Remarks: This picture was taken from easyJet 737 G-EZJX en route Faro-Luton and shows an Iberia A340 westbound over north-central Spain about to cross below us at about 1550hrs, about 45 minutes into our flight. The 737 windows were in a bit of a state and the autofocus lost lock-on a few seconds later – I shall use a manual infinity setting next time. I don’t fly much and have always wanted to be in a position to take a picture like this.
Remarks: Birmingham Airport seen from Flybe ERJ G-EMBL on finals to Runway 33 as Flight BE7056 from Edinburgh. Numerous BHX regulars can be seen, including seven Flybe ERJs, and an Emirates 777 being pushed back for the daily departure to Dubai. Other airlines represented are My Travel, Thomson, Monarch, Thomas Cook and Aer Lingus, and one of the few remaining British Airways BAe 146s is holding at the EOR. (400D & Sigma 28-300)
Remarks: I took this picture from Flybe Q400 G-JECL as it departed Birmingham just after mid-day for Inverness as Flight BE833; the airport is seen in hammering rain as another Q400 and Ryanair 737 EI-DPA taxi out for departure. Three more Q400s, another two Ryanair 737s and a Flybe EMB-195 can also be seen.
Remarks: RAF unit Forward Support (Fixed Wing) HQ recovers or repairs all fixed wing military aircraft involved in accidents or incidents in the UK and abroad. This photo shows an AV-8B and a British Army BN-2T Islander recovered by the unit. Islander ZG994 crashed near Middle Wallop in 1999 & was taken to BN Bembridge for use as an avionics trainer but was subsequently abandoned. (Thanks to friend and colleague Warrant Officer Nige Hughes for access & Mark Dashwood for info)(400D & Sigma 28-300)
Remarks: Babcock workers from RAF Valley retrieving XX196 following an aborted take-off and consequent overshoot during training circuits the previous day after the pilot had detected engine trouble. The aeroplane took the barrier at the end of the runway which brought it up just short of the A5 road. The recovery crew repeatedly attempted to obstruct my attempts to photograph the incident using the Land Rover on the right of the picture.
Remarks: Concorde 002, the British prototype, is seen here taxiing back across the main runway at the BAC test facility at RAF Fairford, probably returning from an engine run in the noise attenuators on the south-east side of the airfield, on a gloomy October evening in 1974. A fleet of BAC support vehicles can be seen also crossing the runway in the middle distance. (Zenit B & 200mm Dixons lens)
Remarks: Concorde 01 is seen here landing at the BAC flight test facility after a test flight during the winter of early 1975 – the exact date was unfortunately not recorded. The picture was taken from the Concorde car park, which was near the eastern end of Runway 09-27 (now the RIAT park-and-view entrance). 01 was the first pre-production aircraft, and first flew 4 months after roll-out at Filton on 20 Sep 1971. It was the last airframe with the short tail and skid without wheels. (Zenith B & Dixons 200mm)
Remarks: Babcock workers from RAF Valley retrieving XX196 following an aborted take-off and consequent overshoot during training circuits the previous day after the pilot had detected engine trouble. The aeroplane took the barrier at the end of the runway which brought it up just short of the A5 road. Just out of shot is the Land Rover with which the recovery crew repeatedly attempted to obstruct my initial attempts to photograph the incident…
Remarks: The European ruling that allowed PIA to operate only their 777s to European destinations has been lifted and A310s cam again be seen on the BHX-Islamabad route. This one is seen inbound to BHX Runway 33 as an Air India 777 VT-AIL prepares for departure in the background. (80th second, focal length 199mm. 400D, Sigma 80-400 & fluid-head tripod)
Remarks: This Hawk from 100 Squadron at Leeming is pictured in Gaydon Hangar following recovery to Valley after one heck of a bird strike. The cockpit canopy has an enormous hole punched in it and fragments of the canopy glass have peppered the airframe with dents and perforations. The flat rear cockpit windscreen (mid-canopy, immediately behind the front ejection seat) is covered in reddish-brown bird puree. (Three second exposure at f16)
Remarks: Delta Airlines flies once a day from Edinburgh to New York JFK using the elegant 757. This one is seen lifting off for a Sunday afternoon departure into a rain-laden sky. Originally registered to TWA, it also flew with American before joining Delta. (400D; Sigma 80-400@80mm; fluid-head tripod; 60th sec exposure; stabilization switched off, from near the Almond Bridge crash exit)
Remarks: The majestic 777, ocean liner of the skies and flagship of the Air India fleet, heaves into the sky to commence its four-and-a-half thousand mile journey across the world, an icon of technology that epitomizes the gulf between the First and Third Worlds and contrasts starkly with the crude and primitive conditions endured by the residents of the Birmingham suburbs beyond the airport boundary…
Remarks: This Central Flying School Varsity had an engine failure on take-off, overshot the runway, crashed through a wall and crossed the Barrington-Rissington lane. This picture was taken a few days later when recovery crews had retrieved the aircraft to within the airfield boundary. Tracked dollies can be seen beneath the wings and fuselage. I cycled 7 miles on a frosty day to get this picture, only to run out of film; this is the only picture. (New to the database)(Zenith B & Helios standard lens)
Remarks: The 1245 Sunday afternoon Manx2 service from the Isle of Man is seen here arriving on Runway 22 at Staverton. It would soon depart with a new load of passengers for Jersey, from which it would return to Staverton and depart again for the Isle of Man the same evening. Manx2 operates a mixed fleet of Fairchild Metros and Let 410s as well as Do228s.
