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Eshott Nightshoot 2023

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 06:37:51 GMT

Eshott Airfield Evening and Nightshoot 21st October 2023

Don’t miss out on our newest nightshoot venue - Eshott Airfield near Morpeth in Northumberland.

Whether you are a spotter, aviation enthusiast or a photographer looking for something different to shoot this could be the event for you!

On Saturday 21st October, Threshold.aero will be opening up Eshott Airfield (previously RAF Eshott) for a unique opportunity.

For Photographers

Whether you are “into” aviation photography or simply want to try something new, this event will give you the chance to shoot a number of classic vintage aircraft, both in the evening light and at night and with engines running (where possible).

Aircraft confirmed so far:

Naval Aircraft Factory N3N G-CFXT

Miles Gemini G-AKKB

DH Chipmunk G-CLLI [WG458] or G-CMFC [WG479]

Auster AOP6 G-ASMZ ["VF516"]

DH Tiger Moth G-ANDP

The evening is open to photographers of all skill and equipment levels (though as much of the shoot will be “in the dark” with LED lights on the aircraft, a tripod and remote release are highly recommended). Members of the Threshold team will always be available to give any assistance or advice you may need.

For Spotters

We have arranged special access for any spotters wishing to attend the event – all of the hangars will be open and you will be able to see and log all based aircraft as well as any visitors to the airfield. We are hoping for approximately 30 aircraft to be available on the day.

In addition, the airfield cafe will remain open for the duration selling hot and cold drinks.

Further Info

Threshold – www.threshold.aero

Eshott – www.eshottairfield.com

Vulcan XM603 Nightshoot

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 14:38:38 GMT

A New Partnership With The Avro Heritage Museum

The world's only all-white Vulcan illuminated at night by the best.

Working with the Avro Heritage Museum team, we are delighted to offer you this opportunity to capture Avro Vulcan B.2 XM603 during the evening and into the night on 7th October 2023.

The Museum’s volunteers have been busy and have recently managed to get all the external lights working and even the bomb bay doors to open and close, this will bring a great addition to the look of the aircraft. During the evening, we will also be lighting the Nimrod and VC-10 Forward fuselage sections located outside. For the first time, the lights inside the museum will be dimmed for us to illuminate the Lancaster, Canberra and Anson cockpits and models contained there, to enable us to get close up creative shots.

Included in the ticket price you will also be able to access this fascinating museum from 14:00, with the event starting as the museum closes to the public at 17:00. It is hoped the museum café and shop will be open Into the evening.

During the afternoon, some of the museum's cockpits will be open for access for a small additional fee payable directly to the museum.

We look forward to working alongside the museum in the future as they grow the collection for us to light up.

Exercise Iniochos 2023 Threshold Tour Report

Mon, 01 May 2023 13:10:31 GMT

A review of our inaugural tour to Greece during April 2023

Tuesday 25th April

The inaugural Threshold.aero Aviation Tour started in the early morning of Tuesday 25 ^th April 2023. We all arrived at Gatwick Airport, meeting up for coffee and breakfast in the North Terminal's Wetherspoons. Due to the early hour, security was not busy, and with our easyJet speedy boarding we were quickly on-board G-EZOA an Airbus A320-214SL. With camera bags safely stowed in the overheads, it was time to push back for departure. Take off was at 06:03 from Gatwick’s Runway 08R to Athens,1500 miles and three and a half hours later, we arrived in Glorious Greek sunshine. The pilot had a few issues with an unexpected updraft on landing, so she decided to hit the go-around button, which gave those on the right-hand side of the cabin a great view of Athena. We could even see what’s left of Elliniko Airport and the airliners of the Olympic Airways collection. The second attempt at landing was more successful, and with Security passed, our driver was easily found, and we were off in the executive 7-seat Mercedes before we knew it. With a few in the group being spotters, we all were on the lookout for registrations of the airliners as we headed out of the airport.

Halfway through the journey to Patras we made a brief stop at the stunning Corinth Canal for photos and lunch, and by late afternoon we had arrived at our hotel in Patras, which is the third largest city in Greece. We checked in, unpacked, and freshened up before heading out to find somewhere to eat. A restaurant was found, and a very large plate of meat was shared, much talk of aviation washed down with a cold beer or two.

