El Centro 8th December

[Ross Forsyth]

I managed to spend a couple of hours here 7 days ago and would recommend a visit to anyone in the area! Great for photography and generally sunny,just not when i`m there!
Anyway FA18E+F`s in residence were from VFA-122 "Flying Eagles" while HMH-462 "Heavy Haulers" were also deployed with 5 CH-53E`s,throw in a couple of visiting F-5 Agressors from VMFT-401 "Snipers" who were
carrying out DACT missions and you have a pretty decent 3 hours action,oh and also on the ramp was a single RAF C-130!

VMFT-401 hitting the circuit












Heavy Hauler taxi out


Flying Eagles

[onemac]

Cracking set Scott - that heavy hauler really is a beast!

Al

[Ross Forsyth]

Who is this "Scott" you speak of??? lol Thanks

[landshark2084]

Very nice Ross, well up to your usual standard, despite the overcast.
A wee visit to Yellowstone or similar on the trip as well ?

Regards , Alan

[Ross Forsyth]

Thanks Alan,it was a trip out to the Bosque Del Apache in New Mexico this time aswell as catching up with my friend and his wife in San Diego

[iain s]

Al Scott is my son not Ross's

No bad set Rossco..........

[onemac]

Who is this "Scott" you speak of??? lol Thanks

Apologies Ross I blame the lack of alcohol which I shall rectify immediatley

Al

[onemac]

Al Scott is my son not Ross's

How would you know? Your brancell is in a worse state than mine ............

Al (but I'm not sure that's my name now )

[bigcrow]

Quality set love the F-5's

[powerslave]

Looking at all them photos of El Centro in the past of the aircraft taxying past from that area it look great (which it is,i've been three or four times).
But there is the slight problem of that fence there isn't there.
I was just wondering have you managed to take the shots without the top of the fence there,or have they been cropped or cloned out (like mine have)?
I was there last Sept and VFA-106 had at least 15 Hornets there.
Ian

[Ross Forsyth]

Looking at all them photos of El Centro in the past of the aircraft taxying past from that area it look great (which it is,i've been three or four times).
But there is the slight problem of that fence there isn't there.
I was just wondering have you managed to take the shots without the top of the fence there,or have they been cropped or cloned out (like mine have)?
I was there last Sept and VFA-106 had at least 15 Hornets there.
Ian

You can just make out the barbed wire going through a couple of the shots of them taxi in if you look for it,but that was only in the shots taken when the aircraft was dead in front of me,anything shooting down the taxiway I didn`t have
much problem with,as for the other end of the runway where they taxi on I was high enough standing on the dyke to not get the fencing.

Cheers
Ross

[Skip]

great set mate and that chopper shot is superb

[Petepilot]

Great set, thanks for sharing! I'm torn between loving the head-on image of the Stallion and thinking it looks like a car-crash! So many moving parts!!

[powerslave]

Looking at all them photos of El Centro in the past of the aircraft taxying past from that area it look great (which it is,i've been three or four times).
But there is the slight problem of that fence there isn't there.
I was just wondering have you managed to take the shots without the top of the fence there,or have they been cropped or cloned out (like mine have)?
I was there last Sept and VFA-106 had at least 15 Hornets there.
Ian

You can just make out the barbed wire going through a couple of the shots of them taxi in if you look for it,but that was only in the shots taken when the aircraft was dead in front of me,anything shooting down the taxiway I didn`t have
much problem with,as for the other end of the runway where they taxi on I was high enough standing on the dyke to not get the fencing.

Cheers
Ross

Hi Ross
Yeah I know where you mean,last Sept I parked more or less on the bend before the long straight down towards the end of the runway.There was only me and my girlfriend there and I did feel a little conspicuous,but had no hassle of security.
The pilots where waving at me when they taxied past.
I more or less was shooting straight at the aircraft and the fence line was in the shots,but I have done a bit of cloning so they look okay
I really tried to limit the zoom when the Hornets where taxiing has the heat haze was real bad,it was well over 100f that day I was there.
It's a great place round there with Yuma being close and all the ranges.

Ian

[paddyboy]

HI Ross

What wonderful F5 shots

Thanks for posting

Cheers

Paddyboy

[richpittman]

Hi Ross

Nice set,
I guess the F5s rolled long!

El Centro should be my 1st stop in February.

As for the weather and movements pot luck I reckon, (I see a lot of milky photos from here) and through personal experience it can be slow.

[Ross Forsyth]

Hi Ross

Nice set,
I guess the F5s rolled long!

El Centro should be my 1st stop in February.

As for the weather and movements pot luck I reckon, (I see a lot of milky photos from here) and through personal experience it can be slow.

Rich

Got lucky with the F5`s in that they done about 5 rollers each and the pilot of 10 definitely seemed to have his eye on our spot as only his no2 in the circuit and staring straight at us on a couple of passes,including a completely flat roller at the end with a nice turn to finish.
It was a slow start but think for 3 hours it worked out well,as you say think weather could be hit or miss,but probably more likely a hit.

[skymoss]

Lovely shots Ross nice to see you are still dedicated aint seen you for a while Graeme [Royal Mail ]

[toom317]

Nice set Ross. You didn't miss anything in the valley while you were away.

[Ross Forsyth]

Lovely shots Ross nice to see you are still dedicated aint seen you for a while Graeme [Royal Mail ]

Now and again Graeme,don`t generally put things down for it anymore unless it`s something special.

Nice set Ross. You didn't miss anything in the valley while you were away.

Cheers Danny,at least you and Walter saw something yesterday through the gloom,just not had the optimism to get out as much this year.

Thanks for the comments folks.

Ross