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Images on the Wing of a Falcon

Words and Pix By Frans Dely

The ‘man who carries the can’ - Silver falcons Team Leader Maj Scott Ternent Flying hours: 2000Callsign: “Martian”Career: Fighter Pilot, A-Cat InstructorInterests: Family, Most Sports and Sushi

Touted as one of the leading international aviation

photographers, Frans Dely’s infatuation with aviation

in general and photography in particular can be

traced back to a grandfather’s passion for the art. Frans

Dely is a third generation photographer, albeit the first

in his family to take it to a professional level. Frank Dely,

Frans’ father in turn ‘inherited’ the passion, He went on

to capture wartime subjects during his service as a pilot

with the South African Air Force. Frans Dely worked in the

commercial photographic realm since 1978 after training

as a photographer in the SA National Defence Force.

In 1995, he became the first South African commercial

photographer to work exclusively digital utilising a Kodak/

Nikon DCS460, the first ‘one shot’, six million mega pixel

camera ever produced.

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Dely mastered the challenges presented by the digital

revolution and applied his new skills to the aviation industry

with great success in the late 90’s, quickly earning himself

a reputation as one of the most talented photographers in

the field.

The Brief

The Silver Falcons display team consist of five aircraft.

These are the Pilatus PC7 Astra, which are used to train the

future pilots of the SAAF. Up until recently, the team aircraft

were taken from the fleet and were thus the same colour

as a standard trainer.

David and GoliathFour of five aircraft from the South African Air Force Silver Falcons display team, format with the biggest Airbus in the SAA fleet, the A340/600. The image was captured crossing Robbin Island while on route to the biggest aviation trade show, Africa Aerospace and Defence 2008, from a L39 Russian trainer jet using the new Nikon D3 with an AFS 28-70mm f/2.8 Nikon lens.

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Earlier this year, it was decided after nine years, that

the team should return to their unique colour scheme and a

new design was created and the aircraft were subsequently

painted.

To coincide with the new look, it was decided to design

and produce a brochure as part of the new presentation.

As the newly painted aircraft would only be ready for

photography five days before the launch function, the

pressure was on to have a finished product in time. The

brochure was designed and was a complete document

waiting for the final pics to be dropped in as soon as the

shoot was over.

This meant that specific images had to be planned to

show off the graphic of the Falcon bird on the aircraft.

Sorties would then be flown, according to brief, to ensure

the necessary variety was achieved.

As the Silver Falcons are based at Langebaanweg AFB,

it was decided that great creative discussion would be

greatly improved around a beer and really good pasta, as

found at Pearly’s restaurant on the beach. The contributing

ideas from all members were really great, especially with the

experience of the pilots. With an always safety first attitude,

we put down a list of images that was guaranteed not

only to challenge their pilot skill and wow the viewer, but

also to illustrate the hard work that had gone around the

design and subsequent intricate masking and spray paint

job. Three sorties were planned.

The first on a reposition exercise from Langebaan to

Ysterplaat in Cape Town, was to perform various loops,

barrel rolls and wingovers over the picturesque Langebaan

lagoon flying back seat of an aircraft in the Number five

Falcon position.

The second sortie, after landing and refuelling at

Ysterplaat, was to assume the position of a spectator in a

sixth aircraft escorting the five-ship formation in loops, rolls

and wingovers over Robbin Island with Table Mountain as

a backdrop.

Top of the BarrelA pilots view from the position in the formation of Falcon 5 captured at the

inverted part of a barrel roll over the Langebaan lagoon.

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The third was to change aircraft to a Casa 212

transport with a loading ramp to position on, while the

team performed various formations in the sky behind.

Here we flew above the mountains at Ceres to capture the

Falcons over the snow-covered peaks. The chill factor on

the open ramp at 7,000 feet was minus 15c.

ShooTing The falconS

A successful photo shoot of this nature is a concerted

team effort by everyone involved. Even the often forgotten

ground crew who are responsible for the machines,

enthusiastically take care of every detail, down to a

spotlessly clean canopy. A detailed brief before flight is an

absolute must for any air-to-air photography.

Although pilots of this calibre will be able to deliver an

excellent result, to get the real wow factor often requires

the pilot to adjust his references in the formation to position

you optimally. This is more relevant with the chase pilot

than the others in the formation. It is important to discuss

with him the distances you would like to shoot from to

ensure you are not placed too close to potentially minimise

distortion, or too far that you require a length of lens not

feasible to carry. Distance is also important to ensure that

the aircraft has enough power to position you on the

outside radius of turns, loops, barrell rolls etc..

Another important consideration in the photographer’s

preparation is to ensure access to pockets that carry vital

items like extra flash cards. It’s no joke when hurtling

through the sky at 260 knots (480kph) in the middle of a

barrell roll, your camera stops firing because the memory

card is full, you reach for your pocket for the spare only

to find it strapped extremely securely under the ejection

seat belt.

With all checks done outside of the cockpit, it is critical

to get into to the cockpit and together with your pilot run a

refresher on where all the important ‘buttons’ are. Mentally

rehearse emergency procedures and confirm that none of

the equipment you are carrying could be a danger at any

stage during the flight. You do not want to be the one to

create an emergency due to that camera strap that hooked

onto the joystick at the crucial moment, while hanging

inverted a few meters from four other aircraft. Trust is

everything in formation flying between the pilots, and in a

photo shoot, the trust in a photographer’s competency is

vital if you are to achieve excellence.

in The air

Once airborne, it’s game on. The function of your

camera is as important to the end result as the propeller

on your aircraft.

