Category Archives: Aviation photography

Aviation Photography Gallery

Vulcans at Newark Air Museum

October 2015 saw the end of a chapter in aviation history with the last flights by an Avro Vulcan bomber. As part of a “farewell to flight” nationwide tour, Vulcan B2 XH558 flew over Newark Air Museum (the former RAF Winthorpe) in Nottinghamshire for the last time. The museum has their own Vulcan B2 (XM594) which was the penultimate B.2 variant to be built at Avro’s Chadderton and Woodford factories which was capable of carrying the Blue Steel nuclear stand-off missile (Britain’s main airborne nuclear weapon at that time). She was delivered to the Royal Air Force in July 1963 and allocated to No.27 Squadron at Scampton – the Squadron which first introduced the B.2 variant of the Vulcan to RAF service. She remained in service for 20 years, and her last flight was on the 7th of February 1983, when she was flown from her home base at RAF Waddington to the Newark Air Museum site – the only jet engined aircraft to have ever landed at RAF Winthorpe.

XM594 is now one of only 18 Vulcans left in the world, and in beautiful sunshine XH558 flew right over it on her second pass to the delight of the onlookers.

Avro Vulcan B2 XH558 flying over Vulcan XM594 at Newark Air Museum on one of its final flights © Chris James
Vulcan XH558 flying over XM594

Above is a composite image made from 7 exposures of that sadly never-to-be-repeated experience. Continue reading Vulcans at Newark Air Museum

The Last Two Lancasters Flying Together Over Derwent Dam

A unique historic event took place on Sunday 21st of September 2014, when the only two airworthy Lancaster bombers in the world flew together over Derwent Dam in the Peak District. Thousands of people turned out to see the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s “Thumper III” and the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s “Vera” fly together over the dams where 617 Squadron practised 71 years earlier for the famous Dambusters raid.

This is a composite image from the day showing both Lancasters. It is available (without the watermark, of course) as a borderless 16″x12″ print which has been printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper (guaranteed against fading).

Prints cost £40.00 each (including postage within the UK).

Contact me to order a copy, or if you have any further questions.The last two airworthy Lancaster bombers flying over Derwent Dam in the Peak District - commemorative print © Chris James

Continue reading The Last Two Lancasters Flying Together Over Derwent Dam

Dambusters’ 70th Anniversary Flypast at Derwent Dam

2013 saw the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters raid by Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron on dams in Germany.  On the 16th of May 2013, thousands of people from all over the country converged on Derwent Dam in the Derbyshire Peak District to watch a commemorative flypast over one of the very dams where the Dambusters Squadron trained for the raid.

I am offering for sale this special commemorate print of the Dambusters 70th anniversary event, which features 3 of the 4 aircraft involved on the day. Each borderless print measures 8″x12″, and is printed on Fuji Crystal Archive paper for image permanence. Copies are available (without the copyright watermark, of course) for £25.00 each, including postage and packing within the UK. Please contact me if you would like to order a copy.Print to commemorate the Dambusters' 70th anniversary flypast at Derwent Dam, Derbyshire. Photo © Chris James Continue reading Dambusters’ 70th Anniversary Flypast at Derwent Dam