Going back through the archives - Spaceship One

[Chris Dodkin]

Getting ready to shoot a large airshow this weekend in San Diego, I went back through some of my 'aircraft' photography shots to make sure I remembered all the tricks and tips from past shoots.

Came across a set of images I shot of the first private spaceflight in history - Spaceship One, out in the Mojave desert in CA.

This is the team that is now building the Virgin spacecraft - but back in 2004 they were competing in the X-Prize competition, to put the first private spaceflight on the map.

The spaceship was piggybacked to altitude on a custom aircraft, then released to fire it's rocket engine and officially make the transition into space.

Very exciting day, and it was a blast to be there. Buzz Aldrin, Richard Branson and William Shatner were all spotted in the VIP section!

I turned up at 4am and blagged a space on the press grandstand, next to the guy from National Geographic, and shot mostly 300mm, 600mm, and a few wide angle shots of the press pack with the 17-35mm.

White KNight + SpaceshipOne Taxiing in front of the crowds

The 'mother' craft and spaceship take-off at dawn

Plently of 600s to see!

Everyone watches the skies

At 50,000 ft the Spaceship seperates and fires it's booster, shooting vertically into space

Paul Allen L (project backer) and Burt Rutan R (Designer) watch the display

Touchdown - mission accomplished!

Mike Melvill is now an Astronaut

Smiles and hugs all round

Thumbs Up

 

[Barry Keavney]

Brilliant set if shots mate, and I enjoyed the narration between the pics too.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Thanks Barry - it was really great to be there when history was made

 

[Thomas brookes]

Chris, awesome shots love the emotion with mike melvill beautifully captured!!!!

 

[Thomas brookes]

Chris just out of interest with all the aircraft shoots you do. Have you ever photographed a consolidated liberator ?? My grandad flew them in ww2 on costal command protecting the shipping lanes from german u-boats . he used to fly avro Lancaster bombers but joined costal command after being shot down in occupied France and suffered extensive burns resulting in him flying and at times navigating liberators, I've seen lancasters in flight but have never seen a liberator in modern flight in the uk. Have you ever seen or photographed one? Would be great to see one you have shot. Actuly any ww2 air craft! I would love to see!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Not seen a flying Liberator myself - In fact I believe there are only two flying Liberators left in the world, and both of them are here in the US somehwere.

Amazing that so many could have been manufactured, yet so few survive!

Will be shooting over 200 aircraft in flight tomorrow (Saturday) over San Diego, as the US Navy celebrates 100 years of aviation, so I'll be sure to share some of the WWII models when I've got home and done some post processing.

My dad used to navigate in Victors during the cold war, and I've yet to see one of those in the tin - only seen a few old newsreels, and youtube video of the last running one 'accidentally' getting airborne in the UK a few years ago LOL

Here's the old man (on the gantry) checking out his Victor after landing in the US on exercises.

 

[Thomas brookes]

Can't wait for that!!! Im shocked to hear that there are only 2!! I suppose they weren't as romantic as the b17's, liberators ... The unsung heroes!!

Love the pic of your old man, victors and vulcans are my favourite of the British v wing breed, I love the victors intakes at the start of the wing almost as if they are gills on a whale shark. There is only one flying Vulcan now hopefully will get to see that this summer

 

[Pete Askew]

Great series and interesting history all round. My father was in the RAF during WWII mostly in, as then, Ceylon as an airfield controller (Beaufighters running torpedo missions in the Indian Ocean from semi-mobiles air fields cleared in the jungle). My mother worked at RAF Gatwick repairing Lancaster and Wellington Bombers ( I still have a bombers knee pad that she used to use in the garden!).

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Saw the Vulcan fly as the intro to a British Touring Cars race at Donnington.

The crew brought the Vulcan in low over the track and did a pass or two to wow the crowds.

Then, they headed in towards mid track, flying low, and in a maneuver which caused complete awe to the spectators, pointed the nose skywards, hit the power, and just took the thing straight up.

The ground shook, all the car alarms went off - it was FANTASTIC!!

Loudest thing I've ever heard, apart from the Space Shuttle, which brings a new definition to LOUD

 

[Paul Lange]

The timing on the shots seem to be spot on, I like them very much and wish something like this woul happen in UK.

 

[Vic Shaw]

Nice set of shots with some nice people captures. what a great experience.

 

[Thomas brookes]

Chris !!! Wow I can't wait, I don't have much affiliation to jet powerd aircraft but the Vulcan is the one for me the wing silhouette is just beautiful. I don't know if it's me but i have been to a few ww2 air shows in the uk and as they fly at limited rollsroyce speed it almost feels like you can touch them, and Pete the mosquito is such a beautiful aeroplane and the only one to have a wooden fuselage for speed, as for the knee pad I still have my grandfathers sheep skin flying jacket that used to insulate his boiler in his house before he passed away I also have his medals including the dfc (disingueshed flying cross) after he got shot down in occupied France and made an escape on a French trawler to the uk and I also have a ground speed accumulator that he took from a bhlenem bomber/fighter that he took before it's fefit in 1941, we are forced into this dark time in history but I think it's great to keep it alive the stories my grandad told me are incredible, can't wait for your photos chris!!!

 

[Pete Askew]

I agree and I wish they would re-show "The World at War" on TV (even though, like Vic, I don't own one) as it is a good reminder of the horror and futility of war (rather than the computer game / US feature film glorification / sanitisation that is presented so often). Keeping the memory alive is important I agree. My mother also had a crucifix made from a piece of perspex cut form the windscreen of a Wellington - not sure where it is now though. I have my fathers suitcase he bought in Cairo on his way to Ceylon stencilled Sgt E G Askew.

They used the Beaufighter in Ceylon as the wings could be removed easily for transport to a new airfield once the one they were using was discovered. The details are not too clear as he was not keen on discussing that part of the war due to some of the events he saw (in his last years he would wake at night calling out after witnessing a bunch of pilots burning to death on the airfield after an accident!). A time of great character building and terrible, terrible events.