Trip Report July 2024

Four out of five isn't bad. That is the number of days the weather was suitable for me to climb up the hills in LFA7 and LFA17 on my second U.K. military low flying photography trip of 2024.

I had three days in the Mach Loop prior to attending the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford on Sunday 21st. As last year I visited the Mach Loop in the hope that something unusual would route through the Welsh valleys on its way to RIAT. A couple of days prior to my trip the Canadian Hornet Demonstration Team announced on Wednesday 17th they would fly their CH‑188 Hornet through the Mach Loop on its way to RIAT. I had planned to arrive at the Mach Loop early on the Wednesday morning to ensure a parking place as I assumed a lot of photographers would have had the same idea as myself. With this latest announcement from the Canadians I thought every man and his dog would be there, so I decided to arrive earlier than planned.

Tuesday 16th ‑ After a full day at work I left home at 19:00 to make the 420‑mile drive to Wales. The journey went without a hitch apart from a section of the M6 motorway being closed and the turn‑off for the Chester ring road being closed due to roadworks. These diversions probably added an extra 45‑50 minutes onto my travelling time which I could have done without.

Wednesday 17th ‑ At 03:45 after nearly a nine‑hour journey I arrived at the Bwlch Oerddrws car park, my chosen location for the day. I was amazed to find only one parking place left vacant ‑ Phew! As more people arrived they started to double park (not an issue for myself as I was there for the day) and park on the grass verge further down the road.

After a few hours catching up on some well‑needed sleep, I started the climb up to the top ledge of the Bwlch. When I arrived at the top of the hill at 07:00 and looked down the valley towards the Spur and Bluebell (other photography locations) I could see their parking areas were packed. I think this is the busiest I have seen the Mach Loop in all the years I have been visiting.

The nice clear sunny morning soon deteriorated as the valley became shrouded in a bank of fog. It was a warm morning so everyone was confident the fog would soon burn‑off, which it did after a couple of hours.

Photographers waiting on the Bwlch for aircraft to appear around the corner from Dinas Mawddwy.

The first aircraft to appear at 09:31 was a Texan T.1, ZM329 from RAF Valley. It was good to get a little bit of panning practise before the star of the show was due to appear. The McDonnell Douglas CF‑188 Hornet, BuNo. 188774 of the Royal Canadian Air Force Demonstration Team entered the Mach Loop from the north, routing down the valley from Bala. At 09:44, after passing through the mountain pass at Cadair Idris and doing a circuit of the Mach Loop the CF‑188 Hornet flown by Jean‑Luc ‘Picard’ Volodarsky appeared in the distance around a bend in the valley and approached my location. The highly polished aircraft with its distinctive commemorative paint scheme celebrating the centenary of the formation of the Royal Canadian Air Force was certainly being flown in a spirited fashion ‑ fast and low. Everyone hoped it would do another circuit of the Mach Loop and do another pass, but sadly the aircraft had pulled out of low‑level and routed towards RAF Fairford.

Royal Canadian Air Force McDonnell Douglas CF‑188 Hornet (BuNo. 188774 ‘774’).

A cracking start to the day and it continued with the following aircraft seen (all from RAF Valley unless stated): ‑ Hawk T.2, ZK013 at 10:20 and again at 10:24 after doing a circuit of the Mach Loop. Two Texan T.1's, ZM323 and ZM332 at 12:06. Hawk T.2, ZK022 at 12:22. Two Texan T.1's, ZM342 and ZM343 at 14:44.

At 15:47 I captured photos of my first Typhoon in the Mach Loop since March 2014, when two Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4's, ZK324 and ZK305 of RAF No. 1(F) Squadron from Lossiemouth decided to make a visit. The reason I have not captured photos of a Typhoon in the Mach Loop for so long was partly due to a recommendation circulated within the Ministry of Defence (DoD) in December 2018 which resulted in a reduction of aircraft using the Mach Loop. Since this time up until late 2023 RAF frontline squadrons operating the Typhoon had not flown the Mach Loop. The ban could also have been the result of a video appearing on social media of a Typhoon passing through the Mach Loop and performing a barrel roll as it pulled out of low‑level.

