Poland 2025
The one that didn’t quite go to plan…
Almost always they seem to do, just not this time. “Radom 2025” will forever be remembered for the tragic loss of Major Maciej “Slab” Krakowian and his F-16 at the end of the first rehearsal day, and the subsequent cancellation of the airshow. 4Aviation was there, but (fortunately!) managed to miss witnessing the crash by less than 2 minutes…
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Wednesday 27 august – arrival
Of course the 4Aviation group was totally unaware of things to come when they assembled in the arrivals hall of Warsaw’s Chopin airport just before noon. The plan was to pick up our two minivans and head out to Deblin for the museum. Frustratingly it took a very long time for the vans to arrive at the agreed location, and it was well after two o’clock when we were finally on our way. Still, with “only” a 90-minute drive to Deblin we should still be able to make the museum in time. The vans were delivered with almost no fuel (we definitely made sure they were returned on Sunday in the same way!) but we didn’t want to lose time now at a petrol station, so we pressed on and made Deblin with the gauges “somewhere in the red”.
The museum would close at five, with last admittance at a quarter past four, which in the end wasn’t a problem at all as we arrived with half an hour to spare. It wasn’t particularly busy in the museum but still the lady at the entrance needed her time to have everyone paid the entrance fee. After the first few it suddenly became clear that with a presented Radom entrance ticket the museum entrance would be 50% off. But not everyone had this ticket at hand or on their mobile phone, which lead to some discussion and confusion. In the end some managed to get in with a senior citizen discount instead. Potato potatoe…
There are a lot of aircraft here, in a relatively small area, so don’t expect spacious exhibited aircraft. On the other hand most are well maintained, and the brilliant weather was helpful too. If you like old “Soviet” jets and stuff, then Polish museums are definitely the places to go. Not content with a single MiG and Sukhoi, they usually have lines of them with all (sub) variants. The Deblin Museum is no exception. There has been talk of museum staff actively hindering / forbidding from even having a look at two (ex) Ukrainian Il-76’s parked on the active airfield (there are in fact more, we would see them later in the week), but we didn’t have any problems ourselves at all. Well, not today at least.
By five o’clock everybody was happy and it was time for the two hour drive to our hotel, but not before we got fuel first. With both vans happy again and everybody stocked up on food and drinks we set out. Eventually arriving at our hotel we were pleasantly surprised with the smooth reception, the pleasant rooms, the kindness of the hotel staff, and, last but not least, the restaurant with its tasty food and selection of locally brewed beers. We’re going to enjoy this!
Thursday 28 august – rehearsal day 1
The day started well with an elaborate breakfast and a 45-minute drive to Radom. Since warm weather was forecasted for today and not everyone had yet stocked up on food and drinks for the day, we first stopped at the Lidl store near the western airfield approach. Here it already became apparent that the wind direction was perpendicular to the runway and unclear from which end the flying would take place. A departing civil airliner while we were still on the Lidl parking suggested flying would be from the west to the east, which was unexpected. It turned out that both directions would be used during the day, switching back and forth several times. Which of course made our life a bit more complicated. Anyway, we started by finding a spot on the western side, which is not as open and convenient as the eastern side but it is at least accessible and all right for decent photography. It wasn’t busy with spectators (yet) but at least (what appeared to be) the local spotting community was there which was helpful. Their behaviour sometimes seemed erratic but served as a good indication whenever the runway in use appeared to have been changed. It was thus, even before we had fully settled, after a Czech Casa 295 landed from the other end that the Poles were on the move, and we followed suit. Passing the spectators spot at the south side of the runway it was quickly clear that the small hill there was already fully occupied (no surprise) and without stepladders that spot wasn’t an option for arriving and departing traffic today. Arriving at the eastern end we parked our vans on a dusty piece of farm land, with (presumably) the farmer doing the rounds collecting the parking fee. He didn’t look like a farmer, holding a baby in one arm as he moved back and forth along the cars in the field, but all the Poles paid him without any discussion so we guessed he actually was the owner of the land. Anyway, well done for letting people park there for a small fee.
