Prague "Open Runways" Event (10.6.2017)

[upnorth]

Hello all,

2017 marks the 80th anniversary of Prague's international airport (PRG). This weekend, they hosted an open doors event that featured a small area with some aircraft to look at and poke around in as well as a limited number of guided excursions around the airport. Unfortunately all the excursion slots got filled before I was able to get onto one.

The aircraft on display included Czech historic types such as the Aero Ae-45 and Ae-145 along with a Let L-200 Morava. Also in attendance was the world's only flying Lisunov Li-2 from Hungary.

I managed a few presentable shots of the Aero Ae-145, the only airworthy example of the type remaining in Czech skies, and the Li-2:

[zenrat]

Gorgeous.  Thanks for sharing.

[PR19_Kit]

What superb shots, and the weather looked magnificent too. 

There used to be an Aero 145 flying out of Kidlington until a year or so ago, and I could identify it without seeing it as it has a very distinctive sounding engines, a super looking aircraft. 

[NARSES2]

Gorgeous.  Thanks for sharing.

Indeed, thank you 

[kerick]

Thanks for the photos.
Your photography skills are admirable.

[Captain Canada]

Nice shots ! I've never seen that Aero before, pretty cool !

[upnorth]

Glad you're all enjoying.

The Aero Ae-145 is a quite rare machine to see flying these days. The Ae-45 and later Ae-145 were one of the first aircraft families created in Czechoslovakia after WWII. There was the baseline Ae-45, the upgraded Ae-45S Super Aero and the ultimate Ae-145 versions.

As far as Europe is concerned, there is an Ae-145 and Ae-45S on the Czech Register, an Ae-145 in Slovakia, an Ae-145 in Germany, an Ae-45 in France and an Ae-45S in Hungary that are known to be current fliers.

There is an Ae-145 currently flying on the Australian register and at least one Ae-45S active on the American register.

Until 2009, the was also one active on the South African register, but a crash grounded it and repairs seemed out of reach financially for the owners. The last I read, in 2014 or 2015, the aircraft was up for sale as a restoration project.