“A mile of road will take you a mile, a mile of runway will take you anywhere in the world.”
For that has to be one of the greatest sayings ever that is also very true - walk or drive a mile down a road or along a pathway and you will have gone just a mile. Yet a mile of runway and you can be anywhere within the world, for that has to be one of the most curious things about aviation, the opportunities and doors that it can open, yet aviation can also be perplexing, sometimes you have to wonder what has just flown over me? Well it was the 14th of March 2023 when something akin to the sound of thunder was heard over the Nottinghamshire area, and whilst it was also heard over some parts of Derbyshire, confusion soon followed with people simply saying via social media,
“Well nothing was forecasted for thunderstorms, so why has the sound of thunder just been heard in the skies?”
Yet what would happen if the thunder was not thunder? What if there was a more simple and logical explanation as to what that sound actually was, well the article below explains it in more detail, as to what the mysterious sound actually was,
And it was indeed the sound of F16 Aircraft from the Belgian Air Force who have been in The UK, at RAF Waddington as part of “Exercise Cobra Warrior” a joint Air Force exercise that has seen the RAF working in conjunction with the Belgian Air Force, The Finnish Air Force and The Indian Air Force on combat flying and simulated air to air combat, yet despite the low flying Belgian F16s that flew over on March the 14th now being back in Belgium, some other Belgian Air Force aircraft have since arrived at RAF Waddington - perhaps though the most quirky thing about the F16s that flew over the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire area at a rarely seen low level flying formation is that a couple of them were part of the Nato Flying Tigers, and that of course made many an aviation spotter want to capture them. Yes, aviation photography is a thing and again as a photographer I have something of a large interest in aviation, which is probably due to the change in perspective of what the planet looks like when you are flying above it, not to mention the science and technology involved in flight. With that being said March the 17th had arrived and that was a Friday, thankfully the weather was clear and the next biggest question was, “RAF Waddington or not RAF Waddington?” In the end the decision of RAF Waddington won, and I knew that despite the Belgian F16s not being there, surely with patience that I would capture some aircraft at least.
But what aircraft would I come across? Well after a relatively short journey which just skimmed the southern suburban area of the historic city of Lincoln, I was soon on the A15 for the last remaining short distance to the aptly named WAVE Waddington, an aircraft spotters paradise that is literally located directly opposite one of the taxiways and the North Eastern part of Runway 02, an interesting section of paradise for plane spotters with another curiosity, a set of traffic lights that will come on when an Aircraft is either landing or taking off, and again it really does make for interesting photographs, yes when timed it can look unusual with an aircraft coming over the road, with traffic waiting and the accumulation of a small traffic jam, where else in the country can you get decent and quirky aviation photographs like that? Digression aside, the fantastic WAVE Waddington, when I arrived was busy, very busy but the bonus though is free car parking - on top of that is a fantastic little refreshment wagon, which does a delightful sausage cob/bap and delicious coffee, if anyone from WAVE Waddington and the refreshment wagon is reading this, then kudos to you, for possibly one of the nicest coffees that I have had in a long time along with Sausage cob/bap, yes they really are something else compared to other food/drink from other refreshment wagons; and yet again digression is taking place.
Upon crossing the thankfully calm A15, a long straight roman road, that also when any military exercise from Waddington takes place has a nice 30mph speed limit, it was time to cross the road and join what seemed to be a long line of aviation spotters whom were lining the area near to the perimeter fence and the glorious view over to the apron and runway plus RAF base was just something else - although with the sound of the traffic and a lack of sound from any aircraft I did wonder how long it would be until the first Aircraft would appear and either be departing or landing. Waiting, checking ADSB Exchange which showed where the aircraft are and their position in accordance with Waddington, I could see a Beechcraft or “RAF Shadow” which had been flying around in circles - quite literally, but keeping an eye on the course it was taking it was soon apparent that this two engine plane was going to be soon arriving back at base. I stood and looked in the direction that it would be landing from and armed with the camera in burst mode managed to capture the following two photographs.
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| "Shadow R1 Inbound." |
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| "Shadow R1, Framed." |
Needless to say that afterwards I was amazed at what I had just captured. But was there anything else happening on the RAF Base? Certainly not, the sounds of traffic is what I heard as it travelled south and north on the A15, the heavy wagons and some interesting farm machinery, yet in the distance stretching as far as the eye could see - aviation spotters in their natural habitat.
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| "The huddle of Aviation Spotters." |
Of course that made for an interesting photograph to say the least, and there really is something quite civilised about aviation spotting and aviation spotters; for a start they are not like football fans who obsess about a small ball of air being kicked around a pitch, instead aviation spotters and aviation spotting is all about the science and art of flight, the spotting of rare aircraft and exploring the area that they are in. Either way though a lot of waiting then took place - for nothing seemed to be happening, on ADSB Exchange a lot of military aircraft could be seen, some from RAF Coningsby - other military aircraft in transit through UK airspace. But a deadly silence so far, the Finnish F18s were parked up, and on the other side of the runway, a RAF Sentinel and Rivet Joint, both parked up with a lack of activity.
“One of the most unique and quirky parts of aviation spotting is the waiting. Sometimes patience is needed, I waited and waited but then things changed, slowly did they change but they did and immediately some kind of magic was about to happen.”
