SWAM Nightshoot

A couple of weeks ago I made the journey to South Wales for another one of Threshold Aero’s Nightshoot events, hosted this time by the South Wales Aviation Museum, or SWAM, as it is known within the aviation community.

The event was due to take place back in November of last year, however it was called off due to the legendary inconsistency of the British Weather. This was good news though as it presented me with the opportunity to arrange a proper weekend of it on the re-scheduled date of February 4th.

A bit about the museum – it was the first time I’ve visited the SWAM so I knew there were a few airframes that I really wanted to see, most notably the Panavia Tornado Preservation Group’s (PTPG) Tornado GR.1P in the unmistakable ‘Raspberry Ripple’ colour scheme and Phantom F-4K ‘Black Mike’. In addition to these, the SWAM boasts an impressive selection of aircraft and offers visitors the opportunity to get up close and personal to some very unique pieces of aviation history. The museum itself is situated next to RAF St Athan, a short drive from Cardiff so if you are ever out that way please pay them a visit!

On to the event itself. This was my second Nightshoot with Threshold so the proceedings were somewhat more familiar this time round, although there were almost twice as many aircraft with the option to also have a browse around the hanger which was left open, nice touch. All in all the subjects that were due to be ‘lit’ were a Phantom, x2 Tornados, x2 Jet Provosts, a Westland Wessex, a Shackleton, and a Lynx – it became apparent fairly early on that timing was going to be important for this shoot to ensure I could get round all the aircraft, or at least the ones I wanted to see.

The photo opportunities were vast, I particularly liked the atmosphere with key airfield buildings present in some of the compositions – these were my favourite. It was also nice to have St Athan as a backdrop in some of the images, with hanger lights glinting across the horizon. Towards the top end of the museum grounds was where the teams positioned the former RAF Tornado GR4, which looked stunning with the prominent tree line behind it and the various buildings situated at the back of the jet. Up at this end was also the Dutch Lynx which looked equally stunning.

Towards the bottom of the museum grounds sat the PTPG’s ‘Ripple’ Tornado and Phantom ‘Black Mike’. It was a privilege to be able to photograph these jets in such a unique setting. As mentioned above, there were also a number of other airframes present, I found myself getting obsessed with the jets though…

Once again I tip my metaphorical hat to the great event put on by Threshold Aero. It was a pleasure to be able to visit the SWAM for the first time and I’ve definitely got a few very special images that I came away with. I’ve shared a few useful links below to the SWAM & PTPG websites. Like many aviation related attractions, SWAM is a not-for-profit registered charity, with all proceeds going towards the upkeep of the museum.

• South Wales Aviation Museum (SWAM)

• Panavia Tornado Preservation Group (PTPG)

Until next time…

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