Publisher:AirShowsReviewLLC.

ContributingTeammembers:
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Europe:PeterThivessen,WolfgangJarisch,RayPace,PatriceOlivier,RobertKysela

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Welcometoanimportantmilestoneforus,thisisour5thAnniversaryissue!Overthepastfiveyearsalot
haschangedthatincludesthenameofthemagazinetoThe Aviation Magazine.
2014 was a banner year for the Aviation Magazine, we had the privilege to some very
uniquevisitsandgainedsomeinsightandperspectivestothetrainingofpeopleinvolvedinthecivilianand
aswellinthemilitaryaviationsectors.
Wearelookingforwardtothe2015airshowseason,whilewemaynotcoverasmanyshowsaswedidin
thepreviousyearsduetothefactthatwearenowsleekerandleaner,withaslightlyreducedstaff.How
ever,ourcoveragewillremainconsistentwithwhatwestartedoutinourfirstissue:toprovidetheBEST
aviationimagesinanebasedpublication.

Inthemeantimeenjoyouranniversaryissuefeaturingourworldwidecoverageofaviationevents.
Sostayconnectedwithusatthe Aviation Magazine...

he third and final Red Flag training exercise of 2014 took place July 1425 in the
hot desert skies outside of Las Vegas, NV. Red Flag 143 attracted USAF
squadrons from across the US and Europe as well as foreign participants.
TheRepublicofSingaporeAirForces428thFighterSquadron,basedatMountainHomeAFB,sent8F15SGs;
theRSAFs425thFighterSquadron,basedatLukeAFBsent8F16s.Thesewerecomplementedbyseveral
CH47s,andsupportedbyroughly300groundpersonnel.TheFrenchAirForcealsoparticipatedwithaSpe
cialOperationsC130.Inall,116aircraftandapproximately2400individualsfrom20unitscametoNellisAFB
totakepartinthetwoweekexercise.

TheformatforthisFlagcloselyfollowedthatoftheprevioustwoFlagsthisyear,namelyadaylaunch,which
thistimedepartedshortlyafternoonreturningby4PM,andanightlaunch,departingatduskandreturning
bymidnight.Inadditiontotheveryvisiblelaunchesandrecoveriesofoverahundredaircrafteachday,this
summersexercisecontinuedthetransitionfromapurelytacticaltrainingtoamorestrategicexercise.The
realvalueofRedFlaghereisnotjustoperatingandgettingtheairplanesairborne,butlearninghowtowork
withalliedforcestousethepiecesthatyouhaveonyourteamtoaccomplishwhatevermissionthatmight
be;andinRedFlagthattypicallyinvolvesstrikingareasthatareheavilydefended,survivingtheefforttodo
that, and if not, conducting search and rescue operations, explained Lt. Col. Jordan Grant, 414th Combat
TrainingSquadrondeputycommander.Inadditiontotheaerialthreats,theBlueTeamlearnedtoaccomplish
theirmissionsinafullycontestedenvironment,includingcyberandspaceattacks.Seeourpreviousreviews
foranoverviewofthegoalsoftheexerciseandadditionaldetailsinourAprilMayandJuneJulyissuesof
TheMagazine.

Ayearagowedidn'thavethesummerFlagandthatdirectlytranslatedtolessreadinessandlesstrainingfor
theaircrewsthatotherwisewouldvecometoRedFlag,Grantsaid.Wevehadourfullthreeflagsthisyear,
andthevalueofitissuchthattheAirForcehasdecidedtoputonfourFlagsnextyearbecausewerecognize
howimportantitisthatwekeepdoingthisonaregularbasis.

ASRMediawouldliketothankthestaffofthe99thAirBaseWingPublicAffairsOfficeforalloftheirsupport
duringourvisit,inparticular1stLtSarahRuckriegle,MSgtDavidMillerandSSgtSiutaIka.

F16CoftheRSAF,topleft
F15SGoftheRSAF,midleft
F15E USAFE, RAF Laken
heath,England,bottomleft
B1Bs,EllsworthAFB,SDtop
andmidright
Filmstrip: 2 F16s from the
Agressor Squadrons and an
F22Raptor.

AftersomeslightmodificationstheC121shouldhavestartedanewlifetogetherwithanotheraircraftofthe
sametypeflyingtouristsacrosstheGrandCanyon,unfortunatelythisprojectcametonothing.Nowusing
thecivilianregistrationN73544,ourC121waspurchasedbyagentlemannamedDaryoushBenniYounesi,
who partnered with William Winky Crawford, owner of Winkys Fish Company. This company wanted to
haul fish from the Philippines to Japan operating two SUPER CONSTELLATION. After a few trips flying with
their#2aircraft(aformerNavyC121J)thecompanyfacedsomedifficultiesandtheC121Jwasseizedby
theauthoritiesatManilaInternationalAirport,wheresheremainsuntiltoday.

OnJanuary,the15th1984N73544wasonaferryflighttoCamarillo.Whenitwasonthefinalapproachone
oftheenginescaughtfire.Stillshemadeasuccessfullanding,butwastowedtowardsaremoteplaceofthe
airfield,wheresheremaineduntouchedforalmostadecade,alreadywaitingtobescrapped.Inthemean
time Benni Younessi founded the CHS (Constellation Historical Society) and started to restore the old lady
withagroupofvolunteers.Thewholeprojectsucceededonthe23rdofJune1994whenBenButoracand
ChuckGranttookherbacktotheairagain.SincethentheC121CwasaregularperformeronUSAirShows.

Afteralmost10yearsofflyingontheUSAmericanAirShowsceneBenniYounessisignedaleasing/purchase
contract(17thofDecember2003)withtheSwissSuperConstellationFlyersAssociation.Aftersomestopand
goes(theoriginalsponsorjumpedoffjustbeforethecontractwassigned)theSCFAmadeithappenthe
LockheedC121CSUPERCONSTELLATIONtookoffromCamarilloAirportonApril,the26thof2004andflew
acrosstheAtlanticOceantoBaselMulhouseAirportinSwitzerland.Paintedinthecoloursofthemainspon
sor,theSwisspremiumwatchmanufacturerBREITLING,theSTAROFSWITZERLAND,assheiscallednow,re
ceivedhernewcivilianregistrationHBRSCin2007

Allimagesunlessnoted20014WolfgangJarisch

TheAVIATIONMAGAZINEwasinvitedtoflywithoneoftheworldslastairworthyLockheedL1049SUPER
CONSTELLATIONoperatedbytheSuperConstellationFlyersAssociationinBasel/Switzerland.Attheendof
MaythisyearwereceivedaphonecallfromtheOperationDirector,Mr.ErnstFrei,whoinformedus,that
theSuperConnie,isscheduledforaflighttoUKtoparticipateattheannualFlyingLegendsAirshowatDux
fordaswellastheFarnboroughAirShowinthefollowingweek.Whatagreatopportunityforustobeon
boardthismagnificentairliner!Wewouldliketoinviteyou,ourreaders,tocomewithusonthisfantastic
tripherewego!

ShorthistoryoftheBreitlingSuperConstellation(HBRSC)

Thisparticularaircraft(serialnumber4175/USAFserialnumber54156)wasbuiltbyLockheedinBurbankas
aC121CformilitarypurposeandwascommissionedwiththeMATSAtlanticDivision(MATS=MilitaryAir
TransportService)onNovember,the1st1956.Afterarelativelyshort,uneventfulcareerwithintheUSAFshe
was transferred to the ANG (Air National Guard) in 1962. The last operational service she saw within the
167th Aeromedical Squadron / West Virginia ANG. After decommissioning she was flown to the Davis
MonthanAirForceBaseforstorageanddisposalin1972.Soonerorlaterthisisnormallytheendofmostair
craft, the C121 was lucky as she was acquiredby a crop dusting company called Aviation Specialties. This
companyneededareplacementfortheirownBoeing307STRATOLINER,whichwaslaterhandedovertothe
Smithsonian Institution/National Air & Space Museum. Together with the company's fleet of Boeing B17
WaterBomberaircraft,theConniewasusedasacropdusterfrom1973until1979.

WolfgangJarisch

WolfgangJarisch

PeterThivessen

PeterThivessen

WolfgangJarisch

WolfgangJarisch

left turn to Emden flying alongside the North Sea coast line and further on we crossed the border to The
Netherlands. There we flew above the famous Lake Ijssel and crossed the Royal Netherlands Navy Station
DenHelderaswellastheislandofTexelbeforeweheadedtowardstheBritishislands.Theweatherwas(as
forecasted)farfrombeinggood,stilltheplaneflewverystableandsmooththroughtheskywhatafantas
ticfeeling!

Duringthefirststageofourflightwegotachancetowatchthecrewdoingtheirjob.Comparedtoamodern
airlinertheworkloadofthepilotandhiscrewina1950eraaircraftisabsolutelyheavy.Especiallytheflight
engineerhastokeepaconstanteyeontheengineinstruments,thesocalledTurboCompoundenginesare
infamousfortheirunreliability.Inourdaysitisverydifficulttogetanexperiencedflightengineerwhoiscer
tifiedonLockheed'soldlady,ErnstFreitoldus,thisiswhywehadtwoadditionalflightengineersonboard
(astrainees,astheSCFiscertifiedtoinstructtheirownflightengineers)

OnboardwebecameacquaintedwithAlMalecha,whoisaretiredUNITEDAIRLINESCaptainwithanabso
lutelyimpressive43.000hoursrecordinhislogbook.Morethan6000hourshespentwithintheUSAFflying
suchincredibleaircraftliketheBoeingB17FLYINGFORTRESS,BoeingB29SUPERFORTRESS,BoeingKC97
EXTENDER,FairchildC119BOXCARandofcoursetheLockheedEC121CWARNINGSTAR,justtonameafew.
(Al had trained the crew and taught them to fly the aircraft and he is still the contact point for technical
questions,butnolongeractiveintheteam)Alisnow82andjoinshispartner,ourflightattendantCatherine
LeuteneggeronherflighttoDuxfordcelebratingtheir10thanniversaryoftheirpartnership.Wewishthem
allthebestfortheircommonfuture!

NowwesetcoursetotheUnitedKingdomcrossingtheEnglishChannelandflyinginthedirectiontoDuxford.
Ontheground,theUnionJackaswellastheSwissflagwerealreadypreparedforourarrival,nevertheless
wecouldnotlandinDuxfordduetotheweather,soMr.Freiinformedus,thatwewilldiverttowardsFarn
borough,wherethepreparationsfortheforthcomingFarnboroughAirShowwasalreadyunderway.After
landing and while waiting for better weather in Duxford, we were able to watch some of the rehearsals,
whichwasabsolutelyimpressive.

LateintheafternoonwereceivedtheclearanceforourflighttoCambridgeshire,stillwehadtowaituntila
Boeing P8 POSEIDON finished her display. After the brand new Turbofanversion of the venerable Boeing
737,haslanded,wereceivedtheOKfromthetower,sowetookoffwithoutwastingmoretimeflyingatlow
levelabovethebeautifulEnglishcountrysidetowardsourfinaldestination.Atexactly17:15hlocaltimeour
pilot made a perfect and safe landing at Duxford airport. Hundreds of spectators and aviation enthusiasts
were already waiting for us and gave us a joyful applause! After a long, but amazing trip with one of the
greatestlegendsinaviationhistorywereachedourdestination.

FlightNr.SCF710fromBaselMoulhoseFreiburgtoDuxford

9thofJuly,2014:wewerealreadyonthewaytoSwitzerland,justafewmilesawayfromtheGerman/Swiss
border,whenwereceivedaphonecallfromtheOperationDirector,Mr.Frei,whotoldus,sorryguys,dueto
thebadweatherconditionsaroundBaselairportthereisnochancethatwewillbeabletoflytoDuxfordto
day.WewillgiveitanothertryonFriday,astheforecasterspredictedimprovedweatherconditionsforFri
day.Letusmeetinthedeparturehallat08:00hlocaltime!

