Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/739629
The next element that have seemed to be problematic has been a lo- cation of entire operation. As I have mentioned above, for the Fitters and Fulcrums a distant place of meeting results in a shorter "play time", i.e. time which could be used for taking photos. Initially, we considered a TSA09A airspace, to which a Su-22 pilot from Świdwin would be relatively close, so MiG-29 should come from 22nd Tactical Air Base in Malbork. But the assumption was that Fulcrums should be in the fighter version and have a special paint theme and only Smokers from the 23rd Tactical Air Base in Mińsk Mazowiecki could match this requirement, so this idea has been rejected. Finally, we have decided for the TSA2 airspace (Bravo and Charlie to be more specific). While planning such a place it is also necessary to determine a further flight route, and this in turn, in the case of taking photos, requires considering the position of the Sun. Arrival time was set on 1000HRS so we have chosen a 30 kilometers long "race track", situated perpendicular to a direction of sunlight. A rally point was set in the surroundings of Mława town. The C-295M avionics has abili- ty to program the parameters of "race track" so it can be executed entirely in the autopilot mode – due to that a tilt during the returns is perfectly precise and it is performed always in the manner. I have had the set-ups in my mind for a long time so during the briefing we have had only to confront my conception with the pilots. I have been delighted to hear that Lt. Col. Adam Kalinowski (F-16), Lt. Col. Piotr Iwaszko (MiG-29) and Lt. Col. Piotr Kurzyk (Su-22), as well as Capt. Arkadiusz Markiewicz (C-295M) have approved most of my ideas with regard to the configurations and sets. The time that we have had has been relatively short (30-40 minutes in the air), and it has been necessary to perform all the "figures" twoce, due to a PHOTOGRAPHY