This site was set up to showcase my military aviation photography and to promote hobby rocketry in the UK.
After several years of hosting my photos and only linking to them via milAv forae, I decided that it was time to present my work on a more formal basis. Additionally, my previous site at this address was frames-based and was looking rather tired. The name comes from a misspell of 'ignitor' - a pyrotechnic device used to light rocket motors. An ignitor is a catalyst, something that starts a sequence of events. Maybe after browsing the site, it will provide inspiration to others to showcase their work to the world.
The site was hand-coded, using notepad & vi, and uses Scriptaculous, Prototype and Lightview.
Thanks must go to my good friend Cris Schrik whose own site at Aimhigh.nl was an inspiration and who is responsible for turning me on to Lightview - it's a revelation.


I was born & brought up in Lincolnshire, where you're never too far away from military aircraft. My interest in military aviation was sparked by my grandfather who served on 630sqn RAF during the latter part of WWII. Our house was regularly overflown at low level, and before too many years had passed, I attended my first airshow (RAF Coningsby, 1976!). Photography came relatively late on in my teens, but from the age of 11, I used to cycle the 13 miles to RAF Coningsby to watch the Phantoms, and later Tornado F2s over the fence. As I got older, and more mobile, my airshow attendances went from the local Coningsby, Waddington & Binbrook shows to take in Finningley, IAT/RIAT and the much-missed Mildenhall Air Fetes. To this day, and possibly more than ever now, I have a love of military aviation that is sometimes difficult to put into words. It's something that I see in others too, be it at airshows around the world, or on the fenceline at the bases I photograph at, come rain, shine or snow.

I used to be a 'number cruncher' in my mid-teens, but then dropped it. I've recently taken on collation of the Waddington movements for Fighter Control, so have a 'passing interest' in serials again these days. From the fencelines, I've met a whole bunch of people, most of whom have had a positive impact on my life, and several of whom have become good friends. We've travelled across the UK & Europe together to attend airshows or to see unusual aircraft. Cheers to all of you, you know who you are!

I'm currently employed by a major global IT company, running midrange Solaris & Linux servers for the UK's largest Telco. The job is good, the company are OK. The major perk of the job is that I can work from home as & when needed. Given that I live underneath the circuit for Waddington, that's a nice advantage.


I've owned an assortment of cameras over the years, from a Kodak 126 point & click through my current DSLR. My collection includes 2 wet film SLRs, including a Canon AE-1P which got me started on aviation photography again after several years. Other cameras include a Zenit SLR & several webcams mofified for astrophotography and a variety of small stills & video cameras to use onboard my rockets. I've had several digital cameras over the years, starting with a 640x480 Philips model at the turn of the millennium, and progressing through a few Fujis to my current Samsung GX-10.

- Samsung GX-10 body.
- 18-55mm kit lens.
- 50-200 kit lens.
- Pentax 80-320 lens.
- Sigma 70-300 APO macro DG lens.

- Pentax Optio 550 point & shoot.

- I use Sandisk SD cards exclusively.

- Lowepro are my sole choice for camera bags, I own 5 at present.

- Smartdisk 40Gb portable storage unit.


Over the past few years I think I've spent more on rocketry than on any other hobby in my life - it's not cheap if you want good results. I use PerfectFlite & Ozark altimeters, Cesaroni solid & hybrid motors, Giant Leap & PML tubing, SkyAngle chutes, RocketRage harnesses. Kits by PML (L1 & L2), Rebel Rocketry (L3) and Polecat Aerospace. I use NPL epoxy for structural builds and West Systems for laminating I built my own launch controller as I don't trust commercially available ones.

All photos on igniter.org.uk are copyrighted © by the author and may not be used in any way without written permission from the author.
All photos on igniter.org.uk were taken by the author G.J.Platt and I assert my right under worldwide international law to be recognised as the creator of them.
No part or parts of the igniter.org.uk website may be duplicated, printed, modified, published, uploaded, copied, hotlinked or by any other way without the express written permission of the copyright owner.
All images published on this website are available in high resolution for publication in magazines, books or for commercial purposes. Please contact the copyright owner to discuss this use.
If you have an interest in using any of my work for the above reasons, or you have questions or comments please email me.
Email contact address: enquiries(at)igniter(dot)org(dot)uk (to avoid spam)

I do not trade or give away images for personal use, and any unauthorised use of my copyrighted work will result in immediate legal action.
© must be given to the photographer at all times.


Martin "Foxyee" Fox; Andy & Rochelle Chapman in Williston, ND; Rich & Candie Ruane in Des Moines, IA; Steve "mmmm, Donuts!" Cambers; Stu "Cap'nStu" Skelton; Rob Adams; 'Robbie' Robertson; Rick "Moose" Sleight; Nick Overmire @LAAS; Gordon "G0rd" Jones; Karl A Drage; Berry "Pretty boy" and Judith Stolk (for putting up with Berry & us); Rene en Marga Kolle; Cris Schrik; The rest of the 322 guys @Leeuwarden; The Waddo spotting crew - Pete, Graham, Ade and the rest; Malcolm & Linda @ WAVE; Dave & Claire Dunham; Kel & Esther Scrupps; Nick "My Landrover's broken again" Barber - tell your mum about the TA & dressing up as a soldier! ; Pete, Allie, Yazzer & Harvey "my nappy's full mum!" Barnett; AndyB & HeidiC; Howard "Wod" & Sarah "Wirly" Charlton; Ratty; Dave & Kate Smart; Chris Cooper; John & Julie Walker; Helen B/L for showing me how bad my photography skills are!; my old gang in Boston - IQ & Axe crowd; Jake & Tig; Stevie (R.I.P - gone but never forgotten); Ben & Mark @Imperial Teas of Lincoln for highest quality Fogo Island; George Battersbee @Poachers Brewery; Bateman's @Wainfleet
You've all enriched my life & made it worthwhile, even on the worst days. Thank you!
Thanks to Alison & Baggy for putting up with me for 20 & 14 years respectively.