Author Archives: Rob

The Wildcat’s Pilot Must Have Had Their Mum Nearby

While the Merlins departed for base after the arrival of HMS Prince of Wales, the Wildcat wasn’t going anywhere. I suspect that they had a film unit on board that was recording the arrival of the carrier strike group, so they were getting aerial shots from different angles. A number of times they flew out of the harbour and then turned to run back in. It is possible that this was necessary for a shot that they were trying to get but my suspicion is that the parents of the pilot were in the crowd and a few flybys were for their benefit instead. Who knows???

Hearst Castle/Mansion

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In a recent post, I had images of Hurst Castle. A friend of mine in the US mentioned the similarly named location on the California coast near the city of Cambria. Before we moved to the US, Nancy and I had made a trip to California during which we did a tour of the place. Built by William Randolph Hearst, this place is a combination of so many influences. Much of the decoration was accrued during travels around the world. You have elements of ancient buildings, parts of monasteries, designs influenced by other places and random designs that appealed.

From what I can gather, visitors now get fleeced by having the tours broken down into smaller sections, so you have to pay for each one. When we were there, it was more of an overall tour, and we got to see a lot of the collection. This was the days of film photography which means some of the shots didn’t work and I didn’t realise until long afterwards combined with a lot less pictures being taken overall. Film was also daylight balanced so the colours when inside could be quite sketchy. A little processing now tries to improve them but there is only so much you can do and only so much effort that is really justified for a holiday photo.

These images are a brief summary of what we saw during that visit. Some grandiose elements and some looted goods. Not my assessment – our tour guide was quite clear that the methods by which Hearst got hold of these artefacts was not always ethical. I believe a visit now will cost you a bunch. However, if you are already on the coast near Cambria, I would suggest you have already gone far enough to justify making the effort to visit.

Long Time Since I Saw a Rallye

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When I first learned to fly in the late 80s, I was quite fascinated by Socata aircraft. The Trinidad and the Tobago were something modern in the light aircraft space which was still dominated by some older designs that felt very dated. These looked really sleek and modern at the time and, at least in my eyes, still do. However, there was a more unusual type in their stable and that was the Rallye. It was a dumpier looking airframe with a rugged looking gear. However, the thing that really stuck out was that it had slats.

These were not manually controlled but popped out when they were needed. This resulted in good controllability at low speeds. This was ably demonstrated one afternoon while I was in the flying club at Sandown Airfield on the Isle of Wight. I was chatting with one of the instructors when a Rallye came in to land. It was a bit high and was getting slower and slower. We watched with our eyes wide as it looked like we were about to witness a stall accident. We were both shouting at them to go around. However, that slatted wing kept on working and they miraculously landed without incident. Maybe they knew exactly what it could do but it really did seem like disaster was imminent.

That is a long tangent to have gone on to get to the point that, having not seen a Rallye for a long time, one came into Solent Airport while I was there. It looked in great shape as it taxied in and the couple in it cranked back the bubble canopy as they parked up. Sure, it still looks a bit chunky but now I am not comparing it unfavourably with its younger siblings and instead appreciating it for what it is – another example of cool French engineering.

Bonfire Night Parade in Winchester

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Winchester has a large bonfire and firework display scheduled for the beginning of November. It is on the Saturday rather than the 5^th specifically. It all kicks off with a parade through the town to the park where the bonfire and fireworks are. Everyone is welcome to buy a small torch to light and carry as part of the parade. I was more interested in seeing the parade than being part of it.

It was quite funny watching how many people had lit their torches as soon as they got them. Many of them were pretty much burnt out before the parade got underway. Probably a bit disappointing but I’m sure it wasn’t the end of the world. The parade came up through the centre of Winchester and there were loads of people there both taking part and watching.

The mayor was at the front of the parade, and a drum band was close behind. They brought a load of energy to the proceedings. I was playing around with lower shutter speeds to try and represent the movement of the group which meant many totally useless shots. Hopefully some of these give an impression of how things were.

An Avanti on My Doorstep!

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I have posted already about some light aircraft photography that occurred because a sailing competition never got going. What I also saw that day was something very opportunistic. I had happened to check what was due into Southampton Airport that afternoon with expectations of nothing special. When I saw a French registered Avanti was coming in from Italy, I was very pleased. Of course, I assumed it wouldn’t end up happening but, since it was coming a long way, knew I would have plenty of warning.

When I saw it was on its way, I then started to ponder where to photograph it having never done any photography at Southampton. A southerly approach was what was in use but then I saw an arrival come on from the south so now I was perplexed. Where should I go. I had an idea for a spot south of the airport that might work out so went there with plenty of time to see if it really was a good spot. It did seem to be good, so I then went back to the car to wait. I watched the track of the inbound flight to see if it did come in from the south or not.

It looked like it was coming my way, so I walked back out to my spot. Once there, I saw the plane turn right and it was now clear it was heading north for a southerly approach. I should have stayed in the car. I now sprinted back to the car and made a move for where I figured might work out at the other end having never actually checked it out. At least the process of tracking north for the descent onto the approach meant I had a bit of time in hand.

