This blog serves as a resource for photographers and spotters visiting the LIMA Airshow 2013 (26-30 March 2013) at Langkawi, Malaysia. The main Guide To LIMA is at the first post, dated 12th February 2013.
Selamat Datang!
In between LIMA airshows, the blog will focus on regional military events and wherever else my camera takes me.
Trooping The Colour is an annual event, rated the most impressive in terms of visual pomp and pageantry for the entire Royal Year. It is otherwise known as the parade for the Queen's Official Birthday
and this year, it is extra-special. QE2 has been on the throne for 60
years, having been crowned in 1953. This is her Golden Jubilee Year.
Buntings on Regent Street proclaiming Her 60th year of reign
The whole Family Firm leaves Buck Palace either seated in carriages or on horseback, escorted by mounted cavalry with shiny pointy brass helmets, military bands and soldiers in bearskin hats, of the type highlighted in posters promoting British tourism overseas.
This is only time when the Royal Family are on public show together, culminating with an appearance at the balcony of Buck Palace, with an RAF flypast ending proceedings.
I was wondering whether I ought to bring the 100-400mm. Luckily I did; the Police controlled the crowd so sringently this time, that the Buck Palace balcony shots would have been impossible without it. They simply did not let the crown overrun the traffic circle around the Victoria Memorial, as they did in times past.
Initially, bands and soldiers march towards Horse Guards Parade along The Mall. They reached our position around 1015. They originated from the direction of Wellington Barracks.
The Metropolitan police provides security along the route
I'm old enough to remember when Bobbies went about their business unarmed, and the fella above seems dressed for bear. Times change.
As do Army personnel
They are spaced out closely along The Mall. Double barriers prevent the crowd from getting too close.
All the Queen's horses...
--- and all the Queen's men.
First of The Firm- Prince Andrew and daughters Beatrice and Eugenie.
Resplendent in Red
The Queen was within her Coach
Bearskin hats effortlessly conceal the identity of the person underneath! But these are Princes William (Colonel of the Irish Guards, grey horse), and Charles (Colonel of the Welsh Guards) , and Princess Anne (Colonel of The Blues and Royals)
Then, the attention of the world shifts to Horse Guards Parade where the salute is taken. Nothing happens on The Mall for over an hour. One just waits to enjoy the wind and sunshine.
Then, at 1210, the troops return to Buck Palace, back along The Mall.
The first contingent returns
No brownie points for correctly naming these Royals. The one in pink is 8 months pregnant, and this will be her last engagement before giving birth to a child who will be third in line to the Throne.
Prince Edward waves. Princess Sophie is on his right
The Queen's coach
Followed by senior Royals. Prince Charles is on the black horse.
At attention on the balcony
There was then a 41-gun salute, fired by the King's
Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park.
Then, at 1300, a mini-airshow occurs over The Mall
Tristar and VC-10
The Red Arrows trail smoke over the Palace
The Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, taking the salute from the RAF.
This site has spectacular photographs, identifying the Royals on the balcony:
At 1315, it is all over. The Army units begin to return to barracks.
King.s Troop Royal Horse Artillery- going back to barracks
With the Royal Standard fluttering to indicate the Queen is in residence, the Palace closes down and the Royals retreat back within. Till next year.
At 1330, the bunting at the Balcony is removed, Festivities over.
A vital service- Cleaning up the horse droppings to be recycled as fertiliser
At 1340, the heavens start pouring, and a quite heavy shower occurs. The timing of the ceremonies is immaculate!
Schoolkids sheltering under a tree at St James Park using emergency ponchos
That's London for you. Unpredictable changing weather, sun and rainstorms, all in a day. Incredible why it is still so cold and blowy this year, with the Summer Solstice just a week away!
FURTHER PHOTOGRAPHIC NOTES
To get a clear picture of the Royals on the balcony, you need to be on the roundabout in front of Buckingham Palace. After the Royals returned to the Palace at 1230, I made my way towards Birdcage Walk and the traffic circle, hoping they would open the crowd barriers. But no, they stubbornly stayed shut, and a few people were seen proceeding up from The Mall. The balcony was obstructed by two large pillars as well.
Plan A
No go. Too far, and view obstructed by fencing, pillars and TV camera.
View somewhat blocked by pillars
Then came Plan B: a mad rush back the way I came, to the nearest opening in the crowd barriers, to walk onto The Mall and onto the roundabout
Plan B. Is there enough time?
