It was an event to remember. I was at my first ever airshow and oh boy, did I enjoy it!
My mother and I set off to Swellegrebal Airstrip early morning. Since it was a 2 hour drive and the Airshow started at 10 o'clock we had to depart at 7:30 if we still wanted to have breakfast along the way as well. We had some chit chat about my aviation future and I could sense that see can see the passion I have for it.
On arrival I was overwhelmed by +-50 aircraft that surrounded me. It felt like home! I even had the thought that I would look out for a nice bush and build myself a shelter under it so that I can stay there overnight. As I got out of the car I could see 15 planes circling the airstrip. The show was a bit delayed as those planes still had to land. I didn't really mind as I could use that time to walk around the other aircraft and also look around the stalls. In one of the hangers was a Impala simulator. Its not just any simulator as that one was the whole front section of an Impala with all the knobs and buttons working. I used that time to play around on the simulator and try do some aerobatics.
While I was busy with the simulator I heard a jet pass overhead and quickly got out to see what it was. By the time I got there it was long gone. It circled around and I could see it was the L 39. I was able to get this shot of it:
After the L 39 landed it was the solo display of Maj. Skarda, Falcon 5, in his Pilatus PC7 Astra. His maneuvers was so smooth and gracefully executed. It was truly the epitome of perfection. The very slow vertical stall turns also made the crowd gasp for air a few times. Here is some photos I was able to take of him:
Maj. Skarda headed back to AFB Langebaanweg and the show was followed by a glider that grasped our attention with its amazing aerobatic maneuvers. I never knew that a glider was capable of executing such rolls and loops. It was truly a sight to behold.
The Pitts Special was next. The pilot happily showed off what a little agile aircraft such as the Pitts is capable of.
The Pitts was shortly followed by the Albatross. It did some low level passes and also some turning passes so that we could see how gracefully it moves through the air.
Next it was the L 39 that lit up the sky with its roaring jet engine and stunning aerobatics.
We were then greeted by the Bosbok which did some attacking dives and showed us what it was capable of.
Next it was the helicopter display. I was stunned to see what the Oryx and Agusta A109 is capable of. The very steep turns they could do, how agile they are, how quickly they could climb, the vertical turns, the 360's... It was really amazing to see the pilot and machine in harmony.
We were then greeted by the Harvard. The sound the Rolls Royce engine created was a big 'thump thump thump thump' such as a Harley Davidson. I stood in awe, listening to an engineering marvel flying overhead.
HAWK!! Yes, the next aircraft was the Hawk. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, it came rushing over the runway in a knife edge position, cockpit facing towards us. In one big 'woooosh' it was gone again, bolting up towards the heavens. It did a stall turn and came jetting towards the earth. It did a few low level passes and rolls as well but he most breathtaking maneuver must have been the super low pass over the runway. In fact, so low that he had to drop the wheels in case he might touch the ground.
The Hawk passing by very, very low - almost touching the ground at more or less 500Km/h:
That was it. We left a bit earlier (which I really did not want to) because of the blistering heat. It was truly a day to remember and I will cherish those memories forever. Here is a few photos of me with the L 39 and Harvard (Please excuse the blur as it was taken by other people)
Experiencing my first airshow, it is clear that my love for aviation and my aspiration of becoming a SAAF pilot is unfathomable.
On a side note - I visited AFB Langebaanweg today. I will keep that entry for another day as it takes quite a while to do a entry (Took me 3 hours for this one to get all the pictures, cropping, shrinking, writing etc...) I should have that post up by Friday night so please check back soon! :)
...Jaco over and out...
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