The next aircraft to appear at 16:24 were two Texan T.1's, ZM327 and ZM333, followed at 16:30 by another two Texan T.1's, ZM324 and ZM332. These were quickly followed at 16:31 by an Embraer Phenom T.1, ZM336 of RAF No. 45 Squadron, Cranwell. The last aircraft to appear at 16:42 was a Hawk T.2, ZK036. I left the hill at 17:30.

Thursday 18th ‑ Today I decided to visit the Bwlch Exit. There was already a large group of photographers assembled when I arrived on‑site at 09:30. I did not have long to wait till the scanner crackled into life with the arrival of USAF F‑15E Strike Eagles from Lakenheath. Using a 600mm lens at this location for the first time I found challenging because the aircraft are hidden from view till they appear through the gap at the Bwlch which gives you little time to find them in the camera viewfinder and lock‑on. As a result I completely missed some passes, especially when an aircraft routed through the gap lower than I anticipated. The first F‑15E of a two‑ship appeared at 10:22. I did not observe the aircraft BuNo. because it was turning hard creating a condensation cloud above the wings and tail obscuring the number. The second F‑15E was BuNo. 96‑0202. Both aircraft of the 492nd Fighter Squadron “Madhatters” did a second pass but I didn't get any photos due to the reasons mentioned earlier. At 10:34 a three‑ship of F‑15E's appeared. BuNo. 91‑0602 was followed by BuNo. 91‑0603, both of the 494th Fighter Squadron “Panthers’ and finally BuNo. 92‑0364 of the 492nd Fighter Squadron “Madhatters’ which was adorned with the 48th Fighter Wing heritage paint scheme (Statue of Liberty) on the aircraft airbrake. These were followed at 10:40 by an RAF A400M Atlas C.1, ZM421 from Brize Norton.

F‑15E Strike Eagle (BuNo. 91‑0603 ‘LN’) USAF 48th FW/494th FS “Panthers”. Second aircraft in a three‑ship.

At 11:00 I decided to relocate to the Bwlch top ledge where I could get a clearer view of approaching aircraft and where I could move further back if I needed to accommodate larger aircraft within the camera frame. The first aircraft to appear at 10:42 was an F‑15E Strike Eagle, BuNo. 96‑0205 of the 492nd Fighter Squadron “Madhatters”, which appeared again at 10:47 after doing a circuit of the Mach Loop. This was followed at 12:53 by a Hawk T.2, ZK012, which also did a circuit and appeared again at 12:56. Two F‑15E Strike Eagles, BuNo. 91‑0301 and BuNo. 91‑0318 of the 492nd Fighter Squadron “Madhatters” appeared at 13:22 and again at 13:26 after doing a circuit of the Mach Loop. Texan T.1, ZM325 appeared at 16:02, closely followed at 16:07 by another F‑15E Strike Eagle, BuNo. 96‑0205 of the 492nd Fighter Squadron “Madhatters”, which did a second pass at 16:11 after doing a circuit of the Mach Loop.

Rumours were circulating that a Canadian Hercules which was visiting RIAT was intending to visit the Mach Loop. As with a lot of rumours I took it with a pinch of salt, but at 16:44 I was pleasantly surprised when the CC‑130J Hercules, serial 130605 appeared around the corner from Dinas. It unexpectedly made a second pass at 17:00 which completed a great day on the hill. I left the hill at 17:15.

Royal Canadian Air Force Lockheed Martin CC‑130J Hercules (Serial 130605 ‘605’).

Friday 19th ‑ Today I decided to visit the lower ledge of Bluebell. After the steep climb I arrived on‑site at 09:00 a found I was there on my own “Billy no mates”, though there was another photographer on the top ledge. I did not have long to wait till an RAF F‑35B Lightning, ZM342 of 207 Squadron appeared at 09:35. The aircraft was at the same height as my location which was ideal, but it was a shame it did not appear later as the light conditions at Bluebell are not the best early morning. The light improved by the time two Texan T.1's, ZM342 and ZM325 of RAF No. 72(F) Squadron from Valley appeared at 11:39. These were followed at 12:09 by a Hawk T.2, ZK012 of RAF No. 4(R) Squadron, Valley. The last aircraft to appear at 12:27 was a USAF F‑35A Lightning II of the 493rd Fighter Squadron “Grim Reapers”, and again at 12:31 after doing a circuit of the Mach Loop. The F‑35 was higher than my location but low enough to get it partially landlocked in the photos. I left the hill at 16:30 with no other aircraft seen.

