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New Latest Low Level
Latest shots from the Mach Loop. Shots include F15E Strike Eagles, F16 Fighting Falcons and A10C Thunderbolt's.

New RIAT 2011
Arrivals and departures from the 2011 Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford. Photos shot from Rhymes farm and the east end Park & View.

New F15E's @ LN
I spent the day inside RAF Lakenheath on the 6th of May to photograph the United States Air Force F15E Strike Eagles of the 48th Fighter Wing.

 

 

 

 


Living in the heart of Wales we get a lot of low flying military aircraft on a daily basis. These fly as low as 250ft at over 450 knots but in certain area's can go as low as 100ft. One such place is the Mach Loop situated in LFA7. This area is regularly used for low level training and has a few locations which is ideal for low level photography.
If you want a pure adrenalin rush and the chance to get some fantastic photographs then the Mach loop is it. Its amazing to watch the aircraft as they fly through the twists and turns of the Welsh valleys, there's no better sight than to watch a Tornado GR4 rise up from the valley floor at 450 knots leaving behind ribbons of vapour.
Below you can find information on some of the photography locations as well as aircraft that use the Mach loop on a regular basis. For more information regarding locations please check out the Fox2 website.
As a lot of these locations are situated high up in the hills so its a good idea to have a good set of walking boots and clothing especially in the winter months. I made my first visit on the 20th December 2007, there was a 25mph wind and the temperature was around -10. I wore a few layers of clothing and a rain proof jacket and trousers, suitable gloves and a nice warm hat that covered my ears, I also had on three pairs of warm socks. A few sandwiches and hot flask is also worth while and a walking pole is also recommended.

As there isn't really a time table for these aircraft, its an idea to get there early, we usually arrive there for around 7:30am in the summer months and around 8:30am in the winter. Sometimes you'll get lucky and traffic will start to come through early but some days you won't see anything until late afternoon, some days you'll see nothing.

The Bwlch is situated five miles east of Dolgellau on the A470 road to Dinas Mawddwy. The Bwlch was the first place I used for shooting low level video. When looking down the valley from the main viewing location you get a fantastic view of the aircraft as they snake there way through the twist and turns of this very narrow valley. The aircraft usually come in from the east and can either turn left towards the Cad pass, straight on for Dolgellau or turn right and head up towards Bala.

Cad West/East are both situated along the A487 3 miles north of Tal Y Llun and 5 miles south of Dolgellau. The West side is superb for top side shots whereas the East side is better suited for underside shots. You have a fantastic view of the approaching aircraft as they come in from the north, either exiting the Bwlch or heading straight in from Bala or Dolgellau giving you enough time before they enter the pass and swoop down for Corris Corner.

Corris Corner is located at the south western end of the Tall-Y-llyn pass, almost above the lake. From here the aircraft have 2 options, they can either go straight on over the lake or turn sharp left and follow the valley to Corris offering excellent topside views with the sun behind you. Take note, this location could be tricky in the afternoons due to the sun being in front of you especially during the winter hours.
There's a few more locations in Wales, including Heartbreak Hill which is located between the Bala and Dolgellau valley, the A5 Pass which fly's over Lake Ogwen, and the Dyfi Valley which is a new location north east of Dinas village. Another location is BlueBell hill which is located just east of the Bwlch.

Here's some of the aircraft that use the Mach Loop on a regular basis. Update - The Harrier is no longer flying.

Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine combat aircraft, which was jointly developed by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy. There are three primary versions of the Tornado; the Tornado IDS (Interdictor/Strike) fighter-bomber, the suppression of enemy air defences Tornado ECR (Electronic Combat/ Reconnaissance) and the Tornado ADV (Air Defence Variant) interceptor. It is one of the world's most sophisticated and capable interdiction and attack aircraft, with a large payload, long range and high survivability.
The Tornado was designed as a low-level supersonic ground attack bomber, capable of taking off and landing in short distances. This requires good high-speed and low-speed flying characteristics. In general, an aircraft which is designed to fly at high speeds usually has poor low-speed characteristics. In order to achieve the desired high-speed performance, an aircraft has a highly swept or ‘delta’ wing platform. However, these wing designs are very inefficient at low speeds where unswept wing are required. In order for an aircraft to be operated efficiently at both high and low speeds, variable wing sweep is a desirable feature, this was incorporated into the design.
BAE Systems Hawk is a British single engine, advanced jet trainer aircraft. It first flew in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. The Hawk is used by the Royal Air Force, and other air forces, as either a trainer or a low-cost combat aircraft. The Hawk is still in production with over 900 Hawks sold to 18 customers around the world.
The Hawk T1 entered RAF service in April 1976, replacing the Gnat and Hawker Hunter in the advanced training and weapons training roles respectively. The T1 will soon be replaced by the all new T2.
The Hawk is an all-metal, low-wing, tandem seat aircraft of conventional design. The wing has a moderate sweep with 2º dihedral and trailing edge slotted flaps. A one-piece all-moving tailplane is also swept back with 10º dihedral. The fuselage comprises three main parts. The front fuselage accommodates two equipment bays and a pressurised cabin containing two tandem cockpits. The centre fuselage contains the engine, a fuselage fuel tank, a gas turbine starting system and a ram air turbine. The rear fuselage houses the jet pipe bay and an airbrake hinged to its under surface. The Hawk is powered by a Rolls- Royce Turbomeca Adour 151 turbofan engine, which is an un-reheated version of the engine that powered the Jaguar GR3 aircraft.

Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It is the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. Over 40 models and variants of the Hercules serve with more than 50 nations. In December 2006 the C-130 became the fifth aircraft—after the English Electric Canberra, B-52 Stratofortress, Tupolev Tu-95, and KC-135 Stratotanker—to mark 50 years of continuous use with its original primary customer, in this case, the United States Air Force. The C-130 is the only military aircraft to remain in production for 50 years with its original customer.
Capable of takeoffs and landings from unprepared runways, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport aircraft. The versatile airframe has found uses in a variety of other roles, including as a gunship, for airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refuelling, maritime patrol and aerial fire fighting. The Hercules family has the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft in history. During more than 50 years of service the family has participated in countless military, civilian and humanitarian aid operations.
Tucano T1 is a two seat turboprop basic trainer used by the Royal Air Force. Its a modified version of the Brazilian Embraer EMB-312 Tucano aircraft, and is built under licence by Shorts of Belfast. The Tucano is operated primarily from No 1 Flying Training School, at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, to provide basic fastjet flying training to RAF and RN student pilots, and basic WSO training to all potential RAF WSOs. Student pilots fly around 130 hours during their training course on the Tucano before progressing to the Hawk T1 (soon to be the new T2) aircraft at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales.
Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine canard-delta wing multirole aircraft. It is being designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency) which acts as the prime customer
The Eurofighter Typhoon benefits from a number of advances in technology and engineering. The aircraft makes extensive use of composites in the airframe with only 15% of the surface comprising metal. The newly developed EJ200 powerplants combined with the aircraft's aerodynamics allow it to cruise supersonically without the use of reheat for extended periods of time even with a normal weapons load. The advanced flight control system and pitch unstable design impart great manoeuvrability at high and low speeds. These, combined with; cutting edge automated defences, advanced active and passive sensors, leading cockpit ergonomics and a reduced RCS instil Eurofighter with more than an even chance of success against most competing aircraft.
Harrier is used by the RAF in the close air support role and is the latest in a long line of ‘jump-jets’ dating back to the introduction of the first Harriers in the 1960s. Now, as part of the Joint Force Harrier, these extremely versatile aircraft are ready to deploy anywhere in the world, either on board Royal Navy aircraft carriers or to shore bases. The first Harriers entered RAF service in 1969, making the RAF the first in the world to use its revolutionary vertical take-off and landing abilities, which allow the aircraft to fly in and out of areas close to the battlefield that would normally be off-limits to other aircraft.
The aircraft are usually employed in direct support of ground troops tackling such targets as enemy troop positions, tanks and artillery. The Harrier uses a variety of weapons such as Paveway Laser and Global Positioning System-guided bombs against buildings, Maverick infrared missiles against tanks, cluster munitions and general purpose free-fall bombs. When required, the Harrier can also be equipped with a pod fitted with cameras to provide reconnaissance of the target and battle areas. For self-defence the aircraft can be fitted with the AIM-9L Sidewinder infrared guided missile.
Beech King Air B200 the newest training aircraft in the RAF inventory, is a twin-engine turboprop monoplane, which first entered RAF service in 2004. It is used as an advanced, multi-engine pilot trainer by No 45(R) Squadron, which is part of No 3 Flying Training School based at RAF Cranwell, in Lincolnshire. Prior to flying the King Air, students who have been streamed to fly multi-engine aircraft at the end of elementary flying training undertake survival training and personal development training to prepare them for the rigours of operational service.
F-15E Strike Eagle is a 1980s American all-weather strike fighter. Its a two-seat all-weather long-range strike and ground-attack aircraft for the U.S. Air Force designed for long-range interdiction of enemy ground targets deep behind enemy lines. A derivative of the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter, the Strike Eagle proved its worth in Desert Storm and Operation Allied Force, carrying out deep strikes against high-value targets, combat air patrols and providing close air support for coalition troops.
The F-15E is powered by two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 or 229 engines that incorporate advanced digital technology for improved performance. For example, with a digital electronic engine control system, F-15E pilots can accelerate from idle power to maximum afterburner in less than four seconds, a 40 percent improvement over the previous engine control system. Faster engine acceleration means quicker takeoffs and crisper response while manoeuvring. The F100-PW-220 engines can produce 50,000 pounds of thrust (25,000 each) and the F100-PW-229 engines 58,000 pounds of thrust (29,000 each).

High Definition Videos
Click the link for a list of HD videos from the loop and other locations.


 

 

   
 
 
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