What a spectacle!

We were promised a spectacle, and what a show it was as Welshpool Airport became a practice strip for a giant Airbus Atlas A400 today.

The Royal Air Force transporter plane was practicing steep approaches at the facility on the edge of town, with scores of observers coming out to capture the action. 

The airport warned yesterday to expect some action and the crowds were not disappointed, getting a close up view of our world-class pilots in action.

Reader Paulk Williams captured these images of what he described as “great low passes over the airport”.

The four-engine plane is built by Airbus and was first introduced in 2013 with numerous air forces already deploying the tactical airlifter which is seen as a long-term replacement for ageing aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules.

In August 2021, a total of 25 A400Ms were deployed by Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the UK to assist in the Kabul Airport evacuations. 

PICTURES: Paul Williams, H18-PDW Photography.