Tag Archives: hampshire

Sunny Autumnal Sunday at Daedalus

I suspect that, in a number of posts over the years, I have talked about being lucky with the way that things work out. In this case, I had gone out with the intention of photographing a sailing regatta. I got to the shore, and the conditions were gorgeous. However, they were too nice. Clear autumnal skies, cool temps but warm sun and no wind. That last bit will explain why it wasn’t ideal for sailing. I waited around for a while to see whether the wind would pick up but it soon became clear that, even if it did, things were not going to be dramatic out on the water.

This left me contemplating the next step. I had a couple of thoughts – one of which was to stop off at Lee on Solent. The airport there has a café and a viewing area next to the tower. Since I was going to be heading by and this also being the base for the local search and rescue helicopters, I thought I might get some AW139 flying in nice light.

When I got there, there was no sign of any helicopter activity. However, a sunny Sunday gets plenty of light aircraft movements. Also, sitting by the tower was a two seat Spitfire. Seemed like loitering might be in order. The Spit had the canopy open with a helmet sitting on the frame so maybe it would be heading out.

It didn’t take long for the pilot to come out and fire up. Of he taxied and I was feeling pretty optimistic. However, that was the last we saw of him. I guess the plane is hangared elsewhere on the field and that was the destination. Meanwhile plenty of other movements so I got plenty to watch. It was great seeing families with small kids watching the planes and the kids getting so excited by anything whether it was a Spitfire or a Piper Warrior. I’m glad I hung around and it more than made up for the lack of sailing.

How Many Tugs Does an Aircraft Carrier Need?

Leave a Reply

Just like planes, ships can be tracked online these days. Once HMS Prince of Wales got within range of the transponder detectors, she showed up on the apps, and we knew that she was coming in. However, if you wanted a clue that she was getting close, it was the selection of tugs that headed out of Portsmouth Harbour ahead of the planned arrival time. Off they all went, ready to bring the big beastie back into harbour under control.

Once they were near the dock, they would all gather on one side of the carrier to nudge her sideways to tie up alongside in the naval dockyard. There is space for both carriers alongside and I had hoped they would use the spot nearer to us but that wasn’t the case. The large fenders mounted on the bows of the tugs looked like they would prove very helpful when trying to change the direction of 80,000 tons of ship.

Koalas Are Too Coy

Leave a Reply

Over the years, I have been to plenty of zoos. As a result, I would have thought I had seen koalas at some point but, as I write this, I am struggling to think when I might have done so. Marwell has some koalas so, maybe they were the first I had encountered in person. I am not sure whether they recognised the potential significance of this moment. While there were a few of them in the enclosure, they didn’t seem that bothered about our presence.

I understand that they have a reputation for being sleepy (and bad tempered) so having to wait for open eyes was going to be a problem, but they also seemed to want to have their heads turned away from everyone. I waited a bit to get something, but it wasn’t going to be worth holding everything up. This was the best I could manage.

Lining the Shore to Await the Returning Strike Group

Leave a Reply

I persuaded Nancy and Liese to join me on a Sunday lunchtime jaunt to Portsmouth to see the return of the HMS Prince of Wales from the carrier strike group cruise to the far east. They had left in April and were coming back on the last day of November. Talking to some around us, they had originally been planning to return the following day, but the forecast was not so good, and things came forward a day. I was also suspicious that they were more interested in getting the coverage that a weekend return would provide.

Originally, I had figured we would try and find a spot on the shore on the Portsmouth side. This seemed like somewhere that would be rather busy and Liese suggested that, maybe Gosport would make more sense. Not only did this have parking options and the potential to not be as busy, but it also meant the light would be on our side and it would provide Portsmouth as a backdrop to any photos. A wise suggestion.

We got there early and went out on a fishing pier that provided a great spot. Originally, I had intended to go for a wander and return closer to the time but, in the end, we found ourselves chatting to people around us that had family members on the returning carrier. It was so much fun chatting with them, so we ended up just hanging around.

As I looked across to the Portsmouth side, the crowds were building up. The Round Tower is a popular spot, and it had filled up first. Camera crews were up there too. As the arrival got closer, there were people all along the shore, near our favourite pub and down on the shingle by the water. It was a chilly day where we were, and I imagine it was even colder down on the water’s edge. Everyone was waiting for one thing. The arrival of a big boat!

