Thanks everyone. Jeff, yes it was too bad the meet didn't work but looks like we probably walked past each other a few times. You must have arrived much earlier than me although when I arrived at the 190 at around 8:30, there was still a relatively small and respectful circle of people around it that enabled me to get some good overall pictures which I'll post later as they're still in the camera.
Still on Friday, the forum organizers invited everyone to stick around for the rest of the day to watch the various goings on on the tarmac as well as to see the first-ever flyover of the Lanc and Mossie along with two Spitfires and two Hurricanes. I grudgingly chose to stick around...
So off I went, packing up the little gear I had, to the observation deck on the roof of the museum where I staked my territory against the rail that I would not surrender, come hell or full bladder, for the rest of the day. Good thing because it quickly became 5 or 6 people deep. However, despite my good fortune at getting a great vantage point, my inexperience as a photographer (or maybe my aging brain) caused me to forget to reset my camera for the bright outdoor conditions and I ended up shooting all my rooftop pics at 1600 ASA so they all came out on the grainy side. I also failed to clean my filthy lens as I only discovered after I downloaded all these pics. Nevertheless, here are a number of shots taken from the rooftop that hopefully you will find interesting.
Of course, when they rolled out the Mossie, I was too close for my 70-300 zoom. Rather than fumble with the lens exchange in the little time available, I just began shooting
Same with the Lanc (over exposed and can't fix at the moment, sorry):
World War I was represented by a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter, an SE5A, a Nieuport 28, and a Fokker DrI.
Then out came the Me 262 and this one fit the 70mm zoom length just fine.
A fixture at most major Canadian airshows are the Snowbirds (or "Snowboards" if you prefer) in their aged CT-114 Tutors.
The much-anticipated Merlin flyover had to wait for the arrival of the other Spitfire and Hurricane from the Military Aviation Museum, seen here arriving 2 hours later than expected along with the Fw190 peeling off for landing. This photo was quite a bit out of range for my 300mm but I posted it to fill in the story. Real sorry about those spots guys.
Finally after another hour or more during which the new arrivals were refueled and the pilots briefed, the formation aircraft began pulling out.
And finally, the event we were all waiting for, the formation flypast led by the CWH Lancaster, Mosquito, the Vintage Wings of Canada's Spitfire MkXVI and Hurricane MkIV, and the Military Aviation Museum's Spitfire MkIX and Hurricane MkXII.
That concluded my event filled Friday. The full show was to be the next day, Saturday, and my next set of pics will be from the main show.