Wednesday 26th April

Wednesday, and after breakfast, it was time to head to Andravida Airbase for the first of two spotters’ days for Exercise Iniochos 2023. We arrived at the main gate just before 08:00, and found the registration process a little chaotic, but we managed to work it out eventually, and by 08:45 we were on a coach headed to the middle of the airfield. An area alongside the main runway had been cut in the very long grass for us to stand and photograph the taxing aircraft and take-offs of the first wave. The small size of the area, the long grass and the people who thought it OK to stand on a ladder at the front led to some moans. But our group managed to find a bit of space to allow images to be captured without heads.

From our vantage point, we could see four Hellenic Phantoms, a line of Hellenic F-16s and four Jordanian F16s. The other aircraft were located out of sight around the airbase. Before the first wave launched, a Hellenic Texan II, 038 arrived to carry out several missed approaches. Then at around 10:45, the sound of Su-30MKis could be heard, and soon after, three of these beasts appeared from behind the long grass to our right. They were followed by a succession of Saudi F15s, Italian Tornados, Spanish Hornets and French Rafales, all taking off in front of us; by this time, the rain had set in, and some people decided to head to the coaches to keep dry, but others, including myself, donned jackets and stayed put.

After an hour or so, the aircraft started returning to the base. Once the first wave had landed it was time to board the coach once again to head over to the other side of the runway; this it transpired was very fortunate timing because whilst on the coach, the rain turned into a short but heavy monsoon. By the time we got to the area by the tower, the rain had cleared, and the afternoon turned warm and sunny. Lunch was a very reasonably priced BBQ accompanied by cold drinks or Beer. Set up around the base of the tower were numerous tables full of patches etc, from the Indian AF and several of the based Hellenic Squadrons.

The second wave was smaller than the first, but with the sun on our back and aircraft taxing a few yards in front of us, there were no complaints. Between waves, more food and drink were consumed, and another look around the sales tables. Another nice visitor in the afternoon was a French Air Force TBM.700, 131/XQ; this challenged a few photographers with its clean white colour scheme in the bright sunshine against a background of dark green trees.

Word went around that the third wave due off at 17:00 would include the Hellenic Phantoms. This turned out to be the case, with two F4s taking off; on checking our images, it was noted that one of them had taken off with its brake chute door open. And a few minutes later, it appeared overhead, dumping fuel. The based firemen were told to put down their coffee and doughnuts and head to the runway along with the crash cart and various other vehicles. We were treated to a chute-less landing, and after an inspection, the F4 safely taxied back in. Also, on the third wave were two of the Hellenic Air Forces newly acquired Dassault Rafales with squadron markings, along with another chance to capture the Su30MKIs, Saudi F15s, this time in the glorious afternoon sunshine.

At 19:00, with the last aircraft landing, the Air Force personnel asked us to get on the board the coaches to be taken off base. Most decided to take the short walk from the tower to the gate and were rewarded by seeing the bases gate guards, an F104, F84 and Sabre. However, it was not long before the Base security team started trying to move people away as they didn’t want any photography of the historic jets. So, we headed out of the gate to our awaiting minibus and the drive back to the hotel. After a quick bag drop and change, we then headed off to sample another local restaurant and after a huge and delicious dinner washed down with beer and the house red (not recommended for wine lovers, but at 6 euros for 1/2 litre, why wouldn’t you!), we walked a few doors down to an ice cream parlour sampling several of the many flavours. Finally, after a long and very enjoyable day, it was back to the Hotel and much-needed sleep.

