Air Show in Kraków
On June 23-24, 2018, the 14th Małopolski Piknik Lotniczy was held at the Polish Aviation Museum.
On June 23-24, 2018, the 14th Lesser Poland Aviation Picnic was held at the Polish Aviation Museum. The organizers already have a lot of experience, so in terms of organization, the show was organized very well.
We will start with the possibility of participating in the event. The organizers provided three entrances to the event area, the possibility of early purchase of a ticket via the Internet, and the possibility of paying by card at the entrance, not just cash. There was a convenient entrance for people with children in wheelchairs as well as for disabled people in wheelchairs.
This year's picnic was organized in a new formula. The Civil Aviation Office did not agree to take off and landings by planes from the part of the runway (RWY) remaining after the Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport. This had been the case for the previous thirteen picnics. The official statement mentions the will to maintain the full safety of participants and viewers. And that's the truth. The problem is that over the past year, Bora Komorowskiego Street, which is located on the northern side of the Aviation Park, received an additional turnout with a viaduct, which increased the number of obstacles near RWY. And it would be good if this communication solution was to facilitate the lives of residents. But it's not like that. Well, the authorities of Krakow gave permission to build another shopping center, which was built within a year. If it goes on like this, there will be more shopping centers in Krakow than streets. As a result, during the picnic, only helicopters received take-off and landing operations from RWY. All the planes participating in the air show flew from Pobiednik Airport or Balice Airport.
This year's director of the 14th Małopolska Aviation Picnic turned out to be the weather. On several occasions, the rain forced the organizers to change the plan. Nevertheless, all participants demonstrated in the air.
As usual, this event was attended by many famous pilots and their aircraft. We will start the presentations with the Polish Armed Forces. In the air, we could admire the duo of two Mil Mi-24 combat helicopters, which came from the airport in Nowy Targ, where they are training. The commanders of the crews were: Major Rafał Kłębek and Major Maciej Idzikowski.
Two CASA C-295 M transport planes from the 8th Transport Aviation Base from Balice Airport also demonstrated during the flight. The commander of the first plane was Lt. Col. Robert Turek, and the second was Captain. Arkadiusz Grzyb.
There was a drop of jumpers of the 6th Airborne Brigade and WKS Wawel from the PZL An-2 plane.
When it comes to aerobatic aviation, the star of the show was Mr. Jurgis Kajris on the Su-31 plane. He made a breathtaking show as usual. Many experts on the subject came to Krakow especially for its show. The figures he drew were fantastic, although the strong wind caused the streak of the plane to dissipate before the pilot finished drawing it, such as the heart.
There was a lot of interest in the demonstration of the Bolkow MBB Bo 105 P1M helicopter, with Maciej Dominiak, its owner, at the controls.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman