PC21 SYDNEY
PILATUS CALENDAR SHOOT
PC21 over Sydney harbour
In 2011, Swiss aircraft manufacture Pilatus commissioned me to provide photography of their PC21 military trainer - the world’s most modern and advanced turbo trainer - over Sydney Harbour. Here is the background to that shoot.
The project sounded fascinating, a good looking aircraft over one of the world’s most iconic harbours. So my first and foremost thoughts were, what should we shoot from as the camera platform? and whatever we used it had to (a) keep up with the PC21 and (b) it had to provide me with a field of vision of at least 180 degrees. This would enable me to get good images even if this agile aircraft decided to get slippery.
The PC21’s flaps enable it to stall at a nice slow speed below 80 kts. That’s all well and good but it also needs to be somewhat manoeuvrable, to be able to get out of trouble should it arise, so that takes it up to say 100 kts plus. Now the T6 Texan, which I prefer to shoot from can do 130 kts, BUT there was not one available over this particular weekend, so that ruled the T6 out, a pity as I really like working with this aircraft. Other options were the T28 Trojan, CJ6A Nanchang, Piper Seneca and Beech Baron but you guessed it, none were available. The problem with cross-hiring other aircraft AND bringing your own pilot to fly them, is that the owners usually do not like this idea. ‘My aircraft, so why should I not fly it. I can get close for photography’, they say. All well and good BUT I have not flown with them! Nor do I know if they have (a) a formation rating, or (b) if they can fly their aircraft as if it were a camera. Meaning the shot is paramount. The latter is usually the deciding factor. I have been doing this enough times to ONLY fly with one or two pilots, who I trust and KNOW they will be able to get into position to get the shot. So all this left me with one option, a helicopter and this meant flying with my aerial partner David Adamson, but as usual he was very busy and was not sure if he would be available on the 20th. So it was a waiting game.
I had been in discussion with Guy Bourke, a highly experienced T6 pilot but he would have to bring a T6 from Melbourne. If I had to shoot a slippery aircraft like the PC21, then I would need a pilot and machine that could do whatever it took to get me into position. If this meant near rolls, or near wing over’s, then that’s what it would take. I knew that both David and Guy could do this. In the end the client opted for the helicopter, so that was that. But I did not know of another pilot who could do what David could do with a helicopter. After much fretting over what was going to transpire, David had a window on the 2oth, so it was settled.
We were staying in Darling Harbour and had to pick up an AS350 FX2 helicopter from Bankstown, then fly it to RAAF Richmond for a thorough briefing with the crew of the PC21, plus a PC12, as they also required formation shots.
With a cameraship pilot like David for instance, I now know that he will position the helicopter as if it were my camera. I don’t even need to instruct him or yell out positions etc, as I know he will be thinking this way. So often when we are doing a shoot, and even though my eye is at my viewfinder most of the time, I often see the horizon in the background in all sorts of crazy angles. If I have the target aircraft in my viewfinder for more that a few seconds, I know what he must be doing to keep it there.
When it is over, I am often drenched in sweat. Your body goes through some amazing forces. I also trust my harness! More than once I have slid outside unintentionally as I have been following the target with my camera. I feel myself sliding as the helicopter rolls over or does a wing over, my feet seek the skid ... wait for it, contact! Eyes still on the subject, then relax, as I know the harness will stop me going any further. Mind you, this trust took a while to achieve and was very hard to let go in situations like this, but it now means that I can really concentrate on the subject.
So this sortie was no exception, with myself in the back with the open door, Alexis in left front, David in the front right flying. This aerial dance took just over an hour over the harbour. The PC21 was fast, and as such it could not stay with us for too long because of the speed differences. So we had to position ourselves in such a way that the closing speeds were minimized. Most of the time we hovered between the Harbour Bridge, Milson’s Point, Blues Point Reserve at McMahons Point, Walsh Bay and Balls Head Reserve, then over the Opera House, Fort Denison and Kirribilli.
This PC21 was so agile and seemed to be everywhere at once, that communication in the helicopter really helped;
David; ‘Can you see it?’
Me (leaning out into the slipstream); ‘Yep, our 5 o’clock, 2 k’s and closing FAST’
Me; ‘Nope, lost it. It’s in our 6 o’clock and under us’
David (seeing now in front of him); ‘Jeez, you see that? It’s like an eel’
Alexis; ‘Wow, great rear end shot’ as it raced past us and into our 12 o’clock position.
David; Hang on ... wing over to re-position us’ and so it went.
The problem with flying over Sydney Harbour is that it is in the path of the landing approach with one of the main runways at Sydney Airport. This meant whatever we did, it had to be below 1500 feet. But as it was both the helicopter and the very nimble PC21 could both turn on a dime within this space but all the while David had to keep an eye out for other helicopters, float planes and any other aerial vehicles that were active in the area. Sydney Control were very forgiving in allowing a helicopter and a military aircraft to spend an hour doing a merry aerial ballet over this very congested place, and near the end you could tell they were getting concerned. With the sun setting over Sydney, and from the open door of the AS350, I got some great shots of the all red PC21 as it flew around this magnificent harbour. When the shoot was over, I put my camera down
and put my feet on the skids and simply took in this amazing place. We slowly cruised at low level up the winding Parramatta River, past locals having BBQ’s on their lawn, messing about in boats and waving as we passed low overhead. It was simply breathtaking. We finally turned inland around the Gladesville Bridge and headed back to Bankstown, arriving just on last light. From leaving RAAF Richmond to landing at Bankstown had taken two hours.
Jon Davison
THE AIRCRAFT
Manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft in Stans, Switzerland, the PC21 is a highly advanced turbo-prop military trainer, with totally new design features including tandem-seating in a bird strike resistant glass canopy with all round vision, a glass cockpit with three large colour liquid crystal displays (LCD), plus head-up displays (HUD). Hands on Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) controls and Zero-zero ejection
seats for both aircrew. The PC21 has the characteristics, speed and envelope of a jet fighter and as such can be configured to simulate many of the current generation fighters such as the F/A18, F16, AV-8B and Grippen. The PC21 accommodates the requirements for basic training, advanced and fighter lead-in training for pilots and, if needed, for weapon systems officers (WSO) training. The project was launched in 1998 and the first aircraft flew in 2002 , followed by the first preproduction aircraft flying in 2005. The Republic of Singapore Air Force aircraft ordered 19 aircraft in 2006, and all had been delivered by 2008. More PC21’s were delivered to the Swiss Air Force in 2008. The United Arab Emirates are using the PC21 to replace their PC7 fleet. The designation ‘21’ is a clear reference to it’s 21st century market and capabilities, rather than following the lineage of the last Pilatus aircraft, the PC12.
Grateful thanks to the Sydney Harbour Authority, Sydney Interntional Airport, Pilatus Aircraft, RAAF Richmond and Heli Australia.
All photographs © Jon Davison 2011