Translate

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

B-2A Stealth bomber operations at RAF Fairford.

What a September 2019 was for Military aviation enthusiasts. There are few months or even years that have the level of interest as that September just gone. With the arrival of B-2 Stealth bombers at RAF Fairford and exercise Cobra Warrior at RAF Waddington. Locals and foreigners alike trolled up and down the Country and me alike. I met with guys I had not seen in years and had fortunate meetings with enthusiasts from Holland, Germany, and Malta. The friendliness and camaraderie were just brilliant.

Another enormous thank you had to go to all those guys on Fighter Control who took the time to report Notams and radio logs of these exercises. They were of enormous help to people trying to photograph the B-2s at Fairford. A first for me came when people turned from scanners to Fighter Control reports on their telephones, searching the whereabouts of B-2s returning to RAF Fairford.

Heading South again on the 11th of September, I left RAF Waddington the evening before driving down to RAF Mildenhall and Lakenheath as both bases were involved with the exercises, Lakenheath with F-15 Eagles participating in Cobra Warrior and Mildenhalls 100Sqn tankers refuelling the B-2s as well as the Cobra Warrior participants.

Sadly, the weather in Suffolk was not good for photography, so I pressed on for RAF Brize Norton, where they hosted the German Air Force A-310 10+24 that was involved with the Cobra Warrior exercise. No luck photographing that, but 07-7185, a C-17A of the 437th AW USAF, had just arrived.

Late afternoon, I moved to RAF Fairford, where I joined the crowds of enthusiasts, picnicking families, and assorted onlookers. I had not seen these masses at an active air base since visiting Gilze Rijen in Holland in 1993 for the Holloman airforce-based F-117 stealths participating in exercise Central Enterprise.

What a wonderful evening this one turned out to be.

Into the Sunset "Mission over"

82-1071/WM B-2A Spirit of Mississippi RAF Fairford

82-1071/WM B-2A "Spirit of Mississippi" Lands and then goes around... 

82-1071/WM B-2A Spirit of Mississippi

82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi' On finals 

82-1071/WM B-2A Spirit of Mississippi

82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi' chin up to the setting sun.

82-1071/WM B-2A Spirit of Mississippi

82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi'

82-1071/WM B-2A Spirit of Mississippi

82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi' Mission over for another day.

82-1068/WM B2-A Spirit of New York

Now it's the turn of 82-1068/WM B2-A' Spirit of New York'

82-1068/WM B2-A Spirit of New York

82-1068/WM B2-A' Spirit of New York' Down but not out...

82-1068/WM B2-A Spirit of New York

What a sight as 82-1068 heads back into the circuit.

82-1068/WM B2-A Spirit of New York

82-1068/WM B2-A' Spirit of New York' over the Gloucestershire countryside.

82-1068/WM B2-A Spirit of New York

82-1068/WM B2-A' Spirit of New York' 
Sadly, the sun has set as 'Spirit of New York' concludes its mission.

82-1071 WM B-2A Spirt of Mississippi

82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi'
By 8.20 am the following morning, it was all action as the same two aircraft that arrived the evening before missioned up again.

82-1071 WM and  82-1068 WM B2-As

82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi' and 82-1068/WM B2-A' Spirit of New York' 

For a few minutes, it even looked like they could be suffering "English traffic jam syndrome." 

82-1071WM B-2A Spirit of Mississippi

82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi'
The B-2A is a very deceptive aircraft regarding its size, from minor to...

82-1068WM B2-A Spirit of New York

82-1068/WM B2-A' Spirit of New York' 

Is...Huge with its 57m wingspan aircraft?

82-1071WM B-2A Spirit of Mississippi

82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi'

By lunchtime and with the help of Fighter Control, we were photographing them returning.

82-1068WM B2-A Spirit of New York

 82-1068/WM B2-A 'Spirit of New York' returns, and now we all await the day's second mission.

82-1071WM B-2A Spirit of Mississippi

82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi'

These guys were busy by 2.15 pm 82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi' was getting airborne once again.

82-1071WM B-2A Spirit of Mississippi

82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi'

Patience had paid off on this my second visit, and now, on its second day, they departed in SUNSHINE...

82-1071WM B-2A Spirit of Mississippi

82-1071/WM B-2A' Spirit of Mississippi'

82-1068WM B2-A Spirit of New York

 82-1068/WM B2-A' Spirit of New York'

82-1068WM B2-A Spirit of New York

As  82-1068/WM B2-A' Spirit of New York' departed.

I waited for another Sunset evening, but this did not transpire.  
But it was worth the wait as the following morning...

60-0041BD 93rd BS AFRC B-52H

60-0041/BD 93rd BS AFRC B-52H.

Yep, the engines are running at 08.15 am, and it's 60-0041/BD 93rd BS AFRC B-52H for departure, having been tech for quite a while.

60-0041BD 93rd BS AFRC B-52H

 60-0041/BD 93rd BS AFRC B-52H

60-0041BD 93rd BS AFRC B-52H

60-0041/BD 93rd BS AFRC B-52H.

As I said, I stopped off at RAF Mildenhall on the journey South from Waddington.

57-1440 KC-135R 100ARW.

57-1440 KC-135R 100ARW.

Not much was happening on the ground, but the sky was interesting photographically.

59-1513 KC-135 100ARW USAF

59-1513 KC-135 100ARW USAF.

84-00156 C-12U-3 1-214th AVN

84-00156 C-12U-3 1-214th AVN.

A quick stop at RAF Brize Norton before Fairford produced the following.

ZZ177 C-17A 99Sqn RAF

ZZ177 C-17A 99Sqn RAF.

ZJ694 Sentinel R1 5 AC Sqn RAF

ZJ694 Sentinel R.1. 5(AC)Sqn RAF.

As I had to cross Salisbury Plain on the way South, I took a quick peek at Eversleigh, having departed from Fairford.

G-ETPE H125 QCFO

G-ETPE H125 QCFO.

G-ETPE H125 QCFO

G-ETPE H125 QCFO.

What an exciting September.

Happy Days! 


No comments:

Post a Comment