The Vintage Aviator 2019-2020 season

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Today (Saturday in New Zealand) is the first day of flying of the season for The Vintage Aviator Ltd at Hood Aerodrome, Masterton. I was out here bright & early and several aeroplanes were already out of the hangar with many more continuing to be extracted and moved to the flight line. And it's a beautiful day too.

Here is a photograph I took just after I arrived at the aerodrome. Since then many more aeroplanes have been extracted from the hangars.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1111x648/20191012_0858_img2331_6dii_1111x648_cc2b2b9e4ddaff16bb465cda e1104af352b322d6.jpg

I'll post more photographs later.

[India Four Two]

A great photo. The Tiger Moth looks out of place - way too modern! :)

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Yeah, who would have ever thought we'd see the day when a Tiger Moth was described as being “too modern” amongst the rest of the aeroplanes, eh?
They're planning to fly today and tomorrow, but the weather is forecast to deteriorate later this afternoon, then clear up again early tomorrow morning, so fingers crossed.
I'll only be around until mid-afternoon, then I've got to gap-it and head off to Wellington for the rest of the weekend.
But I'll be back at Hood on 23rd and 24th November when TVAL hold their next flying weekend.
And with that, I'm going offline to grab a couple of cameras with suitable lenses, then I'll head out onto the airfield to my favourite spot for photography. That's what I like about Hood … security isn't over the top and so long as you make yourself visible and don't do anything stupid, they don't tend to mind you wandering around the airport in the operational areas.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

A great photo. The Tiger Moth looks out of place - way too modern! :)

The Tiger Moth was used as a camera ship so Gavin Conroy could take a series of photographs of the RE.8, the FE.2B and the Bristol Fighter in line-astern formation.

I've seen some of the photographs he took looking back from the Tiger Moth with the three TVAL aircraft stacked at different altitudes so it was a head-on view but they were all in the picture.

The pilot of the Tiger appeared to be flying from the front cockpit, while twisted around sideways so he could keep formation with the three aeroplanes behind him while Gavin took his photos from the rear cockpit, looking backwards.

The resulting photographs are absolutely spectacular and no doubt they will be appearing in various aviation magazines over the next few months.

I haven't had a chance to take a detailed look at my own photographs yet and I'm off to catch a train to Wellington where I'll be staying for the rest of the weekend, but I'll start sorting through them in the hotel this evening.

The weather is now showing signs of deteriorating in Wairarapa (as forecast) but the weather is supposed to clear by tomorrow morning, so they should get in another full-on day of flying tomorrow.

Most of the flying this morning was the pilots getting reacquainted with the aeroplanes after a break of several months from flying them. Lots of touch & goes and generally getting the feel of them again.

By next month's flying weekend, they should be getting back to lots of formation flying and actually showing the aircraft off to those of us lucky enough to be at Hood Aerodrome.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

The DH4 just after takeoff from Hood Aerodrome this morning…


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1111x741/20191012_1121_img3319_6dii_1111x741_d855c4616f871f7b7251be53 53c8726e4856ba62.jpg

[Kemble Pitts]

Just superb. I want to fly them all.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

The Vintage Aviator Ltd are having their second flying-weekend of the season this weekend. It was perfect conditions at Hood Aerodrome in Wairarapa today.

Here's just one photograph of many I took...


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1111x741/20191123_1637_img4097_6dii_1111x741_3ba1ed3cdcaec84ce949cd7b 5d8ae0599e8dfea1.jpg

I'll be back at Hood Aerodrome tomorrow for the second day of flying.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Some more photographs from today...


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1111x556/20191123_0911_img1625_6d_1111x566_54952546da6b64df083d45fb7c 9f99328de93d46.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1111x741/20191123_1253_img3942_6dii_1111x741_5d2e3c4e1281557278d67b01 093bb5529bfedb26.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1111x741/20191123_1303_img3965_6dii_1111x741_79eaa11cb964a4990f73ccec a96b79ec27bd57e1.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1111x741/20191123_1304_img3970_6dii_1111x741_a1627aaaf964280ca9e93511 1612cf9fee392062.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1111x741/20191123_1307_img3980_6dii_1111x741_a9d7107d6175d798c54f7bc3 2c7ec6683682050e.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1111x741/20191123_1307_img3982_6dii_1111x741_ea1bddf7a9122f998772c376 15bdda6c7a5d5953.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1111x741/20191123_1313_img4009_6dii_1111x741_62ed2565f51b04026e212894 7f9fa4283d538d7f.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1111x741/20191123_1314_img4012_6dii_1111x741_31df08d0f9d42775961d46cd d6d3033f990aad27.jpg

[DaveReidUK]

Great photos, keep 'em coming !

[India Four Two]

Lovely. Closeups of three different rotaries.

[cavuman1]

Superb photographs, Kiwithrottlejockey! You have made a time traveler out of me. If only we had a soundtrack....

- Ed :ok:

[treadigraph]

Magnifique!