Military Jets Photography: January 2016

400 spotters were invited the day before the public to witness the arrivals and rehearsals for the Luchmachtdagen 2013 at Air Force Base Volkel. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate that day. We left the base in the afternoon with still a lot of participants that needed to arrive.
Highlights of the day were the arrivals of the Portuguese F-16s and one of the last appearances of two Hellenic Corsairs.

O-2A Postbellum Foundation N590D

PC-12/47E Finnish Air Force PI-05

F-16AM Portuguese Air Force 15108

TA-7C Hellenic Air Force 156753

A-7E Hellenic Air Force 160616

Mirage 2000N French Air Force 125-AL/348

Mirage 2000N French Air Force 125-AG/369

Jas-39C Czech Air Force 9235

F/A-18C Finnish Air Force HN-434

It had been nine years since I last visited an open day at the Cold War Jets collection. They restored some of the aircraft already in their collection or they received new exhibitions. So it was then time to pay them another visited. These events always deliver a different experience to an airshow, and I’m not referring to the aircraft staying on the ground when I say that. It has always been a relaxed affair with a real ‘club event’ feeling to it. At previous events it hasn’t been unusual for timings and even the running order to change as the day went along.
My first port of call was the VC10 packed up on the hard-standing closes to the entrance. The aircraft was one of many that had been flown into Bruntingthorpe after being withdrawn from service by the RAF. Unlike the others, this particular example won’t be stripped for parts. The Cold War Jets collection is in the process of acquiring it for taxi runs in future events.
As I walked down to the crowdline, located close to the side of the runway, I noticed things had changed since my last visit. The crowdline, rather than stopping at the first taxiway, had been extended beyond the taxiway and into the next section of grass. A
The event started on time with a pair of Jet Provosts. Like previous events, the aircraft slowly taxied down the far side of the runway and then performed a 180 degree turn to taxi back to the ‘start line’, giving the crowd plenty of chances to get a good look, and photos, of the aircraft from both sides. Once they have completed their parade they line up again and then perform the fast taxi run down the one mile runway before slowly taxing back again.
Running this time were the Jet Provosts, Buccaneer, Lightning (the second Lightning had only recently finished an overhaul, but without enough time to complete testing to make it), Canberra, Comet, Nimrod, Hunter, Victor, Iskra and Delphin. The Iskra teamed up with the Delphin which was making its first run. For this reason, the pair appeared twice in the day. The entire operation looked very slick and the amount of thought that had gone into the day was apparent when it was announced that the Nimrod MR2 had been given an earlier running slot to allow it to be repositioned back on the public side of the airfield so that visitors would have a chance to have a look inside.
Thankfully the winds were within limits to allow a BBMF Spitfire to put in a couple passes on its way back to RAF Coningsby and this wasn’t the only flying aircraft for the event. A surprise visit by a Jet Provost Mk 52 in the form of G-PROV from Swords Aviation landed after a quick flypast and departed after the event. This particular Jet Provost is an interesting aircraft as it was one of only a few JPs that were armed, but not classed as a Strikemaster! The aircraft spent much of its life serving in the South Yemen Air Force, coded 104, and since 2006 has been back in those colours.