Hockley Viaduct

Leave a Reply

In the days before the M3 around Winchester was built, you used to come off the motorway on to an A road that took you past Winchester before you then rejoined the motorway north of the city. My recollection of this road was that it ran alongside some brick arches. At the time, I had no idea what it was and, once the motorway was built, I couldn’t be sure whether my memory was accurate. Since we moved here, I have ridden on the trails south of the city and one of them takes you over the Hockley Viaduct. This is a disused railway viaduct which is now a trail. Once I saw it, I knew this must have been what I remembered.

Surprised by a Balloon in the Morning

Leave a Reply

My morning walks from the house are usually focused on trying to spot wildlife. I was a bit surprised one morning as I walked towards the tunnel under the railway to see a balloon just above the tree line in front of me. I was slow to get a shot, and the pilot was burning to climb back up. It was a misty morning, and I watched the balloon head off to the north before continuing on my walk. No idea whether it landed soon afterwards or not.

Chinooks Use Our Area for ILS Training

Leave a Reply

The RAF’s base at Odiham is not too far from where we live and it has been home to Chinook operations since the type was first introduced to service. I guess that there are training requirements for instrument approaches for the crews because it is not uncommon for them to show up over our house as they head to Southampton Airport. They will fly a few patterns which can include coming over the house.

Usually, they are a bit offset from us if established on the localiser and, while the Chinook is a large airframe, they are a bit distant for a good shot. However, I have managed to get a few when the light was more favourable. At some point I will get a closer encounter with them.

Solent Sky Museum

Leave a Reply

I guess I knew that there was an aviation museum in Southampton because I had heard about it in some place or other, but I wasn’t really au fait with what was there. However, I did know that it had a Shorts Sandringham flying boat which was a conversion of the Sunderland. One wet afternoon, I decided to head down and see what it was like. This proved to be a very good choice because it was a far better museum than I had expected.

Located a short distance from the centre of the city, Solent Sky museum is actually three museums in one. Aside from the aviation collection, there is a museum of Hampshire policing and of the fire service. There is also a selection of exhibits of Southampton’s history during the Second World War. Plenty to take a look at if you are able to dedicate some time.

The Sandringham dominates the main hall, and it will get its own post in due course so, other than it appearing in a wide shot, I won’t include specific pictures of it here. It is not the only flying boat. There is also a Saunder Roe SR.A/1 which is a very unusual type to find. Things are pretty crammed in because the building isn’t massive, and the collection is extensive. Tucked under the Sandringham is a Sea Vixen – a favourite of mine). There is a single seat Gnat, a Spitfire – a plane with strong Southampton connections – and a Supermarine S6 which will also get its own post. There are some human powered aircraft and some weird and wonderful types along with some Saro Skeeters!

A unique aircraft is the Wight Quadroplane which was designed and built on the Isle of Wight, and which went through a few modifications before it ended up as a collection piece. Some other originals and replicas add to the collection along with engines. It is a great selection. I have also stuck in a couple of images of the non-aviation stuff. Outside is the fuselage of an old QinetiQ BAC1-11and I understand a TrIslander has been delivered but is not yet on display. I guess I’ll have to go back for that at some point. What a pleasant surprise on a dreary afternoon.

Missing Out on the Sunflowers

Leave a Reply

Cycling around the Hampshire countryside as I have been since we moved back to the UK, I have seen some lovely scenes. One afternoon, I was riding along a road and came upon a field full of sunflowers. They looked stunning in the afternoon light, and I resolved to come back and take a photo. However, I did not realise how important the timing could be. A week later I was back and, while the heads of the flowers were still in place, the colour had really gone out of the flowers. They didn’t look terrible, but they were nowhere near as impressive as they had been the week before. Will I remember next year?

Crossing of the Contrails

Leave a Reply

Another of my early morning walks and I looked up at an aircraft contrailing across the sky above me. The low sun angle made the textures of the contrail look good, so I took a few shots. A short while later, I realised that its direction of travel was taking it towards another jet that was crossing its path. I was hoping for the relative positions of the two jets to look like a perfect cross from where I was standing but it wasn’t to be. Even so, they did look like they were crossing quite close.