Historic Aerial Photo Resources

DavidSutton wrote:

Thanks for the info Peter. I've checked their price list and the cheapest option seems to be 16.50+VAT. How much are the "research copies" supposed to be please? Perhaps I need to sign up to see those prices.

I can't recall the exact prices for NCAP "research copies" but the first image from a sortie is one price but subsequent images from the same sortie are a lot cheaper. As an example I have just had three images from a single sortie for £5.40. The images do seem to vary in quality as the early ones I got were almost useless but more recently they have been a lot clearer. Not sure why there is some inconsistency as the stated resolution for research copies was 72dpi but this doesn't have a size stated so is not very helpful on its own. Still it is better than paying £60 for a high quality scan of the wrong frame.

I too checked the price list but couldn't find research copies mentioned. I hope they haven't stopped doing them as that would effectively stop me buying high resolutions ones for the reasons stated!

Finally if you are trying to order OS photography from the finding aids, be warned they have laid mines to prevent you getting the right frames. None of my orders have been successful as the finding aid is the same for a number of sorties and there is no way to be sure you are ordering the right frame/sortie combination. Each time I think I've got it right they come back telling me that frame doesn't exist. Shame as they cover the 50s to the 70s for Scotland.

I have not been able to to access the NCAP website since Friday (26 June 2019). It looks as though it is down . Hopefully it will be back soon!

I think it was yesterday that I noticed PASTMAP not working.

ScotlandsPlaces, Canmore, BritainfromAbove, Scran, BuildingsatRisk, PastMap I’m afraid - apologies, hopefully back up as soon as possible
9:16 PM · Jul 27, 2019·Twitter for iPhone

Oddly I can't find anything online about it as all the relevant links are dead.

The most recent post on the Historic Environment Scotland Facebook page is 27th July

Update on TWITTER

All the affected sites are now back up and NCAP has released some more Luftwaffe sorties from 1940/1. Range coverage is good this time with Pepperbox Hill, Ashley Walk, Porton Down, Skipsea, Donna Nook and Okehampton all featured.

This lot has now ventured further into Yorkshire with Leconfield and Skipsea range/airfield decoy covered. The decoy shows a few airfield type features so is worth a look. Other airfields covered are Brize Norton, Stanton Harcourt, Yatesbury, North coates, Leconfield and a few others. .Leconfield shows the building of the runways just starting. Chivenor, however is just an empty field with only the pre-war aerodrome visible.

A few links:
ncap.org.uk/frame/24-1-2-122-11?pos=10
ncap.org.uk/frame/24-1-2-122-16?pos=15
ncap.org.uk/frame/24-1-2-122-10?pos=9
ncap.org.uk/frame/24-1-2-112-58?pos=0

I must have a think about renewing my subscription, I tend to do so when there is something I want to look up or there is something new.

Sadly a lot of the really good stuff from the 60s and 70s is only placeholders only so it is really frustrating, especially when your area of search shows three pages of placeholders only!
However if it is still only £20 for zoom view that is good value for just a dozen or so frames let alone a year.

Apart from going to Edinburgh, local councils often have sets of the images. I had a look at some in Inverness some years ago.