Be Prepared!

(Originally posted to American Yank in England on 20 January 2008)

Just like a Boy Scout, a photographer should always be prepared for who-knows-what to come around the corner. Now you don't have to lug all your gear around 24/7 (although it might pay off) but the state of smaller, pocket-sized digital cameras is growing in sophistication on an almost daily basis.

Luckily I DID happen to have the right equipment when I saw this NATO E-3 AWACS jet in the pattern around RAF Lakenheath on Friday. NATO E-3As are based out of Geilenkirchen, Germany which is really just a hop, skip and jump away from the UK when flying at 500mph. I was able to time my arrival at my favorite spotting location knowing the "normal" circuit time when doing touch-and-go's and with just a couple of minutes to spare I was set.

One pass, 12 images, and they were off for home. Good thing I was prepared, eh?

A Miserably (yet enjoyable) Day

(Originally posted to American Yank in England on 11 January 2008)

As the saying goes, misery loves company. That is true when you run across people who have a passion for almost any pursuit, but is even more applicable when it comes to aircraft spotters. Not many places will you find a gathering of people huddled around a small dirt patch at the end of a runway waiting for the appearance of, well.... just the rumor of an arrival will bring us out. I've been fortunate to have spotted at many locations around the world and almost without exception spotters are hearty, friendly people.

Today was no exception with both attributes I mentioned being about in abundance. The weather was crap; first fog limiting your visibility to 100 yards then driving rain and gusty winds and a temperature combination that was perfect for hypothermia. As a small handful of us stood in the rain (yep, not smart enough to get out of the rain) the stories and jokes flew back and forth to fill in the silent gaps where jet aircraft should have been splitting our ears.

Persistence and eventually a change of location paid off. Friendships were made and strengthened and a few nice images were added to the catalogs of some die-hard aviation fans. Miserable to be sure as our numb fingers and sniffling noses attest to, but enjoyable none the less.

Not ANOTHER blog?!?!!?

It has come to my attention through discussions with both readers and other blogger colleagues that my blog American Yank in England is actually fulfilling two purposes: the original intent of documenting my interactions with the rural aspect of living in England and my love of aviation photography. The two sides, while not totally exclusive of each other, do deserve their own spot in the big game so to speak. So, over the next couple of days I'll be migrating the aviation posts to this blog and let the two sites stand on their own.

An upgrade you might be excited about is that I'll be featuring larger photos. There will be a very subtle watermark across them because there are idiots in the world who feel anything on the Internet is fair game to take without asking (or in my case paying a licensing fee).

As always, I appreciate your input and comments and hope to continue to hear from you in the future.


Check six,
~James