RNAS Yeovilton Photo Shoot

Friday 6 July 2018, a very warm day at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton for the pre-air show photoshoot. the format for which had been changed since me last visit, when we spent all day there from about 09:30 till 20:00, but this time the time slot was much shorter from roughly 11:00 till 15:00 and with the gates opening late I missed the first arrivals, at least from a photography viewpoint. Facilities were unchanged with drinks, food and ice cream on hand and unrestricted access to vehicles.

As in common with a number of air show locations in the UK the display area/runway is to the south of the crowd line making photography that little bit more tricky and adding to that the tremendous heat haze coming up from the concrete images of aircraft on the runway would always be a big haze. The following pictures a roughly in chronological order showing the diversity of visiting aircraft with a very strongly contingency from France in evidence.

Belgian Air Force F-16MLU Fighting Falcon

Lockheed P-3C Orion Bundesmarine

Lockheed C-130J Hercules of the Royal Canadian Armed Forces

NHIndustries NH-90 of the French AeroNavale

Airbus Helicopters AS350B3e Ecureuil operated by QinetiQ 

Dassault Rafale M of the French AeroNavale

Grob 120 operated ed by QinetiQ

Hawker Sea Fury T20 Royal Naval Historic Flight

Westland Wildcat of the Fleet Air Arm

Boeing P-8A Poseidon of the US Navy

Boeing C-17A Globemaster III of the USAF Air Mobility Command

The Royal Jordanian Air Force Falcons

NHIndustries NH-90 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force

Mig-15UTI operating out of North Weald

Mil Mi-17 Hip of the Lithuanian Air Force

Morane Saulnier MS-760 Paris in French AeroNavale colours (privately operated)

Potez Fouga CM175 Zephyr in French AeroNavale colours (privately operated)

The last four pictures of the RCAF McDonnell-Douglas CF-118 Hornet, which gave a great display rivalling the previous Hornet display by the Swiss AF. Also a great colour scheme celebrating 62 years of the RCAF. 

RNAS Yeovilton is always a good day out, be it for the photo shoot on Arrivals Day or the air show itself. It always seems to have a surprise or two up its sleeve.

Theo Claassen
15 July 2018