of the program. As they have been acquired by a
major CEE Air Force, we may expect that "Fafik"
(nickname given to the jet by the Polish avgeek
community) would become a common sight
on the European air show scene. Interestingly,
however, the aircraft was piloted by a Korean
national, with the Polish pilot occupying the
back seat. Plausibly, the Polish pilots were still
undergoing type rating, when the Ostrava event
was taking place. Poland also sent the (PZL-
130) Orlik Team to Ostrava,
These were not the sole turboprop trainers
demonstrated in the skies over Mošnov. Ostrava
program also included solo displays by the
Slovenian PC-9, Greek T-6A Texan II Daedalus
team, and the Swiss PC-7 team.
The air displays also included the German
A400M and NH90 (Heer) demos. A400M with
a special color scheme commemorating this
year's Air Defender exercise, with a special
color scheme, was presented as a part of the
static display. Italian Air Force, meanwhile, sent
its Tornado to be a part of the static display. A
tragic accident of the Italian Air Force's prime
aerobatic display team, Frecce Tricolori, took
place in Turin, during an air show held on the
same dates as NATO Days.
The fast jet displays also included two
Eurofighter demos - a Spanish one and one
flown by the RAF. Unfortunately, the special
color Blackjack jet of the RAF broke down and
flew just during the rehearsals. A spare jet was
used during the show on the weekend.
Summing it up, the air portion of NATO Days
is a great closure of the European air show
season (if one disregards the Swiss Axalp
Fliegerschiessen in the Alps).
www.fragoutmag.com
