Hawk TIA, Red Arrows Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team – Flown from RAF Scampton over Lincolnshire, England. Photographed from another Hawk of The Red Arrows
‘Festival of Flight’ is a photo documentary exhibition produced in partnership with a range of partners connected with aviation and other aspects of flight. The project celebrates the thrill and passion of flight which brought together people of every background, race and culture across the world when pilots first reached for the skies.
The photostory was initiated by the RAF,who provided special access for Heartstone photographer, Nick Sidle, to fly with frontline squadrons across the UK to obtain the spectacular air-to-air images which put you ‘in the cockpit’, setting a new standard for aviation photography. Four hosts came together to launch the project in Edinburgh – Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Jock Stirrup, Lt Col Herbert Carter, 99th Squadron Tuskegee Airmen, Don Rowlands, Aboriginal elder and pilot and Sitakumari. Further invitations were received from the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, the RNoAF who provided access to their fast jet and search and rescue squadrons based in Bodo leading to images north of the Arctic Circle, police and coastguard helicopter units.
The photo-exhibition begins with birds, the starting inspiration for flight, moving on to legends and stories from countries around the world, stories of pioneers who fought major obstacles, including prejudice, to fulfil their ambitions, and ends with aircraft at the pinnacle of flight technology today. Along the way, there are multiple examples of ‘extreme’ aviation today demonstrating that behind the aircraft and what they do in the skies are real people who make the ‘impossible’ happen. For this purpose, real-time ‘behind the scenes’ photodocumentary coverage was undertaken with units who demonstrate different roles of aviation eg. search and rescue helicopters, transport /disaster relief aircraft, fast jets and more.
