Pic(k) of the week 28: SPITFIRE SUNSET - MOORSELE FLY-IN 2019
Some of you might know that I spend most of my childhood at a small airfield in western Belgium, called Moorsele. The historic grass runway used to be a German World War II frontline airfield and also is the place where I did my first solo flight at age 16 back in 1987.
In the 1970's and 80's, I grew up with some great summer airshows and fly-ins at Moorsele. When a group of mostly young pilots and enthusiasts wanted to go back to these grassroots aviation events a few years back, they got all of my support! I therefore couldn't miss this years biannual event, held June 29 and 30.
Two iconic British fighters were the main attraction in Moorsele this year; the worlds only flying Hawker Hurricane Mark IV and a Supermarine Spitfire Mark XVI. The latter was built at the end of WWII and was the personal aircraft of Air Vice Marshal Sir James M. Robb with registration SL721. A nice historic write-up can be found here.
Two iconic British fighters were the main attraction in Moorsele this year; the worlds only flying Hawker Hurricane Mark IV and a Supermarine Spitfire Mark XVI. The latter was built at the end of WWII and was the personal aircraft of Air Vice Marshal Sir James M. Robb with registration SL721. A nice historic write-up can be found here.
Between volunteering as a marshaller and flying demo-flights in my 1954 Piper Super Cub, there was also the occasional opportunity to do some aviation photography during the event.
The image below of the iconic Spitfire bathing in beautiful post sunset light, is particularly close to my heart, as the silhouettes are two pilots I highly respect; the owner of this amazing warbird and the person responsible for its assembly last year and maintenance.
Image details:
- Fujifilm X-T3 with the XF18-135 lens
- ISO 600, f9.0, 1/400s, 37mm
- Lightroom CC for RAW development
- DxO ColorEfex pro 4 for with Pro Contrast, Neutral density and Brilliance Warmth filter
More images shot during the two day event in Moorsele, can be found here.
I've added the image above to my personal Aviation portfolio, a small group of my best Aviation images.
The Spitfire depicted above presently carries D-Day invasion stripes in commemoration for the 75th anniversary of this life changing battle in Normandy, France. A place where I'll be attending the commemoration of Operation Cobra with my vintage Piper Cub, early August. More later.
Remember: "Volunteers don't get paid. Not because they are worthless but because they are priceless". Anon
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