Nowy Targ 31.07.2024.
On 6-7 July 2024, Aeroclub Nowy Targ was the organiser of the 13th Nowy Targ Aviation Picnic. The Aeroclub is an heir to the aviation traditions of Podhale, which was started by the Tatra Aeroclub in 1957. The event is cyclical and has an open-air character. The arena is the flying field and the sky above the airfield, with the fantastic backdrop of the Polish Tatra Mountains. It is one of the largest events of its kind in Poland, attracting thousands of Podhale residents and visitors.
The event was not ticketed and it was possible to park one’s own car on a designated section of the flying field, at a cost of PLN 30. It was also possible to leave the car in the city car parks and walk to the airfield.
The previous event in Nowy Targ was held on 8-9 July 2023. It should be added that, due to the Chinese virus pandemic, there was previously a four-year break.
This year’s Air Show in Nowy Targ must be regarded as very successful. The weather was good, and above all the spectators. It is estimated that there were around 40,000 spectators over the two days. The event’s organisers aspire to make the Nowy Targ Air Show the largest aviation event in southern Poland. This is all the more so as there have been no air shows in Bielsko-Biała (Aleksandrów airport) and Katowice (Muchowiec airport) for several years. On the other hand, the Małopolska Air Picnic, at the former Rakowice-Czyżyny airport, has more and more organisational difficulties every year.
The Nowotarski Air Show always brings together very good pilots flying individually and in teams, on various types of aircraft, from Poland and abroad. At the show there were numerous stalls, company stands, food stands, a funfair for children, young and slightly older people. As every year, there was a stage where bands performed and competitions were held. Toilets and a medical point were not forgotten.
Throughout the show, sightseeing flights were performed by three Cessna 172 aircraft. The first Cessna 172M Skyhawk II registration SP-ATW – white colour. The Cessna FR171H Reims Rocket registration SP-ANT – yellow in colour. And Cessna R172K Hawk XP registration OE-KMT – colour white and navy blue.
The biggest highlight of this year’s show was the performance of the F-16 Tiger Demo Team. It will be recalled that the F-16 Tiger Demo Team had the following performances in 2024; 11 May Piła. 18-19 May Krzesiny. 21-22 June Leszno. 28-30 June Chevres Belgium. 6-7 July Nowy Targ. 13 July Gdynia (event cancelled). 18-21 July Fairford UK. 2-3 August Hradec Kralowe Czech Republic. 23-25 August Kecskemet Hungary. 30 August Malbork. 6-7 September Zeltweg Austria. 21 September Łask.
F-16 Tiger Demo Team Poland from the 31st Tactical Air Base Poznań-Krzesiny, was established in 2015. The team is made up of a group of over 20 soldiers; pilots, safety observers, a commentator, technicians, a logistician and a flight safety officer. In Nowy Targ, the F-16 nb 4061 aircraft, was flown by pilot captain Maciej ‘SLAB’ Krakowian. The demonstration lasted 14 minutes and included sequences of high overload manoeuvres, at altitudes from 150m – 2,000m and speeds from 200km/h to 1,200km/h. The pilot used thermal traps, or so-called flares, several times. Many spectators from Nowy Targ specifically came just for this show.
An unplanned surprise of the show was the flight of two PZL TS-11 Iskra aircraft; nb 1713, nb 1214. The aircraft are owned by the White-Red Wings Foundation. It is the only organisation in Poland specialising in historic jet aircraft.
The star of the show was the PZL M-26 Iskierka aircraft registration SP-DIC. This is a school and tourist aircraft that was manufactured at PZL Mielec. The aircraft was built by Polish engineers using elements from the PZL M-20 Mewa aircraft. Most of the aircraft built were exported to the USA. In 2020, there was not a single aircraft of this type in Poland. Aviation enthusiasts wanted at least one aircraft of this type to be in Poland. It was possible to find an aircraft for sale in the USA, and it was decided to buy the aircraft and bring it to Poland. In October 2020, the aircraft was viewed and it was determined that the aircraft could be purchased. The entire process of handling the purchase and import to Poland was handled by Plane4You. On 14 June 2021, the last phase of the service of the PZL MIELEC M-26 Iskierka aircraft No. N2601M, registration SP-DIC, began, i.e. a conversion across the Atlantic Ocean, from the USA to Mielec. The aircraft covered a distance of 8,950 km (4,850 nm). The flight time was 42 hours. The flight ceiling was approximately FL100. The aircraft had stopovers at 13 airports. The distance over water was 4,150 km (2,300 nm). The aircraft on 23 June 2021, landed at Mielec EPML airport. The imported aircraft was manufactured in 1997, with s/n 1AP-002-01. The aircraft had US registration N260IM. It has M-26 Air Wolf lettering on the hood. In July 2023, the aircraft was demonstrated at the Nowotarski Picnic.
At the show was a RWD-5 R aircraft registration SP-AJU. The RWD-5 R aircraft crashed a few years ago. Fortunately, the pilot and passenger were not hurt. A decision was quickly taken to rebuild the aircraft. On 2 July 2023, the Experimental Aviation Association, EAA 991, reported that a test flight was made after the restoration. At the controls was the test pilot Mr Dominik Punda, a high-calibre professional who specialises, among other things, in flying small aircraft from the USA to Europe. The overhaul of the RWD-5 R aircraft allowed several changes to be made. One of these was the change of registration from SP-LOT to SP-AJU, which allowed the aircraft, captained by Stanisław Skarżyński, to be fully replicated. Of course, the new marks obliged a change of colour, so the aircraft received a new silver paint scheme with elements of red, referring to its predecessor.
