Vaasa Airshow: Flares, Lightnings and a swarm of Hornets!
Discussion
Well welcome to another photo record of the Finnish aviation scene, this time from the Vaasa Airshow held in western Finland 15-16th June.
Highlights would be both the old: Enjoying flypasts from the German P3 Orion, displays from the Dornier Do-28; and also the new: A chance to study the F-35A in the air with the FA-18C Hornets, the first time we saw Finlands current front line fighter in the air with it's chosen replacement, in this case the F-35As came from Holland.
So, onto the pictures!
Here we see a Hornet taking off for display as a BAE Hawk from the Midnight Hawks taxis out. The Hawk is the lead-in jet trainer and four airframes form the national display team.
This is all we really want as aircraft fans, a sunlit top pass, low, fast and good skies. The Hawk has given 40 years of service to Finland and is still going strong.
Then the beautiful German Navy Orion P3 came in and did a nice pass before parking up for ground display.
Two F-35A model Lightnings came from 322Sqn, Royal Netherlands Air Force, both did some rather impressive missed approaches, though the light wasn't perfect. We'd get more chances later.
This angle really highlights the muscular look of the F-35, as well as that massive Pratt & Whitney engine.
A regular sight at Finnish airshows is this beautiful C47/DC3 in Finnish colours
Another local guest was the EuroHEMS Air Ambulance Eurocopter:
Lots more flying action coming still to come!
Edited by Jake899 on Monday 8th July 08:45
MrBig said:
Great pictures! Have you got a daily mail lens or are you that much closer than most airshows will allow?
Hello Mr Big, standard 150-500mm lens on a full frame mirrorless body. I do get more than the usual access because through my firm i supply some equipment to the airshow organisers. This means i get a team pass rather than a photo/media pass which means if I am careful and don't take the mick too much I can get into some better areas. On the monday after the show for departures I got particularly good access. Plenty more to come!NDA said:
Lovely pictures....
I don't know much about aircraft, but is it unusual for this type of twin seater jet to fly with just the solo pilot?
They are training aircraft, a pilot in this case will learn the basics of flying in a Grob Tutor, then if they are streamed to fighters, will move on to the Hawk. They are twin seaters so that an instructor can fly with the student and help them through any issues. Obviously the guys flying displays are not chosen randomly, they pick very experienced pilots, most of whom are lead instructors. So at an air show, the focus is to display the aircraft, not train a student, hence them only having one driver aboard. I don't know much about aircraft, but is it unusual for this type of twin seater jet to fly with just the solo pilot?
Incidentally when training, the instructor sits in the rear cockpit, whilst in display flying, usually they take the advantage of the front seat.
One additional note is that when a display team that uses training jets goes overseas, there is room to bring a mechanic/technician along too. The Red Arrows famously fly from show to show with a blue over-alled ground crew member in the training seat.
If successful on the Hawk flying course, the pilot will usually move on to the Hornet, but some are retained as instructors.
Edited by Jake899 on Monday 8th July 10:20
Edited by Jake899 on Monday 8th July 10:22
Jumping ahead slightly, here is a shot of the F-35s winding up to leave on the Monday following the show. It was a real pleasure to be so close to such modern aircraft. I'm looking forward to seeing the performance envelope on these airframes slowly widening and witness their true potential.
This shot represents the Finnish Army's flying assets. They operate the NH90 in a medium lift capacity and the MH500 in a training/recon role. In a lot of countries the NH90 has been a bit problematic, but they seem to be well-liked in Finland. The Little Birds were expected to be replaced in the coming years, but now that the Americans are continuing to use them they may stay in service longer.
One impressive bird on static display was the Airbus MRTT or Multi Role Tanker Transport. Based on an Airbus A330, it is equipped with both boom and drogue refuelling equipment. Here it is leaving in the rain on the Monday.
The Swedes bought along three Gripen, two single seater C models and this D model piloted by two typically tall and blonde girls. The D came with quite an impressive loadout too.
