RAF Northolt Photocall

The RAF Northolt Photocall 2009 was held on June 7th and as is the case with most events like this aircraft have to arrive. Unfortunately I was unable to make the Photocall itself due to other commitments but I was fortunate enough to be one of the lucky few to attend the arrivals day and night shoot the Friday before the Photocall.

The weather was dismal but the company was excellent, the banter helped to brighten things up on an otherwise dull and damp day. Apart from the arrivals for the photocall, the locally based aircraft of 32(TR)Squadron, along with civilian and military visitors, provided the flying action.

Among my personal highlights from the day were the SAS A-109 & Dauphin, RAF Tornado F3, USAF HH-60G Pave Hawk, French Navy Falcon 10 MER and the French Air Force Embraer EMB-121AA Xingu. Also present was an Irish Air Corps AW-139 (serial No. 279).

Once the arrivals were over we waited for it to get dark so the nightshoot could begin. It rained and rained and rained but that did not stop a few die hards from staying on base until midnight taking pictures. It was a hard job trying to keep the camera dry and the lens free from rain drops. A tripod is essential equipment for taking night shots and if it is raining an umbrella comes in handy too.

A big thank you goes to Phil Dawe for organising the event and Lee Barton for taking care of us. Thanks also to the Station Commander of RAF Northolt and all the base units and staff for allowing us to be on base for this event.