My first visit to an international airshow. The Thunderbirds of the US Airforce were a surprise guest in Switzerland.
Open Day at Fighter Bomber Squadron 49 in Fürstenfeldbruck. The squadron with its Dornier Alpha Jet was disbanded just two years later in 1994.
At the beginning of the 1990s, US Army helicopter units from Katterbach, Illesheim and Giebelstadt also practised regularly in southern Middle Franconia.
Visit at the open day of the Medium Transport Helicopter Regiment 25 in Laupheim in summer 1994
A big surprise ...
On 13 July 1996, the public is invited to an "Open Day" at the Otto Lilienthal Barracks in Roth.
International Aerospace Exhibition Berlin-Schönefeld 1998
An approach to the flying subjects with a 35mm 35mm camera without (sufficient) zoom ...
More info about the airshow can be found here.
An unfortunately rainy day in 1999 at JaBoG 34 “Allgäu” in Memmingerberg.
International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin 2000
Airpower 2003 in Zeltweg / Austria on June 28, 2003
Airpower 2005 in Zeltweg / Austria on June 24, 2005
Family Day EADS Military Air Systems in Manching on 08 July 2006
In 2006, 50 years of the Roth site were celebrated with an open day.
International Aerospace Exhibition Berlin-Schönefeld 31.05.2008
Unfortunately, no aircraft were shown in the air at the Family Day of Fighter Bomber Squadron 32 in Lagerlechfeld in 2008.
In 2009, the airshow organized by the Austrian Armed Forces and Red Bull experienced its third edition. With around 280,000 visitors on two days of the event, a new attendance record was achieved.
Open day at Combat Helicopter Regiment 26 "Franken" at Roth on the occasion of its 30th anniversary on July 05, 2009.
International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin-Schönefeld on 12.06.2010
As in 2008, the ILA 2010 took place under more or less provisional circumstances in the middle of the construction site for the major airport Berlin-Brandenburg-International. Despite the cramped conditions, the number of aircraft on display was very high and offered a broad overview from vintage to prototype.
Visit to Austria's big airshow on July 01 and 02, 2011.
On June 29, 2013, I again visited the airshow organized by the Austrian Armed Forces and Red Bull in Zeltweg / Styria. The event took place over two days and attracted a total of more than 300,000 visitors to the Hinterstoisser air base in the immediate vicinity of the Red Bull Ring. In bright sunshine, more than 9 hours of flight program were offered daily.
In July 2013, Combat Helicopter Regiment 26 in Roth celebrated its 35th anniversary with an open day. At the same time, it is the farewell event for the regiment, its many soldiers and civilian employees.
Long before it was finally disbanded on June 30, 2014, KHR 26 had already seen a significant reduction in personnel. The number of remaining helicopters was also steadily decreasing. In September 2013, a "fly out" was organized in Roth. In December 2013, the regiment's last MBB BO 105s took off.
A must for anyone interested in aviation is the biennial aerospace exhibition held in Berlin. In 2014, the ILA Berlin Air Show again proved to be a well-organized event with exhibits from the entire spectrum of aviation and aerospace. During my visit on May 24, 2014, several highlights were offered in the Flying Display, such as the Breitling Jet Team with its German premiere and the F-16 Demo Team "Solo Türk" from Turkey, this year's partner country of the ILA. The "old acquaintances" of the Flying Bulls (B-25 and F-4 Corsair) and the Patrouille Suisse with their usual precise demonstration were also convincing. Slightly disappointing for me was "Willfire 2014", the live operational exercise of the German Armed Forces, which was apparently planned and carried out primarily under noise protection aspects.
As part of "Jackal Stone," the largest exercise for special operations forces in Europe, three Bell-Boeing CV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft were moved from their home base at Mildenhall in England to Grafenwoehr in September 2014. Led by the United States Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR), members from special operations units from the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Finland, Great Britain, Lithuania, Poland, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States participated. The objective of the exercise is to learn and coordinate operational principles, techniques, procedures and tactics among special operations units from different armed forces.
In 2015, for the first time, the Bundeswehr Technical Center for Aircraft and Aircraft Equipment (WTD 61) in Manching hosted an open day at various locations across Germany. Around 60,000 visitors accepted this invitation on June 13, 2015, and obtained information about careers or training with the Bundeswehr, admired the exhibits on display and enjoyed the approximately one-hour air show.
On September 5 and 6, 2015, the Italian aerobatic squadron "Frecce Tricolori" celebrated its 55th anniversary at its home base in Rivolto near Udine. Congratulators included air forces from Europe and the Middle East.
ILA Berlin was held in 2016 with a slightly different concept - the total duration of the trade show was reduced by one day, of which 2 event days remained reserved for the trade public. The highlights among the approximately 200 aircraft on display were certainly the Airbus A350XWB, the Antonov AN-178 transport aircraft and the Boeing B-52 of the US Airforce.
There were several reasons to celebrate at the Bundeswehr Day 2016 in Neuburg an der Donau. Tactical Air Force Wing 74 at the air base in Neuburg-Zell, for example, can already look back on 55 years of eventful history. The Luftwaffe is also celebrating an anniversary: it has been in existence for 60 years. For the numerous visitors who had turned up at the air base despite the bad weather, there was an extensive program to marvel at.
Around 240 aircraft were presented by the Austrian Armed Forces, Red Bull and the Province of Styria at the sixth edition of AIRPOWER. On September 2 and 3, 2016, a total of 300,000 visitors wanted to marvel at the demonstrations in the air and on the ground. The very varied program offered a broad cross-section of aviation, from loud fighter jets to quiet glider aerobatics.
In October 2018, the Bavarian police helicopter squadron trained various types of helicopter-assisted water rescue at Rothsee with the water rescue helpers from the surrounding local associations.