Thursday 27th April

Thursday started sunny and warm and with our flight being in the evening, and our transport booked for 16:00. We collectively planned a day checking out some of the history and landmarks of the area. We took the local Hellenic Train Service from the station behind the hotel and via an unexpected rail replacement bus service to the town of Rio; after a walk down from the bus stop we reached the Rhion Fortress, built in the late 14th century to protect the bay of Corinth this fort has seen many nations invade it, and with our most recent British invasion coming in peace to only take photographs, a fascinating place now overshadowed by the huge and impressive Rio-Anitrio Bridge. Although the bridge was designed to take all the traffic away from the ferries, the high cost of its tolls led many truck drivers to still use the ferries. We took the opportunity to hop on one, free if you are a foot passenger, to get an up-close look at this very impressive structure, completed in 2004 and at a mile and a half long and said to be the longest cable-stayed "suspended' deck in the world. We caught the next ferry back over the straight, then a walk, bus and train saw us back in Patras for an enjoyable late lunch and then to the hotel for our pickup.

At 16:00, we headed back to Athens, taking in the beautiful Greek countryside from our minibus. Arriving at Athens airport in time for our easyJet flight home, unfortunately, with our airframe G-UZMF an Airbus A321-252NX picking up a tech delay earlier in the day, this led to our departure being over two hours late. Still, it gave the spotters in the group the chance to log some more airliners. We arrived at Gatwick on possibly the furthest gate from security, but at least when we got there, it was empty, so we passed through very quickly. Then we all bid a fond farewell to each other and headed our different ways home.

As I said at the start, this was Threshold.aero's first of what we hope to be many aviation tours, and although I have over 25 years of experience in running tours, I must say this went very well. There are, of course, a few things we will need to get tweaked as we grow, but we will always aim to give enthusiasts the very best value, safe and fun tours. On a separate note, using chauffeured private transport throughout the trip, it gave me the Tour Manager the opportunity to relax and also appreciate the scenery, but more importantly it was legal in more ways than one.

The table below lists the aircraft we saw on 26th April 2023 at Andravida Airbase only.

Threshold at RAF Cosford Airshow 2023

Sat, 29 Apr 2023 18:41:39 GMT

We are delighted to be supporting RAF Cosford Airshow for the fifth year

For the fifth year, we are pleased to be supporting the RAF Cosford Airshow in 2023.

Firstly we will be creating and selling the official aircraft participation checklist which will be available to buy from our gazebo directly in front of the control tower.

Our media team will also be very busy capturing images and video throughout the weekend for the organisers. Along with creating and distributing the static aircraft information boards around the site.

If you want to speak to us about our photography events, aviation tours, photography tuition, Touchdown Club and anything else we do, please drop by and have a chat with the team as we'd love to meet all enthusiasts and photographers.

If you are a Threshold Touchdown Club member, come and see us for a catch up and benefit from our free to members Starlink WiFi connection.

Military Low-Level Flying From F-4 to F-35 book

We will also be selling this awesome book by Scott Rathbone, a pictorial display of low flying in Cumbria and beyond, from the Threshold.aero gazebo. Scott has been a low level aviation photographer since 2001, and since having his first published photograph that year has collected an immense catalogue of aircraft images from the hills and mountains of the UK. Pop down to see us in front of the control tower, the only place at Cosford Airshow you can purchase this book.

East Midlands Aeropark Takeover 2

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 13:57:56 GMT

On the 21st September 2023, we takeover the Aeropark after hours

With Thursday being the busiest day for cargo flights at East Midlands, you will be able to o bserve and photograph the evenings flights from the grass banks which enable you to shoot over the perimeter fences. Then once the sun sets, we will get our lights out and illuminate six of the aircraft within the Aeropark.

The cafe will remain open during the evening for hot and cold drinks and snacks.

With tickets for this event selling fast, make sure you dont delay!

The Thomas Castle Trust Nightshoot 3

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 12:03:38 GMT

Return to Sywell Aerodrome on 14th October 2023

Threshold.aero is proud to be able to support the Thomas Castle Aviation Heritage Scholarship (TCAHS) in the hosting of a third night photocall at its Sywell base on October 14. Proceeds from the event will be donated to TCAHS to support the trust's continued operation of its aircraft and the awarding of scholarships.

Arrangements have been made to ensure that aircraft will conduct engine runs during the event where possible. The event will start at 17.30 – an hour prior to sunset – in order for photographers to make the most of the evening light before we break out the floodlights and illuminate the aircraft in attendance with our signature pure white lighting ahead of a series of engine runs. The event will end no later than 21.00. Tickets cost £30.00 plus fees with proceeds going to TCAHS to enable the Tiger’s continued use in support of the scholarship.