11thofJuly,2014:wewokeupprettyearlyinthemorningandhadalookoutofthewindow.Whatwesaw
didnotlookverypromising.Completeovercast,justplaingreysky!AswereceivednophonecallfromMr.
Freiwecaughtataxiandheadedtowardstheairport,wherewearrivedjustrightontimetomeetMr.Frei
andthewholecrew.Theflightwasalreadyannouncedonthescreensinthedeparturehall(flightnumber
SCF710,departingatGate22).Weweretoldtohurryup,astheweatherwassupposedtoclearupinan
hourfromnowon,evenwithsomesunnyspotspossible!

After the security check we walked to the gate where we could see our airliner parked at the end of the
ramp.Whatamajesticview!Whenboardingstarted,wehadtowalktotheStarofSwitzerland,whereour
luggagewasstoredintheaircraftandwecouldtakeourseats.Everybodywasinahurry,sowedidnothave
muchtimetotakeafewphotosfromtheSUPERCONSTELLATIONbeingpreparedontheground.Wewere
told,thatwehaveasmallslottogetairborne,astheConnieisonlyVFRcertified.

TakingofffromBaselMulhouseairportwastheonething,thenextproblemwasthetypicalEnglishweather
inDuxford.Theforecasterstoldthecrew,thattheremightbeagoodchanceforaVFRlanding,butnoguar
antee!Thedecisionwastogetairborneassoonaspossible,toheadtowardsUnitedKingdomand,ifneces
saryflyingadetouruntiltheweatherinDuxfordallowsaproperandsafelanding.

Aftersomemorechecks(especiallytheonesperformedbytheflightengineer,whohadplentyofworktodo
withthe4CurtissWrightR3350CYCLONEdoublerowradialengines,eachratedat3250HP,thefirstengine
fired up. The whole procedure is absolutely amazing: fire and lots of smoke coming from the exhaust, a
grumbling sound, some coughing and suddenly the big prop runs beautifully with a constant speed. After
waitingfortheoiltemperatureandpressurereachingtheirsetpointsourcrewreleasedthebrakesandthe
big bird is on its way to the runway. There we got immediately the clearance from the tower, some last
checks,throttleatmax.outputandtherewego!Withanamazingsoundtheaircraftacceleratesandafter
reachingthetakeoffspeedwebecameairborne.Afterclimbingwithaconstantratethroughthecloudsof
the Swiss sky we headed Northbound towards Karlsruhe/Germany with the direction to Frankfurt/Rhine
wherewecouldtakesomephotosfromthishugeairport.TheflightroutetookusthentoBremen,makinga

OurcrewonFlightSCF710onJune112014

Pilot:ErnstFrei;heisthecaptainaswellastheOperationDirector.Aftercompletinghisbasicflighttraininghe
becametheyoungestFirstOfficerwithinSWISSAIR,flyingtheMcDonnellDouglasDC932.Hecontinuedinthe
DC951aswellastheDC8,beingpromotedtoCaptainattheageof31.Hecompletedthetyperatingonthe
MD81,theBoeing747andfinallytheMD11.AdditionallyhewasthesimulatorinstructorpilotfortheMD81as
wellasforthe747foraperiodof18years,beforeheretired.

Copilot:Ronald de Jong;hecompletedhisbasictrainingwiththeDutchGovernmentalPilottrainingschoolat
Groningen,Holland.In1973hewashiredbySWISSAIRasacopilotflyingtheDC932/51seriesandtheDC8.He
waspromotedtocaptainin1987ontheMD81andlaterontheB747in1993.HeflewtheMD11from1998
until2003forSWISSAIRandlaterforSWISS.Beforeheretiredin2010hereceivedthetyperatingfortheAIRBUS
A330andA340.HewasalsoacertifiedflightinstructorontheMD81,MD11andB747.

FlightEngineer:Rolf Harlacher;hewastrainedbySWISSAIRtobecomeanIERAmechanic.Hebecameaflight
engineer,workingforseveralAirlinesandondifferentaircraftliketheHS660ARGOSYortheDouglasDC8.In
1990hebecameaLUFTHANSAflightengineeronBoeing747aswellasan
instructor as well as an inspector. On the flight SCF 710 he, additionally
acted as the instructor for the two flight engineer trainees, Werner
SpichtigandMarkusAerne.

FlightAttendants:Thomas Hofmann;heisthechiefpurserofthecabin
and responsible for the SCFA`s cabin crew operations management. He
started his career with an apprenticeship as a sheet metal worker with
SWISSAIR,lateronheworkedasagroundengineerfrom1979to1990.In
September 1991 he became a SWISSAIR/SWISS flight attendant and in
1995 he became the chief purser on intercontinental flights. Also on
board for our wellbeing was Catherine Leutenegger. She worked as a
flightattendantforSWISSAIR/SWISSfor36years.

Allimagesunlessnoted,2014 WolfgangJarisch

WewanttosaythankyouverymuchtoMr.FreiandhiscrewfromSCFAfortheinvitationtoflywiththemto
Duxford,theirhospitalityonboardandalltheirkindness,whichmadethistripunforgettableforus.Thiswas
aonceinalifetimeexperienceandarealadventureatleastforus,fortheexperiencedcrewitwasproba
blyjustanormalworkingday,somethingtheyalldoeverydaysincealongtime!

TokeepalegendliketheLockheedC121CSUPERCONSTELLATIONintheairrequiresnotonlysomededi
catedmenandwomenbutalotofsupportfromvolunteersanddonations.Feelfreetojointheclubofthe
SUPERCONSTELLATIONFLYERSASSOCIATION(www.superconstellation.org)andbeapartofthisuniquepro
ject!

LefttoRight:FlightEngineerMarkusAerne,FlightAttendantCatherineLeutenegger,CopilotRonalddeJong,
FlightEngineerRolfHarlacher,PilotandOperationsDirectorErnstFrei,andFlightAttendant
ThomasHofmann.

Enginefuelmanagement(wayusedtobe)topleft.AbovethecoastlineoftheNetherlands,topright.
Amustformodernnavigation,midleft.Capt.AlMalechawithCatherineLeutenegger,center.Rollingouttheflag
oftheU.K.beforelanding,midright.Allimagesabove2014WolfgangJarisch.

AmagnificentlookoftheTheStarofSwitzerlandintheair.CourtesyofGuillaumeHulot.

ThebiennialFarnboroughInternationalAirshow(FIAS)provedtobeahugesuccessfortheorganizeraswell
asfortheexhibitorsandtheircustomers.Thetotalamountofexhibitorswas,comparedtothelasteventin
2012,moreorlessthesame,regardlessthesaleshaveexceededtherecordbreakingbenchmarkof210Bil
lionUSDwithinthefivetradedays.

There were plenty of highlights and innovations to be seen at Farnborough, nevertheless the much antici
patedfirstappearanceoftheLockheedMartinF35LIGHTNINGIIinEuropedidnottakeplaceduetoanen
ginefailureofoneofthetestaircraft,whichresultedinthegroundingofthewholefleet.Themanydisap
pointedaviationenthusiastsonsitehavetowaitabitlongertoseethefutureNATOsfighter/bomberon
display.Insteadonecouldsee(again)onlythewoodenmockupoftheF35,stilltherewasagoodchance
tochatwiththeF35sLeadTestPilot,PeterWizzerWilson,theF35communicationmanager,Eric
W.SchnaibleortherepresentativefromBAeSystems,LaurieA.Tortorello.WhenweaskedLaurie
aboutwhenthepublicwillprobablyseetheF35theveryfirsttimeherreplywas:Ihavenot
heardanydiscussionsatthistimeaboutthefirstEuropeanappearanceoftheF35inthefu
ture.ThedecisiontomakethetransAtlanticflightismadebytheU.S.governmentand
themilitary.Iamsuretherewillbeanewsreleasewhenthetimecomes.

ThebrandnewBoeingP8POSEIDONlongrangereconnaissanceaircrafttookal
readypartintheJointWarrior141exercise,heldinScotlandthisyear,never
thelessitwasoneofTHEhighlightsinFarnborough.TheP8ondisplaywas
armed with two CATM84D Harpoon (Captive Air Training Missile). This
configuration was used also during the flying display. The
smallerbrotherofthePOSEIDON,theMSA(MaritimeSurveil
lance Aircraft) had its debut on the 2014 FIAS. Based on the
Business Jet Bombardier Challenger 605 the MSA is equipped with
similarelectronic&surveillancesystemsliketheP8.TheMSAcanfullfill
awiderangeoftasks,likesea&landsurveillance,search&rescuemissions,
antipiracypolicing.Thismodernaircraftisaperfectalternativeforcustomers
whocannotaffordasophisticatedhighendsystemliketheP8.

Oneofthebiggestplayersonthecivilianmarket,theBoeingcompanywasverywellrep
resentedatFarnborough.Theirnewestproduct,the7879DREAMLINERpaintedinthecol
ours of Qatar Airwayswas shown on the daily flying routine together with the 737800 NEXT
GENERATION.OnthemilitarysectortheBoeingF/A18FSUPERHORNETwasdisplayedbyLt.Brad
WilliamsandLt.ChrisGavieers,unfortunatelynotinthesamespectacularwaylikeinthepast,where
BoeingschieftestpilotRiccardoTravenshowedthecapabilitiesofthisfighterjetinaremarkableway.

Withtheexecutivejetsnoneofthebigplayersistobemissed,likeDASSAULT,CESSNA,GULFSTREAMorEM
BRAER,justtonameafew.Thenewestkidontheblock,theEMBRAERcompany,isextremelysuccessfulwith
theirE190andE195aircraftseries.Thelatestmodelofthiscompany,thecargoaircraftKC390,wasputon
the market by using huge posters. The Russian Sukhoi company was also on site with their Super Jet 100
paintedinthecoloursofoneofitscustomer,theMexicanairlineINTERJET.TheAIRBUSGroupwaswellrep
resentedonthedailyflyingdisplayswiththeirA380.Itisalwaysapleasuretoseetheagilityaswellasthe
slowflightcharacteristicsofthismagnificentairliner.AdditionallythebrandnewA350XWBwasondisplay
fortheveryfirsttimeforthepublic.Thisparticularaircraftflewalreadyinthecoloursofitsfirstcustomer,
QATARAirways.

AleniaAermacchiM346,left
VikingAirSeries400TwinOtter,above
TextronAirLandSCORPION,below(imagetakenatRIAT2014)

Abigsurprisewasdefinitelytheveryfirstap
pearance of the Textron AirLand SCORPION.
OriginallydesignedbyCESSNAinWichita,Kan
sas,thislowcostfighterisnowmanufactured
in cooperation between the company TEX
TRON and the company Air Land. The adver
tized price for one aircraft is some 20 Million
USD, the cost for one flight hour will not ex
ceed3000USD.Intimeswherebudgetcutsin
themilitaryaredailyroutine,thisaircrafthas
thepotentialtobecomehighlysuccessful.Thefullscaleproductionisscheduledtostartin2016.

2014WolfgangJarisch

2014WolfgangJarisch

2014WolfgangJarisch

AdditionallyonecouldseeTAIsbrandnewUAVcalledANKA.ThisUAVisbeingproducedintwodifferentver
sions:thetypeAforreconnaissanceandthetypeBforcombatwithweaponry.

TheSwissRUAGcompany,whichisonaroadtosuccesswiththeirneweditionoftheDo228NG,displayed
anupgradedversionoftheSuperPumahelicopter.AllSuperPumasinservicewiththeSwissAirForcewill
receivetheTH06ISRSuperPumaUpgradebytheendof2014.Thismodernizationprogramincludesavion
ics,electricalsystems,theinteriorequipmentaswellasthehelicopterssuperstructureanditsperformance.
WiththisupgradetheSuperPumawillfulfilltheSwissAirForcesrequirementfor,atleast,thenext20years!

Thereislifeintheolddogyetthissayingcanbeusedfor
theVIKINGAIRcompany,whichisspecializedontheformer
DeHavillandcompany`sTwinOtteraircraft.TheyboughtDHs
old production plant, modified the fuselages super struc
ture, implemented new avionics as well as new type of en
gines! How successfully this concept is, one can see in the
sales!Ordersformorethan100aircrafthavebeenplacedto
date,50planeshavealreadybeendeliveredtothecustom
ers. The aircraft on display in Farnborough is painted in the
magnificentcoloursofAirSeychelles.

2014WolfgangJarisch
2014PeterThivessen
2014PeterThivessen

TheAIRBUSGroupisnotonlydesigninghugeairlinersbutisalsoinvolvedinthedevelopmentofUAVs.Built
by the companys sub division CASSIDIAN, the REAL ATLANTE UAS was on static display. For the very first
timeonecouldseetheEFantechnologydemonstratorintheflyingdisplay,whichispropelledbytwoelectri
calfanengines.Thisaircraftachievesatopspeedof220km/h(cruisingspeed:160km/h)andisabletofly
for45minuteswithfullychargedbatteries.ThemilitarypartoftheAIRBUSGroupwaswellrepresentedwith
theA400MandtwodifferenttypesoftheCASAC295.

IncaseofrotaryaircrafttherewasawholeslewofhelicoptersondisplayonFarnboroughsimpressiveshow
ground.TheItalianFINMECCANICAgroupshowedthenew
estacquisitionoftheItalianNavy,theAW101CSARfrom
AgustaWestland.TheveryfirstAW101CSARissupposed
to be commissioned on an Italian Frigate at the end of
2014,Alsoin(future)servicewiththeItalianAirForceand
NavyistheNHIndustriesNH90NFH(NATO
Frigate Helicopter). The NH90 NFH is
alreadycommissionedwiththeDutch
Navy. The NH90 NFH was
equipped with two MBDA
Marte ER (Extended Range)
antiship missiles, which
has a range of more
than100kms.Both
TheNH90NFH,above
TheAW101CSAR,below
T129ATAKcombathelicopter,bottom
types of helicopter
are very versatile and
canbeconvertedintodif
ferent roles within a very
short time. Beside the already
mentioned aircraft one could also
seeanAgustaWestlandAW109TREK
KER as well as the AW 189 medium size
helicopter

AlsobelongingtotheFinmeccanicaGroupisthecompany
ALENIA which presented their LEADin Trainer Alenia Aer
macchiM346andthesmallerbasictrainerM345together
withthenewestadditionofthehighlysuccessfulC27fam
ily, the MC27L Gunship. This armed version of the SPAR
TAN cargolifter is armed with a 30mm Gatling gun and a
speciallaunchersystemforGBU44VIPEREsmartbombs!

The Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) surprised many visi

torswiththeirfirstofficialdisplayoftheT129ATAKcombat
helicopter(outsideTurkey),whichisactuallybasedonthe
Agusta A129. TAI announced, that they will produce 60
aircraftintotal,allofthemlocallybuiltinTurkey.

Diamond42DAMPP,
left
Eurofighter Typhoon
below
AV8B,rightmiddle
A350,rightbottom
2014WolfgangJarisch

MilitarysurveillanceismoreandmorecoveredbyUAVsaswellasbysmaller(andcheapertooperate)air
crafttypes.Oneofthissophisticated,butaffordabletypesistheSAAB340MSA(MaritimeSurveillanceAir
craft).TheAustriancompanyDIAMONDAIRCRAFT,whichiswellknownfortheirhighperformancecivilian
lightaircraftequippedoneoftheirDiamond42aircraftwithQinetiQsASXairbornecommunicationssurveil
lancesystem.TheGermanGROBcompanypresentedtheirG520TEGRETT.Thisaircraftwasalreadydevel
opedinthe1980s(maidenflightwasin1987),onlysome6aircraftintotalwerebuilt(duetoacorruption
scandalanorderoftheGermanLUFTWAFFEwascancelled)andthecompanywentbankrupt.Thenewowner
announcedatFIAS2014thattheproductionandthedevelopmentoftheEGRETTwillresume!

Traditionallythepubliccouldattendtheshowovertheweekendwithitsspectacularflyingprogramanda
very well presented static display. The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the RED ARROWS are celebrating
their50thanniversaryin2014withanextremlydynamicshow.AnotherhighlightwastheRAFsEurofighter
Typhoondisplay.TheTyphoonispaintedwiththesocalledNormandystripestocommemoratethe70than
niversaryoftheAlliedlandingsinNormandy,France.Plentyofhistoricaircraftwereondisplay,likeaGlos
terMeteor,aDeHavillandVampireandtheEnglishElectricCanberraoperatedbyMidairSquadron,justto
mentionafew.Onemajorattraction,notonlyfortheBritishaudience,wastheformationflybyoftheAVRO
VulcantogetherwiththeREDARROWS.

Thelatesttypesofhelicoptersandpassengerjetsshowedtheircapabilitiesaswellasaveryspecial(andrare)
guestfromSpain:anAV8BMATADORVTOLaircraft(theAV8Bisamodifiedandlicenseproducedversionof
theBAeHarrierbuiltbyMcDonnellDouglas)Seeingthelatestachievementsinaviationisdefinitelythrilling,
stilltherewasoneaircraftontheshowwhichquickenedtheinterestofenthusiastsand,especially,ofmany
pilots.WearetalkingabouttheOldLady,thevenerableLockheedL1049SUPERCONSTELLATIONsponsored
bytheSwissBreitlingcompany.Toflyatleastoncewiththisremarkableaircraftisstillthedreamofmany
pilots,whonormallyareonthecontrolsofsuchaircraftlikeaBoeing747,777orAirbusA340/380etc.Well,
thisisatleastwhattheytoldusinmanyinterviews

Thisarticleisjustashortoverviewaboutthisevent,whereonecouldclearlyseethepathintothefuture.We
wanttosaythankyoutoeverybodywhogaveussuchanincrediblesupportinFarnborough,likethepeople
from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, the Airbus Group, PatrickBrunet from NHIndustries, BarbaraCruciani from
Finmeccanica and of course the whole FIAS press team we are looking forward to see you again at FIAS
2016!

2014PeterThivessen

2014WolfgangJarisch

2014WolfgangJarisch

BoeingP8APoseidon,lefttop
BoeingF/A18E/FSuperHornet,leftbottom
Boeing7879,righttop
AirbusA380,rightbottom

2014WolfgangJarisch
2014PeterThivessen

AnotefromtheEditor:TheRoyalInternationalAirTattoo,alsoknownasRIATbymanyfansworldwide,isthe
largestairshow.Thereareofcourseseveralothereventswhichcallthemselvesthelargest,buttheproofis
inthepuddingorinthiscase,isintheactualflightprogramandthenumberofstaticaircraftondisplay.We
hadseveralofourphotojournalistspresent,aswealwaysdoforthiseventandwedecidedtosplitourre
portintotwosegments.InourOctoberNovemberissuewepublishedPart1,whichwasverydetailedand
hereisPart2,writtenfromadifferentperspective.

Some140.000spectatorsturnedupatRAFFairfordfortheRoyalInternationalAirTattoo2014overthesec
ondweekendinJulytocelebratetheRAFRedArrows50thanniversary.Theywererewardedwithbreath
takingmilitaryaerobaticflying,thrillingfastjetdisplays,unbelievableagilemilitarycargoplanes,crowdheli
coptersand,additionallylotsofclassicwarbirds.

TheaerobaticdisplayteamsPatrouilledeFrance,FrecceTricolori,PatrouilleSuisseandtheBreitlingJetTeam
flewintojointheRedArrows'celebrations,thrillingthecrowdswiththeirprecisionflying.OnFriday,11thof
JulytheRoyalInternationalAirTattoowelcomedaroyalvisitoratRAFFairford.HisRoyalHighness,thePrince
ofWales,cametomeetthepilotsoftheRAF'saerobaticdisplayteam.

While the Red Arrows were in the centre of attention, as they celebrated their 50th display season, they
werenottheonlymilitaryaerobaticteamcommemoratingahalfcenturyattheRIAT2014.Additionallythe
Swiss Air Force's aerobatic team, the Patrouille Suisse, is celebrating their 50th anniversary, having flown
theirfirstofficialdisplayonAugust,the6thof1964.Theirbigbirthdaypartytookplaceoverthefirsttwo
weekendsinSeptemberatPayerneAB,inSwitzerland.Seeourphotoreportonpage31.

Some240aircraftcomingfrom25differentcountriesrepresenting31airarmstookpartinAirTattoo2014.
UnfortunatelythemostanticipatedaircraftdidnotshowuptheLockheedMartinF35BLightningII.Allcur
rentJSF(JointStrikeFighter)were(again)groundedduetotechnicalreasons,sotherewasnowaythatany
of the announced aircraft showed up at Fairford during the weekend. Air Tattoo`s Chief Executive Officer
TimPrinceexpressedhisfrustration:Thedecisionwasagreatdisappointmentgiventheamountofplanning
thathadgoneintobringingtheaircraftovertoRIATforitsinternationaldisplaydebut.

Stillthereweresomerarefastjetsinthestaticaswellasintheflyingprogram.Themostfavouriteforthe
vastmajorityoftheenthusiastswasarareappearanceoftwoSukhoiSu22FITTERgroundattackstrikeair
craftfromthePolishAirForce.Anotherhighlightforsurewasthe verylastvisit ofthe VoughtA7Corsair
fromtheHellenicAirForce.InOctoberthisyeartheGreekswillretiretheiroldworkhorseinaflyoutcere
monyontheAraxosAB.

Inconclusion,thequantityoftheaircraftondisplayatFairfordwasdefinitelyfarofffromtherecordbreaking
eventsofthepast,stillthequalityoftheaircraftandtheirperformancesdidnotleaveanyonedisappointed.
Thestaticdisplayshowcasedawiderangeofdifferentaircraftfromallovertheworld,andtheflyingdisplay
didattractthepublicwithanonstopprogramfrom10amto6pmwithlotsofspectacularhighlights,someof
themabsolutelyuniqueinourtimes.

Thumbsupalsoforthegreattrafficcontrolorganisation,whichguidedthousandsofvehiclesalmostwithno
delaystothedesignatedparkingareas.AverypositivebalancewasdrawnbytheAirTattoosmedicalteam,
whoreportednomajorincidentsandaprettyquietweekendforallthosenursesanddoctorswhohadbeen
ondutyoverthe.TheAviationMagazinewouldliketothankthewholeRIAT`sorganizationteam:jobvery
welldone,guyswithspecialthankstoRobertHewsonfromtheSaabGroupforthesplendiddayandthe
hospitalityintheirchalet.(GeorgMaderthankssomuchfortheconnectionwiththeSaabGroup).

