With another grey day for Paul Filmer it wasn’t looking too hopeful for his trip to Gifu Air Base, a notoriously difficult airport to shoot at, or so they were told. The day did yield some interesting movements however.
F-4EJ taken for the first spot © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Gifu is home to the Japanese Self-Defense Force Air Development and Test Squadron, plus Kawasaki Heavy Industries Aeroplane Division. Kind of a Japanese Boscombe Down, if you will.
T-4 © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
There are options at the ends of each runway to shoot but, as the airfield is on a hill, we were told that the aircraft tend to be high.
T-4 © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
We had intel that we could climb another hill on the south side of the airfield and overlook the approach.
T-4 © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
We took the long and slippery climb and just caught an F-4 landing. We could only see perhaps 50 meters of the runway, so the shooting opportunity was very tight, and we couldn’t even see the approach due to the trees in the area.
F-2A © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
We decided there must be a better spot so went down the hill and ventured further into the small forest to gain a better vantage point. We found a lower spot by the fence line, but the visibility was just as limited as up high.
T-4 © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
As I didn’t lug the stepladder all this way, and it was needed to see over the fence, I trudged back to the van to collect it.
C-1FTB © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
On the way back I decided to look for a better spot and searching around indeed found a spot where no ladder was required and we had a wider view of the runway, perhaps 300-400 meters. Sorted!
C-1FTB © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
As the mosquitos started to eat us alive we were lucky to shoot a bunch of the based aircraft, including the elusive C-1FTB.
F-4EJ © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
When it went quiet at lunchtime we decided to call it a day and retreat from the biting insects.
