Legendary Moments in Military Aviation: September 2019

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Eurocopter EC665 Tigre live firing missiles Spain 2007.

Towards the bottom corner of Spain's Andalusia, along the coastline of the Donana National Park, there is a live firing range. I had never seen an Aircraft or Helicopter using it before. My dates here could be more precise, but I caught these photos in 2007.
I was drawn by a Spanish Naval ship close to the shore; this was obviously there to keep fishing boats out of the area and place the target balloon. Suddenly, the Tiger emerged from the Military test Establishment on the coast road between Matalascañas and Huelva, flying low along the cliffs.

5001/F-ZWBP HA.28-1 Eurocopter Tiger HAD

Eurocopter Tiger HAD Serial 5001/F-ZWBP HA.28-1 is currently owned by Eurocopter France but also carries the markings of the Fuerzas Aeromóviles del Ejercito de Tierra (Spanish Army Aviation).

5001/F-ZWBP HA.28-1 Eurocopter Tiger HAD.

Guess the photos tell the story?

Happy bygone Days!

RAF Boscombe Down and the Salisbury Plain Military Training area.

A visit to RAF Boscombe Down with blue skies and an afternoon visit to the Salisbury Plain Training areas.

Wiltshire is home to bases such as Boscombe Down, Middle Wallop, and the Salisbury Plain training area.

Unfortunately, they no longer are the bases they used to be in their glory days; Boscombe Down has passed into privatised hands (QinetiQ), and most of their aircraft now carry civilian markings. (Very sad). Middle Wallop has suffered from the financial cuts brandished on the Armed services; some days, you can pass it by wondering if there are any Helicopters still based there.

I digress, so here are the photographers from that trip in 2018.

XX162 Hawk T.1 RAF Centre of Medicine.

ZF511 Tucano T.1,

Wfu Stored Boscombe Down.

XX154 Hawk T.1 Empire Test Pilot School, Wfu stored Boscombe Down.

RAF Chinook HC.6 RAF is one of a pair delivering troops to the plain.

ZK562 Chinook HC.6 RAF.

G-ETPH QinetiQ Airbus AS350 B3/H125.

ZZ387 Wildcat AH.1 1 Regt Army

G-ETPI QinetiQ Airbus AS350 B3/H125.

Chinook

ZJ207 Apache AH.1 673(AHTU) Sqn.

Apache AH.1 AAC.

ZZ527 Wildcat AH.1

ZA766 Gazelle AH.1 7Regt.

ZZ413 Wildcat HMA2 Royal Navy.

ZA766 Gazelle AH.1 7Regt.

ZZ413 Wildcat HMA2 Royal Navy.

G-ETPI QinetiQ Airbus AS350 B3/H125.

Happy Days!

B-2 Stealth Bomber deployment to RAF Fairford

The 509th BomberWing assigned to the United States Air Forces Global Strike Command (AFGSC) with three of its B-2 Spirit stealth bombers have been deployed to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, flying directly from their home base of Whiteman in Missouri. The deployment is rumoured to be for up to two months.
I made my first visit to photograph them on September 3rd 2019; the local weather started fine but deteriorated to overcast before two of the three visiting bombers recovered to Fairford.
On the ground, along with B-2 82-1068 Spirit of New York, were two C-5M Super Galaxys. At least one was parked up while Vice President Pence was visiting Dublin.

There's nothing else to say other than I hope you enjoy the photos.

MYTEE 21 82-1071/WM B-2 Spirit of Mississippi USAF.

MYTEE 22 89-0129/WB B-2 Spirit of Georgia USAF.

MYTEE 21 82-1071/WM B-2 Spirit of Mississippi USAF.

MYTEE 22 89-0129/WB B-2 Spirit of Georgia USAF.

MYTEE 22 89-0129.

MYTEE 22 89-0129/WB B-2 Spirit of Georgia USAF.

MYTEE 22 89-0129.

MYTEE 22 89-0129/WB B-2 Spirit of Georgia USAF.

87-0036 C-5M 9th AS USAF Dover AB, the sixteenth conversion to C-5M Super Galaxy.

87-0042 C-5M 60th AMW USAF Travis AB, the nineteenth conversion to a C-5M.

Happy Days!

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

l’Armée de Terre open day 1992 at Compiegne in Northern France

Back in 1992, I frequently visited France, and on this one occasion, my visit coincided with the Sunday air show at Compiegne l'Armee de Terre base.

Looking back, it was a different environment from what we find today; I arrived early Saturday evening, having travelled from the South of France, and I slept in the van alongside the fence between two base hangars.

Sunday morning, with the Sun rising and a perfect blue sky, ground crews were busy arriving at the base and preparing for a great day. I was allowed access to the airfield at that early hour. Walking around the rows of Gazelles, the overnight condensation was still evident on the cockpits.

These are a few of the photographs I captured on slide film that morning.