The Aviation Photographer #4

p h o t o g r a p h e r

E-Magazine

A viation

The

issue Nr. 4 2018

fri s i an f lag

a europeean flag exercise

eq ui pment

d o n ' t fo r g e t t o bring it all

s w e d i sh ai r fo r c e 7 1 . ta c t i c a l a i r l i f t s q n

saab 37 viggen the beast

To p Shots

from around the world

T ut o ria l

p l a1 n n i n g : i m p r o v i n g t h e o d d s

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THIS ISSUE E D i t o r i a l : a r e yo u s e r i o u s ?

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T U T O R I A L : p l a n n i n g - i m p r ov i n g t h e o d d s TOP shots

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saab 37 viggen - the beast

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To p s h o t s

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s w e d i s h a i r f o r c e - 7 1 . ta c t i c a l a i r l i f t s q n

26-32

top shots

33-35

review - frisian flag

3 6 - 43

w h at d o w e wa n t ?

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e v ent s o f in t e r e s t 2 01 8

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EDITORIAL

are you serious?

Writing these aviation photography tutorials, we’ve more than once found ourselves thinking; ”are we taking this too seriously”?

For us, aviation photography is a hobby and a bit of a passion, but we wouldn’t say that we are diehard fanatic about it.

We wouldn’t want to do this for a living, as that would take away the fun and the creativity for us, but we wouldn’t mind being able to spend some more time at aviation related photo events, than what our jobs and budget currently allow, but doing it for a living? No, we don’t think so. ”Funding” some of our travels and equipment by selling the odd picture every now and then doesn’t hurt, but that is not the objective.

Writing about equipment (that I, Jörgen, is not very interested in), planning (something some would say is a bit crazy) and picture editing (meaning hours and hours in front of a computer) may portrait us as über-geeks and fanatics who look down at those who just want to take pictures of aircraft because it’s fun, and who wants to have a good time, in other words, people who aren’t “serious” about aviation photography.

Well, we are geeks, Peter and I, that we cannot deny, and we both believe that you should give in to, and embrace, that inner geek that we all have inside, whatever the subject might be.

But are we more serious than you?

Probably and probably not.

Probably, in the way that we want to improve our pictures, we want to evolve as photographers and we will try to find various ways of doing this by investing time and money in to our hobby, just like many, many others.

Probably not, in the way that we primarily want to have fun when doing this and the day we do this, not for fun, but for money or because ”we have to”, then we’ll sell our camera equipment and do something else. A photo-day for us is just as much about taking good pictures as it is laughing and having fun and if you ever meet us at an airfield, you’ll find out how ”serious” we are.

What we write about in this e-magazine is our own experiences and our own level of geekiness when it comes to aviation photography. If you find what we write to be a bit ”over the top” then you are probably right and you should only take notice of the parts that work for you and your level of geekiness. Hopefully you will find something in what we write that will help you to keep having fun and improving your pictures at the same time.

Peter Eliasson www.e-pic.se

Jörgen Nilsson www.jn-photo.se 3

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tutorial

planning - improving the odds It’s photography time, let’s go to the airfield, air show or any other aviation related event and stand among the crowd and take a bunch of great pictures!

• Display line and display center – Where will they be flying?

• Weather forecast - What will the weather be like?

• Active runways and take-off/landing directions at airfields • Tower communication frequencies • Scheduled displays – No point being there if nothing is flying • What’s flying? Are there anything you are particularly interested in?

• The position of the sun – You want to have the sun behind you as much as possible • Distance – Even with the longest lenses, you want to get as close as possible • Clear field of view – No point standing at a location where you can’t get a clear shot • How many days do you have or need?

• Do I need to bring food and water?

• What type of pictures am I looking to get

Ehhhh... Not so much … Not if it can be avoided, if there are other, better, options.

If you look at aviation pictures taken by the truly great aviation photographers that are out there, do you think that their pictures look that good by chance? Do you think that they’ve stood among the spectators when they took those amazing pictures? Do you think it’s mostly due to luck?

In most cases, No. Aviation photography require planning, if you want to get the really great shots. Having a plan and a strategy for your photo events will increase the odds that you will come home with some great shots.

The first thing you do, when you plan your photo event, is to decide what event(s) you want to go to. This is what you do during those cold, dark winter nights when there are no air shows to visit and you are running low on pictures to edit.

Knowing what aircraft are flying and having an idea of what kind of pictures it is you are looking to get, is a good start in creating a ”Game Plan” for the event.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you are now thinking that we are crazy, that we actually make PLANS for these photo events and that we are a bit ”over the top”.

Sadly, I admit that I would have to agree with you ...

Once you have made up a preliminary list of events you want to visit, I recommend that you immediately start looking at accommodation.

I’m the first to admit that I’m a planning freak who wants to have everything planned, booked and organized well ahead of time. When it’s getting close to the air show season, it’s actually nice to have all of that sorted so that you can focus on the photography.

