by captjeff | Aug 26, 2019 | Plane Tales
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Lokichokio, is a dusty, flyblown, Kenyan frontier town that is a long way from the tourist images of African safari lodges. There’s an airstrip there with a few buildings, offices and compounds, one with a pool and a bar. At 6 o’clock sharp, an attractive blonde could be found there sipping a G&T while the ice tinkled in her glass. With her short, blonde hair, good looks and brilliant smile, she could easily have been mistaken for the hostess of an English garden party. Meet ‘All Weather Heather’ one of the most capable bush pilots you would ever want know… this is the story of her life.
Loki’s airport as it looks now.
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Guido Potters and an ‘orphan image’ photographer.
by captjeff | Aug 19, 2019 | Plane Tales
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The loss of his father early in his life led to David Warren’s fascination with electronics. Although he grew up to be a scientist who specialised in chemistry, particularly aviation fuels and early rocketry, his little invention, a flight data and voice recorder, made a contribution to flight safety that has left a lasting legacy.
David Warren with his original recorder device.
The NTSB recover a Flight Data recorder from a crash site.
A modern Flight Data Recorder.
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the Australian Government Department of Defence, YSSYguy, Meggar and the NTSB.
by captjeff | Aug 10, 2019 | Plane Tales
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Captain Leul Abate was no stranger to hijackings… this was his third! An amazing story that ends in tragedy for many when, quietly sitting by the sea sipping cocktails, the residents of the beautiful Galawa Beach Hotel see a huge airliner plough into the water only 500 yards away.
Images under Creative Commons licence and fair use with thanks to JetPix.
by captjeff | Jul 23, 2019 | Plane Tales
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This story has graphic references to violence and injury and may not be suitable for all ages.
For the operating crew the flight started just as it had done many times before. They were departing from Memphis in Tennessee and flying to San Jose in California in their McDonnell Douglas DC10 freighter. After an uneventful start, taxi and takeoff the crew were settling down to the normal routine of the climb and chatting easily amongst themselves, as pilots do… and then a deadheading crew member reaches into his case and all hell breaks loose!
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Peter Bakema and unattributed media.
by captjeff | Jul 19, 2019 | Plane Tales
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Geoff Lee started his career as an apprentice photographer for Hawker Siddeley Aviation and progressed to become the Chief Photographer for British Aerospace Systems. His specialty was air to air photography, a field that put him in the cockpits of some of the world’s finest fighters. His photographs have graced the covers of aviation publications and major newspapers throughout the world. I was delighted when he agreed to talk to Plane Tales and tell us about his remarkable career behind the viewfinder.
In this final part of the interview Geoff brings us up to date, relating some of the more interesting situations that he been engaged to photograph. My heartfelt thanks go to Geoff for sharing his story with us.
Should you wish to look at some of his images, please follow the link that appears below.
Geoff Lee, Master Photographer – Part 3
All images are copyright ©Geoff Lee
by captjeff | Jul 7, 2019 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
Geoff Lee started his career as an apprentice photographer for Hawker Siddeley Aviation and progressed to become the Chief Photographer for British Aerospace Systems. His specialty was air to air photography, a field that put him in the cockpits of some of the world’s finest fighters. His photographs have graced the covers of aviation publications and major newspapers throughout the world. I was delighted when he agreed to talk to Plane Tales and tell us about his remarkable career behind the viewfinder.
In this second part of the interview we discuss how his career moved into the cockpit of some fantastic fighter aircraft and into the world’s best formation teams. Should you wish to look at some of his images, please follow the link that appears below.
Geoff Lee, Master Photographer – Part 2
All images are copyright ©Geoff Lee