With tickets for this event selling fast, make sure you dont delay!

Take Off for Threshold Aviation Tours

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 20:05:23 GMT

We now have two confirmed tours, all ready to head out..

After a fraught couple of weeks, we can confirm we now have two tours paid and confirmed. These two tours were very last minute as applications to the relevent authorities had to be in by the end of March. But our adventures to Exercise Iniochos in Greece and Exercise Anatolian Eagle in Turkey are now confirmed and ready to go.

With both of these tours being the cheapest option to those in the UK, wishing to fly from the UK, we continue our goal of being the best value for money compared to the longer established companies that have been doing tours for years. To see the itineraries and prices of these two, you can view them here and also see the rest of our 2023 schedule which is being costed and added to as we proceed.

All our tours are fully ATOL bonded as a package and in country, road transport will be conducted using a professionally operated commercial vehicle, with suitably qualified driver in line with local and national laws to ensure your health and safety, and compliance with insurance and legal requirements.

Our thanks must go to Alec Walker from Travel Counsellors who worked tirelessly to get these all across the line.

Brize Norton Air Mobility Fleet Photoshoot

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 20:33:36 GMT

Saturday 29th April 2023 - A full day of Photocalls

Working closely with the team at RAF Brize Norton and with the kind permission of the Station Commander, we are pleased to announce the last opportunity to photograph the RAF's venerable Hercules workhorse at its home Station. With nearly 60 years of service with the Royal Air Force in various marks, this aircraft truly is a classic.
We plan to have two Hercules C.4 positioned on the apron along with the other aircraft of the Airlift team, an A-400M Atlas and a C-17 Globemaster III. The aircraft will not be barriered, to enable you to capture images from all angles. We anticipate a very high demand for tickets, and in order not to get the apron too crowded, we will be selling three different two-and-a-half hour slots starting at 10:00, then 14:00, and then 18:00 to choose from.

With tickets for this event selling fast, make sure you dont delay and click the button below.

Abingdon Airshow Evening Shoot

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 16:23:49 GMT

Friday 19th May 2023 at Abingdon Airfield in Oxfordshire.

Once again we present to you the annual nightshoot which utilises the aircraft assembled at Abingdon for the airshow the following day.

G-NCKS [XZ179/W] Westland Lynx AH.7

G-OONA [99+18] OV-10B Bronco

F-AZIM/27 Yakovlev Yak 3

G-BNGE [TW536] Auster AOP.6

G-BWJW [XV130] Westland Scout AH.1

G-CICN [XT131/B] Westland Sioux AH.1

G-PBYA [433915] Catalina

G-OKAY Pitts S.1

G-YAKI/100 Yak52

G-ADNE DH Hortnet Moth

We have agreement so far for the Lynx, Bronco, Yak and Auster.

With tickets for this event selling fast, make sure you dont delay and click the button below.

The Thomas Castle Trust Nightshoot 2

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 16:40:31 GMT

Your last chance to capture the Blades Display Team fleet at Sywell Aerodrome on 25th March 2023

Threshold.aero is proud to be able to support the Thomas Castle Aviation Heritage Scholarship (TCAHS) in the hosting of a second night photocall at its Sywell base on March 25. Proceeds from the event will be donated to TCAHS to support the trust's continued operation of its aircraft and the awarding of scholarships.

This event will be your one and only opportunity available to photograph The Blades at night ahead of their disbandment later this year.

Arrangements have been made to ensure that aircraft will conduct engine runs during the event where possible. The event will start at 16.00 – an hour prior to sunset – in order for photographers to make the most of the evening light before we break out the floodlights and illuminate the aircraft in attendance with our signature pure white lighting ahead of a series of engine runs. The event will end no later than 20.00. Tickets cost £30.00 plus fees with proceeds going to TCAHS to enable the Tiger’s continued use in support of the scholarship.

With all five Extras G-OFFO and G-ZXCL (In white) and G-ZEXL, G-ZXEL and G-ZXLL lined up under our lights for the last time, they will be joined by the Trust's own DH82 Tiger Moth.

