When it comes to „fast jets", the Ostrava show also had several
interesting highlights. During the traditional air parade, the Czech
Gripens accompanied a USAF F-35. A sight like that would soon
become a common circumstance as Prague announced its intent
to procure that 5th generation platform already. Does this mean that
Gripen's days under the Moravian skies would be over?
What's relevant, contrary to the previous years, the F-35's
presence in Ostrava was not limited just to the static display. The
maneuverability of the jet was presented by Kristin „Beo" Wolfe, of
the USAF F-35 Demonstration Team. British F-35B also performed
a short routine in Ostrava. It was a bit underwhelming compared
to the US demo - the jet performed a hover near the crowd line,
and then landed. This maneuver, as impressive as it may have
seemed, was overshadowed by the US demo display, with all of the
F-35's goodness, including a „square loop" or impressive high AoA
performance. Even though the European air show crowd's opinion
of US Demos is that they are disappointing, as opposed to their
European counterparts, that cannot be stated when it comes to the
USAF F-35 demo team.
AVIATION