Bluebell photography location. View looking towards direction of aircraft approach.

Saturday 20th ‑ After staying the night at the Gwesty Minffordd Hotel, my usual lodgings when visiting the Mach Loop, I left early morning to drive to Coventry to visit the Midland Air Museum which is situated just outside the village of Baginton on the northern boundary of Coventry Airport. My previous visit to the museum in October 2020 was on a bright sunny day. Due to the time of year the sun was low in the sky which resulted in the upper surfaces of the aircraft being bathed in sunlight and the undersides in deep shadows, which was an exposure nightmare. A lot of detail was lost on the undersides of the aircraft, hence the reason I decided to visit again.

Sunday 21st ‑ For the third consecutive year I visited the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire. This year I only visited for one day of the three‑day event. Like last year I booked into the Flight Deck enclosure which provided a crowd line location, private toilets, casual street‑food lunch and unreserved informal seating.

2024 marked the anniversary of the F‑16 Fighting Falcon's first flight and this year RIAT was celebrating this milestone with a static lineup and flying demonstration of F‑16's from around the world. The event was also celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The impressive static lineup of fifteen F‑16's. Many adorned with special tail markings to celebrate the anniversary of the type.

The Canadian CF‑188 Demo Team with its McDonnell Douglas CF‑188 Hornet displayed by Captain Caleb “Tango” Robert was awarded ‘Best Livery‘ and ‘Best Solo Jet Display’ of the show. The take‑off display of the Hornet was awesome. Its exhaust nozzles barely cleared the tarmac as the pilot rotated the aircraft and lifted off at a high angle of attack. The angle was so steep that I genuinely thought the pilot had overdone it and the aircraft was going to stall.

Spectacular take‑off by the Royal Canadian Air Force CF‑188 Hornet.

The Spanish navy were in attendance again with their EAV‑8B+ Matador II (or Harrier) which was always nice to see display. Another treat was the flying display by the Boeing F‑15QA Ababil for the Qatar Emeri Air Force. The aircraft flown by Boeing test pilots was displayed in a fully loaded configuration (i.e. with ordnance mounted) and again in a light configuration. The display routine which included a tailslide, abrupt pulls and extreme high‑alpha flying was amazing to watch being performed by such a large aircraft.

Boeing F‑15QA Ababil in light configuration coming in to land after its flying display.

The static displays were just as impressive which included: ‑ Lineup of fifteen F‑16's ( many adorned with special tail markings to celebrate the anniversary of the type). F‑4 Phantom's from Greece and Turkey. German and Italian variant of Tornado and a USAF U‑2 Dragon Lady with an accompanying Dodge Charger chase car.

Monday 22nd ‑ Today was RIAT departures day when all the visiting aircraft departed for their home bases. After an overnight stay at the Travelodge in Tewkesbury I made an early‑morning start to drive to the Mach Loop in the hope that some departing aircraft might decide to make a visit. When I arrived at the Bwlch Oerddrws it was raining and low cloud obscured the top of the hill. By midday the weather had not improved so I made the decision to leave early and drive to the Lake District where I had planned to spend the last day of my trip.

Tuesday 23rd ‑ Sunshine and clear skies with a slight breeze prevailed throughout the day. A complete contrast to the weather experienced yesterday in North Wales. For my last day I decided to visit Smaithwaite Banks Crag at the north end of Thirlmere Reservoir. At 08:00 I positioned myself at the top of the path where it overlooks the dam. I normally go to the vantage point located slightly higher up to the north, but I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of walking the extra distance and navigating the path through the woods. I was soon joined by some fellow photographers who kept me company throughout the day. It turned out to be a relatively quiet day with the following aircraft seen: ‑ RAF Atlas C.1, ZM419 from Brize Norton at 11:30. Hawk Mk.167, ZB137 of the Joint QEA/RAF Hawk Training Squadron from RAF Leeming at 11:39 and finally a civilian Diamond DA‑42 Twin Star, registration N469WN at 14:18. I left the hill at 16:00.