Capturing the Past: How COAP Wings Elevates Historic Aviation Photography

Visiting aviation museums and personal collectors is without doubt one of the most interesting methods to interact within the historical past of our beloved aviation by means of the ages. But add in some meticulously deliberate picture shoots with interval re-enactors and a professional crew of shooters delivering beautiful scenes, and also you’ve obtained some aviation heritage magic. Based within the UK, the Centre of Aviation Photography (COAP Wings, www.coapwings.com) has been endeavor evening shoots and picture shoots of traditional airframes throughout group pictures occasions yearly of its 10-year operational calendar. Over the final 6-12 months, nevertheless, the warmth was turned as much as carry extra to every scene being recreated for the gathered photographers and plane house owners alike.

Under the steering of Rich Cooper and Steve Comber & the broader COAP crew, the organisation has delivered 18 heritage-based picture shoots in 2025, starting from RAF & USAAF in WW2, by means of the Nineteen Fifties and into the Cold War – together with US, UK and Soviet-built {hardware}. They happen throughout sunlight hours, fall by means of sundown, and conclude with the drama of evening pictures.

‘It’s been an unimaginable 12 months’, stated Rich Cooper, Head of Operations at COAP. ‘We absolutely love bringing history back to life. Imagine recreating scenes that you grew up with as a kid – or only read about in books – and going and seeing it with your own eyes & capturing it all on modern digital camera equipment. There’s been some actual pinch-yourself moments this 12 months!’ Rich additionally says that the entire COAP crew has actually put an enormous quantity of effort into the general high quality of the shoots, in addition to the general buyer expertise. ‘An attention to detail and our real-life operational experience translates well to recreating heritage scene. We also want our attendees to feel welcome and really enjoy the whole thing – no matter how cold it is outside!’ he stated.

‘And then there’s the re-enactors. These guys are so very devoted to the reason for preservation and spend hundreds of kilos on gathering equipment from all eras – to not point out the years it takes to build up,’ Rich added. ‘We’re speaking proper all the way down to the proper buttons, threads, wires, the kit-fit… the whole lot, it’s wonderful to simply take heed to them. We’re tremendous happy with the crew, and we’re persevering with to construct and refine it”. Over to Rich for his recollections in regards to the 2025 heritage shoots…

By Rich Cooper

LIGHTS, CAMERAS, ACTION! The COAP Wings crew has delivered an incredible collection of residing historical past occasions within the aviation pictures world. 

The final 12 months of COAP Wings picture shoots started in January on the glorious Lighting Preservation Group at Bruntingthorpe. Despite being a daily venue on the COAP calendar, the scenes and outcomes differ every time – and this was no exception. ‘The RAF Manston History Museum in Kent was up subsequent, with this packed assortment getting the complete COAP remedy because the Lightning, T-33, and Jaguar have been dropped at life – the latter in a full arctic winter scene. We have been notably impressed by the volunteers right here.

The following occasion was together with one of many many COAP companions, TimeLine Events, and noticed the lenses flip onto the freezing scenes on the RAF Wattisham Station Heritage Museum and its ex-RAF Phantom XT914.

Things grew in measurement for the following scene, with an Engineering shoot with the Vulcan Restoration Team at Southend. Here, the Vulcan B2 XL426 was shot throughout winter upkeep, with the VRT readily available as they carried out under-the-skin checks while the crew of interval re-enactors have been in full RAF Engineer uniform as if it have been the Eighties another time.

Now into the spring, in the direction of the top of the UK’s evening shoot season, COAP focused on the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum. Taking pleasure of place was a really particular set-up with “Neville Duke” and the beautiful, record-breaking, scarlet Hunter Mk3, WB188. A brilliant scene, however not forgetting these set-up with the resident Lightning, Sea Vixen, Sea Harrier and Harrier GR3.

The stunning Hunter F1 of West Raynham proved to be a worthy addition to the programme of occasions within the spring, with a great-looking machine in amongst an nearly untouched RAF airfield scene & management tower, dashed with very good hospitality.

New to 2025 have been a few European heritage-based shoots, with Greece, Poland, and Portugal receiving the COAP remedy. In Poland, the merely beautiful Su-22 ‘Fitter’ of the Pilskie Muzeum Wojskowe and the MiG-23 & MiG-21 of the Fundacja Srebrne Skrzydła – each at Piła – heralded some beautiful outcomes from the East of the Cold War borders. In Portugal, it was fairly one thing to get re-acquainted with an immaculate Portuguese AF A-7 Corsair II at Monte-Real – the final instance of the sort to fly. That shoot was adopted by the inaugural evening shoot on the Portuguese AF Museum at Sintra, an actual treasure trove of aviation. Also in hotter climes was our second evening shoot within the Hellenic AF Museum at Tatoi – extra uncommon and unique machines at this pleasant place!

We additionally like to incorporate a few of the institutions that supported the plane we shot. Accordingly, we loved a return to the Sir Keith Park Operations Building at RAF Northolt for an excellent WWII Battle of Britain ‘Sector Ops’ scene, as effectively the RAF Air Defence Radar Museum at RAF Neatishead for an actual Cold War alert really feel. Once the summer time was over and the nights began to attract again in, the second part of 2025’s evening shoots started, and I really feel we actually raised the bar right here.

We recommenced the season in Woodford, dwelling of the Avro manufacturing line. The sole anti-flash white Vulcan, XM603 of the Avro Heritage Museum, was introduced again to life, full with flight-test crew & ‘Roly Falk’ in his trademark swimsuit, while the tremendous uncommon Avro 707 accomplished this distinctive scene.

The subsequent day we hit one thing of a rarity – an evening shoot with a Concorde. G-BOAC is resident at Manchester International Airport, simply down the street from Woodford, so this supersonic shoot was accomplished with a complement of “British Airways” flightcrew, cabin crew, and passengers.

Going additional again in time, we then recreated a complete USAAF WWII scene with a P-51 Mustang (‘Jersey Jerk’) and P-47 Thunderbolt (‘Nellie’) on the grass at Sywell. We had a full crew of interval re-enactors, together with pilots, crew chiefs, engineers, and autos for an 8-hour shoot from daylight into the evening. It was unimaginable.

We then fast-forwarded the time machine and hit the Harrier Heritage Centre at RAF Wittering with their 4 beautiful variants of the jumpjet. What was particular about this one was that your complete shoot passed off within the ‘Vigo Woods’ space – the very woodland that they used for confined hides operation again within the Eighties and Nineteen Nineties.

The final two shoots of the 12 months noticed us undertake one other first, this time with the DE Havilland Aircraft Museum at London Colney, with a minimum of three Mosquitos (together with the prototype). To wrap up, we then headed towards the north of England to undertake a shoot with the gloriously repainted Victor K2, XL231, resident on the Yorkshire Air Museum.

What. A. Year. It’d be troublesome to decide on a favorite or single out any of these shoots as a favorite. We have been so happy with the outcomes taken by the attending photographers and blown away by the teamwork and hospitality of all these concerned. For subsequent 12 months, we’re realigning the branding barely to carry a brand new identification & mirror the energy of those occasions in their very own proper. From January 2026, they are going to be referred to as COAP Heritage Wings shoots. It could be very thrilling to give you new concepts and face the problem of delivering them – and myself, Steve Comber, and the remainder of the crew belief that 2026 will as soon as once more ship for you!