Air to air (first attempt): Vampire

Composition makes a great shot and you have it in stacks here 🙂

You could of course spend lots of wonga on equipment to get crisper, more focused and stabilised shots if you want.

Hey I just remembered who “Will” is from Atlantique. We had a chat on Sunday.

Simple question (may have overlooked it?): What was the equipment? 😉
Honestly interested – digital etc.
Best regards

Your Maule or ours, maybe we could organise some Maule-to-Maule photography 🙂

One idea. The Maule is a bit slow but makes an excellent camera ship in that you can fly with a door off.

Excellent Stuff Will. The 4th and 6th shots are my fave two. All are great, but these two in particular stuck out above the rest – some great work. 🙂

Thanks for posting these.

The problem I found with the Pembroke’s cabin windows is the engine and exhaust gets in the way.

“Ensure both aircraft are heading in the right direction”

True, Jon could make things very challenging by flying the other way 😀

It is interesting to comapre the earlier shots (Vampire following)which was through the cleanest bit of perspex available and the later ones which are through an open cockpit window, such as the one with the close up top surfaces. An obvious problem was avoiding the curved edges of the cabin windows that cause horrible distortion and avoid reflections from other cabin windows, some have curtains, some don’t. Repeating the flight, some dark paper and tape would be useful to blank out the rearmost cabin window (opposite the rear door) whose reflection spoilt a few good ones!

Very nice pics for a first attempt. Is air-to-air any harder than ground-to-air? other than obtaining an aircraft as a camera ship.

I shot these a few years ago, as soon as G-SIXC came out of the paint shop in the new livery at Coventry. Mount was Atlantic’s Cessna 404 G-EXEX. Most important NOT to shoot something so important through glass/perspex, due to distortion, reflections, cloudiness and discolouration reducing the quality. With the rear window removed, next important consideration is to shoot as high-enough shutter speed to counter any vibration, but not too high so as to stop the props. If you poke the lens too far out, you will get buffeting but if too far back, you could get the window frame in. Ensure both aircraft are heading in the right direction with the sun on your subject and brief both pilots thoroughly beforehand on hand-signals to be used for where you want him positioned. These shots were done for Air Atlantic and appeared on their publicity material and website, plus you probably saw them in all the aviation magazines. 😎

Cool photo’s 🙂

Myabe you should ask your boss if you can do some of the Metor at some point Will.

Taking photo’s of a classic aircraft FROM a classic aircraft – You lucky lucky man !!

Superb photo’s

TMN

Better still, how about a DC3 full of the Clicker Clique? I may even dig out my Box Brownie for that….:D

Now that IS a good idea!

Is air-to-air any harder than ground-to-air? other than obtaining an aircraft as a camera ship.

In all honesty it is easier, rather that scooting past at some silly speed the aircraft gradually draws nearer to you and parks itself a few yards from your lens, which is very helpful!

Finding a camera ship is no bother sat next to a willing pilot faced with the choice of an afternoon doing admin. stuff or an afternoon playing with the Pembroke.

Tom, I reckon it might be wise, next time, to have a photographer at both ends of the Pembroke, you might have to be dragged along as well!

Hopefully next time there should be more forward planning than… “those clouds look nice and fluffy, lets go and take some pictures in them” 😉

….we also have a serious lack of decent Venom pictures…

Better still, how about a DC3 full of the Clicker Clique? I may even dig out my Box Brownie for that….:D

Very nice pics for a first attempt. Is air-to-air any harder than ground-to-air? other than obtaining an aircraft as a camera ship.

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Next you’ll be telling me you don’t work 7 days a week

And who was it that came in last Sunday to clean your filthy Anson 😀 😀 😀

😉

Isn’t it time you were in bed? Surely you’ve got to be at work early in the morning?! Next you’ll be telling me you don’t work 7 days a week, bloody students!

Hey up….

“some say he lives in a balsa wood nest and has an irrational fear of badgers..

we only know him as our tame Vampire pilot, FL200″

(I think I have been watching too much Top Gear 😀 )

Reminiscent of the late Charles E. Brown in a couple of those. Very nice! 😀

G’day 😉

as requested by Moggy C

Nice!!! Where were you, we should have waved!

In the back garden of a holiday cottage near Stow.

You were a bit high for my lens to get a decent image …