Čáslav AB open day 2017 (20.05.2017)

[upnorth]

Hello all,

Yesterday, I went out to the central part of the Czech Republic to attend the biannual open day of Čáslav air base.

The weather was slightly better than forecast, but still far less than optimal.

I have to say this event has changed a lot since I first attended it in 2011. Year on year it gets bigger, but they need to work on the logistics to make the event fit the larger size of crowds. With a single runway and three or four aprons spread out along it with a fair distance between them, I'm not sure the base is making the best use of the available space. large chunks of the static display line were set up between the crowd and the dynamic show line. As such, it was quite difficult getting close to some parts of the static line for people standing there to watch the dynamic show. There were large empty areas of the aprons that would have been much better for placement of static displays and would not have obstructed views of the dynamic show.

Transportation arrangements to and from the base to the Čáslav rail station also were not optimal for the increased volume of people this year's event saw.

Hopefully these matters will be better dealt with at the next one.

At that, here's a few of my more presentable shots on the day:

This is an Aero L-159 ALCA in a special scheme reflecting a Spitfire. This event was the public premier of it:


Another member of the Čáslav home team, the Gripen:


A veteran of the Cold War and stalwart of the Czech air force, this is one of two Yak-40 aircraft still in Czech service. They will be replaced soon:


A look down part of the static display line shows a bit of the international flavour of the event. Military Participants came from Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and Switzerland:




Belgium brought both their F-16 solo and Agusta A-109 display to the show:




The Patroille Suisse brought six jets, but opted for a four plane display. It was no less impressive with four:


I'm putting this pair of civil machines into the mix not only to show the broader flavour of the show, but also out of respect for their pilots. While the forecast rain stayed away, the early part of the show had some strong winds and both these guys displayed in them:



Thanks for looking. Any and all comments are welcome

[NARSES2]

Great pics 

Love the "Spitfire" L-159

[Captain Canada]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing ! Love the air shots, that F-16 shot is awesome !

[upnorth]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing ! Love the air shots, that F-16 shot is awesome !

Thanks!

That F-16 shot was a real surprize. I cropped it out of a larger picture and didn't expect much as the weather was working against it and my camera isn't one of those fancy DSLR rigs.

[PR19_Kit]

This is an Aero L-159 ALCA in a special scheme reflecting a Spitfire. This event was the public premier of it:

Magic! 

It's a real world Whiff! 

[KiwiZac]

I said it elsewhere and I'll say it again: I love the Spitfirebatros! A wicked representation and most of the colours are spot-on!

[upnorth]

The L-159 was painted specifically to mimic the markings of a Spitfire Vb flown by General František Peřina. A Czechoslovak pilot who served in both the French air force and RAF during WWII and was in his later years named a patron of 212 Squadron, the unit that flies the L-159.

The man was quite a story:

https://fcafa.com/2011/01/29/frantisek-perina/

If you scroll down to the comments section, there's a ton of other good links to follow for more details on him and some quite enlightening details about the Munich Agreement.