But in our defense, I will say that these plans rarely work out 100% so they are more like guidelines that do help us get some good pictures but it’s not something that is written in stone or we strictly follow.

One thing that you will learn quickly, at air shows, is that you really need to be an ”early bird” if you want to get access to the great photo spots as the competition is fierce.

We’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter how early you get to a photo location, there are always some people already there so get ready to get in line and wait.

But getting there early, increases the probability that you’ll get a good spot.

Most of the on-line hotel booking sites, like hotels.com and booking.com, allows hotel bookings without having to pay until you actually get to the hotel. You can cancel your reservation free of charge up until the day before the day you are supposed to check in. This is a feature I use a lot. (sorry booking.com) When I then decide that I’m not going to an event, I can cancel the reservation or let a friend who is going, use my reservation.

And for some odd reason, it’s usually the ”ladder squad” that are first in line, you know the group of people who carry ladders with them and inspite of the fact that they quite often manages to get to the front line of the photo area, they are hell bent on using those ladders to block the view for everyone behind them.

Next, we have parameters that are more location orientated, things that effect our decision on where we want to be standing and how to get there. This will also have an effect on what equipment we decide to bring. These parameters are things like:

Yeah, you know who you are...

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tutorial

Let’s assume that you are going to an air show.

At pretty much all air shows there are some things that are always in place, regardless of where you go. This is due to security and safety regulations and they may vary slightly from country to country, but the regulations are fundamentally the same everywhere.

These are the things you are likely find at every airshow, that becomes a big factor for your photography.

Display line and display center.

• The display line is an imaginary line that marks the closest a displaying aircraft can fly to the crowd during its display. In most cases it runs along a runway or in close proximity to a runway, but don’t bet on it. Contact the organizers of the air show or fellow photographers and ask them, if you’re not sure.

• The display center is a line angled at 90 degrees to the display line and it marks the center of the display line.

This is what most display pilots will aim for when flying towards the spectators.

• At some air shows, the display line and display center will be marked on the ground so that the pilots can see it from the air. So, if you pay attention, you should be able to spot it when you are at the airfield.

• There are normally three different display lines in use at an air show.

1. Helicopters and really slow airplanes (closest to the spectators) 2. Fast propeller planes like warbirds 3. Fast jets and formations (farthest away from the spectators)

Note, that knowing these fundamental parameters, allows you to plan if it’s worth going to the official spectator areas or if you can find better photo spots in the surrounding areas. Just make sure that you don’t trespass on to someone’s property.

If in doubt, ask around to see who owns the land where you want to stand and ask for permission. In most cases, they’ll let you stand there if you ask nicely. Also make sure that you DO NOT cross any safety zone markers!

Please make sure you leave the spot where you’ve been, in the same condition it was when you got there. Pick up any/all trash and take it with you, or others will suffer as the land owner won’t let us photographers back again!

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tutorial So where do we want to be, when we take our pictures?

That, of course, depends on what type of pictures you want to take and, in part, on what equipment you have.

Most of the time the aircraft will actually be much further away than the display lines, as they will fly in a ”3D figure eight” pattern in the display area, turning away from the spectators. So, if we are standing in the spectator’s area, the aircraft will be showing their belly more often than their top-sides and that is not what we want. We want to be closer and we want to see the top side of the aircraft, as much as possible.

One way of doing this, is to stand on the ”wrong side” of the airfield, underneath the flat figure eight pattern that they are flying. This way, you will have the aircraft flying around you, giving you lots and lots of photo opportunities.

DISPLAY AREA

The display area is a defined area that the pilots must stay within during their display and they will be flying in a ”3D figure eight” pattern inside this ”box”.

But, there are of course some problems with this.

The most obvious one is that the organizers probably have blocked access to this area, for safety reasons. If the area is blocked off, respect it and do not cross in to that area. Another problem is trespassing on to someone’s property. They might not be happy to see you on their property. Please respect that.

So, if you have ever complained about the ”cheap bastards” standing on the wrong side of the field to avoid having to pay the entrance fee, you might want to think again, because chances are you will become one of these ”bastards” yourself one day.

Google Maps is a very useful tool when you try to figure out where to go but be aware that Google Maps aren’t always updated, and it may be quite different in realty, compared to what Google Maps show.

It’s always best to contact other aviation photographers who have better knowledge about the area and can provide a more up to date picture of what the surroundings look like.

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tutorial

The sweet spot is usually the area located on the opposite side of the airfield, in the area where we get to stand under the flying aircrafts, the area labeled “Photo Area” in this picture.

If we can’t access the area on the opposite side of the air field, we are left with peripheral areas of the display area or the spectators area on the show ground and we’ll have to make the best of the situation.

