Nellis Air Force Base (AFB) in Nevada is the home of the US Air Force Warfare Centre (USAFWC), tasked with training pilots to become the best combat aviators in the world. The USAFWC has at its disposal every aircraft in the air force’s inventory with the huge Nellis Air Force Range (NAFR) just to the north of the airfield. Divided now into two zones, north and south, the NAFR is the largest US range covering some 4,700 square miles. A larger area of 14,800 square miles, which is half the size of Scotland, is available for military flying operations. The NAFR contains dummy airfields, unprepared runways, Surface to Air Missile (SAM) sites, Surface to Surface Missiles (SSM), Anti-aircraft artillery and bunkers, in fact everything you would expect in a war zone. The training is conducted with air and ground units of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Many allied nations are also able to train at Nellis, it is vital that the Allied coalition forces as seen during both Gulf Wars, are able to fly and fight together as one seamless unit. Four or more times a year, Red Flag exercises, involving around 1,200 aircraft flying over 20,000 sorties, are run by the 414th Combat Training Squadron (CTS), 57th Operations Group (OG) of the 57th Wing (WG). The ten day exercises are designed to enable US and Allied forces to fight together in the most realistic way possible. For Red Flag 08-4 in August, the fourth exercise of the fiscal year, the French (FAF), Indian (IAF) and Republic of Korea (RoKAF) air forces were invited to fly with and against US forces based in the US, UK and Japan. The IAF with eight Sukhoi Su-30MKI’s and the RoKAF, with six Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle’s, were attending Red Flag for the first time.

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Around 70 historic flying warbirds gathered at Duxford the former Royal Air Force World War Two (WW2) airfield to take part in the annual ‘Flying Legends’ air show. Duxford is the home of a number of organisations tasked with keeping veteran warbirds in the air. As in previous years Duxford’s many resident warbirds were joined by very rare and valuable aircraft from across Europe and this year from as far a field as the United States of America and Russia. Flying Legend’s organisers The Fighter Collection (TFC) this year had to take on the huge pulling power of the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) held at Fairford whose weekend dates had coincided. Usually the events are held in successive weeks.

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Photography is continually changing, and this version of Photography reflects that change. Digital imaging dominates photography. In the image here, a computer screen displays a cutaway view of a view camera, a type of camera that has been in use since the invention of photography. This edition updates the traditional practice of photog¬raphy as well as updating current technologies. Throughout this new edition, you will find infor¬mation about both conventional film photography and digital capture. Techniques such as lighting and composition, central to both digital and film photography, are presented. This book shows how to make photographs, how to control photographic processes, and how different photographers employ them for their own creative purposes.

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Updated award-winning software suite features the most complete collection of Photoshop plug-ins, solving the most common, time consuming Photoshop tasks in one integrated high value suite. Plug-In Suite 4 includes 6 Photoshop plugins that help you maximize the power of Photoshop. You get Genuine Fractals 5 Print Pro for high-quality enlargements, PhotoTools 1 Professional Edition, Mask Pro 4 for removing backgrounds, PhotoFrame 3.1 Professional Edition for the perfect finishing touch to your photos, PhotoTune 2 for professional quality color correction and FocalPoint 1 for adding selective blur and vignettes to your photos.

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The Air-Britain Fly-In is organised by aviation enthusiasts for aviation enthusiasts, pilots and photographers alike. Its and event where you can meet like-minded people and enjoy civilian aircraft of character in a relaxed atmosphere. This year’s event was the 29th and as such is proof that the Air-Britain fly-in formula is a successful one. Air-Britain with currently over 4,000 members has been around since 1948 and to commemorate its 60th anniversary this year invited owners of aircraft built 60 years ago. As 2008 is also the 60th anniversary of the first flight of the Piper Vagabond/Clipper and the 75th anniversary of the SV4 Stampe, Air-Britain invited owners of the two wonderful vintage aircraft.

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…as the saying goes. To use another, a picture speaks a thousand words, so while the programme avoids the radars of the headline-writers for today, the Italian Air Force have done their bit in producing some quality air-to-air imagery with Eurofighter Typhoon and an AWACS.

