# Yeovilton Air Show



## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

Yeovilton Photo Call Day 22 June 2012 - The day before the Air Show - Arrivals and practice... Camera nuts are allowed in to do their thing...

Three of mine:


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

nice pics Donald - the usual production values: clean and crisp :smile:


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

Thanks Zulu ... I can say the same with some surfing pics that I have seen very recently! :wink:


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

thanks Donald - thank goodness for ZAR - all I have to do is re-edit all the pics from the baths - they were done with the 24-105mm L series lens, the surfing ones with the 70-300mm standard quality lens


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

They certainly look like stunners - Perhaps you could share some of them in a thread in the 'Corner?


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Superbly crisp shots Donald, though it took a few seconds to realise what was odd-looking with the 1st two, it suddenly clicked when I looked closely and saw there is actually a tail-rotor, but barely visible with the rotation :grin:

The B&W effect on the last photo transforms it beautifully, apart from the 'new' helicopters, it could easily have been snapped in the 40's-50's, with the tree-line and church-steeple in the background ray:


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

Thanks for the kind comments. A few more to show :smile:


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

At 1st glance, I thought that 1st pic was an old 'Folland Gnat', the original 'Red Arrows' plane but, 2nd glance it was the 'BAE Hawk' - An excellent pic of a beautiful plane, flown by the best display team in the world :grin:

I don't recognise t'others, though the quality and detail of #4 is brilliant (look at the heat-ripples from the exhaust against the clouds :wink - I also love the timing to get the plane framed in the light patch of cloud ray:

#5 wins hands-down for drama content, the stormy clouds and the foreground aerial complements the planes superbly, though why they have their arrestor-hooks down when flying over land seems bit strange :laugh:


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

WereBo said:


> At#5 wins hands-down for drama content, the stormy clouds and the foreground aerial complements the planes superbly, though* why they have their arrestor-hooks down when flying over land seems bit strange *:laugh:


I was on Her Majesties Ship HMS Heron, maybe that was the reason for the hooks! :wink: (As you know, all Royal Navy bases are referred to as ships. Yeovilton is HMS Heron & the German propaganda machine claimed to have been sunk HMS Heron during WWII:grin: )

In reality they were a couple of French (marine) aircraft doing a demo fly-by at slow speed.

#2 is a Yugoslav Soko j-29 Kragui (Sparrowhawk) ground attack thingy - it can carry, and I suppose, drop bombs!

Edit: 3 & 4 is a Tornado (fondly known as a 'Tonka')


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Aaahhh, I hadn't realised Yeovilton was a Naval base, I've only been past it once (got slightly lost 1st time visiting a good chum in Street.... :wink and assumed it was a RAF base :grin:


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

During air shows carrier pilots will sometimes put the hooks (and landing gear too) down to "fly dirty" which I take it is more difficult than flying clean.


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Aaaahhh, that could explain why this (American Bald) Sea-Eagle has his arrestor-hook down too....












:grin:


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## Allen Barra (Apr 19, 2012)

Great helicopters DonaldG. I had only once the pleasure to fly with Air Force. It was an unforgettable experience.


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

Thanks Allen. 
I was a marine wireless operator in the RAF Air-Sea-Rescue (1104 MCU Bridlington). Though I was on a rescue launch (Pinnace), I did have the pleasurable experience of being winched up into a chopper and sit in the open doorway. Then being dumped into the cold North Sea to be winched back up and dumped back on the boat! ... That was way back in 1960/61 ish... :smile:


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