Better have your hard hat and hi-viz jacket on as it’s a building site at the moment. They’re either building a Travelodge, ops bunker, or a very big electricity substation…:D
I’d go with Travelodge 😀
(Taken from upstairs of a moving bus:eek:)
Brian
UPDATE 3
If it’s Sunday afternoon, then it must be the Charity Photo Call. For a static event, there were a lot of aircraft movements.
First up was the Dornier 228, which did a fly past once airborne. This was followed by the Dutch Gulfstream, which didn’t do a fly past. A rather nice looking SIAI-Marchetti trailed a bit of smoke when it took off but not on its fly past. The Hercules and Chipmunk fired up and the Chippie was first out. I don’t think anyone saw its fly past as they were all watching the MC-130H. A Martin-Baker King Air followed the Hercules out and held on the active runway when the MC-130H did a neat, steep climb out. It did a high circuit and then came back with its wheels down for two more passes.
Many thanks to Phil and Lee, and everyone else I met, for a tiring but thoroughly enjoyable weekend.
Brian
UPDATE 2
After the meal, we crossed over to the other side of the airfield and having parked up outside the Officers Mess we set about photographing the C-40B in the glorious early evening light. The original intention was to photograph the C-40B after the night shoot, but it wasn’t going to be lit up. The appointed time for the arrival of the Bronco and Jet Provost came and went and turned out they were now arriving on the Saturday. With no more movements, we could have access to the pan so it was back over the other side. The night shoot didn’t quite turn out as planned. The man who had the keys to turn the lights on had gone home. With the keys. So we had to make do with natural lighting.
Didn’t quite get the lit up night shots I wanted but quite happy with what I came away with. Many thanks to Lee for a lift to the hotel, and despite asking not to, I had a room over looking over South Ruislip Tube Station. Mmmm.
Back again on Sunday for the Charity Photo Shoot.
Brian
UPDATE 1
Between the departures of the Biz-Jets, the Boeing C-40B Clipper was moved from the dispersal to be parked on the active taxiway up by the Officers Mess for a departure on Saturday. The Alpha Jet crew kept the nose high for a neat bit of aerodynamic braking. The Chipmunk crew got into the World Cup spirit as they trundled past and the Dominie called in with a bird strike. Apparently they returned to Cranwell, got in another jet and finally made it to Northolt. The arrival of the Sky Van created a bit of amusement as when reverse thrust was selected, the nose wheel went into what looked like a very violent wobble as the aircraft slowed down.
By 18.30 there were still two arrivals due later on so we went off for a bit of food and would try to catch them from the other side of the airfield, with the sun behind us, when we went to photograph the C-40 and before the night shoot.
Brian
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