I got to the north of the airport and found a parking spot just in time to get up on the embankment that overlooks the runway. There were some regulars already there, so I knew this was not a bad choice. I had barely got my breath back when the distinctive sound of the Avanti reached my ears. There it was and I had some shots and then it was down. Back to the car and on my way! Nice result so close to home. Sadly, it departed early the next morning when weather wasn’t great and I was sleepy.

Calshot Spit Lightship

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When I was a lad and satellite navigation was a dream, nautical navigation relied a lot more on things like lighthouses. Lightships were a big part of this, and Trinity House had a number of them stationed around the UK coastline. One was at Calshot Spit in the Solent and so I would see it every time I looked out of the window of our flat (and also when crossing on the ferry). I guess these vessels became surplus to requirements over time and got taken out of service. Apparently, the Calshot Spit vessel was moved into a development in Southampton but, again, became surplus to needs. Fortunately, it has been saved and is currently alongside the Solent Sky Museum. It isn’t open to explore but sits alongside the road. I assume there is some restoration work required.

Flyby of RN Helos for the Returning Carrier

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The arrival of the carrier strike group was the big theme of the day, but the Fleet Air Arm was going to support the process with a flyby. A pair of Merlins and a Wildcat were assigned to the role, and they were initially noted off Bournemouth as they joined up before heading to Portsmouth. As they came over Portchester, we could see them from where we were, and they flew up the harbour and over our location to head out and meet the carrier.

We would see them a bit from a distance as the manoeuvred around the ship and this allowed us to have a reasonable idea of where everything was at any point. Then, as the ship entered the harbour, the formation flew over the top to celebrate the return to home port. The Merlins then peeled off while the Wildcat hung around.

Finally, “The Prince” Comes into View

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While I was tracking HMS Prince of Wales as she came around the Isle of Wight inbound to Portsmouth, it wasn’t long before we got our first sight of her. I know there is a dredged channel that was created when the ships were acquired and I assume that this is a function of the route they take when coming in but she was first seen as we looked out through the entrance to the harbour as she crossed from right to left heading towards land. Then she disappeared behind the coast for a while.

A bit later, the silhouette of the ship reappeared now heading back away from the land as she tracked to follow the coastline towards the harbour. She was still a long way away, but the distinctive shape of the ski jump and the twin islands made her easy to confirm. Then she was hidden again as she disappeared from view where we were, behind some of the old buildings of HMS Dolphin.

By now the helicopters had joined up to fly over her so they were our clue as to where she was. Then a mast appeared above the buildings followed by a radar and the next thing you knew, a tug was coming into the harbour to be shortly followed by 80,000 tons of ship. She is certainly big enough and looked it as she came fully into view. The thing that struck me was not so much the beam of the ship but the length. With tugs holding her both ahead and astern, she drifted past us taking quite some time to do so given the 284m of her that there is.

It wasn’t far to go to get to her berth and she was soon stationary in the water while the tugs repositioned to push her alongside. The crowds started to disperse, the boats that had been waiting for her to arrive before they could move started on their way and the families headed for the Gosport ferry so that they could go on base and greet their loved ones that had been away since April. Quite something to experience.

Czech Helo Stellar Displays

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The Czech Air Force brought a pair of PZL-Swidnik W-2 Sokols to RIAT this year. One was in camo and the other in a SAR paint scheme. While this was a type that I hadn’t seen display before, I must admit I wasn’t terribly excited by the prospect. Helicopter displays can be pretty good but often lack punch. This team couldn’t have been further from that idea.

I first saw them display when they were doing a rehearsal. They were absolutely throwing the machines around. A ton of really good, coordinated manoeuvres that showed off the capabilities of the helicopter and the crew in equal measure. They would be pirouetting around each other and keeping the action right in front of the crowd. They never seemed to take a breath, and you were never tempted to stop watching.

The highlight of the demo for me was a winching demonstration. This is not an unusual thing for a helicopter display to include. It is something that makes the type special and the search and rescue role will appeal to people that can imagine needing to be helped at some point. In this display, they added something that showed off the skill of the crew coordination. While in the hover, the winchman would pick up someone on the ground. They would winch them up a certain amount and then stabilise the hover. Then the pilot would climb while the winchman would let out line. The person at the end would stay exactly where they were as the helicopter climbed.

Then the pilot would stabilise again before starting a descent. Again, as the helicopter came down, the line would be taken in and the person at the end wouldn’t move. The whole thing was perfectly coordinated. I don’t know whether the winchman could vary the speed or if the pilot was modulating power to make it work and I don’t mind which it is. It was perfectly executed every time they did it across the days of the show. Top work. I hope other crews get to see this performance and it inspires them to try something innovative with their displays.

Home of The Rams

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If you are thinking this is about a team in LA, you will be disappointed. The main office of our company is in Derby. The local football team, Derby County, has their stadium near the office. They are known as the Rams. They have an event space that we occasionally rent for events when we want the whole company together. There was no way that I wasn’t going to step out of the space to get a shot or two of the pitch and the stands.