A weekend to remember – Athens Flying Week airshow
Hi everyone!
The "Athens Flying Week" annual air show took place in 114CW Tanagra Air Base on 17 and 18 September. This air show has established itself successfully the last ten years that it runs, being a significant and much needed factor in augmenting the aviation culture in Greece. This year, many fantstic demo and aerobatic displays took place, together with some equally gorgeous static displays. Even the Greek Spitfire (MJ755) flew (a particular machine, being almost 95% original!). I was privileged to be there both days and took some pics that I thought it would be a good idea to share with you, my friends.
Happy modelling!
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- 1. HAF Spitfire
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- 1. German Panavia Tornado PA200
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- 1. German Eurofighter
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- 1. German Eurofighter
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- 1. HAF Rafale
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- 1. HAF Mirage 2000-5 Dual Seater
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- 1. Italian T-346 Maestro
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- 1. Italian Aermacchi MB-339
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- 1. Pilatus PC-12
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- 1. HAF T-2E Buckeye
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- 1. Austrian Pilatus PC-7 with striking camo!
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- 1. Tornado Tigers!
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- 1. Hellenic Navy Sikorsky Aegean Hawk
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- 1. PZL-130, the wonderful ORLIK Polish demo team!
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- 1. The adorable ORLIKS!
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- 1. Once a tiger, always a tiger!
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- 1. Saudi F-15 with supreme camo
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- 1. Hellenic Army Aopache Longbow
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- 1. Hellenic Army Huey
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- 1. US NAVY Sea Hawk
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- 1. Hellenic Army NH-90
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- 1. Red Bull Bo-105
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- 1. The Prince!
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- 1. The utterly hospitable Saudi tent!
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- 1. Saudi F-15
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- 1. Erickson Skycrane Firefighter
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- 1. Hellenic Army Apache Longbow
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- 1. Skyvan
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- 1. The amazing Royal Jordanian Falcons Extra 300 planes
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- 1. Lucky dudes, exhibting the ORLIK badges that the wonderful ORLIKS removed from their flying suits and offered to them!
That T-2 is certainly in suspiciously-good shape. Are you sure it's Greek? 🙂
Nice stuf - thanks @fiveten!
Thanks my friend @tcinla!
Yep, we try to keep the few few few T-2's left airworthy in good condition...
Wow Spiros looks like you had a great couple of days , I guess the two boys are yours having a memorable time.
I've never really been a fan of Helicopters but the one in pic# 30 looks amazing, it would make a great addition to your collection mate.
Thanks for showing your photos
Thanks my friend @neil-foster! That helicopter is a Sikorsky Skycrane modified to firefighter. Some amazing machine, don't you think? Really imposing up close and personal!
Thanks for posting - some great shots!
Thanks my friend @gkittinger!
Thanks for sharing these, Spiros. I never get tired of seeing Rafales. The special scheme Saudi F-15 is interesting too.
Thanks my friend @j-healy! The agile Rafale's demo was supreme, but watching an F-15 performing a full demo was really something! Especially in that one-off imposing scheme!
Just one word, WOW, what an amazing two days that must have, Spiros @fiveten
Especially the Greek Spitfire, even seeing it in flight, must have been a wonderful experience.
From the pictures it is clear that both your boys enjoyed as much as you did.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks my friend @johnb! Hardest part of the show was convincing my kids to leave the base 🙂
Great shots of what look like a great show! I hope it only grows in coming years... Having something like that to look forward to from time to time formed some great memories in my youth, and hopefully will also with my children.
Thanks my friend @pb_legend! Yes, let's hope it grows.
Beautiful pictures, Spiros, looks like you had a great time. Are the boys yours? Looks like they had a great time, too!
What strikes me is that there are no crowds, or there don't seem to be. At our big annual airshow here in Houston, there are so many in attendance that you can't get a shot of an airplane without catching twenty people standing around it.