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Share your precious memories of Changi Airport’s grand old dame in Reminiscing Changi Airport Terminal 1. Reminiscing is a photo contest offering members of the public an opportunity to share their special moments at Terminal 1 (T1). Organised by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), the competition is now open for entries. Reminiscing is being held in conjunction with the upgrading of T1, which commenced in May. Contestants can submit photos of the terminal building or snapshots taken with family and friends at T1. Short listed entries will be displayed on the contest website and at an exhibition at T1’s departure hall from 14 July 2008 and at T1’s Transit Mall from 30 July 2008. The top three entries that best capture the hearts of the judges will win prizes such as an All Nippon Airways return ticket from Singapore to Tokyo, OSIM products, a CASIO digital camera and an MP4 player.

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Hallbergmoos – In a little over twelve months since the Eurofighter Typhoon website was re-launched, the media library has achieved more than one million downloaded images…and counting! Boasting the most comprehensive collection of Eurofighter Typhoon photography on the world wide web, the media library, following its April 2007 re-design, is based on a powerful tag and keyword search functionality, ensuring that finding your favourite Eurofighter Typhoon picture has never been easier.

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May 16, 2008 - Today the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s (BBMF) Avro Lancaster flew low over the Derwent Dam in Derbyshire to commemorate the 65th Anniversary of the Dambuster raid. The Dambuster raid of 1943 must surely be the most famous of all low level sorties. 617 Squadron was formed during World War Two for one specific mission, to fly deep into Germany and destroy the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams in the Ruhr valley. Their weapon was the ingenious ‘bouncing bomb’ which was designed and perfected by Sir Barnes Wallace over three years. Two of the dams were breached in the raid on May 16, but at a cost of eight Lancaster bombers and a tragic loss of 53 crew members. The Derwent Dam was used by 617 Squadron to train for the top secret mission code named Operation Chastise in 1943.

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Photographic images that marked 2007 through the lens of world-renowned press photographers are presented in the world’s biggest international press photography exhibition, World Press Photo 2008, hosted at Athens International Airport from 6 May until 2 June, 2008. The exhibition shows all the winners of the 51st edition of the biggest competition in press photography: World Press Photo. The exhibition, which will visit over 100 locations all around the world, displays 156 photographs honoured as the best photographic reports of 2007 by the international jury of World Press Photo. The award-winning press photos were distinguished among 80,536 photographs of 5,019 press photographers from 125 countries, in 10 different categories: Spot News, General News, People in the News, Sports Action, Sports Features, Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, Portraits, Arts and Entertainment and Nature.

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Operating under a United Nations mandate the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana or AMI) are working with a coalition force of seven countries to resolve a crisis between the neighbouring countries of Carbonium and Esmeralda. It’s the annual Spring Flag (SF08) exercise and this is the scenario for which the AMI started planning, almost as soon as the dust had settled in Sardinia following last years Spring Flag (SF07) held in May 2007. Organised by the Air Force Operational Command (COFA) in Poggio Renatico (Ferrara), the aim of the AMI’s main training exercise is to test and prove its capabilities to plan and deploy a large ‘expeditionary’ force for peace support. On April 1, 2008 the Joint Force Air Component Command (JFACC) was activated at Poggio Renatico, in place of COFA to control the exercise. A Deployable Combined Air Operations Centre (DCAOC) was also assembled in Bari. During the first week of the three week exercise a ‘Coalition Force’ arrived at a Deployable Operating Base (DOB) at Decimomannu air base in Sardinia (named Carbonium for the exercise). With almost 2,000 people and their equipment to be put into place this is no easy matter. With all the aircraft in position at their various operating bases by the end of the first week, air crew are given a briefing to make sure everyone is aware of the capabilities of the aircraft and systems.

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The Allied Command Operations (ACO) Tactical Leadership Program (TLP) has been designed to improve the tactical capabilities of the member nations. TLP members originally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 1978 with an aim to develop tactics, techniques and procedures to enhance multi-national air operations. Colonel J Steyaert Commandant TLP (Belgian Air Force) the new Commandant TLP from January 2, 2008 at Kinloss said; “TLP is a unique organisation in the world. We try to prepare aircrew for coalition warfare. Pilots have to deal with tactical problems, taking into account the capabilities of all the other nations”. Lt Col Paul T. Matier, Chief of the Flying Branch (TLP) explained that planning is paramount. A scheduling meeting is held every August with MOU and non-MOU nations, to decide who takes part in the following year’s six courses. “We try to balance each class with a mix of aircraft with air-to-ground, air-to-air, Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) and reconnaissance capabilities with the ‘Red Air’ fighters”.

