Indeed the weather was very bad, so the move to the other side of Tokyo started. A quick stop at Shimofusa showed a very open field on one side and the present aircraft are seen easily. There was not much flying going on, but from the road the P-3 and YS-11s on the platform were photographed, nice to see some planes still in the old colours.

The journey was quickly continued to Atsugi. On the freeway the traffic was not bad but once you leave the freeway it is totally different: 10 mile an hour is possible and no faster. This made the last part of our journey a long one. At Atsugi the flying had been great all day and being on the end of the runway gave some very nice photo opportunities. The CAW wing was doing carrier trails so they were flying on and off to the carrier, which was sailing not far from the Tokyo Bay. The types we had missed during our base visit the previous Saturday were flying good we saw several C-2 and E-2 as well as the Seahawks. From the Japanese side, the P-3’s were doing well, including the special versions. New with the JMDSF is the SH-60K a local upgrade by Kawasaki.

When taking picture at the southern end of the runway, from the footbridge, you have to take care with the trucks that are passing you within inches from the barrier, so take care when you point your lens in the direction of the runway…

On of the nicest aircraft is the YS-11, they have a unique look and sound. With the flying being so good we stayed until dusk taking pictures. One of the last aircraft was a C-130E from Yokota: not a spectacular visitor you would say. But it would be the only decent picture we would get of the Yokota aircraft. And when we left the Japanese were still on it, still taking pictures using only the landing gear lights as illumination: they just love the USN

The next day we wanted to be at Hamamatsu so we pointed the car West on the Express way. With the help of the navigation system a hotel was found and we were off and about in the centre of Hamamatsu.