Greece VII 2024

This morning, Tuesday 8 October 2024,  we were expected at the gate of Andravida around 9:30. The base was an hour’s drive from our hotel, but we parked the vans well in time and joined the line of aviation enthusiasts already present. Check-in went smoothly. The spotter passes were neatly sorted per country and everyone was quickly taken by bus to the familiar terrain under the control tower. Because the first RAFL mission of the day would not launch until after lunch, there was plenty of time to browse the stands with squadron memorabilia. As with previous events, the café was also open for coffee, something soft or a snack. As a warm-up, 1 Phantom flew a lap at the end of the morning.

Just after 13:00 the first planes were started up and indeed around 13:30 the ‘launch’ of the mission began with a number of F35s and Rafales. These were quickly followed by the other participants who took off per country. In about an hour all participating planes had taken off and there was some time before the recoveries started. From about 3 pm the participants started to arrive again at the sun-drenched Andravida. The mission and the flying activities were concluded by a beautiful pass of a Canadian CC-150 tanker. After that there was nothing else to do but to thank the Hellenic air force for their hospitality and the great day. Once back at our hotel we enjoyed culinary delights again including a drink (or more). With Zaanse mayo of course.