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�What�may�have�been�overlooked�in�your�pre-flight�is�now�too�late�to�fix:��

As in this sortie, the shoot list compiled at the briefing looks

something like this:

1st airborne - Falcon 5 (photo-ship)

Formation on takeoff - Tight circuit around in time to pick up

the formation on departure.

View from position in formation

– Check and confirm with pilot the distance that fits your

visual through the lens.

Position over lagoon.

Barrell roll twice – check direction for light and effects from

canopy reflections.

Repeat manoeuvre of necessary – confirm position with pilot

who in turn confers with the formation leader.

Two loops in succession - check direction for light and effects

from canopy reflections.

Repeat if necessary.

Series of wingovers – Heading Cape Town.

Single inverted two-ship - Over the beach towards Cape

Town, view inverted from the top.

Single inverted single-ship – Same as above

Single standard presentation – in formation with photo-

ship.

Break off and land.

A shoot list similar to that is compiled for sorties two and

three during pre-flight briefing.

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equipmenT

Dely works with all the most up-to-date photographic

programmes such as Photoshop and Indesign. His camera

is the market leading, Nikon D3 which, as Dely puts it,

is a definitive ‘cut above the rest’. “The quality of image

which the D3’s 12 million pixel sensor delivers is superb,

particularly its ability to take nine frames per second full

frame, its highly intelligent metering system and its fast

and foolproof focus system. The two card slots also make

shooting air-to-air a pleasure as an hour-long sortie can

easily accumulate 1000 frames.

Frans Dely offers both air to ground and air-to-

air photography. His company, ‘Avpix’, compiles posters,

calendars, adverts, books and brochures. The most recent

commissioning being awarded the honour of photographing

and producing the brochure of the ‘New Look’ South

African Air Force Silver Falcon Aerobatic Team. For more

information visit www.avpix.co.za.

‘Absolute Precision’Over Table Bay with Ysterplaat AFB in the distance, the team execute a perfect barrell roll while Capt. Roy Sproul perfectly positions the PC7 Astra for a dramatic shot of the underside of the aircarft.

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•��As�this�is�action�photography�whether�you’re�on�the�ground�or�in�the�air,�you�will�require�a�DSLR�to�have�true�success.�Cameras�that�do�not�have�the�facility�to�view�your�subject�through�an�eyepiece�are�very�difficult�to�use�to�track�a�moving�subject.�DSLR’s�are�preferential�as�they�have�interchangeable�lenses�that�can�cope�with�large�distance�changes�often�greater�than�the�zooms�on�small�cameras.�

•��You�will�also�need�a�variety�of�focal�lengths�that�allow�you�to�shoot�from�wide�angle�to�telephoto.�

•��The�most�critical�part�of�an�air�to�air�mission�begins�with�a�briefing.�This�brings�together�the�photographer�and�pilots�to�plan�the�flight.�Once�the�aircraft�are�formed�up�in�flight,�the�photographer�then�takes�over�the�direction�of�the�shoot,�but�the�pilots�always�have�the�last�say�on�all�issues.

•��Use�a�polarizing�filter,�this�filter�cuts�through�the�reflections�on�objects�such�as�water�and�canopies�and�assists�in�reducing�atmospheric�haze.�

Some�experimentation�with�different�situations�may�be�necessary�to�achieve�the�optimal�result.�•��Some�cameras�have�a�built-in�flash,�but�you�

may�find�it�lacking�in�power.�If�this�is�the�case,�consider�an�off�camera�strobe.�This�will�however�only�be�used�in�special�situations�in�air�to�air.�

•��Normal�use�of�a�flash�will�apply�to�on�the�ground�images,�like�shooting�interior�and�cockpit�images.�

•��A�tripod�is�usually�impossible�to�use�successfully�on�moving�subjects�that�are�not�only�moving�left�to�right,�but�also�higher�and�lower�at�the�same�time.��

•��Practice�holding�your�camera�comfortably�and�in�a�position�that�makes�it�easy�to�follow�your�subject�smoothly�and�squeeze�your�trigger�in�the�same�way�as�you�would�shooting�a�rifle.�Your�body�needs�to�replace�the�tripod�and�in�air�to�air�photography�will�absorb�a�lot�of�the�vibrations�from�the�chase�aircraft.�

•��Shoot�either�in�the�morning�or�evening�for�softer�light�that�is�lower�in�contrast,�and�that�

accentuates�the�shape�of�the�aircraft�and�landscape.�In�air�to�air�the�early�morning�is�usually�best�due�to�the�calm�smooth�air�which�gives�the�best�opportunity�for�sharp�images�at�slow�shutter�speeds.�

•��You�want�to�avoid�shutter-speeds�faster�than�1/250th�of�a�second�to�avoid�“freezing”�the�prop.��For�the�full�prop�arc—that�graceful�disc�floating�in�front�of�the�aircraft—as�a�rule�of�thumb�use�1/60th�for�a�two-blade�prop,�and�1/125th�for�a�three�blade.�

•��Overcast�skies�are�great�for�shooting�aircraft�panels�and�interiors;�the�soft�light�compliments�these�situations�with�open�shadows�minus�the�harsh�contrast�of�direct�sunshine.�

•��Try�to�find�a�pleasant�view�of�your�subject�with�an�uncluttered�background.�

•��Using�“image�stabilized”�lenses�that�will�reduce�camera�vibrations�significantly.�

•��Always�try�and�take�photos�with�the�sun�behind�you. <<<

TIPS�FOR�AvIATION�PhOTOgRAPhY

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