Lincolnshire is renowned throughout the UK as having a rich history with the Royal Air Force. In fact it was named Bomber County, due to the concentration of RAF bases during WW2 that had Wellingtons and Lancasters stationed there. This history continued after WW2 with the Vulcan, Lightnings, Tornados and Typhoons.
Equally as important to the county today, is the world famous Red Arrows aerobatic display team formed in 1964. Their skill and precision during their death defying, close quarters fly pasts, at speeds of up to 645mph really does amaze when it is seen. Living just ten miles from their current base at RAF Scampton (soon to be RAF Waddington), i have the privilege of seeing them practising in the skies often, readying themselves for the display season.
This year there has been more of this spectacle, due to the fact that airshows have been cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. The Reds still have to train though, keeping sharp their split second reactions so that they are ready to perform when things start getting back to some sort of normality.
So during the summer, several mornings were spent in the fantastic sunshine around Scampton as I watched in awe at their display. How lucky to have this on my doorstep, a sight that many people only get to see at an airshow or commemorating a special occasion with a flypast shown on TV.
I watched their routines in the famous red Hawk jets, accompanied by the red, white and blue smoke trails, thinking that the pre-planned choreography, so meticulous in its detail was reminiscent of a floor gymnast throwing their coloured ribbons in to the air, while making shapes and moves beneath.
Fujifilm X-T2 is my go to body when shooting specific projects and coupled with the Fuji 55-200mm lens, produced the right options of focal lengths needed. The X-T2s layout for quick selection of modes is perfect, as everything is there at your fingertips. This old school retro design is just what I like, dials easily reached and altered, no scrolling through menus. The brightness of the days required some careful consideration and planning, with a little exposure compensation, while the focus tracking ability of camera and lens allowed the aerial dance to be captured.
The blue skies were a perfect back drop to the vivid colours of the Hawk jets and their vapours. When you see the jets right overhead, often at a base of only a few hundred feet, the sound of the Rolls Royce engine is incredible and you can actually feel it in your chest. What really amazes, is to see how close the jets actually get to each other in their many manoeuvres that are planned and executed at break neck speeds, with clear instruction and confidence.
Once the routines are completed, the aircraft loop around in a line where they then land one after another. The landing, taxiing and finish is just as precise as the airborne activities. From here it’s off to a debrief for the pilots, identifying any elements of the routine that may not have quite made the grade and what they need to improve on. During this time the ground crew ready the Hawks for another session later in the day.
It really is a sight to behold and if anyone is visiting or just passing through Lincolnshire and has any interest in aviation I recommend a visit. They practise three times a day, weather permitting so there’s lots of opportunity to watch.
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