Some air show organizers will provide photo enclosures where we don’t have to ”fight the crowds” to get a good spot, but don’t count on it. Reading through the website of an air show will provide this information and if you find an air show that doesn’t provide these types of areas, contact them and ask them about it. It’s our experience that air show organizers will listen and at least try to arrange something for us. You might have to pay a little extra but remember that the organizers of the air show do it to earn a profit and paying a fee to get a better photo location is well worth it, if there are no other options.

An otherwise common strategy is to go for the area in the middle of the spectator area, where the display center runs, to try and get those head on shots and turns. If we are lucky, we end up close to a taxi runway that allows us to take some close-up shots, as aircraft taxi on by. Getting a diversity of pictures from one and the same spot is what we want but in most cases a photo spot like that ends up being a compromise so think and chose your spot carefully and try to have a Plan B ready, if you are not happy with the location.

Then you can try to think outside the box.

Look around, when you are at the event site. There might be buildings with flat roof tops that you can have access to, if you ask nicely or some other building or feature that may be a good photo spot. The worst that can happen when you ask about things like this, is that you get a ”no”. But you will be surprised how often you will get a ”Yes” if you are just polite and ask nicely.

And as always, you leave a photo spot in the same (or better) condition as when you got there. Bring your trash and dispose of it in a proper manner.

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tutorial The position of the sun We all enjoy when the sun is shining at air shows as that makes it a little easier to get those good pictures, but the sun can be a blessing in disguise as it can end up in a position where it does more harm than good. Ending up with a bright sun shining in your face isn’t an ideal situation.

In an ideal world, we want to have the sun behind us when we are taking pictures as this provides the best light. But as we all know, the sun doesn’t stay in one spot all day so knowing where the sun will be during the day, gives us a chance to adapt our position throughout the day and move to avoid the worst of the backlight (unless that’s the light you are going for). www.suncalc.net is a very useful tool, to get an idea of the sun’s location at a particular day and time. Since you want to have the sun behind you, as much as you can, this tool allows you to see where the most suitable locations are during the day and what areas you should/could move to.

www.suncalc.net - A great tool to check the position of the sun at the time & date of the event

Those of you still reading, and paying attention to what we’ve been writing about, will notice that the photo area in the picture on page 7 contradicts our point of having the sun behind us. But there is method to the madness. The fast jets will be flying in such a way that when you stand in this area, they will fly behind you, forcing you to turn around and then you will have the sun behind you. So, based on the display line, display center and the way the planes fly, you can estimate the areas in where they will be flying in and where you are likely to be able to take good pictures of them.

But if you primarily want to take pictures of helicopters or slow propeller plane, or even planes taxing on the ground, then you are better off in the spectator area where you will be closer to those types of movements/aircraft.

Direction of the wind The direction of the wind effects the start- and landing direction that the aircraft will use at the airfield. This is important to know, so you can go to the most suitable side of the airfield if you want to take pictures of start and landings. Most of us have a weather app installed on our smart phones that we can use to keep track of this information.

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tutorial Distance to the flying aircraft Due to security and safety regulations, you won’t be allowed to get as close to the aircraft as you’d like to and to be honest, that’s a good thing. If there were no regulations, we’d probably all be standing on the runway. DO NOT VIOLATE THE SAFETY AND SECURITY REGULATIONS AT ANY EVENT! We can’t stress this enough, that you should always respect all safety regulations and pay close attention to them. And regardless if we like them or not, they are there for a reason and if you violate them we will all suffer, so, in plain English don’t be a selfish idiot and ruin it for the rest of us.

Number of days you have, to take pictures.

This may sound like a dumb thing, if the air show is a one or two days event, I have one or two days to take pictures, right?!

Actually, in most cases, all participating aircraft at an air show have to make a practice or validation display before they are allowed to participate in the air show, and these are usually done the day(s) before the actual air show. This is, in many cases, the time when you can get some really great shots. This also gives you a chance to watch and learn the display programs so you are better prepared for what’s coming and when it’s coming.

Arrivals and departures are also your opportunity to catch those aircraft who are to be on static display only, during the event. During these days you will also have the best opportunities to take close-up pictures of the aircraft as they usually end up taxing near a photo-spot that you can access.

The best example of this is RIAT, the Royal International Air Tattoo, in the UK. Though the official air show runs from Friday to Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Monday are arrivals and departure days and you can buy tickets for these days as well.

So a three day air show suddenly turns in to a six day photo event, something that you should take advantage of.

Listening in on what’s going on A radio scanner, that allows you to listen in on the radio-communication between the tower and the aircraft is a very good investment to make. The information provided from these communications gives you a heads-up on what’s in line to fly, when the display is finished and what aircraft are approaching the airfield.

It also provides a lot of entertainment, as tower communications can become pretty funny at times as ATC staff all seems to have a very good sense of humor.