2014PeterThivessen

RoyalJordanianFalcons,ExtraEA300L,above
AnEnglishhareinfullflight,left
BalticBees,AeroL39CAlbatros,EstonianAirForce,middle
BACJetProvostT.5,bottom

2014PeterThivessen

2014PeterThivessen

2014PeterThivessen

2014PeterThivessen
2014PeterThivessen

BreitlingWingwalkers,BoeingStearman,top
EurofighterTyphoonFGR4RAFmidleft
ShortsTucanoT1RAF,midright
KC767JJASDF,below

2014PeterThivessen

2014PeterThivessen

2014WolfgangJarisch

2014WolfgangJarisch

PiaggioP180AvantiItalianAirForce,above

2014WolfgangJarisch

2014WolfgangJarisch

BAEHawkT.2RAF,above

SukhoiSu22MFitterPolishAirForce,aboveandtheLTVA7ECorsairHellenicAirForce,below

2014WolfgangJarisch

MesserschmittBlkowBlohmBo105GermanArmy,aboveandEnglishElectricCanberraPR9below

2014WolfgangJarisch

P51DwiththeF/A18C

In2014theSwissAirForcecelebratedtheir100thanniver
sarybyholdingtheirlargestairshowtodateatPayerneAir
Base. The first Swiss flying corps was established at the
startofWorldWarIwiththreeaircraftinAugust1914.As
Switzerlandwasaneutralcountry,theirpilotsseldomfired
ashotinangerduringthewar.
NotesbytheEditor

In2014thePatrouilleSuissecelebratedtheir50thanniversary!TheofficialSwissPatrouilleSuisseaerobatics
team,tookoffforthefirsttimeon22August1964withfourHawkerHunterMk58aircraft.Initsinaugural
year,thenewteamflewduringtheExpo64SwissnationalexhibitioninLausanneandduringthefestivities
relatingtothe50thanniversaryoftheSwissAirForce.In1970afifth,andeightyearslater,asixthaircraft
wasaddedtotheteam.CurrentlytheyareflyingtheF5ETigerII,inanimpressivesixshipformationdemon
stratingtheirskills,unfortunatelymostlyinEuropeonly.

TheSwissAirForcessPC7TEAMcompromisedofninePC7aircraftmanufacturedbyPilatusAircraftLtdin
Switzerland,andpaintedredandwhite,theSwissnationalcolourscelebratedtheir25thyearanniversaryin
2014 also. Thus, three anniversaries were celebrated at once in Payerne AB. Enjoy the images taken by
friendsofTheAviationMagazine.

DeHavilland(FFA)DH100Vampire,p33top,
HawkerHunterTMk68,p33bottom,
NorthropF5FTigerIItop,
DassaultMirageIIIDS,bottom,showingdifferentgenerationsofSwissAirForceaircrafts.

MiG29settingoffsomeflares,fromPolandTheFrenchRAMEXDELTATeamtearinguptheskiesintheirMirage2000Ns

PC7TEAM
Withthe
PatrouilleSuisse

TheFrenchPatrouilledeFrance

TheRedBullP38L

SolarImpulse

TheBreitlingSuperConstellationaboveandbelowandtheP51DMustang"MoonbeamMcSwine"

F5EsofthePatrouilleSuisse&SWISSA330

TheninthannualCaliforniaCapitalAirshowtookplaceatSacramentoMatherAirportSeptember67,2014.
AlthoughtheUSairshowindustrystillsuffersfromtheeffectsoftheongoingbudgetsequestrationwhich
limitsmilitaryparticipation,theCCAwasabletosecuretheUSAFsF22Raptordemonstrationteamaswell
astheMarinesAV8BHarrierIIdemonstration.ThePatriotsJetTeam,whichlastyearhadmadeanappear
anceattheshowafterthelastminutecancelationoftheMCASMiramarShow,wasinthelineupfromthe
beginningandstagedfromMatherField.AdditionaljetnoisewasprovidedintheairbyGregColyerinhisT
33andonthegroundbyBillBraackintheSmokeNThunderJetCar.WarbirdsfromWorldWarIIandthe
Vietnam era were also on display in the sky. Aerobatic fans were entertained by Michael Wiskus and the
wingwalkingdemonstrationsofCarolPilon.Combinethatwithallsortsofaircraftandcarsonstaticdisplay,
themanyveteransinattendance,andthenumerousscience,technology,engineering,andmathexhibitsand
youhavealltheingredientsforasuccessfulairshow!

The gates opened at 0900. Plenty of closein parking

was available on the large airfield apron and
ticket and security checks were handled
very efficiently. A long line of ven
dor and exhibit booths
greeted visitors on
their way to the
many cha
lets,

VIP tents

or open spaces
along the flightline,
wheremanychosetoputup
folding chairs along the
fenceatshowleftandright.

Therewasplentyoftimetoviewtheaircrafton
static display, where large cargo aircraft from
FedExandUPS,suchasBoeing727,757and767s,tookthe
placeofC5,C17andB52sfromtheUSAF.Severalwarbirds,
civilaviationandagriculturalaircraft,includingcropdusters,
filledoutthedisplayspace.Therewerealsoquiteafewvehi
cles,fromvintagemilitarytoclassiccars,ondisplay.

Theflyingbeganatnoonandcontinuedforfourhoursofuninterruptedactionandexcitement.AstheLucas
OilParachuteteamclimbedtoaltitude,abeautifulDC3,TheSpiritofBenovia,flewpast.TheNationalAn
themplayedasMichaelWiskuscircledthedescendingjumpers.Wehadourselvesanairshow!BillBraackgot
the crowd going with his highspeed race down the runway: the 10,000 horsepower Westinghouse J3448
engineoftheSmokeNThunderjetcarpropellinghimtoalmost400mph.TheWestCoastRavensthenput
onaverynicedisplayofformationflyingintheirRVaircraft,culminatinginaperfectfourteenshipflyby.The
Frye.comSabrelinerthenputonabeautifulaerobaticdisplaypayingtributetoBobHoover.

Thewarbirdswereupnext,beginningwithmanoeuvresbytheVulturesRowAT6formationteam,followed
byamockdogfightbetweentheCAFsA6M3ZeroandF6FHellcat.GregWiredColyertookusintotheKo
reanWarerawithabeautifuldemonstrationoftheT33shandlingcharacteristics.Thiswasfollowedbythe
AV8B Harrier II tactical demonstration, performed by the Marines of VMA214 Blacksheep from MCAS
Yuma.Itwasahighpowered,highvolumedemonstrationofrawpowercombinedwiththegracefulhovering
capabilitiesofthisV/STOLaircraft,andbroughtthecrowdtotheirfeet.MichaelWiskusthenreturnedtothe
skyinhisbrightredLucasOilPittsbiplanetoputonhisfullaerobaticdemonstration,completewithloops,
rolls and an inverted ribbon cut at show center. He would return once again later in the day to race Bill
Braackinthejetcar.TheverydistinctivewhompwhompwhompsoundannouncedthereturnoftheUH1
helicopter.EarlierinthedaytheMetroFireUH1Hueyhaddemonstratedawaterdropinfrontofthecrowd,
butthistimeitwasaVietnamerawarbirdconductingaCombatSearchAndRescuemissiontorecoverthe
LucasOilParachuterwhohadperformedearlier.TopcoverwasprovidedbyaT28TrojanastheHueycame
in low and fast, unloaded a squad of military reenactors who ushered the parachutist onboard, then de
partedjustasquickly.

ThePatriotsJetTeam,whichlastyearhadstagedoutoftheirhomebaseofByron,wasontherampthisyear.
Thepilots,includingThunderbirds,BlueAngelsandSnowbirdsveterans,putonabeautifulhighshowintheir
sixblackL39s,completewithmultipledeltaanddiamondformations,tailslidesandheadoncrosses.

Itwasnowtimeforthewarbirdsagain:twoMustangs,aCorsair,SpitfireandaB25Mitchellbombermadea
halfdozenpassesinfrontofthecrowd,frombothrightandleft.Theirdemonstrationclimaxedwithamas
sivewalloffireaspyrotechnicsweredetonatedalongwhatseemedtobethelengthoftherunway.Theheat
from the explosion was quite noticeable even many hundred feet away. Third Strike Wingwalking was up
next: Carol Pilon amazed the spectators with her wing walking demonstration as Marcus Paine skilfully pi
lotedthebrightredBoeingStearmanthroughthebeautifulblueskiesoverSacramento.SteveHintoncom
binedawarbirdflightwithanaerobaticshowinanelegantdemonstrationoftheP38scapabilities.

TheheadlineactthisyearwastheUSAFsF22Raptordem
onstrationteam.CaptJohn"Taboo"Cummingsreallyrocked
the crowd with his amazing demonstration of the fifth
generation stealth fighters capabilities. After his tactical dem
onstration he joined up with Steve Hinton, flying the Lightning
23 Skidoo, for the Heritage Flight. It was a picture perfect
endingtoanotherterrificairshowinSacramento.TheShow
soughttoinspire,remember,honor,educateandentertainand
theCaliforniaCapitalAirshows9thedition,presentedbySacra
mentoCounty,didjustthat,saidDarcyBrewer,executivedirec
toroftheCaliforniaCapitalAirshow.Fromtheperformersin
theskytotheexhibitsonthegroundthemissionwasac
complished. We provided a familyfriendly safe, clean
andentertainingeventthathadfansclamoringfor
more!.

MatherFieldsrunwaylayout(4/22)canbechal
lengingforphotographyearlyintheday,butby
theafternoonwhenthemajorityoftheflightstakeplace
it is much less of a problem. The action takes place close
enoughtotheflightlinethata400mmlensissufficienttocaptureall
oftheaction.Theairshoworganizersprovideavarietyofdifferent
opportunities for the aviation photographer, including access on
arrival and practice days, early morning and evening access and
preferred shooting locations before and during the air show, in
cludingaccesstoascissorliftatshowcenter.

AirBossRalphRoyceandNarratorRicPetersononceagainteamedupand
did a fantastic job of keeping the airspace safe and the audience informed
and entertained. The Aviation Magazine would like to thank Darcy Brewer
andallofthestaff,volunteersandsponsorsforputtingonsuchagreatshow
andKarenStrongforarrangingthemediaaccess.

MetroFireBellUH1HHuey,left
GregWiredColyer,LockheedT33ShootingStar,above

SupermarineSpitfireMkXIV,above
HeritageFlight:P38JLightning23Skidoo&F22Raptor
AV8BHarrierIIDemo,
ontheleft,andP51D
MustangWeeWillyII
belowright

MichaelWiskusinhisPittsBiplaneracingBillBraackintheSmokeNThunderJetCar.

MitsubishiA6M3Zero

RoyalAircraftFactorySE5a,aboveRedArrowsBAEHawk,below

CurtissHawk75

TheonlytwoairworthyAvroLancastersflyingtogetherabove,andtheFokkerDr.Ibelow

"MissPickUp"PBYCatalina,above
SupermarineSpitfireleft
C47,below

TheImperialWarMuseum(IWM)atDuxford/CambridgeshireisoneofthemostinterestingplacesintheUK,
atleastfortheaviationenthusiast.EveryyeartheIWMholdsseveralairshowsovertheseason,oneinMay
(SpringAirshow)oneinJuly(FlyingLegendsAirshow)andoneinSeptember(AutumnAirshow).

Thelastonewasinitiallysupposedtocommemoratethe100thanniversaryoftheoutbreakoftheGreatWar
(WorldWarI).Unfortunatelythelistofparticipatingaircraftwaslimitedtoafewreplicas,someofthemeven
scaleddownUL`s.Stillitwasgoodtoseetheseold(looking)machinesintheair,buttheoriginallyannounced
flypastof20+WWIvintageaircraftnevermaterialized.Insteadofseeingplentyoffragileaeroplanesfrom
theearlydaysofmotorizedaviationonecouldseesomefantasticdisplaysofWorldWarTwoaircraft.

The main theme shifted from the Great War to the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain which
historicallyisnotreallycorrect.TheBattleofBritainisdefinedbyhistoriansintheperiodbetweenthe10th
ofJulytillthe31stofOctober1940!Thetenthousandsofspectatorsdidnotreallybotheraboutthecorrect
dateandenjoyedsomegreatdisplaysfromSpitfiresflyinginformationwithaHawkerHurricaneaswellas
theHawkdisplays(CurtissP40FWarhawkandaCurtissHawk75,bothfromTheFighterCollection).

