Air-to-Air: Spitfire MH434 and Morane D-3801 over Bex

Twenty minutes. That's all it lasted, and I'm still not sure I have landed back on Earth.

I can't say exactly when the idea came up. I think it was around the time we got the confirmation that the Spitfire was coming to Bex for our open day. As a photographer, my first thought was to find a good spot to shoot it with the mountains in the background. Then it slowly turned into: why not do it from the air?

I kept it as a personal side project in my head, as I didn't want it to get in the way of organising the event. A lot of moving pieces had to come together. Then during one of the planning meetings, the discussion drifted onto that topic and I brought the idea up. Sometimes you just need the right people in the same room at the same time. Jacques Berger, our flight director, took the lead on the project, and since he flies the PC-7, everything came along from there.

The briefing was really simple. Keep it simple, that's what works best. One formation, an easy plan to join up, the order, speeds and positions. The only surprise was when Laurent asked me if I had white gloves. It turns out it's so the pilots can see my hand signals and move their aircraft up or down without having to use the radio.

The flight was planned right after the training displays for the event, so we actually watched the Spitfire practice its display from the PC-7 cockpit, with Jacques supervising the training on the radio. As soon as the display was almost over, Jacques started the turbine and everything went very quickly. Laurent took off in the Morane and we followed right behind.

Then comes a strange moment. You see the Spitfire in the distance, he dives to get behind you, and then you don't see him for a while. I can't see him, I can't see him, I can't see him… and all of a sudden he slides from behind to your side and he's just there, so massive and flying so close. Incredible.

We flew a bit with the Spitfire alone, then the Morane joined and the Spitfire made some room for him. Watching the three aircraft move together and lining them up with the Dents-du-Midi and the Mont-Blanc was intense. Jacques kept the PC-7 right on track, so I only had to give a few altitude and position corrections.

Of course I had to shoot to the side and a bit backwards, through the canopy. I had thought about it beforehand and bought a big silicone lens hood that you press against the canopy to cut the reflections. It works quite well.

Looking at the back of the camera, I knew a few pictures were pretty good. But it's hard to come back down after something like that. The event was the next day and I really needed some sleep, but leaving the computer that evening was not easy.

A big thank you to Jacques Berger, Paul Bonhomme and the Old Flying Machine Company and to Laurent Calame and Mobile Air Service. And of course to AeroBex and Yves Rossy, without whom the Spitfire would never have been here.

Enjoy the pictures!