Flying started with the arrival of three Iskra’s, immediately going through part of their display routine before landing. Next were two LiM’s (MiG-15’s) from the Fubar team, which made a spectacular low pass in formation…after which they landed at the other end. Oh no…it’s going to be one of those days… The Czech Casa managed to trick us for the second time by departing from the other end. This eventually triggered the Poles again with a mass dash to the other runway end, and we followed. Back at our original spot we had some time to settle down before the next arrivals, which luckily would stick to using this end of the runway for the next hour or so. The French Rafales arrival was nice, but the Greeks really send a nice delegation, with two F-16’s topped by two F-4’s and the departing C-27 support returning for a nice low pass. More arrivals followed but soon after the word spread that the runway had again swapped (not literally…) and the next exodus started. Fortunately, this turned out to be the last time we had to move, although we didn’t know that at the time. More arrivals followed, and several practice demo’s were flown by the participants, resulting in no dull moments for the gathered crowd in the approach. Our position wasn’t always the most ideal to photograph the displays, but we would have plenty of opportunities for that tomorrow. Or so we thought. Still, today a couple of nice banking shots could be made.
Until now most flying had been done by foreign arrivals and displays, but according to the online flying schedule (which was updated every few minutes and correct by the minute, the best we’ve seen so far) the local Orlik team was still to fly, followed by a couple of formation flypasts and the F-16 demo concluding today’s practice. We moved to the other side of the approach to have the quickly setting sun in our backs again. The flypasts consisted of two helicopter formations (8 helicopters of different types in total) followed by two FA-50’s and two MiG-29’s, the latter four returning to bash up the airfield a couple of times. Not a massive showing by the Polish armed forces, but nevertheless very welcome. By now the sun had really set and the only thing still to happen was the Polish F-16 demo. In fact the F-16 could already be seen at altitude in a holding pattern when the flypast formations were still on their way.
We were however pressed for time by now, it was agreed that we would definitely be leaving at 19:15 to make sure we could still enjoy dinner at our hotel before the kitchen closed. This deadline was stretched by a couple of minutes to allow the MiG-29’s to conclude their show, but after that everybody was ushered into the vans and we drove off, just as “Slab” in his F-16 flew by with his initial low pass over the runway. Less than two minutes later, when we were driving on the road at the north side of the airfield, we noticed some black smoke. Uh oh, that’s usually not a good sign. On the other hand, it could also be a hamburger stand that has caught fire. However, it was again less than two minutes later clear in the lead van that the F-16 had crashed. It is shocking how quick the first videos of the crash appeared on several social media channels.
Immediately every one realized this was a major event which could very well put a halt to the airshow. It was also immediately agreed among ourselves that we were lucky, by pure chance, that we had just missed witnessing the crash (we would not have been in danger, but still very close to it indeed). For some it would have been witnessing their first airshow disaster, a few others had already seen enough of those in the past. It’s the hard reality of airshows, and our hobby in general. There is always risk, with people doing their very best to minimize these as much as possible but still are willing to take. How often don’t we see manoeuvrers or other things happening when afterwards everybody thinks “that fortunately went well” or “if this had gone wrong we would have been in deep $*@#!”, but sometimes luck just runs out. RIP Major Krakowian, the crowds have really enjoyed your flying these last couple of years, but nobody should have paid the ultimate price for that. But again, that’s the harsh reality.
Back at our hotel, and after the other van was informed of what had happened, we still managed to enjoy our dinner. Word came through that the airshow had indeed been cancelled, and if even the Polish prime minister and president both confirm this in their first comments on the crash, then we can be quite sure of the cancellation. Okay…now what? The planning for the coming days flew right out of the window and we had to come up with some alternatives. Which was not as easy as it might seem. Yes we are all aviation enthusiasts and eager to go to the airshow, but not everyone likes museum aircraft while others have no problem with walking the extra mile for half rotten away MiG’s or something similar. Also, some don’t mind going into the city instead while others saw that as a complete waste of time. A visit to Auschwitz was proposed as another alternative but was vetoed by almost all participants. It was decided to let everybody have a (hopefully) good night’s sleep first and decide the next morning.
