Aviation nostalgia

Aviation nostalgia - Images by Felix Features

In the chaos that is called "moving flat and office" a lot of old pictures has resurfaced from boxes and other unsuitable "archives". Amongst them some pictures from my days as a conscript in the Norwegian Air Force. I was very fortunate to combine two of my passions, photography and aviation. Officially I was a low ranking "photo assistant" but for all practical purposes I worked as a regular, independent photographer at Bardufoss air base. Thanks to a very generous officer passing assignments on to me I also got lots of time in the air. I enjoyed low level flying in helicopters, hanging out of open helicopter doors, back on the ramp of a cargo plane, photographing fast jets, buzzing tree tops in old Cessna Birddogs (from the '50s), and enjoying the fantastic arctic scenery from above. It was great! I could see myself following the footsteps of aviation photographer George Hall. He looked like Magnum PI, but had traded the Ferrari and Hawaii t-shirt for Top Gun jet fighters and a camera! Could you get any cooler than that?
Well, I could never grow that mustache... So I went on to do a different kind photography, my feet mostly on the ground. But those were good times up North. Thanks Lt.Simonsen!