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Flying Display: The Best in the Air!
Every year, thousands of cameras fill the crowdlines at the RIAT. From casual snapshots to professional long lens tracking shots, the event is a paradise for aviation photography. But in 2025, among the hundreds of photographers on the ground, one team was working a little differently— in the air.
The Aviation PhotoCrew returned to RIAT with its distinctive Pink Skyvan SC 7 aircraft, a well known airborne platform in the European airshow circuit. From the open ramp of the Skyvan, the team was able to give invited aviation photographers views of the show that simply aren’ t possible from the ground.
Why the Skyvan? Photographing from the air isn’ t new, but it’ s a rare opportunity at a major show like RIAT. The Skyvan’ s rear ramp offers an unobstructed shooting position, and its ability to cruise at speeds suitable for formating with helicopters, props, and even jets makes it versatile.
From this position, the Aviation PhotoCrew can capture formations, arrivals, and flypasts from above or alongside, showing angles that on site visitors never see— the topsides of wings, the curve of a fuselage banking into a turn, or the geometry of a close formation with the airfield and crowd below.
For RIAT 2025, that meant photographing a wide range of aircraft in the circuit, from fast jets like the General Dynamics F 16 Fighting Falcon and SAAB JAS 39E Gripen to heavy transports like the Airbus A400M Atlas and Lockheed Martin C 130J Hercules. Helicopter passes by the Boeing Apache AH. 2 and Leonardo Wildcat AH. 1 offered a slower pace and a chance to catch rotor blur in crisp, balanced frames.
Preparation and Planning Operating airborne photo flights around a complex show programme requires careful coordination. RIAT’ s Air Operations team, the Skyvan pilot, and the PhotoCrew’ s organisers establish slots that won’ t interfere with the official flying display and that comply with all airshow safety requirements. Photographers aboard need to be ready before launch: harnesses fitted, lenses secured, memory cards cleared, and shots planned in advance. Aircraft being photographed don’ t just appear— in many cases, crews coordinate with the Skyvan on
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