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Duxford Spring Air Show (pic-heavy)

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PrivateCustard

Charter Member
So, the time of year has arrived, where the aircraft are exactly where they should be, in the sky. So, I figured I'd do what I'd like to make the norm, and post some stuff from yesterdays Spring Air Show at Duxford, seeing as you guys are all into your aviation.

Not FSX related, but this area of the forum seems to have a lot of enthusiasts, so I thought you'd like these :)

It was a day blessed with glorious sunshine, un-clouded for the entire day and pretty nasty for distance photography as a result. But this years new toys, the 7D, 100-400 L, Tamron 10-24 and Canon 17-40 f4 L performed admirably, and I'm really pleased I decided to blow £3000+ to change systems.

I started the day with a 16-shot photostitch from the spectators side. Not great as the sun isn't in a friendly place at that time in the morning.

In this shot you can see two of the aircraft I was excited to see in the air together, Snafu/War Eagle (P-47 Razorback), Princess Elizabeth (P-51C, recently shipped over from California).

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Full size http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7324/8851703818_82d242e162_o.jpg

Eventually the flightline opened so I could get some decent close-ups.

Snafu/War Eagle - Owned by The Fighter Collection and a member of the newly formed Eagle Squadron

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Princess Elizabeth - Commanche Warbirds/Eagle Squadron

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And both of them (photostitch for width!)

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I've got loads of ground shots, but what I really bought the new kit for was the airborne shots. All turned out well. Sure I had a lot of misses, as is to be expected when you're slowing down shutter speeds to keep the prop-blur.

Pitts

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P-40F, Lee's Hope - The Fighter Collection

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P-40B - The Fighter Collection

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P-51D, Miss Velma - Old Flying Machine Company/The Fighter Collection

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Westland Lysander - The Shuttleworth Collection

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Cont'd.....
 
Hawker Hunter T.7 - Graham Peacock


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Hispano HA-1112 Buchon - Aircraft Restoration Company


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Harvards - The Fighter Collection/Aircraft Restoration Company


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Eagle Squadron, in their first performance, flying in formation with the Red Arrows. A really special sight :)


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F-86 Sabre - Golden Apple Operations Ltd (I have a lot of detail shots of this one from the flightline if anyone fancies repainting it. PM me if you like)


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A couple from Eagle Squadrons pairs routine.


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A solo display from the Breitling wingwalkers


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BBMF


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A couple of Tiger Moths (I really must go up in one of these two someday. My credit card is screaming for it!)


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PT-17 Stearman - Golden Apple Operations Ltd


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RV8


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Red 10 Arriving for the Reds commentary


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What a feast for the eyes!

Wonderful shots all of them. You did a great job! :salute:

Thank you for sharing them with us.
 
Many thanks for sharing these awesome photos ! Well done.
Especially appreciated are the Lizzie shots of course :) :applause:
 
Very nice pic's indeed - thank you for sharing!

I'm off to Cosford Air Show in a couple of weeks so hopefully it'll be a good show.

Dave.
 
Thanks guys, glad you liked 'em :)

And Francois, the Lizzie was fantastic, a lovely little aircraft that was surprisingly agile! The 100-400 has been a bit of a surprise. People said it would be softer than the 400mm 5.6 prime, but I think I've been sent a really sharp copy, for which I feel really blessed :)

And Dave, if the weather holds for Cosford, you should have a great day :)
 
Just to add a nice touch to the day, 91 year old triple-ace Bud Anderson (P-51, Old Crow) was a special guest. He went for a ride in the rear seat of Miss Velma :)

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I missed it again? ;) I live in the states so it's likely I will continue to miss it, but your pictures sure go a long way toward making up for it. I really like the first pic stitched together from the flight line. Thanks for sharing. :)
 
Thank you PrivateCustard for sharing these brilliant photos from yesterday's displays at Duxford! Yesterday marked the 70th Anniversary of the USAAF moving into RAF Duxford, where the 78th Fighter Group (black & white checkerboard noses) would call home.

Today, the four-ship "Eagle Squadron" is flying with the B-17 "Sally B" over selected bases in England where the 8th Air Force operated from during WWII. These include Bassingborn, Mildenhall, Bodney, Snetterton, Thorpe Abbotts, Halesworth, Leiston, North Weald, and Debden (not to mention Duxford itself). Joining them will be Bud Anderson in the back of the TP-51D "Miss Velma", to take it all in.

The pilots of the "Eagle Squadron" display team are Paul Bonhomme, Steve Hinton, Ed Shipley, and Dan Friedkin (the last three of course being the three pilots of the "Horsemen" display team). For those that may not catch it, the Hurricane is painted in the markings of P3886 of 601 Sqd., that was flown by American pilot Carl Davis (one of 11 American pilots that flew with the RAF during the Battle of Britain). The Spitfire, a Mk.1a variant, is painted in the markings of an actual Eagle Squadron aircraft that was flown by American pilot William R. Dunn. Dunn became an ace with the RAF between May and August 1941.
 
Wonderful shots, PrivateCustard!

What camera and lens did you use to capture those? Just curious, as the EXIF data was stripped during the resize or upload process.
 
Great shots!

I recently upgraded to the 7D myself (from the XTi/400D). I rented a 100-400L for our airshow last year and I would agree... your new copy seems to be extra sharp! The rental didn't do nearly as good as your new L but I had a few shots that I thought were really good. (however for the airshow I still had my XTi so wasn't able to shoot with the high ISO). I'll probably end up getting a 100-400L, but maybe buy it off amazon where I can return it if the copy isn't sharp. It really seems to be hit and miss these days with canon L glass.

What ISO settings did you use for the 100-400L shots?

Getting the prop to blur on all those shots is really nice! The RV is so crisp well done! I can also see how crisp the 17-40L was working for you. I've got a 15-85 which can be stellar and horrible at almost the same time. Vignetting and barrel distortion is a huge problem on that lens. How is it on the 17-40?

I recently got a nifty fifty (the middle of the road f1.4L) - and it's been a love hate relationship but I'm learning it more every day.

100-400L
 
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