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In a streamlined interface and workflow, Fluid Mask 3 instantly shows key edges in the image and provides comprehensive easy to use tools that work with difficult-to-see edges and tricky areas. Fluid Mask 3 is the professionals’ choice. Fluid Mask 2 established itself as the market leader in still image cutting-out – Fluid Mask 3 takes masking to the next level. Quick to pick up and intuitive to use, Fluid Mask 3 gets professional results fast.

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Based at RAF Mildenhall, in the UK, the 21st Special Operations Squadron (SOS) with its 250 personnel, as part of the 352nd Special Operations Group (SOG) was officially deactivated on October 9, 2007. The 21st SOS, known as the ‘Dust Devils’, flew the Sikorsky MH-53M Pave Low IV helicopter until the last flight from their home base on September 13. All five Pave Lows in the fleet took the air for the final flight, which included aerial refuelling with their 67th SOS stable mates flying a MC-130P Combat Shadow. Up until deactivation, the 21st SOS were the USAF Special Operations European Command’s only vertical lift unit, their tasks are to be taken over by the US Army. Held on continuous stand-by they can be tasked at a moments notice with a broad range of operations, from Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) to humanitarian relief. For most of the year they will find themselves on Special Operations duties away from Mildenhall.

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101 Squadron celebrated its 90th birthday on July 12, 2007. To commemorate the event a special 90th anniversary paint scheme, sponsored by BAe Systems, was applied to the tail of its aerial refueling tanker VC-10 C.1K serial ‘XV105’. Formed at South Farnborough in 1917, 101 Squadron immediately saw action flying FE.2’s to bomb at night on the western front over Ypres and the Somme. During World War II they were part of Bomber Command flying the Blenheim, Wellington and finally the Lancaster. Carry on their bombing role at 101 Squadron became the RAF’s first jet bomber squadron at Binbrook when it received the Canberra in 1951, replacing the Lincoln. Action was seen at Malaya and Suez before operating the Vulcan at Finningley and later Waddington. Perpetuating involvement in bombing in every major war, the Vulcan’s of 101 Squadron flew the famous ‘Black Buck’ missions on the Falkland Islands in 1982. In 1984 the Squadron were given the Air to Air Refuelling (AAR) role with the VC-10, eventually flying missions over Kosovo in both Gulf Wars.

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Paris, France – October 1, 2007 – DxO Labs today announced DxO Optics Pro v5, the latest version of its award-winning flagship software application for automatic image quality enhancement for Digital SLR camera users. Due to be released later in the fall, DxO Optics Pro v5 sets a new standard for image quality with its new RAW conversion engine. All purchasers of DxO Optics Pro v4.5 on or after August 1st, 2007 are eligible for a free upgrade to DxO Optics Pro v5. DxO Optics Pro v5 RAW conversion engine delivers exceptional quality especially for lowlight images. Fully rewritten, version 5 also adds dust/blemish removal, improved user interface, increased speed and expanded camera support.

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Geilenkirchen in Germany is the Main Operating Base (MOB) for the NATO E-3A Component and in June 2007 celebrated 25 years of supporting NATO operations. The first aircraft arrived at MOB Geilenkirchen on February 24, 1982, but it was not until June 28, that NATO took operational control of the base. Today a fleet of 17 Boeing E-3A Sentry Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft and three Boeing 707TCA (Training and Cargo Aircraft) comprise the NATO E-3A Component. dditional forward operating locations have since been setup. The first Forward Operating Base (FOB) to be activated was in October 1983 at Konya in Turkey, the second followed a month later at Oerland in Norway. By January 1986 Trapani in Italy was in operation with Aktion in Greece following in March 1986. Combined with the seven RAF E-3D’s based at RAF Waddington, both components report to NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control (NAEW&C) force headquarters, located at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) at Mons in Belgium.

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On Wednesday 17 October, teams from Belgium, United Kingdom, Germany, Holland, France and Italy took part in the international search and rescue meeting as SAR helicopters had to show their ability during different exercises on the beach of Koksijde, Belgium.