UPDATE: G-AFTL Lockheed 12A Electra Junior will also be present (weather dependent and the usual serviceability caveats)

With tickets for this event selling fast, make sure you dont delay!

So, You've got your ticket.....

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 17:04:38 GMT

What do you need to do now!!

Well, We like to keep things simple here at Threshold. When you booked your ticket you will have read the whole page hopefully. Shown below is a typical page and you can see we've highlighted some text.

This tells you that the instructions for the event that you have booked will be accessible from a link that will be on the confirmation email you receive after payment. As it says, YOU WILL NEED TO READ THIS.

Now, Once you have received that confirmation email, which by the way is immediately after payment, you will see a big blue button on it, you need to click this to download your ticket which has a QRcode on it for us to scan. You will not get access to the event without us scanning this QRcode, either on a mobile device or printed..

Just below this button, you will see a link to click which we have highlighted on the image below. This is the all important arrival instructions for the event, If for any reason you don't comply or haven't read them, or miss the safety briefing you will not gain access to the event and will not be eligible for a refund.

So its all about making sure you have read everything we have supplied, don't email us on the day saying "where are my tickets?" or "When are you sending me instructions?" because as you can see we have given you everything you need, and we may just be a little bit busy.

Note: If you can't find your tickets, there is a 'Find my tickets' link on the event page of the website. This is where you can get tickets re sent to you if you have deleted them or not checked your spam in time before it deletes them for you.

Our Mailing List Just Got Smarter

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 11:49:11 GMT

We want to ensure you see the content that interests you...

Above is what the new sign up email looks like, we have now added email preferences, so we can make sure you only get to see the content you are interested in.

If you are already a subscriber, you can click on the update your profile link at the bottom of any email we have sent to you. You will then be able to choose from these preferences there too, as seen below.

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Eshott Nightshoot 2023

Eshott Airfield Evening and Nightshoot 21st October 2023

For Photographers

For Spotters

In addition, the airfield cafe will remain open for the duration selling hot and cold drinks. Further Info

Vulcan XM603 Nightshoot

A New Partnership With The Avro Heritage Museum

Exercise Iniochos 2023 Threshold Tour Report

A review of our inaugural tour to Greece during April 2023

The table below lists the aircraft we saw on 26th April 2023 at Andravida Airbase only.

Threshold at RAF Cosford Airshow 2023

We are delighted to be supporting RAF Cosford Airshow for the fifth year

East Midlands Aeropark Takeover 2

On the 21st September 2023, we takeover the Aeropark after hours

The Thomas Castle Trust Nightshoot 3

Return to Sywell Aerodrome on 14th October 2023

Take Off for Threshold Aviation Tours

We now have two confirmed tours, all ready to head out..

Brize Norton Air Mobility Fleet Photoshoot

Saturday 29th April 2023 - A full day of Photocalls

Abingdon Airshow Evening Shoot

Friday 19th May 2023 at Abingdon Airfield in Oxfordshire.

The Thomas Castle Trust Nightshoot 2

Your last chance to capture the Blades Display Team fleet at Sywell Aerodrome on 25th March 2023

So, You've got your ticket.....

What do you need to do now!!

Well, We like to keep things simple here at Threshold. When you booked your ticket you will have read the whole page hopefully. Shown below is a typical page and you can see we've highlighted some text.

This tells you that the instructions for the event that you have booked will be accessible from a link that will be on the confirmation email you receive after payment. As it says, YOU WILL NEED TO READ THIS.

So its all about making sure you have read everything we have supplied, don't email us on the day saying "where are my tickets?" or "When are you sending me instructions?" because as you can see we have given you everything you need, and we may just be a little bit busy.

Note: If you can't find your tickets, there is a 'Find my tickets' link on the event page of the website. This is where you can get tickets re sent to you if you have deleted them or not checked your spam in time before it deletes them for you.

Our Mailing List Just Got Smarter

We want to ensure you see the content that interests you...

In addition, the airfield cafe will remain open for the duration selling hot and cold drinks.

Further Info