ThehighlightoftheIWMDuxfordAutumairshowwasforsuretheuniqueLancasterdisplay.Uniquebecause
itwasnotonlythecommonBBMFLancasterMk.IIIbutalsotheCanadianbasedLancasterMk.Xfromthe
CanadianWarplaneHeritageMuseumatHamilton,OntariowhichonecouldseeintheskyaboveDuxford.
UnfortunatelythetwoLancsflyingincloseformationwasavailableonSundayonly.

FortheSaturdayeventIWMorganizedanothershowstoppertheAVROVulcanXH558.Thishugestrategic
bomber from the Cold War impressed the crowd not only with its sheer size but also with a remarkable
display.Especiallythefinalpasswasunbelievable:ahighangleclimbwithfullpowerfollowedbyanalmost
completedbarrelroll(some120atleast).ThefirstpassesoftheVulcanwereaccompaniedbytwoFolland
GnatscomingfromNorthWeald,whichmadeaveryniceanduniqueformation(thetinylittleGnatmadethe
Vulcanlookevenmoreimpressive).

Absolutelyunexpected(atleastwedidnothavethisoneonourradarscreen)wasanothergreatdisplaybya
Boeing727.Theveryfirstpublicappearanceofaprivatelyownedairliner(bythecompanyT2AviationsOil
SpillResponse)wasnotacommonairlinerflybybutanextremlydynamicshow.Nowonder,asthepilotin
theBoeing727wasnoonelessthanDanGriffith.Danisoneofthebestandmostrespectedairshowpilotsin
EuropeandoneofonlytwopeoplewiththetyperatingtoflytheDeHavillandDH110SeaVixen.

The airshows in Duxford are always highly recommended! The September 2014 show was definitely no
exception.Themainthemeswerenotreallyclear,but,whocares?Therewasplentyofflyingandalsoplenty
ofhighlightsforeverybody.Wearealreadylookingforwardtothenextseason,whichwillstartinDuxfordat
the23rd/24thofMay2015withtheVEDayAnniversaryairshowCUthere!

Flylow.Flyfast.Turnleft.Soundssimpleenough.Butforalmost120pilotsracinginsixclassesoverfive
longdaysinSeptember(notcountingqualifyingdays)thatsjustthestartofit. TheweekinSeptemberat
Steadistheculminationofworkthathasgoneonallyear,andinmanycasesovermanyyears.SteadField,
outside of Reno, Nevada, is the home of the National Championship Air Races. Organized by the Reno Air
RacingAssociation,itisthelastpylonairracingeventofitskindintheworld.

MiG29settingoffsomeflares,fromPolandTheFrenchRAMEXDELTATeamtearinguptheskiesintheirMirage2000Ns

RaceOnwasthethemeforthis,the51stseasonofracingatStead.Andracetheydid,withoneofthemost
competitiveseriesofracesinrecentyears.Indeed,theclosestraceintheeventshistoryendedwithaphotofin
ishintheUnlimitedGoldHeatonSaturday.SeventimeracechampionBillTigerDestefani,ownerofStrega,
hadretiredin2008,passingonthereinstohisprotgSteveHinton.In2009Steveosetacourserecordonhis
waytobecomingtheyoungestchampionintheeventandproceededtowinthreemoretimesinStregabefore
retiringin2012.LuredoutofhisbriefretirementtheverynextyearbytheownersofVoodoo,Stevepromptly
wonagaininhisnewmount.OurreportonlastyearscompetitionbetweenVoodooandStregacanbefound
online here. The lure of racing Strega headtohead against Steve in Voodoo proved irresistible to Tiger, who
cameoutofretirementthisyeartocompeteonceagain.Flyinghighduringallsixlapsoftheheat,Tigertraded
altitudeforairspeedatthefinish,appearingtocatchSteveoattheline.UnfortunatelyStregawaslaterdisquali
fiedfornotmaintainingcoursealtitudesowellneverknowifTigersdivingsprintpaidoff.Nevertheless,the
crowdwentwild.Evenviewingthefinishfromthepylons,theexcitementwaspalpable.Duringthecooldown,
Tiger announced a Mayday as Strega experienced mechanical difficulties. He landed safely but announced the
next morning that he would retire once again from racing. Without Strega Sundays final Gold Race was not
nearlyasexciting,althoughthedisqualificationofThomRichard,flyingPreciousMetal,forcuttingtheshowline
wascauseformuchdiscussion.

InadditiontotheAirRaces,thiseventalsohostsanAirShowandtheNationalAviationHeritageInvitationalair
craftdisplay.Theairshowactsareinterspersedwiththeracesduringtheweekend.ThePatriotsJetTeamputon
asplendidperformanceintheirsixblackL39aircraft.ThreeAlaskanF22swereattheshow,withoneonstatic
display.RaptorDemoTeampilotCapt.JohnTabooCummingsamazedthecrowdswithaspectaculardemon
strationofthejetscapabilities.TheHeritageFlightwasparticularlyinterestingasitfeaturedaP51DMustang,
WeeWillyII,showingtheincrediblylonghistoryofthatairframe.OneoftheRaptorferrypilots,Lt.Col.Kevin
SutterfieldmadehisracingdebutpilotingSNJ4#42DefectortoasixthplacefinishintheT6SilverMedalrace.
InOctoberSutterfieldwillreturntoElmendorfAFBtotakecommandofthe302ndFighterSquadron,oneofthe
USAF'stenfrontlinecombatF22squadrons.AviationlegendBobHooverwasrecognizedasthe2014Manof
theYearandwasinattendancesigningautographsandansweringquestionsduringtheshow.

Therearenumerousviewingoptionsforspectators,fromopenspacestosetupafoldingchair,toreservedseat
ing,bleachersorchalets.Atriptothepitsiswellworthit,especiallyafterhours,asyoucanseeteamsworking
(orpartying)lateintothenight.Itisanatmosphereuniquetothiseventandnotonetobemissed.Jumbotrons
were set up at either end of the grandstands providing spectators with enhanced viewing opportunities. Live
videostreamingoftheraceswasalsoprovidedbyLiveAirShowTV.AnnouncersRayHafeli,SteveStavrakakisand
DannyClishamdidagreatjobofkeepingtheviewersinformedandentertained.

UnlimitedBreitlingGoldResults:
Place
1
2
3
4
5
DNF
DNF
DQ

Race#
5
86
8
71
924
77
114
38

Aircraft
P51DMustangVoodoo
Yak11CzechMate
SeaFuryTMK20Dreadnought
SeaFuryTMK20Sawbones"
SeaFuryTMK20
F8F2BearcatRareBear
SeaFuryMKIIArgonaut
P51XRMustangPreciousMetal

Pilot
StevenHinton
ShermanSmoot
DennisSanders
CurtBrown
KoreyWells
StewartDawson
MarkWatt
ThomRichard

Speed(mph)
462.926
458.856
419.394
415.685
368.503

StevenHintonintheP51MustangVoodooonhiswaytowinningtheUnlimitedBreitlingGoldrace,above.
TheAviationMagazinewouldliketothankallofthestaff,volunteersandsponsorswhomakethiseventpossible.

Yak11CzechMate,finished2nd,above
L39CTrueBlue,midright
SeaFuryTMK20Sawbones,finished4thbelow

T6GStripTeeze,topleft
MarchettiS211,topright
Lancair Legacy Spirit of America,
midleft
P51XR Mustang Precious Metal,
midright
F7F Tigercat La Patrona, bottom
right

The third largest city of the Czech Republic,

Ostravaislocatedinthenortheastofthecountry,
about 50 km away from the Polish border. The
annuallyheldNATODays,oneofthelargestEuropean
Military & Security events, takes place on Ostravas
local Airport (Leos Janacek Airport), which is located in
southofthecity.

2014RobertKysela

Special units of the police, military and rescue forces,

plenty of tanks and artillery units show together with all
F16MLUSoloDemooftheRNLAF
kind of military aviation their skills. Although the name NATO
Days suggests that it is the official event of the biggest Western
military alliance, this is incorrect. It rather is an event of the Czech
armed forces, local rescue and emergency units held together with a
hostcountry(in2014itwasthenorthernneighborandNATOmemberPoland)andplentyofotherguests,
mainly coming from other NATO members. Strictly speaking, there are actually two events in one: the
already mentioned NATO Day and the Czech Air Force Day. The latter represents the extensive air
component. The importance and also the support that NATO has within its new members (the Czech
Republic , together with Poland and Hungary are full members of the alliance since 1999) is remarkable.
Morethan200,000spectatorswerecountedovertheweekendfromthe21stand22ndofSeptember2014.
Morethanenoughreasonstohaveacloserlookonthehistory,presenceandmaybefutureofNATO.

ThelargestWesternmili
tary alliance called
NORTH
A T L A N T I C
TREATY ORGANIZATION
(NATO)hasgonethrough
morethanjustoneiden
titycrisisinrecentyears.
Quiteofteninthelast25
years the existence of
the NATO was ques
tionedaftertheendoftheColdWarandthecollapseofitsEasterncounterpart,theWarsawPact.Thisques
tioningwasmainlybasedonthelackofatangible,potentialopponent.ManymembersoftheformerEastern
BlocarenowpartoftheAllianceanditlookedalmostasifthiswouldreducetheNATOtoathirdrateum
brellaorganizationwithnorealresponsibilitiesinthenearfuture.Thiswasaccompaniedbyadrasticreduc
tioninmilitaryspendinginWesternindustrializedcountries;USA,Canada,Britain,GermanyandItalyanda
heavilymodifiedstrategythroughtheuseofsocalledasymmetricalbattlegroupsinthecrisisregionsofthe
MiddleEastandespeciallyinAfghanistan
Theassumptionthatallfutureconflictswillbereducedtothirdcountries,oronpurefightingterrorismhas
greatlyshakentheveryfoundationsofNATO.Antiquated,completelyoutdated,decomposed,bureaucratic
andespeciallytheaccusation,tobemerelyarandomtoyoftheAmericanally,arejustsomeoftheunflatter
ingattributesthatwererepeatedlyusednotonlybyallkindofleftwingersandtheirassociatedpressmem
bers.
TheNATOwasfoundedin1949(signingofthecontractwasonApril4,1949,(ratifiedonAugust24,1949)
withtheaimtoopposetheCommunistthreattoWesternEuropeandthesocalledfreeworld,respectively
beingpowerfulenoughtocounteranyexpansionoftheSovietsphereofinfluence.Thispartwasplayedby
theAllianceuntilthefalloftheBerlinWallandthecollapseoftheEasternBlocemphatically.Inthefollowing
years,itwasmainlytheeastwardexpansionofNATOandtheresultingimplementationofthenewmember
countries, such as Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, to name just a few, which kept the alliance
busy.TheconflictintheformerYugoslaviamadesurethatNATOcouldinsistontheirrighttoexist(although
itwasnotreallyacaseofalliance,NATOForceswereemployed1998duringtheaircampaignoverSerbiaas
thebigstickofWesternsecuritypolicy).AfterthedevastatingterroristattacksintheUnitedStatesin2001
forthefirsttimeinthehistoryoftheallianceacaseofemergencymaterialized(NATOcaseofemergency=in
theevent,thatanyNATOmemberisunderattackallothermembersaretoprovidemilitaryassistance).In
caseoftheSeptember11thaftermathallmemberswereunitedintheirsupportoftheUnitedStatestofight
againstterrorism.WhentheAmericansplannedtheirinvasioninIraqthefirstdisagreementswithinthewill
ingnesstocooperateofindividualmembercountriescameup.TherewasnoNATOdeploymentinIraq,mem
berstates,suchasGermany,GreeceandBelgium,refusedtheirsupport.ThisformedriftwithintheAlliance
wasevengreaterduringandaftertheIraqcrisis,whenitbecameknownthatallthereasonslistedbythe
BushadministrationfortheinvasionofIraqwasbasedonfalseinformation.