Friday 29 august – rehearsal day 2 round trip
After breakfast plans were made…and changed again at the last minute when it was realized that we would be better off by going to the Krakow museum tomorrow, and instead try to see (and maybe even photograph) some operational aircraft at Minsk Mazowiecki and Deblin. Whether there would be any flying at all was unclear but there is always hope, and with nothing better to do… Also it was by now known that the Su-22 Fitters that were supposed to fly at Radom where visible at Minsk, and with the imminent retirement of the type this would be the last opportunity for us to see some operationally. Off we went. The weather was about to change quite a bit, with overcast and showers in the afternoon, which would have been a challenge had the airshow taken place, with thunderstorm forecasted for the Saturday, although in hindsight it wouldn’t have been half as bad as predicted. In the new reality however it was just the same, even better as there was now no heat haze to speak off, and no sun in front.
At breakfast we had met our latest addition to the group: two fellow enthusiasts from Luxembourg who were even more unlucky than the rest of us. They had skipped the first rehearsal day, expecting all the airshow action today and tomorrow. Alas… And they were of course not the only ones in the same predicament, we would meet a lot of people who had arrived on the Thursday evening to the news that the show was cancelled.
On our way to Minsk our first stop was at the motorway service area with the preserved Su.20 Fitter on the lawn. The sun was still shining at this point which made the old-look straight tube fuselage Fitter variant a pleasant sight to behold. If you are into these kind of things, of course. We didn’t bother with the Iskra in fake advertising colours just down the road at the opposite side of the motorway, maybe we’ll leave that for the Sunday (in the end, we didn’t).
At Minsk it was again questionable which runway would be in use as the wind was still coming from the south and crossing the runway perpendicularly. Some flying activity seemed possible as jet noise could be heard, but this turned out to be nothing more than an engine test coming from the area where some German Eufi’s were located for the Baltic air support mission. Better to go then to the crash gate at the northern side of the airfield to have a look what was going on. Arriving there we were surprised by a local Sokol helicopter practising its flying skills and appearing in front of our camera’s a couple of times. The light wasn’t very good unfortunately, but we’ll take it. In hindsight this would be the only flying activity for us here, and the only one today which was at least somewhat photographable. From this spot we could see the flightline, with four Su-22’s and two MiG-29’s, all covered up so it was quite clear these wouldn’t be flying home today, unfortunately. A photo of a FA-50 was forwarded to us which seemed to have been made very recently at the north western end of the airbase, so off we went to check this out. But after a walk through a field and some shenanigans to see if there was any clear view possible right near the fence, we had to conclude that the photo had in fact been made from a long way off and not really worth the effort. But at least we saw the three German Eufi’s from here as well. Time to go, it started raining a bit anyway.
Next stop Deblin, this time not for the museum but to have a look at the active airfield. We had little hope for any active flying here as well, and that proved to be the case indeed. But at least we did see the other (former) Ukrainian Il-76’s, and the helicopters for the Radom flypasts. After ten minutes or so a security car arrived inside the fence, with a not too friendly (civilian) security person. We were probably not the first ones here today to be sent off, he tried to look very imposing but really wasn’t. However, to prevent loosing time by having to talk to the police who might have been alerted (probably not, but you never know) we departed, just as the next car with photographers on their alternative program arrived. Those guys were not seen again afterwards, that necessarily doesn’t mean a thing, but just saying.
As we would be passing Radom anyway on our way back to the hotel, we might as well try to see if the observation mound at the south side of the base was still accessible, or if there were any roads closed to ward off any onlookers after the crash. The hill was indeed reachable, but there was also a big police presence who made sure that no photos could be made in the direction of the air base, and large telescopes were also not allowed. By this time what might have remained of the F-16 (not a lot, probably) had been cleared and only a large patch of burned grass and people working to repair the damaged runway could be seen. Anyway, it was still a sobering view. We spend a couple of minutes on the mound, taking inventory of the static display. So close yet so far away.
