dhr90 said:
I love this thread! I need to get to a low fly zone someday. Are schedules of flights taking place in these in the UK posted? Or is it luck/knowing personnel from an airbase?
Search for "mach loop". It's in Wales. RAF low flying route that draws in aircraft from all over the country. They've got other routes elsewhere in the country but the beauty of this one is that there are 'pinch points' that force the aircraft close to the valley sides (how close? close enough that a 300mm lens is fine), along with easy access for the likes of us to hike up and get level with, or even above, the aircraft.
The two points that most recommend going to are The Bwlch (good visability means plenty of warning of approaching aircraft) and Cad West (shots of aircraft banking onto their side). Both are easy to get to with nearby carparking.
They publish schedules. These bear no relation at all to what happens. Useless. Ignore them. Weather, maintenance, the whim of whoever is in charge... who knows. Note that they only fly these routes on weekdays.
This summer I unknowingly rented a lovely holiday cottage right underneath it. Hawks, Typhoons, Tornadoes and F-15s roaring over us at 250ft throughout the week. Best was the Hercules, banked at near 90 degrees 250ft above me. Absolutely awesome. Luckily the baby wasn't bothered at all by the noise.
Was a family holiday (with a new baby) so I had little chance to get any shots - spent one day up on a mountainside (with three other poor photogs) but that was the one day that nothing went up the valley :