There are website where you can find the frequencies used by different air fields and a task suitable for those long, dark and cold winter nights is to program your scanner with these frequencies. Don’t forget that some display teams, like the RAF Red Arrows and Italian Frecce Tricolori, have their own frequency that they use during displays.

Food and drink We all get hungry and we all need something to drink, thus bringing food and something to drink is a good practice to follow. We know, at most air shows you can buy both food and something to drink, but you might not be standing in the show ground of the event, but in a place far away from any food stand. And even if you do end up in an area where you can buy food, leaving your photo-spot means you might lose the spot and miss a good photo opportunity.

Always make sure that you don’t have to cut a photo event short, due to lack of something to eat and/or drink as you really want to avoid that headache caused by dehydration, in the afternoon.

Based on our own experience, we know that if we must go to the bathroom or go get some food, we always bring our cameras, or we’ll be sure to miss a picture. I truly HATE walking back to the photo spot, after a toilet-break, only to find Peter, with a huge smile on his face, as I know I missed a good photo opportunity.

And again, we must bow our heads in shame and admit that we are a bit crazy in the way we prepare, plan and execute our photo events.

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tutorial If you are using two cameras or more, a good piece of advice is to synchronize the clocks on all cameras to show the same time. This will come in handy once you start to download and sort your pictures, so you get them organized in a chronological order, even if you’ve taken pictures with two different cameras during a display.

Also, make a habit of doing a sensor clean on your camera(s) before you start taking pictures. Most modern digital cameras a sensor cleaning function built in and even though it may not get rid of all the spots on the sensor, it’s better than not doing it at all.

By now, you have probably figured out that it’s difficult to get good shots of everything flying at an airshow simply because it’s hard to be everywhere at the same time. But with planning you can select photo-spots that gives you a chance of getting the shots you want. If you are going to an air show that last for more than a day, you can choose different location, different days to cover as much ground as possible.

It’s also recommended that you have a “Plan B” (and C) regarding good locations as plans seems to fail quite often and then you need to “adapt and overcome”.

But there is one aspect of aviation photography that it’s difficult to plan for, and that is luck.

Yes, luck is a big part of taking those great aviation photos and as you find out for yourself, the more you practice and the more you plan, the more luck you will have with your pictures. That old saying of ”being in the right place, at the right time” has a lot to do with planning and being ready for (almost) everything.

Last but not least, if you are going to an air show/location for the first time, go online and try and find other aviation photographers who has previous experience of the event/place. They will be able to provide a lot of help for you and who knows, perhaps you’ll get the chance to return the favor one day!

As you can see, aviation photography just got a bit more complicated.

But trust us when we say that the more time and effort you put in to planning, the better photo locations you will find and the better your pictures will be. And once you’ve done this a couple of times, it really doesn’t take that long to do.

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tutorial eq u i p m e n t c h ec k lis t Ever arrived at a photo location only to discover that you have forgotten some equipment, like the camera body, a battery or a lens?

Ever discovered that your camera batteries aren’t charged, or your memory cards are filled with pictures from your last photo-session?

I think we all must bow our head in shame and admit to forgetting to bring some equipment when we have gone on a photo excursion. Some stuff we can do without, but finding that you forgot to bring a camera, that hurts.

So how do we avoid doing this? How do we avoid the shame and embarrassment?

The answer to those questions are simple: Checklists and routines.

Before you head on out to take pictures, use a checklist to ensure that everything you need is packed. If you think that you’ll remember what to bring, trust us when we say that you won’t! And the older you get, the more stuff you forget.

When you get back home from a day of taking photos, create a routine that you follow, where you ensure that you download the pictures off your memory cards, charge the batteries (if you are going out again the next day) and that everything is intact, functioning and clean.

You should also note that a checklist is a useful tool when it comes to what NOT to bring. After a couple of days carrying around a heavy camera bag, including stuff you’ll never use, removing those items from your checklist means less to carry around.

And you’ll probably end up having more than one checklist, depending on the weather and where you are going. If you are going to a warm, sunny place you might not need to bring your rain gear or your extra warm shirt, if you are going to RIAT, you’ll need to bring it all, as you’ll probably experience every type of weather in just one day.

Here’s an example of a checklist that we use, when we go to RIAT.

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tutorial Checklist: Royal International Air Tattoo Item Description 1 Camera body with charged batteries

Number Packed 2

2

Lens 500 mm

1

3

Lens 100-400 mm

1

4

Lens 24-105 mm

1

5

Spare batteries for camera (charged)

2

6

Memory card CF

4

7

Memory card SD

4

8

Camera harness

1

9

Radio scanner (charged)

1

10

Ear plugs

1

11

Rain covers for cameras

2

12

Sun protection lotion

1

13

Hat

1

14

Sunglasses

1

15

Rain jacket

1

16

Extender 1.4x

1

17

Extender 2.0x

1

18

Wet wipes

10

19

Pen

1

20

Tickets

1

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Water Food Stool

1 1 1 1 1 1

Frequency 130.675, 124.800

Description Tower

119.150, 121.800 243.450, 242.200

Ground Red Arrows

Note

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top shots

Swedish Armed Forces UH-60M Blackhawk (Hkp 16) - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 100 - f/6.3 - 1/200)

Belgian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 200 - f/6.3 - 1/1250) 13

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saab 37 viggen

the be ast

SAAB A Js 37 Vig gen - Photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV - Canon EF 600mm f/4.0L IS II USM + 1.4x - 840.0 mm - ISO 400 - f/5.6 - 1/800)

Viggen was on active duty until 2005 when it was replaced by the SAAB 39 Gripen system.