Then I looked over the airfield and noticed some movement, as did everyone else, for little dots of red appeared and slowly but shortly they had arrived at the runway, ready to take off - but what were they? They were those much loved Hawk Aircraft otherwise known as The Red Arrows, but what were they doing at RAF Waddington? Well the answer is simple, a few years ago they moved from RAF Scampton to Waddington, and aviation photographer “Claire Hartley” has captured many fantastic photographs of The Red Arrows. Including photographs of them as they have flown over the iconic and famed Lincoln Cathedral.
Encroaching slowly I could see The Red Arrows, and there really was something so photogenic about them, something calming and soothing as well, and the following photographs upon reviewing them are probably in my opinion some of the best photographs that I have ever taken.
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| "The parade of The Red Arrows." - Black and White. |
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| "Parade of The Red Arrows." - Colour. |
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| "Arrows Squared." |
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| "The stare of Red." |
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| "The Red Encroaches." - Black and White. |
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| "The Red Encroaches." - Colour. |
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| "Lets Roll." |
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| "Eyes towards Red." |
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| "Departure Time." |
Perfection in my mind is what I thought, for there is something magical about The Red Arrows and everything they stand and fly for - (pardon the pun.) After The Red Arrows had departed - what was there left to do? Wait, and wait. Wait a bit longer but that of course is the magic of aviation photography at somewhere like RAF Waddington, for military aviation is still aviation, but it is different from civilian aviation and visiting your local airport or international airport for the purposes of aviation photography involve the same principles, yet military aviation photography requires patience, if you are prepared to give things a chance something spectacular will be captured. Either way I waited, hoping that something else would happen, and slowly but shortly it did. Soon it was time for The Red Arrows to return, and what a spectacle that was!
Why was it a spectacle? Because the way they come into land made for interesting opportunities to capture them when they came over the A15 and the traffic lights were working, again military aviation photography does have its quirks to say the least and to see traffic queuing at traffic lights because of an incoming aircraft is one of those quirky things that you do not see every day!! - although in certain parts of the world you might at civilian airports see traffic lights to prevent you from crossing the runway. After the red arrows had returned, more coffee was on the cards from the fantastic refreshment wagon at WAVE Waddington, along with more waiting. The Red Arrows had returned, but would they be going out again? Only time would tell.
Before long, the sounds of Aviation engines could be heard, I had been keeping my eyes on the Finnish Air Force FA-18s, who from the viewing area on the opposite side of the A15, you could clearly see, they were getting ready to go on a flying sortie - but would they? Again only time would tell, but then the sight of The Red Arrows again taxing made for a magical encounter yet again. But this time things would be different, not only could I hear the sounds of The Red Arrows, but I could hear other engines spooling and starting up; along with the smell of aviation fuel.
Finally at long last The Red Arrows were back! And were they the only other aircraft along with the Shadow R1, that I would be seeing? No they certainly were not, the other sounds of aircraft beginning to now taxi along could also be seen and heard, then came the Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 aircraft - which took me by complete and utter surprise; for I was not expecting to see those when I had arrived at Waddington, and it was when these old but capable aircraft came out that I managed to capture something akin to a fluke.
“It was just the one photo that I was after, the chance photograph of The Red Arrows taking off and an aircraft heading towards me, I just hit the continuous shutter button and got the fluke of a shot, an Indian Air Force Mirage heading down the taxi way towards the Runway and in the background The Red Arrows already airborne as they leave Waddington to practice over the Lincolnshire skies.”
Needless to say that that the two photos of The Red Arrows in the background along with the Mirage taxing along to take off from the Runway will stay with me in my mind for the longest of times. The Indian Air Force Mirages when the took off sounded like music, loud music and the sound of thunder could be heard as they took to the skies, eventually the Finnish Air Force FA-18s had made there way to the taxiway, the Mirages already airborne and the smell of jet fuel combined with the heat from the engines of the FA-18s was something else, I knew that things would get louder - and they did!
One of the most strangest experiences occurred, when I was capturing the FA-18s, one of the pilots decided to slightly angle the engines towards the crowd, standing a distance away to keep them warm, so kudos to the Finnish Air Force for that little touch. After a short while, the sound of thunder had returned - gone were the Indian Air Force Mirage 2000’s that had made the ground slightly shake, yet the lingering sound could still be heard, then of course acceleration and noise returned to meet the existing noise, nothing like I had heard or felt before and this time it was the Finnish Air Force FA-18s taking to the skies, again observing the world from a different perspective, and after they had left nothing at all, other than people waiting for a Belgian Air Force A400M to arrive, which was due in later than expected.
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| "Do Finns Fly?" - Black and White. |
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| "Do Finns Fly?" - Colour. |
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| "A Finn Perspective." - Black and White. |
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| "A Finn Perspective." - Colour. |
But seeing those “Finns Fly.” Had drawn my afternoon to a close, it had been magical and enlightening - perhaps that is the joy of photography, the experimentation it gives you, yes you can take as many landscape photos as possible - but there is something magical about capturing aviation, and again even with aviation the way the landscape compliments things is also thought provoking, for what would the Air Forces have seen from the air, compared to us on the ground? That was a thought that stayed with me for a short while. But to say that it was magical to see The Red Arrows was just one thing, to see the Finnish Air Force and the Indian Air Force, well that was a bonus as well, and RAF Waddington, I will be back soon.
