Final Flight of the 849 Sea Kings ASAC MK7 from RNAS Culdrose

Final Flight of the 849 Sea Kings ASAC MK7 from RNAS Culdrose. Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control the only place to witness these aircraft was Burrator Reservoir near Plymouth. The aircraft flew over here on their way to retirement/disposal at HMS Sultan. Not been before I got there slightly later than anticipated and didnt have time to carry the big glass up the hill. So I made my way up with more portable glass, the images I managed to get are below. It was a long time since I had seen three Sea King ASAC Mk7s in the air so BZ the engineeers for making in happen.

Navy Wings Nightshoot

My first aviation night shoot , normally these events are held 6hrs plus travelling time away placing them out of reach for us down in Cornwall. So held a RNAS Yeovilton I decided to fit this in with a visit to the Mach loop in Wales and call in for the night shoot on the way back. Organised by https://www.threshold.aero/ utilising airframes from the https://www.navywings.org.uk/,  RNAS Yeovilton and an EX 771 SAR Helicopter now operated by https://heliops the line up was pretty decent.

A safety briefing was given on the bus and we were off to the site. I was somewhat concerned when I heard there would be some 160 photographers (not sure if they all turned up) that said there was no panic/pushing/shoving etc everyone respected each others space and no-one hogged the prime aircraft. In truth it felt like there were about thirty people there. Hot drinks were provided and plenty of staff were on hand to advise/assist should you need anything. The lighting provided by threshold.aero was spot on all the exhibiting aircraft were well lit and spread out on the line. RNAS Yeovilton were night flying at the time so additional lighting in the background was unavoidable. (Some photoshop editing should you choose to will cure this) Arriving around 5-6pm gave opportunities to capture aircraft during the blue hour, although it was cloudy. A couple of showers threatened after nightfall but I just kept shooting, rain on the canopies looking good. All in all a fantastic evening providing an opportunity to photograph some iconic Royal Navy aircraft and some more modern. I will definately visit again. Well done to all involved.

Now onto some of the images a fully gallery can now be seen here on my website. Navy Wings Nightshoot

Royal Navy Phantom

Royal Navy Sea Vixen

HeliOps Westlands Sea King (Formerly 771 SAR Aircraft XV666)

Royal Navy Merlin MK3, RNAS Yeovilton

Royal Navy Phantom

Royal Navy Swordfish

Royal Navy Sea Fury

Royal Navy Sea Vixen

Royal Navy Merlin MK3 RNAS Yeovilton

Final Flights at RNAS Culdrose

Two airframes made the final flights today from RNAS Culdrose with a little assistance from an RAF Chinook. The Sea King and Jetstream airframes were flown across The Lizard Peninsula out to sea and then into Predannack airfield. At Predannack airfield the retired aircraft will enter a new role as training aids for Royal Navy Firefighters.

The aircraft were prepared as underslung loads by a the RAF Joint Air Delivery Test and Evaluation Unit (JADTEU) and the heavy lift Chinook helicopter for the underslung loads was from RAF Odiham Here are some images from the lifting operation:

The Jetstream aircraft ready for lifting

The RAF Chinook heavy lift helicopter

Sea King lift

JADTEU final checks prior to lift

Jetstream lift in progress

Jetstream in flight

Sea King lift in flight

JADTEU team final checks prior to Sea King lift