Furtherproblemsanddiscrepancies,especiallywithRussia,causedtheexpansion ofNATO,especiallywith
thesocalledeasternenlargement.VariousadvancesundertheauspicesoftheUnitedStatesandtheUnited
KingdominaccordancewiththeirnewalliesPoland,CzechRepublicandtheBalticStates,camenotonlyon
reciprocallove.Especiallytherepeatedlytoutedmissiledefenceshield(ActiveLayeredTheatreBallisticMis
sileDefence[ALTBMD])hasledtomajordisagreementswithRussia.ThisapproachoftheWest(andhence
NATO)has,albeitindirectly,notreallystabilizedtheongoingcrisisinUkraine.Russiahasalwaysannounced
theirdispleasureandtheirconcernstoanintegrationofformerSovietsatellitestatesintoNATO.Theidea
thattheUkraine,GeorgiaandothercountrieswithacommonborderwiththeRussianEmpirearefullmem
bersoftheWesternmilitaryalliance,isjustasunthinkablefortheRussiansoul,asthesituationforWashing
tonrepresentedwithFidelCastro'sCubainthe1960s.Todayalltheblameforthecurrentsituationineast
ernUkraineis,pushedbytheveryonesidedreportingofWesternmedia,exclusivelyattributedtotheacting
Russian President Vladimir Putin (not that he would accept any responsibility). The fact is completely ig
nored, that the former Ukrainian President Yulia Tymoshenko already sought membership in NATO, which
was reversed only by the election of the proRussian President Viktor Yanukovych. The real question of
whetherUkrainewillintegrateintotheEuropeansphereofinfluence,andthusintheEUandinNATO,ortra
ditionallyallieswithRussia,dividesthecountry.Therestyoucanheareverydayinthenews,stillthereal
reasonsfortheunrestintheeasternUkrainearemuchdeeperthanthecurrentpresscoveragemakesusbe
lieve.
WhoisguiltyandresponsibilityfortheescalationintheUkrainiancrisisisnotpartofthisreport.Inanycase,
NATOhasbenefiteduptoacertainpointfromtheevents.Notonlysmall"frontlinestates",suchasEstonia,
LatviaorLithuaniaunderstandtheirmembershipinNATOasafundamentalprotectionagainstpotentialag
gression,countriessuchasGermany,theNetherlandsortheUKjuststarttorealize,thatthe65yearoldmili
taryallianceis(again)theguarantoroftheirsecurityaswell.
TheNATOflexesitsmusclesintheUkrainecrisisevenifonlyverbally.Militarily,itishardlyinapositionto
follow up their words with action. The rigorous austerity of the last years in almost all member countries,
downgradedtheabilityoftheNorthAtlanticPactextremely.Justforexample,theUnitedKingdomownstwo
ofthemostmodernaircraftcarriers,butdoesnothaveasinglefighterplanethatcouldoperatefromthem!
TheGermanBundeswehriscurrentlyinthepubliceye,becauseithasbeenfoundthatitdoeshavetomeet
moreandmoretasks,themuchneededfundsforfulfillingitsjobwereslashedcontinuouslybytheresponsi
blegovernments.Numerousequipmentsareoutdatedandbarelyoperational,newpurchasesareeithernot
available(AirbusA400M)ordonotmeetinmanyrespectstheexpectationsplacedinthem(NH90helicop
ter).However,thecurrentdebateinthemediashowsonlythetipoftheiceberg.IfNATOistofulfillitsmis
sionnowandthen,moremustbedone,astocallforitshelphystericallyinthewakeofacrisis!
NonoftheseissuescouldbefeltattheNATODaysinOstrava.Alargenumberofmilitaryhardwarewaspre
sented to the numerous spectators on the ground and in the air. The highlights included mainly the flight
demonstrationofaBellCV22BOSPREYofthe352ndSpecialOperationsGroupandagreatlineupconsisting
ofthreegenerationsoffighteraircraftmadebySAABaCzechJAS39Gripen,aJ35CDRAKENandaAJS37
VIGGEN.FourLockheedMartinF16(fromtheNetherlands,DenmarkandfromGreece)completedtogether
withaFinnishBoeingF/A18CHornet,aswellasaSlovakMiG29A(NATOCode:FULCRUMA)theseriesof
fastjetdisplays.

2014PeterThivessen

UnfortunatelytheparticipationofaircraftintheflyingdisplayfromthepartneringcountryPolandwasvery
limited.AdisplayofthePolishAirForceMiG29A(NATOCode:FULCRUM)hadtobecancelledduetotechni
calreasons,therest(SukhoiSu22UM3K,PZL28BRYZA,etc.)wasavailablefromtheoutsetonlyasstatic.The
weatherwasexcellent,atmoderatetemperatureswithpartlysunnyintervalseverybodywascompletelysat
isfiedwell,atleastthosespectatorswecouldtalkto!TheNATODaysinOstravain2014haveproventhat
theyareoneofthepremiummilitaryshoweventswithinEuropeandamustforeveryaviationenthusiast.
SeeyouthereagaininSeptember2015!
Allimagesonthispage2014PeterThivessen

Capt.Fingerroos,oftheFinnishAFF/A18Solodisplayperforminghis
impressivedisplay,above,midrightandbottom.
F16MLUoftheRNLAFdeployingflares,bottomleft.

2014RobertKysela

CaptainSotiriosStralisisDisplayPilotoftheHAFF16Demo
Team"Zeus"aboveandbottom
LetL410FGoftheCzechAFmidleft

Mi24V(Mi35)CzechAF

2014RobertKysela

Mi24V(Mi35)CzechAF

CV22Bofthe7thSpecialOperationsSquadronstationedatRAFMildenhall,UK

2014PeterThivessen

Filmimages2014PeterThivessen

Mi171Sh(Mi8AMTSh)CzechAF

SlovakAFMi17

2014PeterThivessen

MiG29PolishAirForce

For2014TheNATODayswereaSaabloversdelight.
Threegenerationsoffightersflyingtogetherwasasighttobeseen!
SJAS35Draken,JAS37Viggen,andJAS37Gripen,p.65middleandbottom
SaabJAS37Viggenabove

2014RobertKysela

2014WolfgangJarisch

2014PeterThivessen

Saab37AJSViggenThunderbolt

Allimagesonthepage2014WolfgangJarisch

Saab37AJSViggenflyinglow!

The origins of the Patriots Jet Team go back to the last millennium: it was in 1999 that
ownerRandyHowellpurchasedhisfirstpairofL39jetsandbroughtthemtoCalifornia.
Afterbeingmodifiedtoremoveexcessweight,upgradedwithmodernavionics,outfitted
with a smoke system and being painted in their striking black livery they joined the air
showcircuitin2003.Overtheyears,additionalaircraftandpilotswereaddedtotheteam,
bringing them to where they are today: the worlds largest civilianowned aerobatic jet
team.
TheteamincludespilotswhoareveteransoftheU.S.Air
ForceThunderbirds,U.S.NavyBlueAngelsandRoyalCa
nadianAirForceSnowbirds.Inadditiontothesixprimary
pilots, the allvolunteer team includes support pilots,
ground crew, and a marketing and announcing support
crew.Theteamsmissionistoentertainaudienceswhile
inspiring the nations youth towards careers in the aviation and
aerospace fields. In the twelve years since their inception, the team has
accumulatedover100,000hoursofflighttimeandperformedinmorethan1500
airshows.ThePatriotsJetTeamFoundationisanew,allvolunteernonprofitorganiza
tionwhichisdevelopinginnovativeeducationalprogramstoencouragestudentstostudy
science, technology, engineering and
mathematics.

AspartofthemediadayactivitiesjustpriortotheCaliforniaCapitalAirshowtheAviationMagazinewasin
vitedtoflyalongwiththePatriotstoexperienceupclosewhatitisliketoflyformationaerobaticsinthese
highperformancejets.FlyingalongwithmewererepresentativesfromthelocalSacramentoTVandradio
stations.ThefourofusweremetonthetarmacbyMichael"Smurf"Tembywhofilledusinonthehistory
andmissionoftheteam.Wereexcitedtobeabletoshareourpassionwithyou,andyoushouldbealittle
bitfiredupbecauseyouregoingtobeflyinginformationthreefeetoffthewingofanotherairplane.The
numberonemostimportantthingissafety;thesecondmostimportantthingisforyouguystohaveanin
credibletime.Hethenintroducedustothemasterofjetopera
tions,Jeff"Mojo"Jess,whoisresponsiblefortheentireground
crewandkeepingtheaircraftairworthyandsafeforairshowflight.

Mojogaveusaverydetailedandindepthseatbrief,describingevery
step from entering the cockpit to getting back out after landing. We
wouldbestrappedintoourseatswithstrapsoverourshouldersandlegs.
Youwanttopullthelegstrapsprettytight.Whenwegoinvertedyou'llbe
hangingfromthebelts.Iftheyrelooseyoull bangintothecanopy,soyou
want to snug them up. We were then introduced to the red lollipop, a
smallbutimportantleverontherightofthe seat.Thiswouldreleasethe
strapsholdingusintotheseat,butkeepusconnectedtoourparachute.
(Althoughtheaircraftareequippedwithejectionseats,thesewouldnot
be an option for us, as their use requires much more training.) A con
trolled bailout would take place if something catastrophic were to go
wrongwiththeairplane,butthepilotstillmaintainedcontrol.Youwillget
acommandPreparetobailout.Liftuptheredlollipop,pushforward,lock
itin.TellthepilotReadytobailout.WhenyouhearReleasecanopygrab
andyankthecanopyreleasehandle.Thecockpitpressurizationplustheslipstreamwillblowoffthecanopy.
We'regoingtoturntheairplaneupsidedownandyou'rejustgoingtofallout.Atetherconnectedtotheseat
willopentheparachute.Atthatpointyou'rejustbasicallyalongfortheride.Whenwegettotheground,
we'll gather up our parachutes and we'll go to the bar. We'll have a talk... Can you believe we just did
that?!ThecommandBailout!Bailout!Bailout!wouldindicateanemergencybailout,inwhichcaseone
hastogetoutasquicklyaspossible.Bythethirdtimeyougottabeoutoftheplane.Canopyfirst,thenlolli
pop,thengetoutoftheairplane.Althoughthebriefingwasprimarilymeantforthefourofuswhowouldbe
flying,alargenumberofpoliceofficersandfirefighterswerealsotheretolearnthesafetyprocedureswere
theretobeanincidentontheground.Egress!Egress!Egress!wouldbeoursignaltoreleasethecanopy,
pullthesafetycoveronthestrapsandpinchthetongstoreleaseusandthenscrambleoutofthecockpit.

Mojo continued his briefing by going over our

f l i g h t
plan, explaining the effects of g
forces
and how to combat
them,
and
warning us
about motion sick
ness. Youll all have sicksacks
in your leg pockets. If the bag is not big
enough (it will NOT hold a 12 inch sub) open your
flightsuitandfinishthere.Thentaketheflightsuithome,wash
itandbringitbacktomorrow.Turningtightlyoracceleratingrapidlywouldsubjectourbodiestoa
greaterforcethanwhatweareusedto.Onegiswhatwenormallyexperiencefromgravitystand
ingontheground.Muchmorethanthatpreventsbloodfromtravelingtothebrain,deprivingitof
oxygen.Alossofperipheralvisionduringhighgmaneuverswouldbeourfirstindicationthatwe

mightpassoutfromtheresultinglackofoxygentothebrain,aconditionknownasGLOC,orginducedlossof
consciousness.Yourperipheralvisionwillstartclosingintoalittledot.Whenthelittledotgoesaway,you've
goneaway.Whenthelittledotcomesbackyoucomeback.TheeffectscanbemitigatedwiththeAntiGStrain
ing Maneuver, which combines a maximum flexing of all your muscles combined with an expansion of the
lungs.ThisismosteasilydonebybreathinginandforcefullysayingthewordHick!(which
givesrisetothemorecolloquialnameforthemaneuver).

