Leszno 2021-06-20
"Antidote" air show in Leszno.
Due to the "Coronavirus" pandemic in 2020, as well as in 2021, there were few air shows in Poland and also around the world. However, those that took place in Poland were organized at a very high level.
On June 18-19, 2021 (Friday, Saturday) at the Strzyżewice EPLS airport in Leszno, in the gliding capital of Poland, an event called Antidotum Air Show took place. The main organizer was Aeroklub Leszczyński. The organizers deserve congratulations and thanks. There was a great atmosphere at the show. There was a lot of excitement. Even the prevailing 36 degrees (+ 36 degrees Celsius) heat did not prevent viewers from participating in the show. The first event of this type in Leszno took place in 2020.
Imprint Antidotum Air Show.
The event was ticketed. A normal ticket cost 30 zlotys. Parking a passenger car on the landing area was 20 zlotys. On both days, the party started at 2:00 PM and ended at 10:45 PM. Entry to the show area was secured by a security control zone and electronic ticket control. An area of approximately 12 hectares has been allocated to the public. The audience area was fenced, but mostly only with rope. The audience was disciplined and no one stepped over the fence.
There was a funfair for children at the show, food stands, stalls with gadgets and numerous tents of aviation organizations. If you are interested, I can see the purchase offer for gyroplanes, helicopters and ultra-light airplanes. There was a tent of the Military Supplement Command, an F-16 Demo Team tent and others. The military unit from Zielona Góra presented heavy weapons. There were sightseeing flights by plane and helicopter at the event.
There was a spotters zone and, of course, a stage where, to make the shows more attractive, the music band "The Cellos" played instrumental music.
Breaking the Guinness Record in Leszno at Antidotum Airshow 2021.
Even before the shows, the pilot Guy Westgate broke the Guinness record for the number of barrels made on a glider. The glider was towed in the tow by a towing plane, and at that time the glider pilot was turning barrels in it, i.e. rotations around the longitudinal axis of the glider. The pilot made 200 barrels. This record additionally promoted the event in Leszno.
ORLIK Aerobatic Team.
The "ORLIK" team was established by order of the WSOSP commander in Dęblin of 1998-01-01. In March 1998, the pilots began training to be ready for the show on 04/1598. The name of the team, as was the case with "Iskier", comes from the aircraft used in the unit, the PZL-130 Orlik. In Leszno, the ORLIK Aerobatic Team demonstrated itself with three PZL-130 Orlik planes.
F-16 Tiger Demo Team Poland.
The F-16 Tiger Demo Team Poland is a great attraction of all air shows in Poland. The Polish Army willingly participates in air shows. This time in Leszno we could admire one Lockheed Martin F-16 Jastrząb plane from the 31st Tactical Air Base in Krzesiny near Poznań. The plane was on both Friday and Saturday. The show started at 21:12 and lasted 10 minutes. On Saturday, the show ended with a ceremonial flight of the F-16 in honor of the deceased one of the F-16 technicians, who lost the fight against Covid-19 disease after three months. Honor his memory!
Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport plane from the 33rd Transport Aviation Base in Powidz was presented in Leszno. The show took place from 21:27 to 21:48. The flight crew demonstrated: approach to landing in the war zone, opening the cargo bay door for the discharge of the supply cargo and presented the national flag. At the very end, the crew demonstrated flares that formed a "luminous angel".
Red Bull Team.
In general, the event was largely filled with planes from the Red Bull team, which presented four aircraft in Leszno.
North American P-51 Mustang.
The North American P-51 Mustang is an American single-engine WWII fighter designed for the RAF, manufactured at the North American Aviation (NAA) facilities in the USA (California and Texas facilities) and to a much smaller number by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in Australia. It was used by US troops and their allies during both World War II and the Korean War. In total, approximately 16,000 North American P-51 Mustangs were produced. Today, many of these machines are privately owned. They fly during shows and sports competitions.
North American B-25 Mitchell.
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber from the Second World War. Designed in 1939. A squadron of these aircraft made the first raid on Tokyo in 1942, taking off from the carrier. It was the first typical bomber plane to take off from an aircraft carrier. 9,816 copies were built. Currently (2021) there are several flying copies, mainly in the USA. The plane presented in Leszno has already been to Poland several times, including in Radom and Katowice.
Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
Lockheed P-38 Lightning, and in Polish "Błyskawica", is an American long-range fighter aircraft from the Second World War. It is a fast, heavily armed aircraft used for many tasks in a variety of combat conditions. The plane is built in a dual-hull configuration, the so-called flying frame. The engines were placed in the front of two fuselages, between which there is a nacelle with a pilot's cabin with weapons. 10,037 copies were built. Currently (2021) there are several flying copies, mainly in the USA.
North American T-28 Trojan.
The North American T-28 Trojan is an American piston-engined training aircraft used by US troops. The plane made its first flight on September 24, 1949. 1,949 copies were built.
During the return from Leszno from the Antidote Air Show, the T-28 Trojan plane, which belonged to The Red Bull Team, crashed on the territory of the Czech Republic. The accident happened on June 20, 2021. According to information from the Czech police, the accident happened around 5:00 p.m. near Jickovice, 70 km south of Prague. The plane flew through the forest and crashed to the ground. The pilot died on the spot, and the passenger died after being transported to the hospital. The cause of the tragedy is unknown. The plane was flying to Salzburg, Austria, where Red Bull is based, with other The Flying Bulls team planes: B-25 Mitchell, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang.
Super Puma Display Team.
The Super Puma Display Team was a performance by the Puma helicopter. The Airbus Helicopters H215, formerly known as Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma, is a medium-sized four-bladed twin-engine utility helicopter originally developed and sold by Aérospatiale, then by Eurocopter, and now by Airbus Helicopters as Caracal. He made his first flight in 1978.
PZL SB Lim-2.
The PZL SB Lim-2 plane was a great attraction at the Leszno show. PZL SB Lim-2 No. 1B 06-006 / nb 006. The aircraft was withdrawn from service in 1991. After a few years, it was restored to a flying state. The plane was shown at the picnic in Góraszka in 2006, and then at other shows. The plane is still flying.
Aero L-29 Delfin.
The Aero L-29 Delfin is a turbo-jet training aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia at the end of the 50-year period. He made his first flight on April 5, 1959. Two more similar planes were built in socialist countries: the Russian Yakovlev Yak-30 and the Polish TS-11 Iskra. In 1961, in Moscow, the Polish TS-11 Iskra turned out to be the best during comparative tests, but the Aero L-29 Delfín was chosen for political reasons. Poland stayed with its TS-11 Iskra and even exported it to India. The Yak-30 aircraft was underdeveloped, with numerous faults. In addition, the CCCP industry could not build even 100 aircraft, because the entire industry built only combat aircraft. The Aero L-29 Delfín plane was put into service with the entire socialist camp (except Poland), therefore it was built in the number of 3,665 copies. Nevertheless, in the 1970s, a new, better Aero L-39 Albatros aircraft was developed. In Leszno, the Aero L-29 Delfin plane took off and landed at the local airport, which only has a grassy RWY, which was an attraction.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman