Sweden (2015)
The Swedish Air Force does not have a major Open Day every year, so the show at Såtenäs was a good opportunity for us to head to the North! A report on this trip to Sweden in 2015.
The Swedish Air Force does not have a major Open Day every year, so the show at Såtenäs was a good opportunity for us to head to the North! On Wednesday 1 July a group of 15 people gathered at Schiphol for the flight to Gothenburg. We arrived exactly on time and met the final member of our group there. After picking up the vans we drove to our stop for the night, Jönköping.
The following morning (Thursday 2 July) we started at the Air Force museum in Malmen. This great museum offers a good overview of the history of the Swedish Air Force and the aircraft are mostly positioned good for photography. The Caravelle outside the museum was considered a highlight by many, although the museum has to offer much more than just that. After spending a couple of hours in the museum we drove around the airbase, where we saw a Gripen taxiing. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take a picture of the Viggen preserved at FMV so we moved to highway E4. Along the Linköping-exits of this road several aircraft are preserved, so we had some aircraft added to our collections! After that we headed to the hotel, but not before stopping at a nicely preserved Viggen near our destination.
On Friday 3 July we spent most of the day near the end of the runway of Såtenäs . Soon after we arrived at the air base the first visitors of the day showed up, among them two Finnish PC-2s and a Czech Yak-40. The threshold of runway 29 offers very good photo opportunities although some of the visitors flew in from the other (unreachable) end. A number of demonstrations was practiced today as well with the spectacular take-off of four Hercules as one of the highlights. Besides that, the Historic Flight did their best with the Hunter, B-17 and of course the Viggen. The Finnish F-18 and Swedish Gripens flew as well today, keeping us busy all the time!
On the day of the show, Saturday 4 July, we had to gather quite early as the Swedish Air Force had organized an event for spotters. This started out with a visit to the quiet static show, followed by a visit to the Gripen flight line. Nice, but a bit short. Besides that it was a pity the Hercules and helicopters were not visited but we were very happy an event for spotters was organized in the first place! The show was opened by four Gripens, followed by the aircraft of the Historic Flight. After that, the Swedish Air Force showed its capabilities with different demonstrations, including a very cool “hot-pit” refueling and the arming of two Gripens. In the afternoon, the Historic Flight was to show off again this time with the beautiful Draken. A very nice day out!
On the last day of our trip (Sunday 5 July) we prepared for our trip back to the Netherlands. But not before we stopped at a few Wrecks & Relics on our way to Gothenburg. Near this city the very impressive Aeroseum is located. This underground structure was built in the fifties as a secret hangar system for F9 and has been turned into a museum in 1999. At a depth of 30 meters under the ground you will find several types preserved plus a lot of information about the complex. We had arranged for a guided tour and our tour guide talked vividly about the complex and its history. After finishing the tour it was time to hand in the vans and head back home. As it turns out, the Swedish Air Force will host a big a show next year and we will most certainly be present!
