Israel II 2013

For the first time 4Aviation was invided to the June 2013 Graduation ceremony for fresh pilots at Hatzerim AB. In de days preceding this event we also visited a couple of operational bases.

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22 June 2013

For the second time in 2013 a group of aviation photographers stood at the airport of Schiphol ready for a 4Aviation tour to Israel. While in April the festivities surrounding the Independence Day were the main objective for the group, the group of 12 had now been given unique access to Hatzerim air base where a group of new pilots would receive their ‘wings’. In the past this ceremony was always accompanied by a small but very fine air show during which also live weapons were fired. On Saturday 22 June Swiss brought us to Tel Aviv securely via Zurich. In Tel Aviv where the customs formalities went very smoothly. After picking up the two rental cars it was already very early in the morning, nevertheless we headed for the hotel to leave the suitcases and to refresh.

23 June 2013

On Sunday morning (23 June), around ten o’clock, a strategic place between the bases Hatzor and Tel Nof was found. Sunday is a normal working day in Israel, also for the Air Force. Around noon we heard some F-15s take off from Tel Nof. We quickly found a spot in the approach and had eleven Eagles and a CH-53 in front of our lenses. Meanwhile we heard rumblings on Hatzor. There we saw a total of 21 F-16s and a Beech 200 flying missions. Not bad at all for a Sunday afternoon! In the evening we found a nice diner on the promenade in Sde Dov where we have eaten. Regularly several helicopters (AH-1, CH-53 and UH-60) flew over the beach.

24 June 2013

On Monday morning 24 June we headed south early. Unfortunately we got stuck in a traffic jam for 1.5 hours. Arriving at Hatzerim we first went to the fantastic museum. Here many aircraft are presented in good condition. We had until 13.00 PM, because the museum closed rather early on this day. Nearby preserved are an F-4 and Kfir that we took pictures of, another couple of kilometres away is the airfield Beer Sheva Teyman where two Beech 65s were waiting for better times. Around three o’clock we arrived at the main gate where we had to wait for our guide. After a little confusion we had to go back to the museum to a bus which took us to the festivities. We got paired with an Air Force employee who would always stayed with us. There we received the program for the late afternoon. At first glance it was a bit disappointing. The air show was a thinned version of previous editions. Arriving at the site we saw a full static with almost all types of the Air Force. Around the ceremony grounds another six T-6s, two A-4 and a Phantom were displayed. The pinning of the wings took quite a while, but in between we were treated to some nice planes and helicopters. Three Blackhawks with flags, a real Harvard with a Stearman, a C-130 with CH-53, a B707 with three F-15s, the demo team with four T-6s, followed by an air power demo of a Blackhawk, two Apaches and an F-15I. Though not a lot, it was very spectacular. After the end of the show we quickly had to leave the air base. We decided to eat in Beer Sheva and invited our guide and head of Public Affairs. Tired, satisfied, but also a tad disappointed by the lack of a number of types in the air, we arrived late at the hotel.

25 June 2013