In yesterday’s hurry to get into our vans and head back to our hotel, just as the F-16 had started its display routine, someone of our group had forgotten to take his folding chair with him and left it standing in the field. A very long shot, but as we are in the vicinity anyway we might as well take a look if by some miracle the chair was still there. No it wasn’t. Of course not. But we did see even more police at this side, confirmation that we indeed would have been very close to the crash had we stayed two minutes longer, and part of the static display and helicopters being towed away from another angle.
Saturday 30 august – air show day 1 Krakow
This morning the weather was, quite unexpectedly, brilliant with blue skies and a pleasant sun. The 90-minute drive to Krakow was uneventful and we arrived at the museum at ten. We were clearly not the only ones visiting the museum, but the exhibits are displayed in a large area and in several hangars, so with some good timing and a little bit of patience photography was not a problem at all. And what a fantastic museum it is (if you’re into that sort of thing). Again nice lines of assortments of MiG’s and Sukhois outside, and more inside to keep you busy for at least two hours if not more. You really have to be careful not to miss anything, and this is one of those museums where many of us could spend the whole day and still not be bored. Some were indeed thinking of staying at the museum and not going to the airfield for some (hopefully) operational spotting instead, but in the end did not. Our two Luxembourgian friends however had had enough, they really joined us for the airshow and didn´t have a big interest in the rest, and decided to go into town and would eventually return to the hotel on their own. Another one went into town too but would meet us later today at the airport.
In the meantime, a rumour had spread that an Antonov 2 from one of the Baltic states (I seem to have forgotten which one) was expected to land at Krakow airport in the afternoon. This was definitely a good excuse to not stay in the museum all day and to please those among us who rather see some operational than museum aircraft as well. Fifteen minutes later, at the airfield with a nice view of the military ramp, the sun was still blazing and we had a hard time reading off the numbers of the present Casas and M28 Bisons, but with some perseverance we managed in the end. We’d noticed that there were a lot of people sitting on the hill at the other side of the motorway, right under the approach. This was apparently the place to be. But first we found a little convenience store where we stocked up on sandwiches, potato chips and drinks, and probably doubled the store’s turnover. Arriving at the spot on the hill it was curious that everybody was walking up there and not driving, and sure enough just as we had parked our two vans in the shade, some distance away, we were greeted by a police patrol who kindly requested us to bugger off. So we did, parked the vans at the bottom of the hill with all the other cars, and walked back up. Of course we could have left everybody but the two drivers there, relocate the vans and the drivers walking back, but this we only realised when it was much too late! That the police was a bit unclear if we could actually be in that spot didn´t help either. Anyway, once back on the hill the shade of a tree line was very welcome and we settled down for things to come. Which was, to be fair, if you weren’t interested in civil airliners, not all that much. Not unexpected for a Saturday. By this time it was also clear that the expected Antonov 2 wasn’t what it was said to be, but “just” a Polish Casa instead, indeed on its way from Sarajevo. So much for the reliability of Flightradar. But we were here now anyway and just made the best of it. It is really a fantastic approach, sitting in the shade with the landing aircraft passing by low and with the sun in the right place, which everyone of us only really started to appreciate when the “Antonov 2” finally came in.
After a surprise stop for an old Yak 23 jet fighter hidden behind a bus stop in a small town not far from Krakow airfield, we drove back to our hotel for our last pleasant evening in the restaurant.
Sunday 31 august – air show day 2 More old metal
The forecasted rain and thunderstorms hadn’t arrived until late Saturday evening and during the night, so in hindsight it wouldn’t have been a big factor had the airshow not been cancelled. It did mean however that the Sunday would be overcast and grey until well after noon. After saying goodbye to the hotel staff, who had really been magnificent hosts, we had a long drive (only 5 minutes) to a small museum just to the south of the hotel but which most of us hadn’t visited yet. Their website claimed it would open at 8, not bad for a Sunday morning, and indeed it had! Again a nice collection of aircraft, military vehicles, remains of World War II stuff recovered from swamps and such, and a complete boat. For those of us who’s interest mainly ends at everything without wings or rotor blades, an hour is more than enough here. But if you like tanks and all militaria too then it’s a tall order.
