Air-to-Air photography is the art of photographing aircraft in the air,
while using another aircraft as a photo platform.

Air-to-Air photography is always carefully planned, briefed and discussed with all pilots involved to ensure a safe flight and the best photographic results. We have made photo flights in all sorts of aircraft, varying from light aircraft and helicopters to supersonic fighter jets, so we know exactly how to get the best shots out of every minute airborne.

Are we scheduled to fly with you (or your squadron) in the near future? We hope this introduction to Air-to-Air photography provides you an idea of what we do and what we are looking for. We are always happy to hear from you in advance of our meeting to discuss both sides' expectations. Feel free to contact us and ask for our plan!

We basically distinguish two types of photo flights: dedicated photo flights and orientation photo flights. Dedicated photo flights comprise a formation flight or a flight containing elements of formation flying, ideally with predefined maneuvers briefed to all pilots. Orientation photo flights provide us a rare glimpse of how military pilots and their crews operate. For instance, we have flown on board with demonstration teams, we photographed para droppings from transport aircraft and we flew training sorties with SAR helicopters.

Even though we usually prefer a dedicated photo flight, we can always find a solution to combine operational training with formation flying for photos. If we make an orientation flight in a helicopter and another helicopter is to fly at the same time, it would be of help to us if we could just fly together, even if just for a couple of minutes! Another example would be when we fly a transport aircraft which is to be intercepted by fighter jets. If only the cargo ramp could be opened that would provide amazing photos without diminishing the training value for everyone involved.

Of course our photos are also available to the people we work with. Framed copies of our best photos in poster size find their way to squadron buildings and headquarter offices around the world. It is our way to say thank you! We also deliver pin sharp photos at up to 15 Megapixels size, which can be used for many products including books, brochures, calendars, leaflets, posters, presentations and websites.

Although we normally initiate the first contact, we are always happy to discuss the possibilities in case you are interested to have us make Air-to-Air photographs of your aircraft. If the photographic conditions meet our requirements, and if we are allowed to publish the photos in magazines, we are always willing to do it free of charge!

Both Dirk Jan and Menso have flown extensively with armed forces all around the world. For personalized overviews of our flying experience please visit our profile pages.

The photos we take are primarily used to illustrate our own articles in magazines. However, magazine editors and book publishers are always welcome to request photos from our archive containing many thousands of images, so they may be used for future publication by others as well.

Air-to-Air photography is a crucial aspect of our work. Photos of aircraft in flight allow us to publish striking articles in the world's leading military aviation magazines. Articles with Air-to-Air photographs are generally longer and published in more magazines than those publications without Air-to-Air shots.

We have many hours of experience flying photo sorties in aircraft ranging from the Alouette III utility helicopter to the MiG-21 fighter jet. Below is an overview of the armed forces and aircraft we have flown with.

We photographed 29 different aircraft types during these flights:
An-26 Curl, AS532U2 Cougar, C-130B Hercules, C-130J-30 Super Hercules, DHC-1-200 Chipmunk, EH101-514/515 Merlin, EV-97 Eurostar, Extra 300L, F-5F Tiger II, F-15C Eagle, Fokker 60UTA-N, IAR-330L Puma, IAR-330L SOCAT, KC-135R Stratotanker, L-39C Albatros, Let-410UVP-S Turbolet, Mi-2 Hoplite, Mi-17 Hip, MiG-21 LanceR A/B, Rafale B/C/M, SA316B Alouette III, TB30 Epsilon, Tornado IDS, VC-10 C1K and Zlin 142C-AF.

Last updated: 6 May 2011