There was a RWD-8 replica aircraft, registration SP-AMD. In the period 2020-2021, aviation enthusiasts built and flew two flying replicas of RWD-8 aircraft registration SP-AMD and registration SP-SCKW. The replicas were made mainly of metal (duralumin). A Czech VERNER, star, 7-cylinder, 125 hp (91.94 kW) engine was used. The aircraft was equipped with modern clocks and a radio station. A luggage compartment was fitted in the fuselage. A steerable tailwheel was used instead of a skid. A rudder trimmer was used, which the original aircraft did not have. The dimensions and performance of the replicas are very close to the original RWD-8 aircraft.
There were many aerobatic aircraft at the show and excellent displays by leading Polish aerobatic pilots. The CASA C-295 M nb 020 aircraft presented itself in flight, while the An-2 Viennese was on static display.
Programme SOBOTA 06 July 2024.
I BLOCK OF SCREENINGS
13:30 – 13:40 Cmelak – John Richards
13:40 – 13:50 VL-3 – Krzysztof Będkowski
13:50 – 14:00 PUCHACZ – Jakub Wielkiewicz
14:00 – 14:20 OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE XIII NOWY TARG AIR PICNIC
14:20 – 14:30 CARBON CUB EX2l – Łukasz Czepiela
14:30 – 14:40 RWD-5 – Piotr Wszołek
14:40 – 14:50 RWD-8 – Jarosław Rozwód
15:00 – 15:15 PIPER CUB L-4H-Antoni Nowak, PIPER CUB L-4H-Szymon Tomaszewski, PIPER CUB L-4H- Marek Masalski
15:15 – 15:30 Yak-18 – Janusz Miś
15:30 -15:40 M26 ISKIERKA-Andrzej Sarata
II BLOCK OF SHOWS
16:30 – 16:40 TIME4FLY TICADA TEAM – Michał Witek, Aleksander Rosół
16:40 – 16:55 Firebirds 3 x EXTRA 330 (Adam Labus, Sebastian Nowicki, Łukasz Świderski)
16:55 – 17:10 GAMEBIRD – Artur Kielak
17:10 – 17:25 Bo105 – Maciej Dominiak
17:25 – 17:35 WIATRAKOWIEC -Michał Parkitny
17:35 – 17:50 EXTRA 330 – Mariusz Szarawara
17:50 – 18:05 CASA C-295 M nb 020 – Major pilot Arkadiusz Grzyb
III BLOCK OF SHOWS
18:30 – 18:50 4 x XA42 – The Flying Bulls
18:50 – 19:10 F-16 – Maciej Krakowian
19:10 – 19:20 VULCAN C 100RG – Mariusz Kuzma
19:20 – 19:30 Tulak – Jerzy Kolodziej
19:30 – 19:45 MXS – Zoltan Veres
19:45 – 20:00 EDGE 540T – Łukasz Czepiela
IV BLOCK OF EVENING SHOWS
21:00 – 21:15 Swift – Jerzy Makula
21:15 – 21:30 Bo105 – Maciej Dominiak
Programme SUNDAY 07 July 2024.
I BLOCK OF SCREENINGS
12:00 – 12:10 Cmelak – John Richards
12:10 pm – 12:20 pm VL-3 – Krzysztof Będkowski
12:20 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. PUCHACZ – Jakub Wielkiewicz
12:30 p.m. – 12:40 p.m. Tulak – Jerzy Kołodziej
12:40 pm – 12:50 pm RWD-5 – Piotr Wszołek
12:50 pm – 1:00 pm RWD-8 – Jarosław Rozwód
13:00 – 13:10 PIPER CUB L-4H-Antoni Nowak, PIPER CUB L-4H-Szymon Tomaszewski, PIPER CUB L-4H- Marek Masalski
13:10 – 13:20 Yak-18 – Janusz Miś
13:20 – 13:30 M26 ISKIERKA-Andrzej Sarata
13:30 – 13:40 VULCAN C 100RG – Mariusz Kuzma
II BLOCK OF DEMONSTRATIONS
14:00 – 14:15 EDGE 540T – Łukasz Czepiela
14:15 – 14:25 TIME4FLY TICADA TEAM – Michał Witek, Aleksander Rosół
14:25 – 14:35 WIATRAKOWIEC -Michał Parkitny
14:35 – 14:50 MXS – Zoltan Veres
14:50 – 15:05 Swift – Jerzy Makula
15:05 – 15:15 Bo105 – Maciej Dominiak
15:15 – 15:25 EXTRA 330 – Mariusz Szarawara
15:25 – 15:40 4 x XA42 – The Flying Bulls
15:40 – 15:55 CASA C-295 M nb 020 – Major pilot Arkadiusz Grzyb
III BLOCK OF DEMONSTRATIONS
16:50 – 17:10 Orlen Aerobatic Group Zelazny
17:10 – 17:30 F-16 – Maciej Krakowian
17:30 – 17:50 Firebirds 3 x EXTRA 330 (Adam Labus, Sebastian Nowicki, Łukasz Świderski)
Written by Karol Placha Hetman