RoCAF tour 2015

[Homebee]

Once a year I try to spot far far away. After two trips in Japan it was time to find another target. This year I went to Taiwan.
I paid visits to Hsinchu (Mirage 2000), Chiayi (F-16), Tainan (F-CK-1), Taichung/CCK (F-CK-1), Gangshan (AT-3 & T-34C), Taitung (F-5), Hualien (F-16 & RF-5) & Taipei/Songshan (transport a/c) airbases. And it was nice, really nice. The RoCAF fighter bases being active 7/7.
As when the weather or light conditions are not of my convenience I drop my film cameras (with slides films!) and move to pics for dummies, I mean digital picture.


Hsinchu

Hsinchu

Tainan

Gangshan

Hsinchu

Hsinchu

 

Taichung/CCK

Gangshan

Gangshan

Gangshan

Gangshan

Gangshan

V.P.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Homebee

[modelling minion]

Very nice.

It would be great to see any more you would care to share with us.

Craig.

[Latinbear]

Those are great. Nice to see something unusual and would love to see more if you are prepared to post them.

Did you encounter any problems with base security or local police?

[Homebee]

Sorry no more digital pics as I'm still an analog photographer.

Most of my pics were taken from outside the walls, as in Taiwan the bases are mostly walled. We also went to the Hsinchu airshow. Take care despite they are public events as foreigner you need prior permission to access the RoCAF airshows. It was also the only place where we were controlled - like the five other attending Europeans! - by the police although they were hundreds of local spotters (see pictures herebelow)! It was just a very polite ID control.

 

 

 

After nearly two days of spotting at Taitung a military man in sportswear resquested our to move away - once again no aggressivity. That said we adopted every time it was possible a low profile. But I can do what I want, I'll never look Chinese.

Spotting is obviously authorized for the locals and tolerated for the foreigners as soon as you don't take pictures from or toward the military installations. More sensitive seem to be Taichung/CCK, home of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) main plants, and Taitung, considered as an important warbase with large as hidden underground installations. Also off limit but not in use when we visit this platform is the Hualien warbase located close to the mountain and connected to the main base with a large tawiway. 

 

We met or saw local spotters (real or undercover agents? ) at Hsinchu, Tainan, Hualien and Songshan. Despite the barriers posed by language they were very friendly and welcoming. These last two words also pretty well sum up the Republic of China.

 

V.P.

 

Source: http://forum.scramble.nl/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=120433&hilit=Taiwan

 

Quote

When planning a trip to Taiwan, the following info might be useful. Operations. Generally speaking, the RoCAF flies a lot more than we are used to in Europe. Flying starts quit early in the morning. Take off at 7:15 hours is normal. Missions are fairly short, so the first recoveries can be expected before 8:00 hours. During the morning there are two waves. In the afternoon is usually only one. A lunch break is observed between 12:00 and 13:00. The 2nd morning wave is back before this break. In the afternoon, ops are started up again between 13:30 and 14:00 hours. During the weekend, only one wave is launched in the morning. Travel. Roads are well maintained in Taiwan and aren’t extremely busy. Except, of course, in the city centers. Although traffic isn’t as disciplined as in Japan, we didn’t find it very challenging to drive. Satellite navigation is an absolute must! Highway tolls are charged through the rental car company and are reasonable. We paid Euro 35 during our two weeks in Taiwan. Although you don’t have to cover very long distances, don’t be fooled. The average speed is low. Watch your speedometer, as speed limits are low and Taiwan has more speed cameras than traffic lights. Photography. Photography of military aircraft is allowed, as long as there is no infrastructure on your photo. In other words, a plane in the sky is ok. This is the case in other countries too, but in Taiwan this rule is also enforced. When they catch you photographing infrastructure, you’ll be sent away. To say the least. Don’t be surprised when the air force sends out an undercover agent to check you out. Just like in Japan, they are very friendly. They just want to check you out. And who can blame them? When they are satisfied that you follow the rules, they will leave you in peace. So, not harm done. Most Taiwanese bases are surrounded by a very high concrete wall, complete with (manned) sentry towers. For the number crunchers amongst us, this doesn’t make life easy. For photographers, this means no descent taxi or take off shots. When I can think of one downside of Taiwan, this is it.

 

Edited April 13, 2017 by Homebee

[Antoine]

Indeed, Taiwanese are among the most friendly people that I've met so far, IF NOT the most friendly.