Thursday, July 07, 2011

Plane Favourites

Listening to: Mark Kermode movie reviews on Youtube

Another favourite shot of one of my favourite aircraft. An RAAF F-111C on a hot late summer afternoon, starting a display by steaming in at low level and high speed (albeit not even close to as fast as it could go), approaching near silently but about to surprise the hell out of anyone who didn't see it coming:
Taken at RNZAF Ohakea in March 2008. I have other more spectacular shots of this display in particular, but I like this one because it was an aspect of the thing I really enjoyed (this would be the last time I would see an F-111 fly). Knowing it was out there somewhere trying to sneak up on the crowd, and usually noticing it before most other people, then watching and waiting for the reaction of those caught unawares. It is a bit like being in on a practical joke, especially if the commentators deliberately prime the crowd to look in the opposite direction (they can be wacky like that. If you are ever at an airshow and someone on a loudspeaker tells you to look in a particular direction for the very noisy aircraft arriving any moment, do yourself a favour and look the other way first).

Thanks to the magic of youtube, here is what the pass looked and sounded like a few seconds after I took the picture:

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