We Have Company

[dhsimmonds]

OR, looking at me looking at you!

[elansprint72]

Absolutely superb. What were you in?

Edit: I think I found the answer in another post!

Cheers,
Pete.

[jmr]

Dave,

very clean shot - thanks.

[stuny]

David -

Terrific sharpness and colors. You have to expect company like this whenever you buzz Buckingham Palace.

[martinop]

Very nice clear and crisp side profile.

[Edward S. Isaacs]

Hi David,
I guess no camera shake here!

Great shot. Thanks for sharing.

Ed.






.

[dhsimmonds]

Pete

I was in an RAF VC10 amongst 30 tons of aviation fuel as it was converted to a tanker many years ago! I could easily get rid of the blue haze but then the aircraft colours are "off", and that is more important to me!

[Peter41951]

How unfriendly of him not to wave.
Lovely capture, nice and sharp.

[neila]

Wow! Amazing shot.

Does the quality of the light at altitude help make shots like this or hinder? I've never taken an aircraft to aircraft shot (hopefully I never will as I only fly on normal passenger planes!).

PS - I'm always interested in cropping, which is it's own art form really. I like the wing in the shot, but in your opinion, were you tempted to crop it out?

[dhsimmonds]

Hi Neil

I have many others without the wing in the picture!

I felt that the wing gave it some position in space and indicates that it wasn't shot with some enormous focal length lens! The light is very good at altitude although there does tend to be a bluish haze which can sometimes affect the colour balance although I was using a UV filter on this shot.

[elansprint72]

Dave,
I've got some folks coming round for dinner this week-end, one was a Squadron Leader in Tornados, the other binned two Harriers (and has 2 Martin Baker ties to prove it!). I'm sure they'll love this shot. Rather worryingly, both these jokers are now flying Boeings for My Travel

Am I right in thinking that you have to loosen your seat straps in the Harrier to be able to see the probe in it's "up" position?

Any more?

Pete.

[Bernd Banken]

is it Tom Cruise in the other plane?

[dhsimmonds]

Bernd and Pete

Bernd, well I think that this pilot was probably known as Pilot Officer Prune, as he did have a few problems getting on to the probe!

Pete, The Harrier is not easy to line up with the probe which is on the wing which is a shoulder mounted wing, therefore the probe is over your left shoulder, so loosening straps does make it easier unless you have a rubber neck!

Because the probe is so far back on the Harrier the nose is.... oh, so very close to the trailing edge of the tanker's wing, with the port (left) wing tucked up close under the tanker's tailplane. So not much room for error!

No wonder then that Pilot Officer Prune found it so difficult and I really am not trying to put him down in any possible way as these chaps are all great pilots and men. I will post another shot of a more experienced pilot actually on the probe.