Fabulous image

I've just gone back to Ball, after trying a pan and tilt that came with my Velbon. I bought a Manfrotto Pro head, it's so much easier than pan and tilt. P and T are fine for video I think, but I really can't get on with them for normal photography. Sounds like you need a better ball head.

Of the millennium...

Jessops have been crap for years. SRS or Park for me, or online if I'm not able to get to either, or they don't have it.

Err yes, it was kind of make sure you had you technique right before wasting loads of film. I still have my prints from the BTCC meeting I went to.
Got to love the disposable nature of digital. I'd never take 700 shots in a day on film, like I did last weekend at a jousting tournament (post coming when I've gone through them...)

Very nice. Not tried this since the days of film.

I posted in another thread about settings, when Chris asked, but for those interested, all of my in flight shots are handheld (or occasionally with a monopod in lower light) and I use single centre point focus and AFC mode for focus. I will adjust the f-stop accordingly to keep the shutter speed below 1/1000th, which will keep the wings nicely blurred. The rest is practice. Not easy to get some species, never still (Brown Hawkers grrrrr), but Migrant Hawker, Southern Hawkers and Norfolk are reasonably good targets, as they do hover in one spot, or close to it at least.
All of the comments have been much appreciated. Thank you all.

Thank you, it's very much appreciated. It has taken a good few shots to hone the technique, but I do now have a setting that seems to work well. I have seen many shots with the wings frozen in motion, which just looks a bit odd. Anything below 1/800th seems to be ok though.

It's an Angle Shades Moth Caterpillar.

Very nice. I'll check my book when I get home tonight.