Inowrocław 2023-04-08
Mikhail Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter.
Air show Mikhail Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter.
In 1991, the first air show under the name Air Show in Poland took place. The arena was the Ławica airport in Poznań. For these shows, a group of Mil Mi-24 helicopter pilots organized a team of four helicopters with a dynamic flight show. The team was formed in the 56th Regiment of Combat Helicopters in Inowrocław. The show during Air Show 91 was very successful and aroused great appreciation of the audience and professionals. After that, the band performed with subsequent shows in Poland and abroad. The team had no official name at the time. In 1998, the band’s shows were suspended.
In 2000, in the sister combat unit – the 49th Combat Helicopter Regiment, in Pruszcz Gdański, a similar team was created, also consisting of four Mil Mi-24 helicopters. The group was named "Scorpion". The name "Scorpio" was popular all over the world. In several countries, "Skorpion" demonstration teams were formed, which flew on various helicopters. The first official show of the team took place in Radom – Air Show 2000. The Polish team then presented itself at several shows in Poland. Probably, during the Air Show 2005 in Radom, the band "Skorpion" gave the last show. At that time, the group flew two helicopters in the original colors (camouflage) and two helicopters in a new painting – dark green. The main reason for the abandonment of subsequent shows was the participation of the Polish Army in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Polish pilots ended up.
But the Mil Mi-24 helicopter show in Poland did not stop there. Mil Mi-24 crews and helicopters from the 56th Combat Helicopter Regiment in Inowrocław began training in flights in the mountains, where the helicopters were based at the airport in Nowy Targ. Since in Nowy Targ, the Aeroclub of Nowy Targ organized air shows every year, that is why pilots with helicopters joined these shows, giving several air ballet shows on two helicopters. An additional attraction was the correspondence between the airmen audible from the loudspeakers. The shows in Nowy Targ ended in 2019 due to the Chinese virus pandemic.
Demonstrations on Mil Mi-24 helicopters have always been given by professional, experienced military pilots. Many of them participated in foreign missions. They presented the piloting skills and technical capabilities of these large helicopters. The shows included low-altitude flights, simulated gunfire, flare launches and other spectacular elements, which made them a fascinating spectacle for aviation enthusiasts.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman