on the Friday when they were preparing for the show. The sun was out but the wind was gusting pretty high so none of the aircraft were flying.
The Sunday was a lot worse. The rain was pretty constant and the cloud base was low. There was still some wind although it was a little lower. However, any chance of a display was gone. The only aircraft that performed on both days was the C-46 Commando. It showed up on the Friday to check out whether the wind was within limits. it did a low pass and determined that it wasn’t landing and off it went. Fortunately, I was in the right place for the first pass, even if a slightly longer lens would have been helpful.
On the Sunday it appeared again out of the murk. It did one pass (slightly higher than Friday) and then came in to land. I was further down the field this time and with a longer lens so was better placed for the landing. Conditions were not good since it was raining a lot but I still got a few shots.
The Commando is not a common aircraft so I was glad to get to shoot it, even if the circumstances were not ideal. It was a shame to miss some of the more unusual flying items but there you go. Make the best of what you get!