Back down into St James's Park
Still no opening in the crowd barrier! To many tall spectators blocking the line of vision to the balcony
Finally found that prized opening in the crowd barrier! Running down the Mall like Usain Bolt as the time ticks away
Made it there just as the RAF Flypast starts. The Royals are already assembled on the balcony. Most people are still trapped behind crowd barriers.
And that's how I managed the shot of the Buck Palace Balcony. Once you got there, of course, you got a grand view of the military contingents exiting the Palace and marching back to Barracks. So, that's a consolation of sorts for all the exercise expended.
The skies above Cosford were quite spectacular, breaking out from being totally overcast in the morning to becoming almost devoid of cloud while the flying display was being held. Looking at photos from previous editions, the conditions over Cosford last Sunday were probably among the best in the past 10 years, if not the best.
The flying displays stretched out almost over 6 hours.
LIGHTING
The single runway at Cosford stretches between 06/24. The crowdline is parallel to the runway; facing forward, one is pointed towards bearing 150.
The direction of the sun changes throughout the day as it travels from east to west.
The sun is against you at 1000, but it shifts around in a clockwise direction until it is ideally placed behind you at day's end.
Which means you will generally have great shots if you point your camera at planes to the left of your position.
POSITIONING
It was pretty packed. By all accounts, in excess of 50,000 people turned up for the Airshow, leading to the massive traffic jams around the airfield.
Being a first-timer at Cosford, I picked out a spot by the crowdline near the van owned by the people engaged in making the Official DVD of the airshow (below). If the spot is good enough for them, it is probably going to be among the best available. I certainly was not displeased with the choice at days' end. I'm not here to reinvent the wheel.
The problem is that many areas on the crowdline had been reserved by people who have set up tents, windbreaks and picnic chairs. Nonetheless, these impediments can be overcome. It just means that some landing shots may be missed. However, most of the display aircraft do not take off and and at Cosford; the runway is too short. Instead, the fly in from elsewhere to display. An example are the Red Arrows (based at Shawbury) and Sally B (based at Duxford).
Unlike many airshows, it seems the Display is not centered on the Control Tower, but on a red pyramidal marker near the runway, that is due east from the Tower. Due to the direction if the sun, you really want to be south of that marker.
These no longer fly (and the runway is too short for them to actually take off), but these Jaguars provide engineering apprentices with a an important part of their training.
(this being at 1015, the sun is right in front)
RAF COSFORD FLYPAST
RAF FALCONS PARACHUTE DISPLAY TEAM
RAF TYPHOON
Maneuvered so hard, condensation starts to form over the airframe.
AEROSTARS AEROBATIC DISPLAY TEAM
RAF SEAKING DEMO
O'BRIEN"S FLYING CIRCUS
JET PROVOST
F86A SABRE
ROYAL NAVY HISTORIC FLIGHT SEA FURY
PITTS SPECIAL
BATTLE OF BRITAIN MEMORIAL FLIGHT
This photographic Spitfire Mk 19 is the unit which executed the last Spitfire sortie on 1st April 1954, which interestingly nough, was from Seletar Airbase in Singapore, to look for Communist Terrorists in the Johor jungles.
ARMY AIR CORPS LYNX
Backflip!
THE RED ARROWS
ARMY AIR CORPS APACHE
It was announced at the last minute that the front seat is occuied by Capt Wales (ie Prince Harry), Can you ID him?
For a machine this size, the aircraft is quite nimble and silent!
RV8TORS DISPLAY TEAM
SPITFIRE MK IX
BBMF C47 DAKOTA
B-17 SALLY B
RAF TUCANO
This being 1700, the sun is now at your 4 o'clock.
THE BLADES EXTRA 300 DISPLAY TEAM
Quite apart from the Flying Display, there was also the Static Display, as well as the permanant displays of the RAF Museum. There are also the numerous stalls set up by entrepreuneurs, ready to sell to the public. And if you just wanted to sunbathe with the drone of warbirds above you, well, that can be done too. This is the charm of the airshow at Cosford.
I shall post the full galleries of the show online when I get home- I am afraid my laptop is really not up to the demands of heavy-duty photo editing and uploading. In the meantime, enjoy the shots above.
What to do later: A trek round the exhibits at the RAF Museum in Hangar 1.
