Table Of ContentTo the personnel of the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy, the British Army, the
United States Air Force and others, who, by their skill and professionalism,
contribute to the defence of the United Kingdom and, by so doing, have enabled
the photographs in this book to be taken.
And to the memory of those aircrew who have sadly lost their lives in the
service of their country whilst undertaking demanding but necessary low level
flying training in United Kingdom air space.
First published in Great Britain in 2011 by
Pen & Sword Aviation
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS
Copyright © Michael Leek, 2011
9781783461127
The right of Michael Leek to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.
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By the same author
The Encyclopaedia of Airbrush Techniques
The Art of Nautical Illustration
Contributing author to
The New Guide to Illustration
A percentage of the royalties from the sale of this book will go to
Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund
© Michael Leek MMXI
Unless otherwise stated, the opinions expressed in this book are entirely those of
the author.
They are in no way intended to reflect official MoD policy in respect of low
flying training or low flying areas or locations in the United Kingdom.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Title Page
Copyright Page
By the same author
Foreword by the Controller of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 - Introduction and context
Chapter Two - The need for low flying training
Chapter Three - Low flying areas in the United Kingdom
Chapter Four - Photography and other important matters
Chapter Five - The Photographs: Wales
Chapter Six - The Photographs: England
Chapter Seven - The Photographs: Scotland
Appendix 1 - Captions to the photographs in Chapters Five, Six and Seven
Appendix 2 - The RAF Benevolent Fund
Appendix 3 - About the author
References and sources
Foreword by the Controller of the
Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund
All through the Cold War years, and building on expertise nurtured over many
years before that period of our history, the Royal Air Force was probably the
leading exponent of the art of low flying. And low flying is, without doubt, an
art. It requires discipline, technique, training, planning, awareness and
determination. It is certainly not an area of skill to be treated casually – it can
bite dramatically.
In my own time in the cockpit – three tours in Bruggen, Germany; Phantoms
and Tornados (twice); a tour on the Hunter in the Middle East; the Phantom
exchange tour with the United States Navy, and on 208 Squadron Buccaneers
assigned to NATO’s northern flank – flying at low level was an exhilarating
prerequisite of operational capability.
Indeed, the need to fly under the radar and penetrate the dense Warsaw Pact
air defence system drove all of our training during the Cold War. In NATO, and
especially for those of us who served in the Royal Air Force in Germany, flying
on the deck was an absolutely fundamental skill. Whether over the North
German Plain (which would have been our battleground), over the deserts of
Oman or in the fjords of northern Norway, the necessary skills and teamwork
were the same.
Those skills were honed over long, arduous hours – we trained, trained and
trained again – but that level of dedication was absolutely necessary, and it was
exemplified by the recurring success of the Royal Air Force on numerous Red,
Maple and Green flags exercises in North America, invariably at the forefront of
large multi-formation missions.
Today we are fighting a different war: technology reigns supreme and low
flying might appear to be yesterday’s tactic. Yet our fast jets are required to
show force at low level in Afghanistan and the Support and SF helicopters are,
as ever, in their element at low level, utilising speed and surprise to defeat the
enemy. The great characteristic of the Royal Air Force is its flexibility
encapsulated in its mantra of ‘agile, adaptable and capable’, and it is important
encapsulated in its mantra of ‘agile, adaptable and capable’, and it is important
that the RAF maintains its skills across the board, not becoming tied down to
one arena, one tactic or one narrow skill set.
The RAF’s mantra – its agility, adaptability and full range of capabilities – are
captured beautifully in Michael’s photography. This extraordinary range of
images captures the essence of low flying training, showing clearly the speed
and skill involved, but also hinting at the deep levels of teamwork and critical
awareness that go into this absolutely essential preparation.
1. Air Marshall Sir Robert Wright
I can only imagine the range of skills needed to take the images themselves.
The technique required to photograph jet fighters travelling at high speed and at
close proximity to the ground has clearly been honed over many years. And it
produces stunning results – images that highlight the dynamism, power and
elegance of our aircraft like few others. Looking through this collection I’m also
struck by the knowledge required to cover the full range of low flying areas
throughout the UK and the immense patience and commitment needed to get
into position and stay there in what are often very remote, mountainous
locations. Above all what shines through is Michael’s passion for his subject – a
passion that I’m sure many readers will come to share.
Description:Overview: The UK has some of the most dramatic landscapes for NATO pilots to exercise the increasingly important military art of high-speed low flying. It also offers splendid opportunities for photography of close-up dramatic shots taken from the hillsides and mountains of Wales, Scotland and other