SAAB 37 Viggen is a combat aircraft manufactured by SAAB and it first flew in February 8th 1967 and delivery to the Swedish Air Force started in 1971.

Today, there is one SAAB AJS 37 Viggen still flying, maintained by the Swedish Air Force Historic Flight and SAAB.

There were five different versions of the Viggen developed, to cover Fighter- (JA), attack- (AJ), surveillance- (SF/SH) and trainer (SK) roles. The fighter- and attack versions had dual roles, meaning that the fighter version could carry out attack missions and vice versa.

There is also a second SAAB 37 Viggen, the Sk (trainer version) that is airworthy, and it will hopefully take to the sky in 2018.

A key feature of the development of Viggen was the ability to start and take of from short road bases of 800m (or shorter) and for this purpose, the engine engine was equipped with thrust reversing. This allowed the plane not only to brake using thrust reversing, but it could actually taxi backwards.

The JA version of the Viggen is regarded to be to complex and expensive to maintain and to operate as a civilian aircraft.

Swedish Air Force Historic Flight The main objective for SwAFHF is to preserve and fly aircraft types and equipment that has been operated by the Swedish Air Force over time.

Of the different versions, the fighter (JA) had the strongest, most powerful engine, the RM8B, with a thrust of 72 kN on the basic engine and 125 kN with full after burner.

A total of 329 Viggen, were built between 1970 - 1990.

Between 1991 - 1998 some were modified to other versions, given new type designations.

Instagram: Web: 14

@swafhf www.swafhf.se

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saab 37 viggen

SAAB A JS 37 Vig gen - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 320 - f/5.6 - 1/1250)

SAAB A JS 37 Vig gen - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 200 - f/5.6 - 1/1600) 15

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saab 37 viggen

SAAB A JS 37 Vig gen - Photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV - Canon EF 600mm f/4.0L IS II USM + 1.4x - 840.0 mm - ISO 320 - f/5.6 - 1/800)

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saab 37 viggen

SAAB A JS 37 Vig gen - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 1600 - f/5.6 - 1/1250)

SAAB A JS 37 Vig gen - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 1000 - f/6.3 - 1/1600

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saab 37 viggen

SAAB A JS 37 Vig gen - Photographer: Jörgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 250 - f/6.3 - 1/1600

Technical data SAAB JA 37 Viggen Width: 10,6 m Length: 16,43 m

Technical data SAAB AJ 37 Viggen Width: 10,6 m Length: 16,3 m

Height: Wing area: Weight, empty: Max. take off weight: Max speed: Thrust: Engine:

Height: Wing area: Weight, empty: Max. take off weight: Max speed: Thrust: Engine:

5,9 m 46 m ² 10 731 Kgs 22 500 Kgs MACH 2,2 (High Altitude) 72 kN / 125 kN w aft. brnr.

RM8B

Versions AJ 37 SK 37 SH 37 SF 37 JA 37

More Viggen pictures can be found here: • http://www.jn-photo.se/Browse-my-images/By-Type/ SAAB/SAAB-AJ37-Viggen/ • http://www.e-pic.se/Aircraft/Aircraft-sorted-by-type/ SAAB/SAAB-AJS-37-Viggen/

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)

5,6 m 46 m ² 11 800 Kgs 20 450 Kgs MACH 2 (High Altitude) 65 kN / 115 kN w aft. brnr.

RM8A

Role Attack / Fighter Trainer Sea reconnaissance Photo reconnaissance Fighter / Attack

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saab 37 viggen

SAAB A JS 37 Vig gen - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 250 - f/6.3 - 1/1600

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top shot

RAF Red Arrows - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 160 - f/5.6 - 1/1250)

Chicken race - - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 70D - Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM - 500.0 mm - ISO 800 - f/7.1 - 1/250) 22

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To p s h o t

Boeing 747-419, Vamos Air, EC-MDS - Photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV - Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x - 840 mm - ISO 200 - f/5.6 - 1/200)

SAAB 39C Gripen - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 200 - f/6.3 - 1/800) 23

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top shots

Boeing 747-419, Vamos Air, EC-MDS - Photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM - 35 mm - ISO 100 - f/4.5 - 1/200) 24

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s w e d i s h a i r fo r c e

71 st Tac t ic a l a ir lif t s quadr on

The Swedish Air Force 71st Tactical Airlift Squadron, F 7 Wing Såtenäs, operate six Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and it has Europe’s oldest fleet of Hercules aircraft. The first airplane came to the Swedish Air Force in March 1965 and it was the first Hercules to enter service in an European country. The first plane got registration number 841, being the first transport plane with designation TP 84 and this machine was retired in 2014. Of the six remaining TP 84 aircraft, one has been converted in to a “KC” configuration, meaning it can be used as an Air to Air tanker.