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Plug-In Suite 3 combines 4 essential Photoshop plug-ins that save you time and money so you can get back to shooting. Plug-In Suite 3 is CS2 and CS3 compatible, Universal Binary support, offering fast native support for Photoshop CS3 and Intel-based Macintosh computers. Plug-In Suite 3 installs all four tools with one serial number and includes new startup tutorials for each, making installation and getting up to speed a breeze. Combine that with new integrated “Show Me How” video tutorials and automatic update checking and you have everything you need to be productive in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements so you can do what you really want to do: get back to shooting.

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Hallbergmoos - The newest feature of the Eurofighter Typhoon website has been launched – Eurofighter HOTSHOTS. This is a brand new section allowing you the public to join the exciting world of aerospace through sharing your aircraft photography with like-minded enthusiasts across the worldwide web. Whatever the aerospace image, perhaps of a fast jet taking off with full afterburner, a picture of you next to your favourite aircraft at a major airshow, or maybe even a fresh and exciting image of the world’s most advanced combat aircraft, Eurofighter Typhoon, why not showcase your photography skills to the world!

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The centerpiece of the festivities was a large historical exhibition, retracing with photographs, multimedia projections, works of art and numerous exhibits the past 60 years of the air base and some important historical events of earlier dates that still affect the present-day air base. The exhibition filled the entire TLP-hall, as well as the apron next to it, totaling more than 4,000 square meters. Each of the different squadrons and groups of the 2nd Tactical Wing was represented there, as were some of the major players in Belgian aeronautical industry and cities with close ties with the air base. The exhibition was set up in close cooperation with the Brussels Air Museum, the White Bison Museum relating the history of Bierset Air Base and of course the Florennes’ Spitfire Memorial Museum.

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On Thursday 27 September, all people who have worked on Fouga’s, flown Fouga’s or are big fans of them met together in the 1st Wing of Beauvechain (Belgium) for a ceremony commemorating the 47 years of dedicated service of the CM 170 Fouga Magister in Belgium. On that commemorative day the opportunity was given to all Fouga-minded people to see it one last time. From 14 till 18.00 hours pilots, technicians, and other Fouga fanatics were able to meet with old friends, have a drink and visit a small historic exposition.

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Italy has a fine seaplane heritage dating back to the earliest flights of water based aircraft. You only have to visit the fabulous Italian Air Force museum (Museo Storico) at the former seaplane base at Vigna di Valle on Lake Bracciano to see a fine collection of indigenous aquatic flying machines. The ‘Aero Club Como’ is based at Como on the southern lake shore of Lago di Como in Northern Italy and is the home of a variety of water based aircraft. The fantastic setting offers some stunning photography. I was able to take a couple of brief breaks from a family holiday to take these images. The whole area is very accessible offering some wonderful opportunities for photography. During my short times there I certainly did not explore every avenue, which could have included hiring a seaplane or boat. Instead I walked around the immediate area, to get shots of the frequent flying activity. The backdrops are fabulous, Lake Como is surrounded by steep sided mountains, with historic villages and towns scattered along its shoreline.

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Finally, the complete photographer’s filter suite, that includes noise reduction, photographic filters, optimal image sharpening, all in one package! Includes full versions of all Nik filter products. Nik Software is privileged to work closely with some of the best photographers in the world whose disciplines span the gamut from portrait and wedding, to commercial, fine art, and editorial photography. We’ve united with a select group of professional photographers to form “Team Nik” and deliver practical education for the photographic arts community. We hope you enjoy their work as much as we do. Be sure to check Skycontrol’s October contest, you could win this fantastic and powerful software package.

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Jet Airways chose Brussels Airport (voted Best Airport in Europe in 2006 by the Airport Council) as its European hub for developing its international network to Europe and America. This decision will have a tremendous impact on the activities in and around the airport: the processing of operations, a great influx of transfer passengers, interconnectivity as well as the creation of additional job opportunities. Brussels Airport, Jet Airways and code share partner Brussels Airlines have entered into a close cooperation to offer a transfer product that will make Brussels Airport the main European hub, thus interconnecting the large regions of the world, Europe, the United States, Canada, Asia and Africa.

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