Hello All

Tuesday 23rd April saw a first for me with a very kind invitation from RAF Lossiemouth to attend an enthusiasts day.  As you know I have had an affinity with RAF Kinloss and had regular photographs of Nimrod MR2‘s as they did their regular low approaches at Kirkwall.  I also have atteneded numerous events at Leuchars but for some reason I have not had the chance to visit RAF Lossie.  What a loss it seems as the visit was excellent and we were treated like lords.

A couple of months ago, a notice came out asking for notifications of interest to attend this event.  Applications were well in excess of the number of places available and we all went into a lottery to see who would get the invite.  Lady Luck was smiling and although it was a hectic two days going there and back again, I have some (in my opinion) excellent photos and some nice memories.

RAF Lossiemouth is the home of 15, 12 and 617 Squadrons all operating the Tornado GR4 and 202 Squadron who operate Sea Kings in the SAR role.  There is currently a large exercise taking place called Joint Warrior with aircraft and crew attending from many countries and is one of the largest military exercises held in peacetime.

When I look back at some of my photos, I realised that Lossie GR4’s are a familiar visitor to Orkney but they travel so fast I rarely get a decent picture.  The other thing I noticed is Lossie is very spotter friendly with loads of places for the keen or not so keen spotter to watch the goings on and to enjoy the experience.

Anyway, here are the pictures, it may seem that there are duplications but I was trying out settings on my new camera and I have to say the change has been worthwhile.  I will never be a professional but I am a happy snapper and proud of it.

So all in all, a very good day with excellent hosts which I am genuinely grateful for.  The next time I am in Moray, I feel another visit is on the cards.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and, as always, thanks for taking the time to read.

All the best

Neil 😉