Tag Archives: aeroplane

Rafale Display

The Rafale has been in service for a long time now and exports have meant more countries operate it. I got to see some Indian Air Force examples when they came through Washington a couple of years ago. However, my experience of watching a display has been limited to the original Rafale A demonstrator and then the initial Rafale C development aircraft – both of which displayed at Farnborough. I have not seen a Rafale display since then.

This wasn’t the only reason I went to Cosford but it certainly was a big factor. The cancellation of RIAT had me thinking about what other air shows I might want to see and, while Cosford is not ideal from a lighting point of view with the crowd facing south-east, the knowledge that the French Air Force was bringing a Rafale to display was influential in my decision to go.

The display was excellent. I don’t know whether it is the characteristics of the aircraft and the nature of the display flying that the French Air Force goes for but this was an excellent show. (The French Mirage 2000 display always used to wow me too so there is a pattern.) The plane was constantly in motion and it really kept the attention of the crowd. There are definitely some lessons that other air forces could learn.

The display was just far enough into the show to get some benefit from the lighting coming around slightly. There was also some cloud which may have reduced the potential for silhouetting of the jet against the sky. I was a bit out of practice with my tracking but managed to get a few shots that I was happy with. I am not always in favour of special paint schemes for display jets but this one was no bad thing. I do hope to see the display again at some point – preferably in better lighting.

How Will I Know the Type?

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The airlines have adopted the practice of writing their name on the underside of their planes. I am not sure if it was Emirates that started it but that was who I first noticed doing it and now others have followed suit. I haven’t seen the type written on the underside of the plane before, though. This bizjet flew over home on approach to Southampton. I can safely say I would have known what it was but apparently the owner wants to make sure no one is in any doubt about what type they are operating.

Levelling Up

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On our return trip from Barcelona, we gave ourselves plenty of time for the flight back given that there was a lot of discussion about the immigration delays. Things worked out pretty well, so we were through to the gate in plenty of time. What a tragedy that I have extra time at an airport!! Level is a low-cost operation that IAG owns. It was originally set up using Iberia aircraft and crews before it got its own AOC. Now it is a standalone operation.

There were a few Level A330s in view at our part of the terminal. Some were undergoing maintenance before their next flights while others were loading up and departing. I got a variety of shots of them as I walked through the concourse and one of them departed for Los Angeles while we waited to board. While most departures were going off the southerly runway which was the opposite side to us, the long-haul flights that needed longer runways came from the northerly runway which meant we got to see them.

Some Arrivals While I Wait at the Gate

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I had a short work trip to Scotland that involved a flight from Heathrow early one morning. The morning light was pretty good, and my gate was at the north end of Terminal 5 so I got to see a few of the arrivals while waiting to board. The Air India A350 was a nice catch but I got a variety of other arrivals. Aside from the regular British Airways short haul types, I did get and A380.

Add to that, there was an Air France A220 and a KLM A321neo. United also had an arrival. Shooting through the windows is not ideal and I was using the M6 which is really a step down from the R3 but has the advantage of slipping into my work bag easily so earns its place. I would really like to find something modern that has a similar form factor but is as responsive as current cameras. Sure, I really need another camera!

Some of the Weirder Great War Aircraft

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There is a gallery at the RAF Museum at Hendon that is focused on the Great War. This was the early days of aviation, and the development was so rapid that an aircraft might have an operational life of less than a year before something newer and better would replace it. Because so little was known at this point, experimentation with all sorts of ideas took place. Consequently, the types in this gallery have some wildly varying configurations. Pushers and tractors are on show. The sizing of some surfaces is huge compared to what would be expected now. They are really interesting to look at and see what ideas look relevant now and what has been abandoned. Here are some of the various types on display.

Farewell to the AV-8B for the USMC

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The US Marine Corps has ended operations with their Harriers. This isn’t the end of Harrier ops because both Spain and Italy continue to operate the type but it a significant event in the life of the Harrier. I have had plenty of encounters with USMC Harriers over the years although I have only seen Harrier IIs fly. My Harrier I photos are only from museum examples. I went through the shots I have got and compiled a selection of the jets that I have seen over the years. Here you go…

Aggressor Eagles

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I did post some Eagles previously and had said I would repeat types much in this string of Red Flag posts, but I didn’t say never. Eagles are worth breaking the rule. The aggressor eagles went away a while back with the F-16s taking on the role alone until F-35s started being added. Th Eagle looked great in aggressor colours so here are some of those that I shot at different visits.

Flashback to the MRJ90

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Something brought me to some shots of a jet now sadly gone. The MRJ has shown up on the blog in the past. I saw one at Paine Field which showed up here. That wasn’t my first encounter with the Mitsubishi developed aircraft, though. While they were built in Japan, flight testing was undertaken at Moses Lake in Washington. Ferrying the jets across the Pacific meant choosing the route and one of the jets was routed from Hawaii to California. It landed at San Jose and, since I was living in the Bay Area in those days, I went to see it arrive.

San Jose has pretty reliably good weather and the conditions were about as good as you could hope. The light can be a bit harsh, but it wasn’t too bad. The arrival gave a good chance to get a shot. The stop was not a long one. Clear customs and refuel and then they were on their way north to Washington. Departure shots at San Jose are a little limited. The spot I had was a bit far down from the point the planes get airborne so they can be quite high by the time you get a good look, or the heat haze is bad when the angle is better. Still, I did get some shots that are okay.

Raptor Blast Off

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The F-15 was in a previous post as a favourite of mine and it was replaced in the primary air defence role by the F-22A Raptor. The Raptor is an impressive aircraft in many ways, but it is not something that appeals to me in the same way as the Eagle. However, it really has some novelty value given that it was produced in limited numbers. Being close to Raptors as they launch is so much fun. Just try not to balls it up!

Why Is the RAF Falcons Plane Canadian?

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I recently saw this Dornier 228 which was carrying markings indicating it is used by the RAF’s parachute display team – The Falcons. I hadn’t seen the plane before, so it caught my eye. What left me a bit confused was its registration. It is on the Canadian registry. I have no idea why the RAF would need to use a Canadian registered plane. If anyone knows, please share the reasoning.