Pic(k) of the week 18: Stampe SV-4C biplane, Verchocq, France

Belgium, is not really known for being a country of large aircraft manufactures, however the Stampe SV-4 biplane designed in the early thirties by Stampe en Vertongen in Antwerp (Belgium), is one exception!  

After only 35 SV-4's were built, the company closed doors during the second World War, to resume production in 1947, under the new Stampe et Renard brand.

While about 90 SV-4's were built in Belgium, more than 500 SV-4C's were license built in France and Algeria, by SNCAN (Sociéte Nationale de Construction Aeronautique du Nord).

A few weeks ago, I was out flying my 1954 Piper Super Cub, in close formation with some other "Aviators". One of the other vintage airplanes in the four-ship formation, was a beautiful example of a SV-4C, built by SNCAN after WWII and restored by Raymond's Aircraft Restoration

The image was shot over lunch at the Aéro Delahaye Air Park in Verchocq; a residential Air Park in Northern France, which is every pilots dream! Living on a small grass airport with your aircraft parked in the "garage" below; what more can a pilot wish for!

Seeing this almost 70 year old biplane, shining in the afternoon sun, was a memory that will be stored on the personal harddisk, but having it in the form of a photograph makes it all that much more memorable. 



Image details:
Fujifilm X-Pro2 with XF18-135 Fujinon lens
ISO 200, f8, 1/350s, 19.5mm (29mm full frame equivalent)
Lightroom CC for RAW and Black and White conversion

I often get the question, if I don't like Lightroom for Black and White conversions, because I often use Nik SilverEfex instead... While I often go the SilverEfex way, Lightroom is definitively up to the task when it comes to B&W editing. On the image above, I actually tried emulating the same effect using Nik and wasn't able to fully do so in a reasonable amount of time. So, the answer is, I'll use whatever I deem best for the task!

I've said it before... combining my two passions in life, Aviation and Photography, makes a perfect fit for me! Exactly as what I'm about to do, where I'll be attending the great Planes of Fame warbird airshow in Chino, CA (US) over the next weekend! Let's test the great XF 100-400 (my review here) telezoom some more...

Remember: "I fly because it releases my mind of the tyranny of petty things" Antoine de Saint-Exupery.








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