The Dreamliner managed to avoid all the drama that was involved with the ones who are still “learning to build airplanes” and the ones that had the time of their lives once again. Oman Air was the only addition to the 56 airline kill marking string on the 787′s hull and it was a hit, no doubt about it.
Courtesy of the Boeing company I got a guided tour of the ZA003′s cockpit and cabin.
(Please set “1080p” in the player for HD quality)
Day before I met the guy in person roaming through the static line. He was just off one of Patrouille de France jets and was kind enough to take a picture with me. His schedule for tomorrow was Typhoon and Al Fursan once again. You thought that you had an interesting DXB11, well thing again.
This EADS behind the scenes material just hit the wires:
Dubai Air Show 2011; Clear blue skies, an RAF Typhoon, a Spartan C-27J, the world’s most famous aviation photographer and a team of enthusiastic pilots and crew – independently, they are all incredible assets at an air show, but in combination, they meant the possibility of an epic photo shoot over Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s most iconic landmarks. The question is, how was it all made possible and what challenges did they face? The answer is an easy one; team work, flexibility, opportunity and a shared passion for the world’s most advanced multi-role combat aircraft.
One of the benefits of being a consortium comprising of four of Europe’s leading aerospace manufactures is that at an air show such as Dubai, you have a wealth of capabilities under one proverbial roof. As a result, Italian partner company Alenia Aeronautica provided a military transport aircraft in the form of a Spartan C-27J as photo and film platform, German partner company EADS provided an expert film crew, world-renown photographer Katsuhiko Tokunaga brought his selection of cameras and the Royal Air Force, straight from exercises at Al Dhafra air base in Abu Dhabi, brought a Eurofighter Typhoon.
Whilst we had all the ingredients and a fantastic opportunity for some great photos and video, it would not have been possible without the approval from Dubai and Abu Dhabi air traffic control, the UAE authorities and the UK government. Even when both aircraft were airborne, there was still uncertainty as to whether the aircraft had clearance in the air space entering Abu Dhabi. This was quickly resolved thanks to the good relationships the pilots of both the Spartan and the RAF crew have with air traffic control.
The flight passed along the coast of Dubai, over the Atlantic Palm, the World islands and then on to Abu Dhabi where both aircraft circled over the bold red of Ferrari world, the Emirates Palace and the spectacular Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. With some incredible images and video footage captured, the aircraft made the return trip to Dubai International airport, passing alongside the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa which measures 2,723ft. or 828m. The aircraft flew as fast as 180-210 knots and their heights varied from 2000ft to 5000ft.
The RAF Typhoon, piloted by Squadron Leader Bolton was “directed” throughout the flight by photographer Tokunaga whose expert eye saw him reposition the aircraft with simple hand gestures to achieve the best possible shots. The results were stunning.
The fifth and final day of Dubai International Airshow had something special installed for the audience and spotters alike. Traditional photo-op of the prides of the UAE – Emirates airlines and Al Fursan aerial display team. You could have seen an airliner this low if you were at Abu Dhabi a few days earlier at the F1 circuit, but again, this was Dubai’s show of splendor. One EK 777 flew a low-pass formation with the world’s newest air display team at the start of the flying display activities for the day.
Unfortunately, the day after, camera ship for this formation – an Aermacchi M346 P01 (visible on my video) went down near Deira Creek on a ferry flight back from DXB. Both crew members ejected safely and the investigation into this unfortunate incident is currently underway.
Katsuhiko Tokunaga was in the second seat of the Macchi during this fly-by and besides some brilliant work few days earlier he will have one more story to tell of those magnificent few days in the desert…
My video recap of a relatively interesting day yesterday at #DXB11 got left out due to an invitation I received from the U.S. Embassy in the UAE to attend the reception organized for the US Navy friends and allies by the 5th. fleet on the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis (CVN-74) which sailed into the Dubai’s Jabel Ali port with a part of it’s CVBG the USS Ticonderoga class cruiser Mobile Bay.
More in my video story filmed at the event:
And we’re off! Follow my reports here in text form, my twitter for behind the scenes and flash updates, my Flickr for photos and Tango Six You Tube channel for video stories and interviews.
My Flickr Stream
SOME RIGHTS RESERVED
Blog under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
