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Press Days and Photo Opportunities
by John Bilcliffe.
During 1990 I was very privileged to have been given the opportunity to fly as a passenger with 101 squadron in one of their VC.10 C1 refuelling tankers from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. What I hadn't realised at the time was that this flight would mark the start of some future photo opportunities, some courtesy of RAF Strike Commands CPRO, Command public relations officer Mr Michael Hill and others from his colleague Dale Donavan of support command, at this point if they are reading this thank you for your help.
Anyway back to the events of the day and the realisation that my thoughts about trying not to waste too much film soon went out the window along with my common sense as soon as the first Tornado Gr1s started pulling up to refuel. The crews of the Tornados must have thought they had happened upon the airborne paparazzi as a camera occupied nearly every window .The real treat was about to become visual as a small dot turned into a nicely painted F3 Tornado as it sidled up to our aircraft for a top up. I was told previously this aircraft might make an appearance or may not depending on serviceability and weather conditions.
VC-10 cockpit
Photo - John Bilcliffe
There certainly was lots of excitement amongst the photographers as this aircraft flew alongside bearing markings to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain reflecting the fifty years difference from 1940 by depicting a spitfire and a tornado circling the numbers 50. The aircraft was referred to as “The Red Zebra” and this became obvious as the tail was painted with large red stripes which were in turn in keeping with the markings of the already adopted badge worn by 65( R ) Squadron from RAF Conningsby.
This aircraft ZE907 was chosen as the display F3 for the 1990 season flown by Flt Lt. Fred Grundy and navigator, Flt Lt Martin Parker. It soon became obvious to all onboard the VC10 why this was so as Mr Grundy gave us a sample of his flying skills and my lasting memory was how on one occasion we saw him rolling off to the left and coming back from half a mile or so away inverted. Before the flight ended another treat was in store as a Phantom made an approach to top up and my one and only shot of this came out as a silhouette, being an optimist I saw this as giving the image a bit of atmosphere.
Having sampled the high life offered by the services, I was asked to report on a small venue in the Manchester area at the Barton Aero club. No words other than surprise, close up, speed and noise could have described what I had observed on the control tower where I had been given permission to photograph the days events. Most amateur photographers carry mental images of the photos that have eluded them in the heat of the moment when one or more aircraft appear from out of the blue and have performed some kind of aerial wizardry leaving you spellbound and wondering why on earth they weren't more capable at that that moment to have acted on instinct to capture the moment, it happens a lot with me and I blame my age or my camera.
Skyraider at Bartonphoto by John Bilcliffe
One such event at Barton involved the Team Toyota led by Nigel Lamb and their arrival as their three small aircraft approached the airfield at Barton over the M62. I had decided to capture the aircraft at a pre-determined area on where I had focused the camera. Watching with patience I viewed the three aircraft and as I was just about to press the shutter and before I could get my finger on the so called button, the little formation performed a brilliant three way split with smoke on leaving me cursing myself as Messer's Lamb and co made their dramatic and unannounced entrance.
Like many people before me I hadn't read the situation properly and wasn't prepared for the unexpected. To make up for the image I'd missed which I hold in my memory today I asked if I could use the tower to view from and was rewarded with an unusual shot of the Toyota team being photographed by the local newspaper and T.V crews from a Sea king from Culdrose as they took off for a practice display.
Team Toyota & Seaking at Bartonphoto by John Bilcliffe
The very next invite to this site, I asked to use the same position and listening intently as the controllers made contact with approaching display aircraft on the practise Friday, my forward planning enabled me to catch a lovely shot of a Skyraider passing the tower at eye level at around 200 knots .It all seems worth the effort when the slides return showing you the image you remember from the day you took it .
In complete contrast to the small friendly atmosphere such as Barton offered, I remember the frosty encounter I was greeted with as Farnborough opened its doors to the press in 1988.Getting a press pass for this show is a bit like hitting the jackpot but you know the old story, the friend of a friend and the rest is true, I was down there the moment the post hit the floor.