Do not touch anything red! Feet back against the seat,

legs wide. Have an incredible time! With that we were
off to get outfitted with helmets and flight suits and as
signed to our pilot and crew chief. I would be flying
rightwinginPatriot#4.CrewchiefScott"Kobro"
Ehlert got me strapped in while Steve
"Rings" Diethelm attended

to setting up my Go
Proandmakingsuremycamerawas
correctly tethered. If that were to fall into the foot
wells or your strap caught on the stick it would cause problems
when landing. You don't want to be that guy. My pilot was Troy Curly
Myers, VP of Hot Line Construction, one of the longtime sponsors of the
team. He has been with the Patriots from the beginning: Randy and I have
beenfriendssincethebeginningoftimeandwhenhewasgettingtheL39shewantedto
knowifIwantedtoflyone.IsaidSure!SoIwentthroughthecheckoutintheearly2000sandits
beenalotoffunsincethen.DuringairshowsCurlysitsinthebackseatofoneofthejetsandtakesnoteson
the performance. We dont get to practice as much as the military teams, so having a safety observer on
boardhasmadeahugedifference.

Thecanopycamedown,theenginespooledupandwetaxiedout.Soonallfourjetswereontherunwayand
wetookoffinformation.Afterclimbingoutandgainingaltitudethediamondtightenedupanddidaformation
wingover.WecontinuedoutoverthegreatCentralValley,spreadoutalittlebitintrailanddidsomehighg
turnsandbarrelrollsasweplayedfollowtheleaderthroughthesky.Blueskywasreplacedbythegoldand
greenoftheearthaswerolledinverted.Positivegsintherollsturnedtonegativegsaswewentupandover
thetop.Mycamera,whichmomentsbeforehadbeenabnormallyheavyinmylap,nowstrainedeerilytowards
thecanopy.Itookmyeyefromtheviewfindertosimplyenjoytheexperience.AlltoosoonMatherFieldcame
insight,andwebeganourlandingsequence.Weflewoverthefieldinrightechelonwithahardleftformation
break.Wewerepullingcloseto6gs.Hick!Hick!Hick!Wegotabeautifulviewoftheairportonourdownwind
leg.Thenbaseandfinalbeforetouchingdownsmoothly.Wow!Whataride!

The Aviation Magazine would like to express our thanks and sincere appreciation to the Patriots Jet Team,
Curly,MojoandSmurfinparticular,andtheirsponsors,FrysElectronicsandHotLineConstruction,for
makingthisflightpossible.WewouldalsoliketothankDarcyBrewer, executivedirectoroftheCaliforniaCapi
talAirshow,andmediadirectorKarenStrongforarrangingthemediaaccess.

MoJoGoodtogo!FormationtakeoffCloseechelonformation

Bankinghardtotherightpage73,Frys.comsT39Sabrelinerabove,andCurlyandIafterourflight,below.

Forthefirsttimeafteralongabsence(15yearsintotal)amilitaryairshowwas
held atKleineBrogelAirBaseinBelgium.The10thTacticalWingoftheBelgian
AirForcehostedthesocalledBelgianAirForceDaybetweenthe12thuntilthe
14thofSeptember2014.TheofficialshowdayswereSaturdayandSunday,nev
ertheless there was a spotters day held on the Friday, where one could watch
almostallofthearrivalsaswellassomerehearsals.Besidetheaviationspotter
alsoschoolboysandgirlswereinvitedjusttoraisetheinterestinaviationfortheyoungpeople.Overthe
weekend the base was open for the general public. A huge flying program was offered from 09:00h until
19:00h,whichwasreallyoutstanding.Itisnotthatoftenthatonecanwatchsuchawiderangeofparticipat
ingaircraftcomingfromallkindofairarmsonasingleairshow.

Someofthedisplayparticipants:
F16AMLU,DemoTeam,BelgianAirForce
F16C,DemoTeamSolotrk,TurkishAirForce
F16AM,DemoTeam,RoyalNetherlandsAirForce
F16CBlock52+,DemoTeamZeus,GreekAirForce

PatrouilledeFrance,8xAlphaJet,FrenchAirForce
RedArrows,9xHawkT1,RoyalAirForce,UK
FrecceTricolori,10xAermacchiMB339,ItalianAirForce
BreitlingJetTeam7xL39CAlbatroses,France
PC7Team,9xPilatusTurboTrainer,Switzerland
AlFursan,7xAermacchiMB339,VAE
RedDevils,4xSIAIMarchettiSF260M+,BelgianAirForce
RoyalJordanianFalcons,4xExtra300L,RoyalJordanianAirForce

Thereweretwomainthemescoveredonthisparticularevent,theonecelebrated100yearsofmilitaryavia
tion,theothercommemorated40yearsoftheLockheedMartin(formerGeneralDynamics)F16.Inthefly
ingdisplayonecouldseefour!FIGHTINGFALCON`scomingfromfourdifferentairarms(TurkishAirForce,
HellenicAirForce,RoyalNetherlandAirForceandlastbutnotleastfromtheBelgianAirForce),severalmore
wereplacedintothestaticdisplay(DanishAirForceaswellasPortugueseAirForce).Themaidenflightofthe
F16tookplaceonFebruary,the2ndof1974,onlyoneyearlatertheAirForcesofBelgium,theNetherlands,
DenmarkandNorwaysignedacontractwithGeneralDynamicstoreplacetheiragingLockheedF104STAR
FIGHTERwiththemostadvancedfighteraircraftofitstimetheF16FIGHTINGFALCON,orVIPERasitis
called as well. Alone Belgium ordered 116 aircraft in total (96 single seater F16A and 20 double seater F
16B),whichreplacednotonlytheSTARFIGHTER(untilSeptember1983)butalsotheirDassaultMIRAGEIII/5.

ForthefriendsofmilitaryaerobaticteamstheairshowinKleineBrogelwasarealhighlight.Nolessthan8!
differentteamsperformedonbothshowdays,likethePATROUILLEDEFRANCE,theRAFREDARROWSorthe
FRECCETRICOLORI,justtonameafew.

AnothershowstopperwasforsurethesocalledJointPowerDemooftheBelgianAirForce.Ondisplaywas
anunmannedaerialvehicle(UAV)BHunterwhichobservedthescenarioremotelycontrolled,theF16sflew
closeairsupport,controlledbyaBoeingE3AAWACScruisingathighaltitude.Additionallyawiderangeof
SpecialForcescominginwithNH90choppersandLockheedC130HHERCULESsecuredthescene,receiving
firesupportfromanarmedA109BAhelicopter.

Theflybyfromnolessthan7DassaultBreguetALPHAJETSimpressedtheaudience.Theseparticularaircraft
are already in service with the Belgian Armed Forces for 35 years! To commemorate this anniversary one
specialpaintedALPHAJETwasondisplayaswell.

Forthoseenthusiasts,whohaveseenmorethanenoughaircraftintheflyingdisplay,somemoreattractions
wereofferedinthestaticdisplay,whichwereplacedmainlyonthetaxiway.Awiderangeofaircraftcouldbe
seen,likeaHungarianAFSaabJAS39GRIPEN,aCzechAFAeroL159ALCA,twoEurofighterEF2000from
Germany,aNorwegianLockheedP3CORION,aSwissAFBoeingF/A18HORNET,aFrenchAMDRAFALE,an
twoUSAirForceBoeingF15Dbutalsoplentyofhistoricalaircraft.

Unfortunatelytheweatherwasnotalwayswiththeorganizerandthespectators.Afterawarmandsunny
FridaythesuncameoutonSaturdayaswellasSundayonlyafterlunch(afterburningoffloadsofmistand
heavyclouds).Thisdifficultweathersituationinfluencedtheflyingprogramuptoacertainpoint,finallyall
wentwellandtheflyingtookplaceuntilsunset.

Thewholeeventwasverywellorganized,theparkingareawasoutsidethebase,stilleverythingwaswithin
thereach.Nomuchqueuingupinfrontoftheentrance,everythingwentsmooth.

Conclusion:ahighlysuccessfuleventforeverybody!Greatflyingdemos,fantasticgrounddisplayscombined
withaprofessionalorganization.Welldone!!!

Wewouldliketothanktheorganizer,especiallyAdjudantChefPhillipeVANHUYK,thePAOoftheBelgianAir
Force,forhisgreatsupport!

REPORTANDPHOTOGRAPHYBYRAYBIAGIOPACE
The22ndMaltaInternationalAirshoworganizedbytheMaltaAviationSocietywasheldonthe28/29thSep
tember2013.Forthesecondyearrunning,theairshowwassponsoredbyairX,aninternationalaviation
companybasedinMalta.Theweatherwasnotasonewouldexpectwithgreyskiesformosttimesespe
ciallyduringtheearlyafternoonflyingdisplays.LatecancellationsbytheTurkishStars,QatariAirForceHer
culesC130andtheBelgianAirForcedisplayF16didnotmartheairshowwhichwasyetagainsuperblyor
ganized.

ThisyearsarrivalsbeganonThursday26thandasinpreviouseditionsoftheairshow,theMAS
vol
unteersandpassholdersweretakentotheRunway31thresholdtoviewandcapturethearrivals.
Thegateswereopenfrom10.00amto5.30pmonbothdays.Attendancewasoneofthe
highestinrecentyearssomuchsothatadditionalfreeparkingplacesoutsidetheairport
perimeterwasallocatedforSundayandalltheseweremanagedveryefficientlybythe
youngervolunteersfromtheMaltaAviationSociety.

Despitethecancellationsmentionedabove,theorganizershadse
cured three display teams which surely spiced up the publics interest as well as
thatofforeignmediaandaviationenthusiastsfromEurope.

Thisyear,anofficialPressareawasavailablethusenablingthemediatocapturealltheactionfrom
thetaxiingline.Spectatorswereasusualinaverystrategicplaceclosetowherethetaxiingaircraft
andflightdisplaytookplacethusbeingabletocapturealltheactionwithoutdifficulty.

ThoughMedicalandRescuecrewswerepresent,luckilytheirinterventionwasnotrequired.Restroomfacili
ties were predominant and clean. A large refreshment and food stall with reasonable prices was available
withseparatequeuingforaircrews,airshowvolunteersandspectators.Othersmallerstallsandachildrens
playareaweresetuparoundPark4.

TheOfficialAirShowMerchandiseshopswerekeptbusyonbothdayswiththeglossy84pageMaltaInterna
tionalAirshow2014SouvenirProgramsellingfastat3.Mostmerchandisewassoldbytheendoftheair
show.

Local flyingschools were kept busy with young students enquiring about the various pilot, cabin crew and
other courses being offered. The Italian Military mission were also present with their own stands selling
Armymemorabiliaandshowingtheiraircrafttothepublicpresent.TheArmedForcesofMaltasnewestheli
copter,theAugustaAW139wasinthestaticdisplayforthefirsttimeandtheinterestgeneratedbythepub
licwasgreat.

Tomakeupforthecancellations,theorganizersmanagedtosecuretheEgyptAirForceK8Supportaircraft
theHerculesC130HforthestaticdisplayonbothdayswhilstonSundaymorningthepublicwasgivenanex
traandunexpectedtreatwhenanIsraelAirForceGulfstreamG550arrivedandperformedafewtouchand
goesonRunway05/23enablingthepublicpresentatPark4toenjoyandsnapphotosofthisunusualair
craft.Contrarytothepreviousyear,nosightseeingflightstakingofffromtheairshowsitewereorganized.

ThePolishAn28,theBryza,aMaritimePatrolreconnaissancevariantmadeareappearanceattheairshow
whilsttwoP3COrionaircraftonefromtheGermannavyandtheotherfromtheUSNavywerepresent
withtheirveryhospitablecrews.AnothernotableparticipantwasthatoftheItalianCoastguardwiththeir
traditionalwhiteandredAugustaAW139helicopter.

TheItalianFrecceTricoloriaboveandtheSpanishAirForcePatrullaAguilabelow.

The highlights of the air display were the

SwissAirForceF18HornetpilotedbyTeddy
MeisterJulienStaffelwhoregaledthepublicpre
sent with two spectacular displays on Saturday
and Sunday with such a magnificent aircraft. The
Czech Air Force display with their Alca L159 air
craftwasalsoawinnerwiththepublicaswellasthatbytheRAFTucanowithitsspecialcolours.

ThehighlightoftheairshowonSundaywastheflypastbyanAirmaltaAirbusA320214registration9HAEQ,
togetherwiththeRedArrowsemittingtheredandwhitesmokeasymboloftheMalteseflagcolours,to
commemorateAirmaltas40thAnniversaryandtheRedArrows50thAnniversaryaweekafterMaltacele
bratedits50thIndependenceAnniversary.Theflypastwasfollowedbyabreathtakingaerobaticflyingdis
playbytheRedstoconcludethisyearsairshow.

Aftertheairshow,ChairmanoftheMaltaAviationSociety,JoeCilibertisaidthatthecommitteeandvolun
teerswerehappywiththeoutcomeofthisyearsairshowdespitethelatecancellationsandsaidthatwork
hasalreadycommencedforthe2015airshowwhichisbeingheldonthe26thand27thSeptember2015,an
airshowwhichhehopeswillseeanevenbiggeraircraftparticipation.

Thepeopleattheairshowenjoyingthemselves...

ItalianMilitaryMissionhelicopterAugustaBell212

ArmedForcesofMaltaAlouette316Bhelicopter

IsraelAirForceGulfstreamG550

TheItalianFrecceTricoloriaboveandtheSpanishAirForcePatrullaAguilabelow.

Timeflies,andwehavereachedour5thAnniversaryandlookingforward
tomanymore!

Wehavereachedsomeinterestingmilestones.Inthepastfiveyearswe
haveattendednotlessthan264airshows,aviationexhibitions,museums
ormilitaryexercisesoneverycontinentwiththeexceptionofAntarctica.
Duetoourhardworkandexcellentimageswehavebeenrecognizedby
the air forces worldwide, and visited air bases in Austria, Brazil, Canada,
Finland, France, Germany, Malta and the United States. Many of these
basevisitswereexclusiveinourcoverageofspecificaircraftsuchastheB
1B Lancer, A10 Thunderbolt II, F/A18 to name some. Our magazines
havebeendownloadedover280,000timesandfromover124countries
worldwide,sinceourfirstissuein2009.

Glancingbackquicklyitwasnotaneasypathtoundertake.Myideashave
beencopiedbyformeracquaintancesandimitatedbymanyontheinter
netwithverysimilarnamesintryingtocaptureouraudienceandreader
ship.Tobepartofthemagazinestaffonemustnotonlyhavetheright
stuffwhenitcomestothequalityofimages,beingontime,anddedica
tionbutmustbeateamplayer.Wehadmanychangesin2014,andsev
eral contributing staff whose attitude was more focused on promoting
themselves than the magazine and the quality of their contribution was
questionable,arenolongerwithus.Furthermore,thesiteandthepubli
cationnameswerechangedtoreflectmoreofwhatweareallabout,not
justairshowreportsaswestartedoffwithin2009.Wedonotcomprise
ourimagequalityoroverhypeourcapabilitiesoverpromisingthenun
derdelivering

For2015andbeyondwewillcontinuetobetheaviationmagazineweal
wayshavebeenfeaturingauniqueblendofairshows,militaryexercises,
basevisitsandaboutthecivilianandmilitarypeoplewhomakeithappen.

TheAviationMagazineisaboutqualityofimages,theBESTforFREE,and
ascloseasyoucangettoanairshowwithoutbeingthere!Herearesev
eralinterestingimagesfromthepastfiveyearsthatItookEnjoy!

Theaboveandthetwoimagesbelowareextremelyrareduetothefacttheyweretakeninsidethecockpitof
anA321whilelandingatCharlesDeGaulle,Paris(CDG)andwhiletaxiing.

LockheedVC121Constellation48610thefirstAirForceOnethatonceflewPresidentDwightD.Eisenhower

Afewadditionalfavouriteimagesfromthepastfiveyears,surroundedbyafewofthemanyhundredsIve
hadthepleasuretomeet.ThesepeoplehadhelpedmeagreatdealandencouragemetocontinueandIam
verygratefulfortheirassistance.Youmayrecognizesomeofthemwhiletheotherswillremainnameless

CanadianForcesDemo
ThebestpilotIeverhadgivingmealiftforairtoairphotography.

AirtoairphotographyoftheP51CTuskegeeMustangwithBillShepard

PortraitofaF15fighterpilot

A10DemowithRifleatDMAFB

The French Air Force (Larme de lair) recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the airborne nuclear deter
renceprovidedbyitsStrategicAirForces(FAS,ForcesAriennesStratgiques).
At a ceremony on October 3, 2014 at Air Base 125 "Lieutenant Charles Monier" in Istres, General Pierre de
Villiers,ChiefofStaffoftheArmedForces,alongwithGeneralDenisMercier,ChiefofStaffoftheAirForce,and
MrChristopheGuilloteauandGwendalRouillard,VicePresidentandSecretaryoftheCommitteeofnationalde
fenseoftheNationalAssembly,respectively,paidtributetothemenandwomenwhohaveprovidedahalfcen
turyofairbornenucleardeterrence.
ThefirstnuclearalertflightwaslaunchedfromAirBase118MontdeMarsanonOctober8,1964:aMirageIVA
armedwithFrancesfirstnuclearweapon,theAN11bombwithanexplosiveyieldofroughly60kT,tookoffac
companied by a C135 tanker, establishing the Force de Frappe (Strike Force) The AN11 was a
purefissionweapon,aplutoniumimplosiontype.Itweighedapproximately1,500kg(3,306lb).Itwasafreefall
bombintendedtobedroppedfromhighaltitude.TheMirageIVPversionarmedwiththeASMPAmissileentered
servicein1986.AllbomberversionsoftheMirageIVwereretiredin1996andreplacedbyMirage2000N. The
newlongerrangedASMPAmissileenteredservice2009.AsofJuly1,2010,asquadronofRafaleoperatingasEC
(Escadrondechasse)1/91GascogneatSaintDizierBA113joinedtheForcedeFrappe.Currentlytherearetwo
nuclear squadrons operated by the French Air Force, each consisting of 20 aircraft: EC 1/91 Gascogne at Saint
DizierequippedwiththeRafaleB,andEC2/4LafayetteatIstresequippedwiththeMirage2000N.

Tomarktheoccasionthreeaircraftwerepaintedinspecialanniversaryliveries:aRafaleB,aMirage2000Nanda
C135FR.TheywerejoinedonthetarmacbyaMirageIVP.Undersunnyskies,hundredsofFASveteransjoined
engineers,industrialistsandvariousVIPStomarktheoccasion.

GeneralPierredeVilliers,
Chief of Staff of the
Armed Forces (right),
alongwithGeneralDenis
Mercier,ChiefofStaffof
theAirForce,totheleft.
EC1/91"Gascogne"and
refueling Squadron 2/91
"Bretagne" from Istres
were awarded the Cross
of Military Valour for
their recent deployment
over Mali, below on the
filmstrip.

TheRafalesportingthespecialliveryalongwithaMirage2000NandonearmedwithatheASMP

Pete McLeod in action at Las Vegas, on his

waytowinningtherace.

PeteMcLeodofCanadawasdeclaredthewin
ner of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship
stop in Las Vegas on Sunday after heavy winds
forcedthecancellationoftheflyinginthefirstof
three final rounds. McLeod won the first race of
hiscareerbyvirtueofhisvictoryinQualifyingon
Saturday.
NigelLambofBritainmovedintotheoverallWorld
Championship lead of the worlds fastest mo
torsportserieswith53pointsonthestrengthofhisfourthstraightsecondplace
and Germany's Matthias Dolderer got his first podium of the year with third
place.
TherewashighdramaonabrightandsunnyafternooninAmerica'sgamblingcapitalwhenheavywindsthat
gustedatspeedsabove30knotstoppledseveralofthe25meterhighpylons.Elevenofthe12pilotsmadeit
through the windswept track at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, despite a high number of penalties and
mistakes,andthepowerfulwindsfromthenorthwreakedhavocwithtwoofthetopthreefavorites.Paul
BonhommeofBritainandAustria'sHannesArch,whowerelockedinatightbattleforthetitlewithLamb,
bothstruggledonthehighspeed,lowaltitudetrackwithunaccustomedmistakesintheheavywindsand
wouldhavebeeneliminatedintheTop12roundhadtheracecontinuedtotheSuper8.
ThisshowsthatQualifyingisimportantweallknowthatweathercanbeafactor.Youalwayswanttorace
onraceday,saidMcLeod,whohaswonfourofthesevenQualifyingsessionsthisseasonbuthadjusttwo
thirdplaceresultsinAbuDhabiandFortWorth,Texastoshowforit.ImhappywithmyflyinginQualifying
soitssomethingtosmileabout.IstillwanttoearnmyfirstwinintheFinalFour.
TheoverallWorldChampionshipleadchangedhandsinLasVegas,forthefourthtimeinthismostexciting
seasonever,withLambleapinginfrontofBonhommeintofirstplaceforthefirsttimeinhislongcareer
withhis53championshippoints.Archisinsecondwith48pointsandBonhommehas47pointsgoinginto
thefinalraceoftheseasoninSpielberg,AustriaonOctober25/26.
Results:1.PeteMcLeod(CAN),2.NigelLamb(GBR),3.MatthiasDolderer(GER),4.MattHall(AUS),5.Han
nes Arch (AUT), 6. Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA), 7. Paul Bonhomme (GBR), 8. Martin Sonka (CZE), 9. Yoshihide
Muroya(JPN),10.MichaelGoulian(USA),11.KirbyChambliss(USA)12.PeterBesenyei(HUN).
WorldChampionshipStandings:
1.Lamb53points,2.Arch48,3.Bonhomme47,4.McLeod37,5.Hall33,6.Ivanoff30,7.Dolderer21,8.
Sonka11,9.Muroya10,10.Besenyei6,11.Chambliss5,12.Goulian0.

NigelLamb(GBR)top
ThewinnerPeteMcLeod(CAN)bottom

IhadarareopportunitytovisittheBoneyardinTucson,Arizona.,inSeptember.Ivebeen
herebeforetotakesomeimagesforanarticlethatappearedinour#24issue(clickonlinkto
download).ForthisvisitIwantedtoconcentrateonthenoseandtailartthatappearsonmany
oftheaircraftstoredorchoppedupthere.Aswellasonsomeofthesquadronshieldinsignia,
thatappearsifsomewhatfadedanddamagedarestillvisible.
It may sound like a simple task, but since there are so many aircraftwhich are spread out over 2,600
acres(11km2),evenspendingafullday,itissimplynotenoughtimetocaptureallofthesefascinating
piecesofart.Itwashotday112F(44.44C)butdespitetheheatImanagedtocaptureagoodselection.
IwouldliketothankCol.MargaretRomero,BaseCommander,Ms.TerryPittman,BusinessAffairsLiai
son,fortheirunsurpassedhospitalityaswellthePublicAffairsOfficeofDavisMonthanAFB,formaking
arrangementsformyvisitonbehalfofTheAviationMagazine.

F16tailart

VH34,oneofthehelicoptersthatwasusedbyPresidentDwightD.Eisenhower

B52from1958asindicatedonthetailcode