Day 1 - Saturday

This was my first time attending Midlands, having heard good things about it last year. I decided many months in advance to get tickets for both days, eager to get an airshow fix.

The day started off early, with Katie and I entering the show grounds when the gates opened at 0530 in time for the mass balloon launch. It was great to see up close the take off procedures for hot air balloons, as I have only seen a couple in the distance before, never up close. First, the basket and main balloon was unloaded out the trailer and unfolded. An electric fan pushed col air into the balloon to fill it up most of the way, then the burner was switched on to heat up the air inside. This tips the basket upright, hence it had to be tethered to the support van. Ascent rate was quicker than I had expected, and before long they had disappeared over the horizon.

There was a good couple of hours wait before the first display, the model aircraft display followed by the addition of pyrotechnics. This was very enjoyable to watched, especially when the fireballs came on, and the synchronised 'shoot down' of the aircraft with a very well timed and close proximity flashbang in the air.

The first display of the show was the Red Arrows featuring a moving tribute to Mark Long - 'The Spitfire'. Next came the RAF Tutor Display Team, which was a first for me. It was quite difficult to photograph due to the small size, and also the backlighting. It was a nice surprise to see the Bumblebee paint scheme, as I was expecting the white livery with the RAFBF logo on the underside.

The Gnat came soon after with a very short display, with only a couple of topside passes viewable from inside the event. This joined with the exceptionally poor lighting decision, and the small size of the aircraft made for difficult photographing. It was a similar story with the OV-10B Bronco, but with a longer and more energetic display.

I was astounded by the speed and agility of the Gyro display, truly mindblowing having never seen one before.

The Jet Provost flown by Mark Hooton was a nice late addition to the display, with a couple of topside passes. Sadly the energetic moves such as the rolls and loops were carried out way to the side of the crowd.

A highlight of Day 1 for me was the Flying Bulls DC6 and B-25, both in stunning polished aluminium. They both did a fair few underside and topside passes, with the DC6 throwing it about a lot, at some points being perpendicular to the ground. Astonishing for an aircraft of that size and age.

After a break, came the Rolls Royce Heritage Flight Spitfire, which was sadly unworkable with the now atrocious lighting as the sun had come right round. A huge shame, as it's a wonderful aircraft in its recon blue livery.

Saab Draken, the highlight of the show came soon after, a bit earlier than expected from Cardiff Airport. For many, this was the performance to clear up unfinished business after the 3 passes last year. It certainly put on a show, releasing the burners multiple times, with many underside passes. Not too many topsides however.

Day 2 - Sunday

Based on yesterdays knowledge of the appalling lighting conditions, I decided that it wasn't worth entering the show despite having bought a ticket. A better hope was the back field, where the lighting should have been very nice.

We parked about half a mile away, then walked the remaining distance to avoid clogging up any laybys.

Thankfully, the displays were soon to start to take my mind off the mornings encounters. It was also great to spend the day with Burner Aviation Photography and Whiskey Papa Aviation. First up was the Bronco, sadly at this stage in the day the lighting was still not great, but we were treated to some nice low passes. The Reds were the next military display. For these, I decided to wander down to the East to try and get some better lighting, which I was glad to get! Being right underneath the Reds, much closer than the crowd would ever get is a brilliant experience and was something I had to put the camera down for on a few occasions to appreciate the speed and height.

I stayed in the same spot for the Provost, which sadly was a bit too far away to get many good shots of.

Based on this knowledge, I thought it would be best to walk up to the original spot for the Draken. I got half way there before I saw it, typical that trees were in the way. A sprint back to where I had come from with short breaks for each pass meant I was not in a good position for shots. When i reached the layby, there were only a couple of passes left, and the Saab was miles off in the distance. Very disappointed to say the least that I managed to miss the highlight, but thankfully for the passes I did get, the lighting was much better than yesterdays cloud and backlit combo.

The Flying Bulls put on a great show again, which then led onto Sally B which offered 1 glorious topside pass to us as well as a number of other passes, open bomb bays and a final 2 engine smoke display.

The Rolls Royce Spitfire and Gnat were nice to see again, with the gnat doing many of the turns directly overhead.

Overall, it was a nice first Midlands Air Festival with amazing company, but sadly was let down by the lighting. I fully appreciate the constraints of organising an event of this scale in an area with patches of trees, but for a photographers perspective, I was better off seeking spots outside the event.

Would I go again? Yes, but I wouldn't buy a ticket. Would I go both days again? Yes, especially considering the lighting, any opportunity for new spots would be beneficial.