Shackleton at Lossiemouth photo by John Bilcliffe
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Tornado F3 'The Red Zebra' of 65(R) Squadron, RAF Conningsby - photo by John Bilcliffe
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Farnborough is unlike any other show due to the involvement of much of the worlds aircraft industries and to the enthusiast especially the first timer it's hard to work out a plan of action because of such a wide variety of activities. This year though was a bit different as the speculation of the Russians displaying some of their aircraft made the choice of visiting their stand top of most peoples lists, even those without lists such as myself, it was the first port of call. The struggle to get to the fence to photograph the Mig29s was bad enough but the sight that greeted me as I looked through the viewfinder was of a ferocious looking bunch of security men making me decide in an instant to get a few photos and disappear before these chaps took it upon themselves to say no photography today please. I didn't wait around to find out anyway but took about 4 photos and slipped away pretty sharpish. In contrast to this visit a few years later the Russians visited Farnborough in force and there wasn't a security guard visible.
Security at Farnborough
photo by John Bilcliffe
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Hugh Butler at Farnborough
photo by John Bilcliffe
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On a different note and one of a revelation at a later show I did meet up with one of my childhood heroes in the guise of Hugh Butler who had influenced my interest in aircraft photography as he supplied in the 50s/60s many of the photos in the early,” Observers Book of Aircraft” compiled by William Green. Talking of people, it became very evident to me to try and capture well-known folk involved with the aviation scene, as without them there is no aircraft in the sky. I was fortunate enough to capture the arrival of some classic WW.II aircraft at Alconbury in the early 90s and remember seeing the well-known face of Ray Hannah as he climbed out of a Hispano Buchon.
Ray Hannah, John Farley and friends
photo by John Bilcliffe
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Cliff Spink calling for a set
of ladders at coventry
photo by John Bilcliffe
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After greeting him and telling him how much I enjoyed his flying especially in my younger days when the ultimate weekend for me was winning a place in a DC-3 with some other lucky A.T.C. cadets flying out of Woolsington airport, now Newcastle, to fly to RAF Acklington for the Battle of Britain air display highlighting the newly formed Red Arrows. Anyway having impressed or bored him into submission with my youthful revelations he asked the rest of the flyers to form a group round his aircraft to smile for the birdie, a bonus face in the crowd was none other than John Farley one of the test pilots from the early days of the Harrier jump jet.
Years ago in the good old days of the telly world when the Farnborough air show was on the box on Sunday, John Farley showed Raymond Baxter just how agile the T2 Harrier trainer was as he took the backseat for a demonstration flight, taking off from the hover and about 100 hundred feet from the ground pointed the nose skywards and with full power, roared skywards with the deafening noise of the engines drowning out an excited commentary from Mr Baxter.
B-2 crew at Mildenhall
photo by John Bilcliffe
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John Nichol and B-2 at Mildenhall
photo by John Bilcliffe
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Planes and personalities don't often star at an air show as pairs but the arrival for the public for the very first time at Mildenhall in 2000 brought together the B 2 Spirit and I managed to capture our own local hero John Nichol the navigator that hit the English T.V. screens as he was paraded on screen along with the pilot John Peters after their Tornado Gr1 was shot down over Iraq in the 1991 Gulf war. Here he is captured in better circumstances in front of the B2 at Mildenhall receiving some last minute tips on reporting. My recollection of this day was quite funny as the air force personnel on this day were restraining the press people like a hoard of hounds before releasing them to photograph the static B2, most just wanted to get an uncluttered view of the aircraft, but I was lucky enough to photograph the crew as they left.
Perhaps the best place in opportunities has been via RAF Waddington and the kindness of their last CPRO, Mrs Jacqui Wheeler who retired in 2005 and can only add if you're reading this, thanks for all your help. Milling through the crowds one show weekend I literally bumped into Andy Green and immediately recognised his face from previous media photos as the fastest man on earth who holds the land speed record and who also broke the sound barrier in doing so. The shows are full of photo opportunities and there are photos just about every where you look, so it's a case of interpreting what you see into an image which is pre set in your mind. One such moment for me was as the Patrouille De France formed up on the piano keys prior to a display to test their smoke systems and the colour can be quite a spectacular site as the engines are given a quick blast and a mixture of red white and blue are pumped out to form a brilliant backdrop.
Andy Green at Waddington
photo by John Bilcliffe
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Patrouille de France at Waddington
photo by John Bilcliffe
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There are many moments for me where I have chosen favourite photo's and would not have been able to have taken them had it not been through the help of the RAF and other organisations and have include a few from various sites.
Waddington Press area
photo by John Bilcliffe
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Thunderbirds Press day at Waddington
photo by John Bilcliffe
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Tornado at RAF Marham
photo by John Bilcliffe
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Sukhoi Su-27s, Mig-29s, & An-225
photo by John Bilcliffe
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Article and photos by John Bilcliffe
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