Swedish Air force c-130 (Tp 84) - Photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM - 100.0 mm - ISO 100 - f/11 - 1/400)

The fleet of C-130 Hercules is a mix of modified C-130E and C-130H versions and they are used in several different roles, like cargo transport with a capacity of 20 tons, passenger transportation with a capacity of 91 passengers, air drops of paratroopers and cargo. One of the odder cargo transports that the 71st Tactical Airlift Sqn has performed was back in 2002, when the Thai Royal family presented a gift to the Swedish King; two elephants. After being airlifted from Thailand to Germany using a civilian cargo plane, a Swedish Air Force C-130 picked the elephants up in Frankfurt and flew them to Sweden.

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s w e d i s h a i r fo r c e

Swedish Air force c-130 (Tp 84) - Photographer: Jörgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 100 - f/14 - 1/100)

In addition to providing transportation for the Swedish Armed Forces, the services of the 71st Tactical Airlift Sqn is frequently requested in international United Nations missions like Afghanistan and MINUSMA in Mali, the latest international mission where Swedish C-130 Hercules participated.

The moto for the 71st Tactical Airlift Sqn is “Semper Ubique” meaning Always Everywhere and they do live up to their moto. Swedish Air Force C-130 crews rank high compared with other nation’s Air Forces, often winning awards for excellence during international exercises. A standard crew consist of six crew members including two pilots, one navigator, one flight engineer and two load masters.

The 71st Tactical Airlift Sqn is located at the F7 Såtenäs Wing, on the south-east side of the Lake Vättern.

Technical data TP 84 (C-130E / H) Width: Length:

40,41 m 29,79 m

Weight, empty: Max. take off weight: Range: Crew:

34 700 Kgs 70 300 Kgs 3 600 Km 6 • 2 Pilots • 1 Navigator • 1 Flight engineer • 2 Load masters

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s w e d i s h a i r fo r c e

Swedish Air Force C-130 (Tp 84) - Photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM - 349.0 mm - ISO 100 - f/7.1 - 1/100)

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s w e d i s h a i r fo r c e

Swedish Air force C-130 (Tp 84) - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4x - 700 mm - ISO 100 - f/11 - 1/250)

Swedish Air force C-130 (Tp 84) #847 - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 100 - f/10 - 1/250)

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s w e d i s h a i r fo r c e

Swedish Air force KC-130 (Tp 84) - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 70D - Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM - 229.0 mm - ISO 100 - f/18 - 1/100)

Swedish Air force C-130 (Tp 84) #848 - Photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4x - 700.0 mm - ISO 100 - f/20 - 1/125)

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Swedish Air force C-130 Cockpit - Photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III -Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM - 24 mm - ISO 100 - f/8 - 1/100)

Swedish Air force C-130 (Tp 84) - Photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM - 100.0 mm - ISO 100 - f/14 - 1/80) 32

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To p s h o t

Sukhoi PAK FA , T-50 - Photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700,0 MM - ISO 320 - f/5,6 - 1/1250)

Cavalier F-51D Mustang 2 - Photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV - Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x - 840,0 MM - ISO 250 - f/6.3 - 1/250)

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To p s h o t

USMC KC-130J and F35B Lightning II - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700,0 MM - ISO 100 - f/6,3 - 1/200) 34

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Frisian Flag

a fl ag e x er s ic e in the n ether lan ds

RAF tornado and RNLAF F-16, frisian flag 2016 - Photographer: Jörgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700 mm - ISO 500 - f/6,3 - 1/1600)

If you are interested in military aviation you have probably heard of an Air Force exercise called Red Flag, that is held at Nellis AFB outside Las Vegas, USA, every year. Believe it or not, but there is actually a Flag exercise held in Europe, in April every year; the Frisian Flag exercise, where Leeuwarden AB in The Netherlands is the hosting airbase. It’s one of the largest Air Force exercises in Europe and it’s an event that offers some good photo-opportunities.

The Frisian Flag exercise is an international gathering of fighter planes, primarily from European NATO countries but usually with guests from the USAF, who spend two weeks carrying out different training scenarios over the North Sea. This means that they fly two sorties a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, Monday to Friday. No flying during the weekend.

