Trip Report September 2024

During September/October the U.K. hosted Exercise Cobra Warrior 24‑2. The large multinational exercise directed by the Air and Space warfare Centre at RAF Waddington took place over three weeks, September 16th to October 4th. In July it was announced on social media there was a possibility the German Air Force would partake in the exercise with their Tornado ECR's. This was too good an opportunity to miss to hopefully catch this iconic aircraft flying through the U.K. Low Fly System, so I booked three days off work in the second week of the exercise to visit the Lake District LFA17.

Alongside locally based units from the RAF and USAF, visiting aircraft included F‑16's from the 31st FW at Aviona Air Base in Italy, Polish F‑16's from 3 Squadron, Norwegian F‑35's from 332 Squadron, Canadian F/A‑18's from 409 Squadron and Finnish F/A‑18's from Fighter Squadron 11. Sadly, the German Air Force did not appear with their Tornado ECR's.

Wednesday 25th ‑ Today I visited Dunmail Raise (east side above the AA box). I arrived at my vantage point at 09:00 and was soon joined by a fellow photographer and his friend who had tagged along for the day. All was quiet till 11:20 when the scanner crackled into life announcing two F‑35 Lightning's approaching Windermere. A couple of minutes later RAF F‑35B Lightning, serial ZM158 ‘024’ appeared around the corner from Rydal Water streaming vortices off the wingtips, closely followed by ZM156 ‘022’. The only other aircraft seen was a BAE Hawk Mk. 167, ZB138 of the Joint QEA/RAF Hawk Training Squadron from RAF Leeming at 16:00. I left the hill at 17:00.

BAE Systems Hawk Mk. 167, ZB138 of the Joint QEA/RAF Hawk Training Squadron passing over Grasmere in the Lake District.

Thursday 26th ‑ Today the weather forecast was for torrential rain, and it was correct. It was not a day for venturing up the hills.

Friday 27th ‑ My location today was Arnison Crag which overlooks Greenbank Farm, Bridgend, near Hartsop. From the parking lay‑by near the White Lion Inn, Patterdale, the climb took me over an hour to reach my vantage point which stands 800ft above the valley below. From the location you get a clear view of aircraft as they approach from Threshwaite Mouth down into Pasture Bottom or from Kirkstone Pass. The only drawback with Arnison Crag is that aircraft can be distant, as they tend to route past on the far side of the relatively wide valley, and because they travel in a south to north direction the lighting can be a bit awkward until after midday.

View from Arnison Crag looking towards Pasture Bottom (left) and Kirkstone Pass (right).

Looking on social media I noted the majority of F‑16's attending the exercise had been photographed the previous days using the Dunmail/Thirlmere route and only occasionally using the route through Patterdale and Ullswater. I knew I was taking a risk of missing any visiting aircraft, but I wanted to try a different location with a different backdrop for a change. The weather forecast was predicting an overcast morning with the skies clearing in the afternoon so the light would not be such an issue, and to overcome the width of the valley I added a 1.4x Extender to my 600mm lens which gave me a focal length of 840mm.

At 09:00 I was in position and ready for any activity. It was a quiet morning with no aircraft seen and by midday I was starting to have doubts whether I had made the correct decision in my choice of location. Thankfully at 13:05 I spotted an aircraft break the skyline at Kirkstone Pass and was rewarded with a pass by a BAE Systems Hawk Mk. 167, ZB130 from the Joint QEAF/RAF Training Squadron based at RAF Leeming.

Early afternoon spotters at RAF Waddington posted a message on social media stating the intention of Finnish F/A‑18's to visit the Lake District LFA17. Checking the Cumbria LFA17 Spotters forum people were picking up transmissions on their scanners from the Finnish stating their intention to go low‑level after completing air refuelling, though I heard nothing on my scanner. Around 16:00 after hearing nothing on my scanner I checked the forum again to see people on Smaithwaite/Raven Crag had posted messages/photos of two Finnish F/A‑18 Hornets passing their locations, soon followed by another two. Obviously feeling a little disappointed I consoled myself by thinking at least I caught a Hawk and didn't blank (no aircraft seen). At 16:20 I was suddenly jolted alert when I noticed two aircraft approaching from Kirkstone Pass and they were F/A‑18 Hornets. I'm glad I chose Arnison Crag as they were relatively high and from my location the first F/A‑18C Hornet, HN‑452 ‘52’ was just skimming the tops of the hillside opposite. The second Hornet, HN‑446 ‘46’ was lower and landlocked. Typically, the valley which had been bathed in sunlight had clouded over just before the Hornets appeared, which meant I was using a high ISO, but I can't complain as I was chuffed to have captured them. Ten minutes later I observed another two Hornets which had pulled out of low‑level elsewhere heading west to east high over Kirkstone Pass, presumably heading back to RAF Waddington.

Finnish Air Force F/A‑18C Hornet, serial HN‑446 ‘46’.

This was my last U.K. low flying trip of 2024. It was ironic to have finished the year capturing F/A‑18 Hornets, as this is the type of aircraft I will most likely be seeing a lot more of in just over a week when I make another visit to the Sidewinder military low flying route in California, U.S.A.