Thanks my friend @jetmex! A good number of people came (by far less than in Houston or similar airshows for sure), most were sitting in front of the runway.
Yes, the boys are mine! They loved it!
Nice shots, Spiros! I miss your Phantoms, is any one still flying them?
Thanks my friend @roofrat! Yep, our Phantoms still fly and gave a simulated attack performance: quite spectacular! None were in static display though.
Nice to know that somewhere those smoking J-79's are roaring through the skies. @fiveten.
Seems like a very enjoyable day Spiros, lots of fun with the family and some big cats to see. Which nationality is that F-15? It’s obviously from the middle east but I can’t spot which country.
The Spitfire seems brand new 😉
Thanks my friend @holzhamer!
The F-15s were Saudi Arabians. The Spit is very recently refurbished to airworthy condition and is meticulously kept pristine by the HAF squadron attachment it belongs. It has around 95% original parts!
Looks like a great show and you were lucky with the Greek sunshine. I see that your QA team were checking out the details as well.
Thanks my friend @chinesegeorge! Yes, my QAs checked (and climbed onto 🙂 ) everywhere they could!
@fiveten, Oh that is so cool Spiros! 😎 What a show! Now, that's a great way to entertain your "troops", and the memories they made will last for their entire lives. 😊
Well done, and thanks for posting this article my friend!
Thanks my friend @garybrantley!
Spiros, @fiveten
These are some amazing photos ! Thank you for sharing these with us. You can tell that QC 1 and QC2 had a wonderful time by the huge smiles they had. You are a great Dad, and your boys will remember and cherish these days throughout their lives. I still vividly remember the times that my Dad took me to see the various air shows we had here throughout Florida as I grew up. These are some of my best childhood memories.
As far as the huge Orange Sikorski helicopter, I have actually watched it operate in action, back in 1998, when we had the raging wild fires burning across and throughout our State. It was a sight to see, and I'm glad we have been getting our share of rain to prevent it from happening again. But when it does, Erikson will show up if they are needed. They were using our local airport as the home base for operations during the "Wildfires of 98" as they were called.
Thanks for sharing these magnificent photos with us. I'm old school and really like the Greek Spitfire the best. There's not another engine that sounds like a Merlin !
The Saudi F-15 is a very close second. All are magnificent.
Take care !
Thanks my friend @lgardner! Yes, the Spit is something! And I feel very proud that HAF flies it! Who'd have thought it 20 (or less) years ago? It would have been pure science fiction, yet here it is, flown and maintained by HAF!
The Saudi F-15 performing aerobatics in front of us was also an unforgettable sight. Especially at THAT scheme!
Ditto on the comments from Louis. It looks like it was a great day and your kids will always remember it, Spiros (@fiveten). Awesome photos, but they did complicate my build queue by giving me ideas for an additional 3 or 4 models. The HAF Spitfire, was already in the queue, but the photos will be a great resource. Thanks for sharing these great photos.
Thanks my friend @gblair. Some more Spit pics then...
19 attached images. Click to enlarge.
Looks like you all had a great time especially your sons, Spiros @fiveten. Seems like those Erickson firefighting rigs save the day in Greece as well all over Oregon and the U.S. I didn't realize they had gone international. Thank goodness for them.
Thanks my friend @eb801! Those machines indeed do an outstanding firefighting job.
Thanks for the extra Spitfire photos, Spiros (@fiveten). I have a 1/48 kit already tucked away for this build, as well as the decals. These photos will be very useful.
Looks like a great time, some really great aircraft to see up close and some beautiful weather! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks my friend @jroamer!
Amazing planes ! I don’t even know what some of them are !
Great event. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks my friend @bernardbedeur!
Nice set of pic's Spiros, some captions to identify them would be good, thanks for posting.
Thanks my friend @kalamazoo! You are right, I went my usual lazy approach 🙂 . I think I will add some.
Captions just added, my friend @kalamazoo!
Thanks Spiros, I see a couple more subjects to find kits for !