There’s normally around 40 – 50 aircraft involved so there are a lot of take-offs and landings to see and take pictures of. To get all the planes off the ground usually takes about 2 hours and the same amount of time for them all to land again.

And this is what you get; take-offs and landings of planes like F-16, Eurofighter, F-15, F-18 and the odd participant like the RAF Tornado and Mig-29. Since the Netherlands now have F-35 Lightning II flying, don’t be surprised if you’ll see one of those starting and landing at one of these exercises in the near future.

From a photography point of view, there are one or two pretty good photo locations around Leeuwarden AB, with “Spotters Hill” being the one that most photographers go to, if the wind is blowing in the “right” direction. If they take off to the north and land from the north, you can get some pretty good shots, but if they start and land in the opposite direction, well, it becomes a bit difficult to get those good shots you are looking for.

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frisian flag

”Spotters hill” Leeuwarde Air Base - Frisian Flag 2015.

Frisian Flag has increased in popularity the last few years, with more and more people attending to take pictures, something that is causing problems, as those living around Leeuwarden AB aren’t too happy about all the photographers and spotters blocking roads and causing traffic jams. Especially the farmers around Leeuwarden are very upset about getting their crop damaged by photographers who are walking out on to the surrounding fields trying to get better pictures. Littering is also a problem, where livestock has been known to eat trash discarded by spotters and photographers in the surrounding fields. A simple rule to follow, regardless where you are: Take your trash with you when you leave or discard it in a proper trash can!

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frisian flag

French Air Force Dassault Mirage 2000N, frisian flag 2016 - Photographer: Jörgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - -700mm - ISO 250 - f/6,3 - 1/1600)

Last time I was at Frisian Flag, in 2016, the local spotters cooperated with Leeuwarden AB creating proper parking areas and organizing traffic to try and prevent chaos and I must say that they did a good job. If you are planning on going to Frisian Flag it’s very important that you do follow the rules and regulations set up by the organizers and that you pay attention to what the local police say and do. If not, then it’s very likely that the military will simply block access to the photo locations for everyone and you’ll end up in trouble with the police.

As Frisian Flag is held in April and Leeuwarden is located not far from the North Sea, it can be bitterly cold especially if it’s windy. A good piece of advice is to dress properly and bring some extra warm clothes with you or you’ll end up freezing your behind off.

There’s also a lot of “down time” between take-offs and landings and in between the two daily sorties so make sure you bring something to eat and drink, especially something hot to drink to help keep warm. They do have a food truck stationed at “Spotters Hill” alongside some portable toilets so you are able to stay all day if you decide not to re-locate during the day to find a better photo spot.

Facts, Frisian Flag When:

Second and third week of April

Where:

Leeuwarden AB, the Netherlands

Web:

http://www.luchtvaartnoordnederland.nl/frisian-flag-2018-english/

Planes:

F-15, F-16, Eurofighter, F-18, Mirage 2000, C-130, Mig 29

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frisian flag

USAF/ANG F-15C Fighting Falcon - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700mm - ISO 320 - f/5.6 - 1/1600)

BAF F-16AM Fighting Falcon - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700mm - ISO 100 - f/7.1 - 1/320) 39

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frisian flag Who should visit Frisian Flag?

Well, if jetfighters are your thing, Frisian Flag is for you.

You get fairly close to the airplanes and you don’t need “super long lenses” to get good shots of planes taking off and landing. You can find some interesting angles, creating pictures that are not that easy or common to get. But since every day is pretty much a repetition of the previous day, you tend to get a bit bored after a few days, when you’ve seen it all and been to all the photo spots available.

I visited Frisian Flag in 2015 and 2016 and for me to go back, I would need something “special” to participate, something that I don’t have pictures of that would make the trip worthwhile.

As Leeuwarden is in the north west “corner” of the Netherlands, driving there is probably the easiest, if you live in continental Europe. If you are from the UK, flying in to Amsterdam and renting a car might be an option if you don’t want to cross the channel by train or ferry and then drive on from there.

International visitors should probably fly in to one of the major European airports like Amsterdam or Brussels and rent a car as driving in Belgium, Holland and Germany is quite easy.

Luftwaffe Eurofighter EF-2000 - Photographer: Jörgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700mm - ISO 160 - f/5.6 - 1/1600)

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frisian flag

RAF Tornado - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700mm - ISO 320 - f/5.6 - 1/500)

Luftwaffe Eurofighter - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700mm - ISO 100 - f/6.3 - 1/500) 41

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frisian flag

USAF F-15 Eagle - Photographer: Jรถrgen Nilsson - jn-photo.se (Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700mm - ISO 200 - f/5.6 - 1/1600)

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av i at i o n p h o t o g r a p h e r s what do w e wa n t ?

To organizers of air shows, we, as a group, most likely seem to be a bunch of middle-age, over-weight men, wearing funny hats and if you take the time to look around yourself at your next air show, I think you will agree with that assessment.

