Heritage Flight Training Conferance

[Joel Hamm]

Anyone coming to shoot this?

[Joe Copalman]

I might head down for that Friday.  Last year was a bit frustrating with the inconsistent runway use, but I still got some good shots.   

[Paul Dumm]

I also was planning on going down there on Firday, just need to find a place to meet up.

[cpasley]

I can make Friday as well ,be nice if can carpool ,I can drive ,wont ask for gas cause im cool like that ,if interested message me

[Jeff D. Welker]

For newbies like myself, what is the Heritage Flight Training Conference and where is it being held?

Thanks.

[Rob Silliman]

For newbies like myself, what is the Heritage Flight Training Conference and where is it being held?

Thanks.

Basically, it is where the Air Force demo teams practice their air show routines, and rehearsal different Heritage flights (fly by's of current air planes w/ warbirds). 

Here is my Flickr set from last year (on Sunday);

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rob-the-org/sets/72157623449086221/

[Jeff D. Welker]

Basically, it is where the Air Force demo teams practice their air show routines, and rehearsal different Heritage flights (fly by's of current air planes w/ warbirds). 

Here is my Flickr set from last year (on Sunday);

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rob-the-org/sets/72157623449086221/

Thanks Rob for the info. As a follow-up, is this an on-base deal at DM or is it a matter of positioning off one of the runways? If it is an off-base opportunity, is there one place to setup better than another?

[Rob Silliman]

Basically, it is where the Air Force demo teams practice their air show routines, and rehearsal different Heritage flights (fly by's of current air planes w/ warbirds). 

Here is my Flickr set from last year (on Sunday);

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rob-the-org/sets/72157623449086221/

Thanks Rob for the info. As a follow-up, is this an on-base deal at DM or is it a matter of positioning off one of the runways? If it is an off-base opportunity, is there one place to setup better than another?

Off-base.  For almost all of these shots, I was on a road on the South side of the base, next to some salvage yards.  It really depends on what you want to catch.  If you want to catch the landings, "Guardrail" is the best.  But you can't easily shift from one location to the other as the aircraft change.

[Jeff D. Welker]

Thank you sir - I will scheme accordingly.

[Joe Copalman]

You can contact the PAO to arrange on-base access, but you're shooting into the sun pretty much all day long and you're pretty much anchored there. 

Off-base will be mostly recovery shots, as most of the formation flying is done inside the "box" over D-M.  Warbird recoveries are next to impossible, since they turn pretty tight and give you mostly belly-shots from off-base.  The ACC aircraft are all slick, shiny demo birds, no fuel tanks or dummy sidewinders or anything, and the recovery runway changed several times throughout the day last year, often with no regard for the wind direction (arrivals tend to be this way as well). 

Here are my shots from last year: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24526864@N03/sets/72157623686105750/.  Pretty much just went down for the F-4s.  Missed two F-4 recoveries though due to being at the wrong end.   

[Joe Copalman]

 I've never shot from off-base, but I imagine that if you're at the wrong end, it might take some time to navigate to a new position.

Oh yeah.  Probably the greatest frustration last year was when we thought they switched runways, headed to the other end, then missed repeated Phantom fly-bys and landings.  

[bilwor]

Posted on D-M site Friday 02/25/11. Conference dates March 1-6, 2011.
bill word

"http://www.dm.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123244282"

[Ned Harris]

F-22 arriving for Heritage Flight Conference. All eight of the east coast demo team aircraft arrived simultaneously over Davis-Monthan AFB at 3:00 pm today.


_MG_8833 F-22 Raptor by Ned Harris, on Flickr

[bilwor]

No Heritage flying today as of 3:30pm. I was at wrong end to catch a non D-M C-130 going to AMARG, a C-17 landing  and a C-5 departing. They were using both 12 & 30 when 12 was active runway. Which end to be tomorrow will be a crap-shoot.

[John B.]

No Heritage flying today as of 3:30pm. I was at wrong end to catch a non D-M C-130 going to AMARG, a C-17 landing  and a C-5 departing. They were using both 12 & 30 when 12 was active runway. Which end to be tomorrow will be a crap-shoot.

Quiet today.  But there was some dramatic chatter between the C-5 and tower on its departure!  Otherwise no demo teams or warbirds.