The initial plan was to return our rented vans late in the afternoon, but unfortunately one of our group’s flight had been cancelled and rebooked onto an earlier flight. Also, with how long it took the rental company to deliver the vans still on our mind we had no idea how long the return would take, we decided it would be just as well to be back at the airport an hour or so earlier. But first…more old metal. There are several aircraft / military museums in Warsaw but for a start we had set our eyes on the Museum of Polish Military Technology. The entrance ticket machine looked complicated but luckily the museum had realised this as well and there was a staff member at the ticket machine pushing all the buttons. Maybe get rid of the machine then? Located inside an old fort it again hosts a lot of airplanes and other military stuff, but here the available space is restricted and most exhibits are quite cramped together. It also doesn’t help to place an anti-aircraft gun between every aircraft in line… Still, again an enjoyable stay here, there were some re-enactors in World War II Polish uniforms and a boot with modern guns for no reason at all (or at least not one we could understand).
After this, with some time to spare we might be able to do yet another museum, but here it all became a bit confusing. The army museum has (we later found out) recently relocated and our navigation correctly directed us to the Citadel where a new building has been erected for the museum. However it was unclear where the entrance was, there was a gate where we found a parking spot for our vans nearby but that entrance didn’t seem like it had public access, it certainly wasn’t posted as such. Anyway the one or two group members who actually had been at the army museum before assured that the entrance was on a main road, and not where we had parked. So with that in our minds we set off for a nice walk around the Citadel. Part of the group decided enough old metal was enough and stayed with the vans, relaxing in a small nearby playground. Someone had been talking about red squirrels for days, really wanting to see one, and how much luck do you want if one crosses right in front of you? Hopefully we would be just as lucky locating the army museum, but once at the main road it didn’t seem as such as it still wasn’t recognised as such. So we walked into the citadel, finally reaching a big new building which indeed turned out to be the army museum. But where were the aircraft? We eventually found a couple of them at the back of the building, behind a fence. But there should be more??? There was nothing worthwhile (for us) inside the museum as well. So, it turned out the museum had relocated, the memories our group had were (of course) of the old museum, and most aircraft exhibits were still in storage waiting restoration and display at the new museum. That was a bit of a letdown. Another realisation was that we were now only meters from the other side of the entrance gate where we had parked our vans, and although it wasn’t signposted at all and a guard present, you could walk in and out… We could thus have saved ourselves the walk around the Citadel. But at least we saw a red squirrel instead. And we saved ourselves a long walk back and could now just walk out and be at the vans in no time.
A phone call to the rental car company reassured us that we could just leave the two vans at the car park, leave them unlocked, and they would then disable them remotely, which was reassuring that we at least wouldn’t need to wait a long time for their representatives to arrive. However we hadn’t arrived at the airport car park for less than 2 minutes when they showed up and we could return the vans in a more traditional way. One had a dent of which we weren’t sure it had been there before or not, it was certainly not by our own doing, but after an inspection everything was okay so it was either an existing dent or not important enough. Check in at the airport was uneventful and in the mean time we said our goodbyes to those on a different flight. The wait before boarding was filled with photographing a Mi.8, an arriving Casa 295, and dinner.
And so ended a memorable trip, but unfortunately memorable for all the bad reasons. Having said that, we had a good day at Radom on the Thursday, and tried our best to please everyone as much as possible with our alternative program. Those with an interest in wrecks and relics and museums were lucky as there is more than enough of that in Poland and thus easy to offer as an alternative for a cancelled airshow, for others the airshow was all they had hoped to enjoy. It is hoped there will be a next Radom airshow, and if so we’re definitely will be back!