But we are a loyal bunch of people, who will keep coming back, year after year, if we know we are going to walk away from your event with some good pictures. Most of us will even be willing to pay a little bit extra, to have some arrangements that help us get those pictures we want.

So, we thought we would help organizers by providing you with a list of things that we aviation photographers would like to have at an air show.

Here we go.

Photo enclosures located in favorable positions based on: • The sun - We want to have the sun behind us as much as possible • Display line - We want to be as close to it as possible • Display center - We want to be as close to it as possible In addition: • We want to be able to take pictures of aircraft taxiing, near us • We want to be as close to the aircraft as possible, while it’s on the ground • We want to be able to take pictures of aircraft as they arrive and depart from the event • We want to be able to take pictures during the Blue- and Golden hour (dusk & dawn) • In an ideal world, we would like to have three photo enclosures, one in the center and one at each end of the runway • If possible, create a photo enclosure on the opposite side of the event grounds, in the display area This list should give you something to start with, trying to find suitable photo spots at your event.

Once you have located areas that you think will work as good photo enclosure, then we would like to have the following facilities nearby: A platform, with ledges. Doesn’t have to be complex or complicated. Stack some pallets and you’re good to go.

Toilets near by Trash cans A ban on the use of ladders in the photo enclosure, or specific areas where ladders are allowed Since most display pilots love the attention and love having their picture taken, set up a ”Photo Circle” where pilots and crews can go and meet the spectators and photo geeks.

It’s also a good idea to appoint someone in your organization who is the point of contact for us photographers as it’s usually difficult for us to get in touch with a ”speaking partner” for these events.

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2018 season - europe e vent s of in t er e s t 2018 Date 9-20/4 18/5 19-20/5 26-27/5 3/6 9/6 9-10/6 10/6 16-17/6 30/6 - 1/7 30/6 - 1/7 7/7 13-15/7 14-15/7 20-22/7 21-22/7 28/7 18-19/7 10-12/8 23-24/8 25/8 25-26/8 30/8 - 2/9 1-2/9 1-2/9 8-9/9 15-16/9 22-23/9 10-11/10

Event

Location

Note

Frisian Flag NATO Tiger Meet AEROFestival 2018 Duxford Air Festival Kjeller Flydag 2018 Växjö Airshow 2018 Flydagen Sola 2018 Danish Airshow 0218 Finnish Air Force 100th Anniversary Airshow Wales National Airshow Meeting de l’Air de NancyOchey RNAS Yeovilton International Air Day Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) Duxford Flying Legends Air Show Farnborough International Airshow Croatian International Airshow Bucharest International Air Show (BIAS) Biggin Hill Festival of Flight

Leeuwarden AFB, Netherlands Poznan-Krzesiny AB, Poland Poznań-Ławica Airport, Poznan, Poland Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK Kjeller flypass, Skedsmo, Norway Småland Airport, Växjö, Sweden Sola flystasjon, Stavanger, Norway RDAF Aalborg, Denmark Tikkakoski Airport, Jyväskylä, Finland

Military exercise Spotters day Airshow Airshow Airshow Airshow Airshow Airshow Airshow

Swansea Bay, Swansea, UK BA133 Nancy-Ochey, France

Airshow Airshow

RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, UK

Airshow

RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, UK

Airshow

Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK

Airshow

Farnborough, Hampshire, UK

Airshow / Expo

Varaždin, Croatia

Airshow

Aurel Vlaicu Int’l Airport, BucharestBaneasa, Romania London Biggin Hill Airport, Biggin Hill, Kent, UK Dala-Järna, Sweden Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, UK Uppsala garnison, Uppsala, Sweden

Airshow

Airshow Airshow Airshow

Radom-Sadkow AB, Poland Bournemouth Seafront, Dorset, UK Sliač air base, Slovakia

Airshow Airshow Airshow

Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

Airshow

Kleine Brogel Air Base, Belgium Ostrava Leoš Janáček Airport, Ostrava, Czech Republic Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK

Airshow Airshow Airshow

Axalp-Ebenfluh, Brienz, Switzerland

Military exercise

Flygfesten Clacton Air Show Försvarsmaktens Huvudflygdag Luftstridsskolan Uppsala Radom Air Show 2018 Bournemouth Air Festival Slovak International Air Fest 2018 (SIAF) Czech International Air Fest 2018 (CIAF) Belgian Air Force Days NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show Axalp Swiss Air Force Live Fire Demo

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Airshow

Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback or ”Hell Duck” - photographer: Peter Eliasson - e-pic.se Canon EO S 5D Mark III - Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x - 700 mm - f/8 - 1/1250 - ISO 100

Fa s t & Lo w A c t i o n P h o t o g r a p h y S w e d e n H B Publishers:

Jörgen Nilsson Peter Eliasson

E-mail: 46E - m a i l :

jnproduction@bredband.net peter.eliasson@e-pic.se

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