REQ.: NAS Oceana and NAS Norfolk tours

[dinger]

I am hoping to visit Virginia in May and whilst there I would like to attend one of the public tours that are provided at both Norfolk and Oceana Naval bases. I am not sure what to expect from these tours so was wondering if anyone had attended any in the past. My main interest is in photography and my question would be - what are the opportunities like for taking photographs of the based aircraft during these tours. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Dinger.

[Einstein]

Hi Dinger,

I can't tell you about the Oceana tour as I have no experience with that.

As for Norfolk, I attended the public tour in May 2010. You get to see a lot of the base, like where the admiral lives, the houses that were built for the World Fair in 19xx etc. Unfortunately the interesting stuff - aircraft - can only be seen from a distance. And even then views are constantly blocked by cars, buildings, containers, fences etc. Photo-opportunities were zero. There was one place where we had a fairly good view at a platform with Sea Knights, but the bus doesn't stop. And taking pictures from a riding bus, through the windshield, was a disaster.

In my opinion you're better off spending your time outside the fence, there are a couple of spots where you can snap some shots of flying aircraft. If you need more info, also on other airfields in that area, just let me know!

Regards,
Jochem Manders
Editor Scramble Intelligence Service

[Bennie]

I am hoping to visit Virginia in May and whilst there I would like to attend one of the public tours that are provided at both Norfolk and Oceana Naval bases. I am not sure what to expect from these tours so was wondering if anyone had attended any in the past. My main interest is in photography and my question would be - what are the opportunities like for taking photographs of the based aircraft during these tours. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Dinger.

I was once granted a private visit to Oceana after tough negotiations with public affairs. I was given a personal guide with a car, and we drove along all flightlines, stopping on my request. From memory, I scored 50+ F14s, plus 20+ F/A18s (including VFC-13).