Slovakia (2018)

Slovakia 2018

4Aviation travelled to the Slovak International Air Fest at Sliač for the first time at the end of August/early September 2018. The show offered a fine opportunity to capture the Slovak Air Force MiG-29s, among other interesting and surprising items.

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30 August 2018

Early this Thursday morning of 30 August, the participants for the tour to the SIAF-Slovakian International Air Fest 2018 held at Sliaç met at the well-known meeting point at Schiphol Plaza. Baggage drop and security were quiet so in no time we were at the gate waiting for our KLM flight to Budapest. The flight departed slightly behind schedule due to a late arrival of the inbound aircraft and also our arrival at Ferihegy airport was about 20mins later than scheduled. After collecting the luggage and the usual rental car exercise of patience we quickly were on our way heading North to Sliaç. Plan was to go to the base immediately to witness some arrivals and to find a spot for the Friday when hopefully more arrivals and some of the rehearsals would take place. The place-to-be was easily found and in perfect weather we enjoyed a late afternoon with moderate flying activity. After the last scheduled arrival showed up it was only a short drive to our hotel for this trip. The evening was spent in a nearby restaurant at the town square enjoying some Slovakian traditional cuisine and local brews.

31 August 2018

The organisers of the SIAF had indicated that Friday 31 August would be a rehearsal day of the program on the show weekend with some late arrivals expected as well. We set up camp in the same spot as the previous day, waiting for action to begin. The weather wasn’t cooperative, light rain, nor the local security who bluntly sent us and other spotters away from the very spot we stayed without issues on Thursday. With this location being off limits, the group split with a few of us focusing on landing aircraft to not miss anything and others trekked into the fields in the hope for some action shots of the practice displays. The weather cleared up mid-morning and the rest of the day we got to enjoy some interesting participants, visitors and professional flying. Early evening, we all met up at the cars, went back to our hotel and then out for another well-deserved meal.

1 September 2018

The first show day, Saturday 1 September 2018, we made sure to arrive before opening of the gates to hopefully get a few moments on a quiet airfield to enjoy the static show as a large portion of the static participants had come in earlier in the week. The weather was nice and after parking the cars and a quick walk to the gate it became obvious we were not the only ones that wanted to enter the showground early. Well before show opening, we queued. Despite the queue, after the gate opened entry was quick with little or no security checks. We all quickly spread out to enjoy the show however one wanted. It turned out to be a nice day, weather wise and flying wise and the locals came out in masses to enjoy the spectacle. As a result, it was pleasantly crowded. Highlight of the displays was without doubt a fly-by of the combined Czech and Slovak air forces, followed by low passes of the VIP Airbus and Fokker100 jets. After the flying display was finished, we met up at the cars and despite the large crowd it was surprisingly easy to get back to our hotel.

2 September 2018

During the night a string of heavy storms hit the area. The forecast for Sunday 2 September was marginal with more thunderstorms predicted. Due to this, we all decided to again go inside to have some shelter in case the forecasted bad weather would hit. In the end it was wet at times, but nothing serious and all acts have done their display. The flying acts were the same as the Saturday, but slot times were different. The alternative slot times plus the changeable weather resulted in different photo opportunities compared to the previous day. In the evening the enjoyable weekend was celebrated with another nice meal at the patio of a local restaurant.

3 September 2018

This Monday, 3 September 2018, was our return day back to Schiphol. As our flight left from Budapest late afternoon, there was time to go hunt a few wrecks & relics in the area. A MiG-15 was found in a small brewery town and a MiG-21 at a grass airfield. Upon return at Ferihegy airport there was time for a quick visit to the Malev museum.

After returning the rental cars and absolute disorganisation during check-in we flew on time back to Amsterdam. At the luggage carrousel we shook hands, said goodbye and see you soon and we agreed that we certainly would like to go to Slovakia again.

Slovakia 2018

Slovakia 2018

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Slovakia (2018)

Slovakia 2018

Slovakia 2018

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