Then it was time for the home favourite, the Hornet Demo. Finland has a reputation for flying one of the most impressive Hornet displays in the world. While we look forward to F35 operations, we are going to miss the Hornet when it leaves service.
Lots more foreign and local acts still to come. Thanks for looking!
LotusOmega375D said:
Agreed. The Hornet appears to have been a very versatile aircraft over the years. This Swiss one performed with some friends at Fairford a couple of years ago.
Yes they are wonderful versatile aircraft. I have had the pleasure of seeing the American, Swiss, Spanish and Finnish aircraft in action.If you see one on the ground next to an "air force" fighter, you quickly understand the differences- the under carriage alone is so much more chunky on the Hornet. The sink rate on a carrier landing is so much higher than on a runway, so these birds are built to last. It makes them perfect for the dispersed/roadway operations that the Finnish air force specialize in. The Finnish order of 64 airframes was the last Hornet order before they closed the line, and Finland has continuously upgraded their birds for the latest kit and multirole operations. We are really going to miss them when they retire.
The weather was very changeable over the weekend; every day had some showers but not so much to spoil the show. It did mean I could hide in the shelter of the Airshow office and get some pics like these. This is a Swedish NH90, one of 18 operated by the Swedish Navy.
Also during the downpour, another bedraggled Finnish NH90 came in. The crew didn't look too thrilled.
Privately in Finland, there is a display team operating ex Finnish Airforce Saab Safir aircraft. A handy trainer/liaison four seater, these little aircraft always seem a great choice for GA. I can see myself pootling down to wine country with friends in one.
Another regular supporter of Finnish Airshows is the Finnish border guard. They fly these very elegant and supurbly maintained Dornier Do28s in the maritime patrol role,
and also a fleet of Airbus Super Pumas.
The Finnish Army's NH always does a great display with a really impressive flare dump.
Then it was the star turn, the Hornet taxiing out with the Dutch Lightning for the flybys we had been waiting for!
It was really great to see Finlands present and future aircraft flying alongside each other.
Lastly, the display was rounded of by perhaps the headline act; Soloturk flying the F-16 Viper. A dynamic and flare filled display, this is another type of aircraft that was once a common sight at shows, but are now being retired by most European operators, with many being donated to the defence of Ukraine.
Thanks for taking the time to look at these, I hope you enjoy them. Comments always welcome.
NDA said:
Jake899 said:
Lovely pictures....I don't know much about aircraft, but is it unusual for this type of twin seater jet to fly with just the solo pilot?
Only crew essential to operate the aircraft systems etc are allowed in a flying display (so for example back in the old days, a Phantom, Tornado, F-111, Tomcat etc displayed with their 2-crew members)
Jake899 said:
NDA said:
Lovely pictures....
I don't know much about aircraft, but is it unusual for this type of twin seater jet to fly with just the solo pilot?
They are training aircraft, a pilot in this case will learn the basics of flying in a Grob Tutor, then if they are streamed to fighters, will move on to the Hawk. They are twin seaters so that an instructor can fly with the student and help them through any issues. Obviously the guys flying displays are not chosen randomly, they pick very experienced pilots, most of whom are lead instructors. So at an air show, the focus is to display the aircraft, not train a student, hence them only having one driver aboard. I don't know much about aircraft, but is it unusual for this type of twin seater jet to fly with just the solo pilot?
Incidentally when training, the instructor sits in the rear cockpit, whilst in display flying, usually they take the advantage of the front seat.
One additional note is that when a display team that uses training jets goes overseas, there is room to bring a mechanic/technician along too. The Red Arrows famously fly from show to show with a blue over-alled ground crew member in the training seat.
If successful on the Hawk flying course, the pilot will usually move on to the Hornet, but some are retained as instructors.
Edited by Jake899 on Monday 8th July 10:20
Edited by Jake899 on Monday 8th July 10:22
If it was an aerobatic solo flight it was also routine (on RAF trainers) to defuel the aircraft to half fuel load.
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