The "I can't have been the only one at Biggin Hill" thread

Andrew_McP

Andrew_McP

Andrew_McP

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The highlight of my weekend was getting to hold a Nikon 600mm F4 VR... £7k's worth of photographic wet dream, even for a Canon user.

Sadly it belonged to the guy behind me on the crowd line, and I insisted he keep hold of the handle while I weighed it in my hands. This was very useful because it proved that I'd need a pit pony with a tripod on its back to carry it around for me, and a spotter scope strapped to it in order to actually find anything in the sky.

Anyway... airshow, aircraft, noise, blah, blah, blah. Usual sort of stuff.

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A detailed write-up is here along with many superb threads and shots from a great weekend getting gently fried.

Actually there was nothing gentle about it on Sunday. :cool:

Andrew McP
 
The_Abyss said:
razor sharp panning on the Spitfire
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I wish it was. Still, it's close enough given that it was taken at 1/50th. :-)

I've no excuse for not having at least one decent panning shot though. I had lots of chances given that there were up to eight Hurricanes/Spitfires in the air at once!

It was a darned good show though, despite the heat. In the last decade there have been a few fairly uninspiring Biggins, but this one -- particularly the Sunday -- was a real classic. I may even buy the DVD for this one, which isn't something I do very often.

Andrew McP
 
Which day did you go then Andrew, both days? I was there on the Saturday, and the haze was particularly strong which pretty much ruined any ground shots. It was hot, I was bothered, the crowds were packed in and people kept standing in front of me (despite arriving just after 08:00 to get a front row seat) and all in all didn't really enjoy it I'm sad to say. I heard Sunday was a lot better on the crowd front, but even hotter which must have been pretty unbearable.
 
Bluelion said:
Which day did you go then Andrew, both days?
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Yes. I'm not far away, so it'd be rude not to go both days. :-) I can get there for opening on Saturday (7:30am this year), which always gets me a spot at the front. On Sunday public transport starts annoyingly late (I don't drive, that's how I have spare cash for camera kit!), but arriving at 8:30 just got me a space on the crowdline. The same thing happened last year.

I was there on the Saturday, and the haze was particularly strong which pretty much ruined any ground shots.
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I got a few nice shots on Saturday, but not enough. The conditions were, as you say, pretty frustrating. But then Biggin's always a bit like that because by the time the flying starts the Sun's swung round to start staring you in the face.

Still, that's part of the challenge of this daft hobby... wringing decent shots out of rough conditions.

It was hot, I was bothered .... and all in all didn't really enjoy it I'm sad to say.
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I might have been lucky with my position at the front, because the breeze picked up quite nicely at various times (from the runway direction), and the clouds definitely cooled things down regularly. So it was far more bearable than I expected.

Sunday, however, was a real mixed blessing. Great light for most of the day, but stiflingly hot and sticky. My 2 litre bottle of water was tepid by noon, and no pleasure whatsoever to drink after that. However I managed ok and I think taking very regular mouthfuls of water (only water, and just a mouthful or so at a time) helps keep you hydrated properly and better equipped to cope with conditions.

And I say that as someone who's never had a holiday in a warm country. I really can't stand being hot.

Anyway, sorry you had a bad day out. I must admit that after a 7pm exit on Saturday and a long wait for a bus, I had to force myself out of bed on Sunday morning. I really didn't fancy doing it all over again. However once the getting there and finding a spot was sorted out, I was very glad I did, because it really was a great display; even better than Saturday. However it might prove to have been an expensive mistake.

The guy next to me on Sunday was really nice and let me ogle his 7D. I nearly cracked a few weeks ago and hit the buy button on one, but the fact that the 550D is so well specced made me hesitate. Something between the 50D and 7D might be along "soon" with a better bang for buck combo.

But then that's always true, and the screen alone is almost worth the cash because it allows much better iterative feedback while out in the field. The 550D has that as well though. So...

So with RIAT and Farnborough approaching fast I only need to hold my nerve for two more weeks and I can perhaps stop myself making a big hole in this year's cash ISA. :-)

Andrew McP
 
could you send me some high rez pics of biggin hill. i took some but they look crap basicly compared to your pictures, understandably!!

and i was there i got caught behind the red arrows when they blasted there smoke out the back!!
 
ScarySquirrel said:
I was there on Sunday but I didn't take my camera.
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I sometimes wish I had the courage to leave my camera at home. Airshows are for enjoying, not just for hunting photos! I do try to force myself to sit back and just watch some of the time, but then I have to watch photo opportunities slip past and end up feeling bitter & twisted. :-)

Mad_Jay said:
I was in the Red Arrows HGV which you took that pic of. :p
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Then you have a very cool job. Thanks for being a small cog in the machine which allows those guys to do what they do so well. One of the great things about this forum in particular is you never know who you're going to bump into. :-)

matkeys said:
could you send me some high rez pics of biggin hill.
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If you got to http://picasaweb.google.com/mcp.andrew/Biggin2010 and select a picture you fancy, just hit the download button. They're 1600xwhatever, but most of them are crops so that's as much resolution as is useful anyway.

and i was there i got caught behind the red arrows when they blasted there smoke out the back!!
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You may or may not have seen this thread then...
http://forums.airshows.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=24367
:-)

Thanks again for the comments everyone. It's nice to share the experience and (almost!) justify the cost of camera kit. Mind you, since I bought a 40D & 100-400L I've got out and about much more often than I ever used to. It's been a 'passport' to some great experiences, not just at airshows.

Andrew McP
 
That video of the Reds blasting the crowd with dye is fantastic, rather them than me though. :p I've still got dye on me from weeks ago.

Did anyone see Kirsty (Red 3), blow a tyre on the return back from the display on the Saturday? She stopped right in front of the crowd line where the Red Arrows pan was. She had to walk back, felt proper sorry for her! :p
 
Mad_Jay said:
Did anyone see Kirsty (Red 3), blow a tyre on the return back from the display on the Saturday? She stopped right in front of the crowd line where the Red Arrows pan was. She had to walk back, felt proper sorry for her! :p
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I didn't see that, no. But I did see one of them have to take off again on Saturday after landing, and go around again. That's not something you see every day! In fact it's not something you see at all. :-)

I suspect the debriefing was even more entertaining than normal.

I take Red 3 was the one who clipped a landing light; that would explain the puncture. They mentioned that on Sunday's commentary IIRC.

Andrew McP
 
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